# Critters that are hard to anthropomorphosise....



## Faustus (Dec 19, 2012)

I've always been a fan of furry art, but I'm a bit picky. I like images of anthro animals to stick as close as possible to the anatomy of the original animal they're based on. The one thing that I'm no huge fan of in anthro art is when somebody just takes the head and tail off a critter and slaps it on a human body with the right skin type. I at least like to see digitigrade legs where appropriate.

On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of feral art; I do like critters to walk upright and be capable of holding things. It makes them more easy to empathise with. That means some critters, i.e. snakes, may *need* to sprout arms or they just won't be anthro enough for me. Other critters may be able to adapt some other less obvious appendage, such as wing tip feathers or a tentacle.

One final preference of mine however is that I'm a big fan of the bizarre, of animals that don't often get their time in the spotlight. I'm not talking about weird invented hotchpotch critters with the head of one thing, the body of another and a pair of arbitrary wings tacked on because wings are cool. I mean real, genuine creatures that are just a touch unusual, difficult to do in 'sexy' anthro forms, and thus tend to take a back seat to dogs, tigers, ponies and the like.

So, just for a giggle, I thought I'd launch a thread asking folks to suggest critters that are difficult to do faithful anthropomorphic versions of, or that artists frequently take big liberties with the anatomy of when drawing their anthro counterparts.

Me, I'd say that one of the hardest critters to do anthro is the Jellyfish - that sucker's got no human traits whatsoever to play with! Very tricky to do well indeed!

Of the more common critters, the shark is the one I most often see people taking liberties with. Your average shark has no neck, but to make a *sexy* shark people tend to want a neck on it, and often the famous dorsal fin ends up on top of the head! Just so you can tell it's a shark! Tails tend to stick out at odd angles too, so that the legs can be made to point downwards and the body be held in an upright position. In my imagination, an anthro shark is a crazed aberrant hunchback of a creature with less morals than brains and less neck than either.

Anyone else got any thoughts on the subject?

-F


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## Teal (Dec 19, 2012)

snails


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## Fenric (Dec 19, 2012)

Hm...  I love playing with character ideas.  There's a lot of pickings in the sea!

How about shrimp/prawns?  Enough legs to choose from, and with the BIG round eyes you could probably manage something fairly cute.

You want really hard, do some of the less mobile sealife:  Anthro clam?  How would you possibly make a limpet? 

For something completely different: Anthro Nudibranch!  Nature's ultimate sparkledog, just waiting for your touch


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## Thaily (Dec 19, 2012)

Snakes with arms and legs and a neck without making them look like lizards.


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## Tiamat (Dec 19, 2012)

Thaily said:


> Snakes with arms and legs and a neck without making them look like lizards.



Yeah, in the Fighting Fantasy RPG series, you get the lizardman empire and the snakemen empire. I think the way to nail the snake people would be
to fall back on defining snake features and emphasize them. Such as the forked tongue, the fangs, the slit eyes...etc.


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## Validuz (Dec 19, 2012)

*Looks at sandwich i'm eating*

Crawfish.


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## ADF (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm a big fan of these themes, to the point that I recently got a load of anatomy references made. Not to help teach me to draw but to provide to artists I'm commissioning with examples to easier get concepts across.

(Nudity - NSFW)

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9417904/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9431773/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9458509/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9478962/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9488888/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9489925/

I also like to see experiments done with animal anatomy to achieve different looks, whether human or animal leaning.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/7812598/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9374917/

Thankfully lizards are a lot easier to make visually appealing while factoring their anatomy than, say, a lobster. The more exotic the animal the more human like you tend to see them drawn, or the more anatomical compromises (e.g. insects with lips) in order to make them appealing. That or they don't bother trying to make them look "sexy". It would be interesting to see if it's possible to make appealing blends of unusual species without having to rely too much on human orientation.


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

Thaily said:


> Snakes with arms and legs and a neck without making them look like lizards.



there's a fantasy creature known as a naga that's half snake and half person, kinda like a centaur for snakes lol


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## UnburntDaenerys (Dec 19, 2012)

What's sexier than a velvet worm?


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

UnburntDaenerys said:


> What's sexier than a velvet worm?


heeheehee! that is so weirdly cute, i love it! I love his little hoodie, i'd totally hug it i wouldn't mind the slime!


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## Ranguvar (Dec 19, 2012)

humans...so mundane


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## Fenric (Dec 19, 2012)

UnburntDaenerys said:


> What's sexier than a velvet worm?



a velvet mite!  http://dpughphoto.com/images/velvet%20mite%20eno%20cole%20102609.JPG


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## Avlenna (Dec 19, 2012)

Well some of the most difficult to anthropomorphize are any insects or anything with a bunch of legs.  Fish can be odd, but can be done semi-simply.  Odd creatures like some of the very deep sea creatures (sea sponges [whyyyy], sea corals, clams, etc.) may be fun to play with, but if you're looking for making them "sexy" you might have some problems.  You've made me want to play around with some ideas.  Maybe I can draw up some of the odder creatures and post them to my FA page for some feedback?


