I just had some...thoughts... about sticking animal heads on human shoulders. Bear with me.
I think the reason some anthros look really strange (I’m looking at you, Skyrim) is because animal skulls don’t attach to their spines the same way ours do. Our spines and skulls are very vertical, but many animals’ are closer to horizontal.
Some people solve this by giving the animal skulls a human skull shape on the back. But, to me it makes them look somehow bald(??) and just kinda weird in general. If, instead, you change their necks to curve so that the spine still connects where their four legged counterparts’ do, they no longer look yucky! (And also don’t need a hair-do!)
This seems especially applicable for animals like big cats, cows, and lizards — animals whose spines attach very horizontally to their heads.
Anyway, enjoy some more art I did while having these very specific thoughts.
Gargoyle NightWings is a really unique take and I'm here for it
Nightwing concepts. Going for a gargoyle look
NightWing design I did for @beefscrap
"I call her Naysayer, though that might be too silly, idk. Perhaps that name was given to her in the hopes that she wouldn't be too gullible and fall for fanciful things. She's the stuck up, boomer Karen type. The condescending teacher that seems to hate kids and you'd wonder why she chose to be that in the first place. She's a history professor, though not super reliable and might alter records to fit her beliefs. Very skeptical about anything magic, since she's all about there being scientific explanations and calculations to everything. A bit hypocritical considering how little sense dragons make but she's not gonna admit that. She doesn't really believe in mind readers and seers either, seeing it all as an elaborate scam. She definitely doesn't let her children read about magic, or anything fantastical at all. Design wise, I gave her musty looking colors and some pearls to clutch. Plus glasses, a ring, earring, some eyeshadow, and some starry stripes that may be reminiscent of a certain flag that has stars and stripes. I draw NightWings with bat features, beaks, and plantigrade feet."
[Image ID: digital art of a NightWing from Wings of Fire in a simplified style, facing left. The character is of a medium build, with a long, narrow face. She has dark, dull reddish scales, with a lighter underside and darker legs, with stripes, the back, and the top of the tail of the same dark color. 3 white teardrops on the neck and tail each. She has long, pointy ears, a sharp nose horn at the end of her gray beak, and downturned gray horns. Claws are also gray. Has some of her teeth exposed in a disapproving expression. She has some wrinkles under her eye, and wears purplish eyeshadow. She has golden glasses connected to the horns by a string, a pearl earring, a gold ring on one finger, and a string of pearls necklace. There are three spines going down her neck and three more at the base of her tail. Her wings are dark with a few stripes of white dots across the inner membrane. End ID]
Because I certainly do, and I love every single one of them and their work.
Another 4 designs from the past few months.
Species combos: purple gallinule/African wild dog, black and white hawk eagle/giant panda, hooded crow/striped hyena, and purple gallinule/maned wolf.
Will upload more later.
All my homies live in the void
The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.
The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.
The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.
The “get stuff done while you wait” method.
The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.
The “break the task into smaller steps” method.
The “treat yourself like a pet” method.
The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.
The “put on a persona” method.
The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.
The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.
The “wait for a trigger” method.
The “do it for your future self” method.
The “might as well” method.
The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.
The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.
The “make it easy” method.
The “junebugging” method.
The “just show up” method.
The “accept when you need help” method.
The “make it into a game” method.
The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.
The “trick yourself” method.
The “break it into even smaller steps” method.
The “let go of should” method.
The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.
The “fork theory” method.
The “effectivity over aesthetics” method.
this was tough, to say the least. SO MANY beautiful designs (which I’ll be compiling as the voting goes on) and so many tough decisions between them. I chose the three that I could see best with the prompt, but everyone did so so well. Thank you for your submissions.
TOP THREE WINNERS (voting is below them)
@sidyashchiy-na-plakhe
Allseer! I’m in love with the shapes used, and the colors and patterns are wonderful. Overall totally hit the mark with “recognizable but not overloaded”! He looks like he’d fit right in with the gang.
@longbird47
Naysayer! I loved this one because I didn’t expect a Karen type, but I’m not complaining! Was pleasantly surprised. Very unique wings, and her face is perfect for her personality idea.
@cowgomoo1123
Brightfuture! I found myself being really drawn to this design. The pink belly is super cute, and I adore the wing patterns. I was really stuck between Brightfuture and a few others, but kept coming back to him.
VOTING
Go ahead and pick who you think should win! Each winner will receive a doodle of a character of their choosing, and the top design will be the official character for the story. I want to say I hope there’s no hard feelings, or disappointment to people who weren’t chosen. I love EVERY design submitted, and I encourage you to use the character if you wish :] whether it be making them your own, selling them, etc.
Useful
Beyond this, consider how these professions might vary depending on who the customers are - nobles, or lower class. Are they good at their job or just scraping by? Do they work with lots of other people or on their own? City or village?
For younger characters:
Apprentice to any of the above
Messenger/runner
Page/squire
Pickpocket
Shop assistant
Student
Looks after younger siblings
(Images all from Wikimedia Commons)