08-24-01 @ 6:53 pm EDT

Remember the furry art site I linked to somewhere back there in my *sob* entry? Went and printed out all her pictures last night and noticed that she used ovals when drawing the limbs of her characters. Hm. I also checked out her links and there was this good one with a simple tutorial on how to draw furry heads. Cats, dogs, rodents. I decided to try it out myself.

I know I'll probably never be able to draw all of my characters--especially my rat ones--the way I envision them. I so wish I could. I'd kill to draw the way I want to, even halfway as good as these people do! But anyway, I doodled with some wolf heads, then decided to try maybe a 3/4 Tal Natha view, since I don't like my drawing style for him--it makes him look like an antelope. It came out not half bad. Thing is, his muzzle isn't as long and foxlike as I want it to be. Plus I don't know how to draw him head on, from the front. I wish I knew where to look to figure out how to do that. Where would I ask for advice? Long 3/4-view noses/muzzles are hard!

Not only that, but how would I draw birds? I'd love to be able to draw Horus someday. But he's got a hawk head. I tried drawing him in several different manners and it never worked. I can't make him look both realistic and yet expressive. Hawks are HARD! Where would I find out how to do THAT?

But what I did come up with...I took out a new piece of paper and sketched a figure using the ovals, like the other girl did. Hand on hip, ovals for legs. Then I erased an entire leg and redid it because they were too close together and made him look funny, and put the other hand on his other hip. Then I started adding detail to the head and it turned into a wolf head. I added hair and messed with it a bit, finally placing it only in back, with the fur on his cheeks in the middle, and lappets hanging down in front of that. And eye sockets and the eyeballs themselves, but as with my method of drawing, no pupils. They don't come along until a drawing is finished since they alone give the drawing life. A kilt, a bull tail, and a sword's sheath, though it's difficult to see, behind his right leg. And...

He's so CUTE!! It's absolutely unbelievable!! :D

Knowing my luck, with the way I'm yapping about it, this'll be the only one I can draw moderately decently. :( **pout** But he's adorable so far. Should I finish it, it will be Lord Upuat from Horus. I hope I can get his face to look menacing and yet affable. He's supposed to be in a good mood in this picture. Yah, not very common for the guy, with his history and personality, but you know. I debated giving him an iron collar to reflect his past, but I don't think he'd particularly like wearing one of those...

I'd like to try out Anubis as well. I had to add more muscle to Upuat, make his chest broader, because he's supposed to be a big guy, probably the tallest of the neteru in my stories. Not bulky and hulking, but not a little wimp either. Anubis, he's more along the lines of wimp. Lean and almost androgynous is how I picture him, much shorter than Upuat; I place Upu at around 6'6" or so and Anubis at around 5'9", as Horus is about six feet even and Upuat towers over him by about half a head or so. Bla bla. Anyway. I'd have to modify the Upuat drawing for Anubis. Making the muzzle longer will be a problem with me. Ears have to be larger too, since he's a jackal. Hope I can do it, Anubis is one of my favorites, along with Upuat. :)

And all this leaves THOTH! How on Earth am I to draw HIM?? He's got that long beak--ugh!!

Oh yes. I already know how to draw my Apsiu in profile, but not frontal or in 3/4 view. They've got those difficult curving snouts. Well, perhaps I should doodle around and try out the ovals with their bodies since my bodies always look so stiff. I even got a couple of artists' mannequins and it doesn't seem to help. Plus I broke the hand off one...WAAAHHHH!!

This is all so HARD!!

Well, if anyone sees this drawn-out (um, no pun intended) entry and has advice or knows of a good site to link me to for the drawing of furry birds and such (agh, furry birds--you know what I mean!!), then please let me know. I sense a lot of frustration coming my way!