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## drpickelle (Dec 19, 2012)

I would say the common earthworm... but I saw some rule 34 Earthworm Jim art once...

Once. :I


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

Fenric said:


> a velvet mite!  http://dpughphoto.com/images/velvet%20mite%20eno%20cole%20102609.JPG


SQUEE it's like a jelly bean with legs :3


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

drpickelle said:


> I would say the common earthworm... but I saw some rule 34 Earthworm Jim art once...
> 
> Once. :I


i...can't even wrap my mind around that.
arent' earthworms asexual?


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## Avlenna (Dec 19, 2012)

Wa*Ya*Ha said:


> arent' earthworms asexual?



No. You know that thicker patch of skin on an earthworm?  Earthworms use that to mate.  Learned that in a biology class in high school (where I also learned that they have the oddest heart I've ever seen).


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

Silvaris said:


> No. You know that thicker patch of skin on an earthworm?  Earthworms use that to mate.  Learned that in a biology class in high school (where I also learned that they have the oddest heart I've ever seen).


oh. i must have been too traumatized by dissecting them to learn anything about them 0__0

i mean, whats sexier than a thick patch of skin on an undulating slimy creature covered in dirt?


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## Avlenna (Dec 19, 2012)

Wa*Ya*Ha said:


> i mean, whats sexier than a thick patch of skin on an undulating slimy creature covered in dirt?



*currently dying of laughter*  The mental image!  It hurts because that mental image just makes me laugh so hard!


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 19, 2012)

Silvaris said:


> *currently dying of laughter*  The mental image!  It hurts because that mental image just makes me laugh so hard!


just think that somewhere on this blue spinning marble, someone is actually getting turned on. 0_0

Back on topic, has anyone just completely made up a completely new creature? like a monster all on it's own? I used to draw crazy monsters constantly.  Looking back i think a couple of them would make interesting suits. here's one to show you what i'm talking about: 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




not really a "oh its a half this and half that" but more of a completely different species. oh and art belongs to me


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## Zydala (Dec 20, 2012)

Jellyfish :3


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## Tignatious (Dec 20, 2012)

Male betta fish, because they're so much prettier than the females.

But seriously, how would an anthro version of a halfmoon betta fish have the huge finage that is the major characteristic of a betta?


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## Validuz (Dec 20, 2012)

Zydala said:


> Jellyfish :3



Hanar!


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## Faustus (Dec 20, 2012)

Tignatious said:


> But seriously, how would an anthro version of a halfmoon betta fish have the huge finage that is the major characteristic of a betta?


I know what you mean. Probably end up with being a bloke with a fish for a head! 

-F


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## Arshes Nei (Dec 20, 2012)

Clown Frogfish

Sea Cucumber

Blob Sculpins

Sea Slugs

Manta Rays (or Rays)


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## Namba (Dec 20, 2012)

Zydala said:


> Jellyfish :3



Jellyfish


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## Faustus (Dec 21, 2012)

Arshes Nei said:


> Blob Sculpins


Heh, someone actually did this one too, although it's waaay more anthro than piscine:
http://professorhazard.deviantart.com/art/Bob-Sculpin-104968742

-F


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## Harbinger (Dec 22, 2012)

Fenric said:


> a velvet mite!  http://dpughphoto.com/images/velvet mite eno cole 102609.JPG



Anyone else here ever actually keep velvet worms or giant velvet mites as pets?
Or just me 

I think invertebrates would be the most difficult to anthropomorphise, they always seem to look awkward anyway.


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## myxini (Dec 27, 2012)

Hagfish. there's a reason I never draw anthro hagfish, despite using one for my name and icon. no limbs, no eyes beyond flat black spots, no bones, no jaw, not even a sucker mouth like a lamprey, it sort of turns the first bit of it's mouth inside out to rasp teeth against its food (often dead whales). it's basically a slightly flattened worm that makes slime. though I did once draw some in clothes http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs31/f/2008/233/f/9/mmm__slime_eels__by_phoenix_feather.jpg  just can't make them look at all humanized while still keeping them recognizable as hagfish.


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## Tignatious (Dec 27, 2012)

Faustus said:


> I know what you mean. Probably end up with being a bloke with a fish for a head!
> 
> -F




Yeah, he'd probably have a mohawk going into a back fin and have webbed fingers and toes with something like fins coming off his wrists and ankles. So creature from the black lagoon on an acid trip.


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## Wa*Ya*Ha (Dec 27, 2012)

Eyal Flurry said:


> Jellyfish


thanks.

thanks for that.

now it's going to be stuck in my head all day :v


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## EllieTheFuzzy (Dec 28, 2012)

Millipeed anyone?


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## zhuria (Dec 28, 2012)

zashko said:


> Millipeed anyone?


https://www.furaffinity.net/view/6496339/
Whitemantis is awesome at making insect anthros.


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## chewycuticle (Jan 7, 2013)

i think its pretty obvious that insects and sea creatures would be the most challenging...and snake. cuz no legs or too many legs and not a lot of differentiation between head and body. 

but what about other creatures?
how about a sexy frog/toad?


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