# Plantigrade vs digitigrade



## Wap (Mar 26, 2019)

Hello.

What are your opinions on plantigrade vs digitigrade feet? What would your pros and cons for each be?
Note: this question only makes sense for animal-like feet, not so much for human-like feet.

While i was trying to draw a rabbit or a mouse character (EDIT: and a kangaroo) and i was unsure which type of feet should i use. Both, rabbits and mice, have plantigrade feet in real life, therefore drawing them like so would be more _correct,_ but when i drew them like so, they looked kinda goofy, like they could wear clown shoes.

On the other hand, with digitigrade feet they look more nimble and elegant, but also kinda unstable and is more distant from real life animal. Also, it removes one of the specie traits and makes it look more like a cat/dog with different head and tail.

Examples:
     plantigrade - judy hoppy, buggs bunny
     digitidrade - characters from the game Overgrowth



Now, i had a case with plantigrade species and my thoughts for planti and digi foot type. Do you have any thoughts for digitigrade specie and pros and cons for keeping them digi or turning them to plati?




Ps. I didn't find a similar thread, but in case there is one, could you please point me towards it?


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## Seiden (Mar 26, 2019)

I tend to always go for the species' actual stance. If they're plantigrade, I'll draw them plantigrade, and if they're digitigrade, I'll draw the digitigrade. Because it would look weird otherwise...

Though I also think you can do whatever you want with your art and characters. Want to make a plantigrade horse? Well, just go for it if that's your thing.


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Mar 26, 2019)

As someone who enjoys art, I always felt it could go either way depending on the style. Digitigrade does require some thinking around how that effects clothing and mechanisms operated with the feet.


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## Yakamaru (Mar 26, 2019)

Hmm... I'm indifferent for the most part, really.

Drake is digitigrade, and so are the rest of my characters. Tho I don't mind them being drawn with plantigrade if it suits them better in that piece.


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## Kylan Velpa (Mar 26, 2019)

I really like the way that digitigrade feet can make really energetic-looking characters, so I think I kind of prefer it. Possibly?

However, I find it an awful lot harder to draw digitigrade than plantigrade, and since I am not yet a very good artist at all, it is a major con for me.


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## Faexie (Mar 26, 2019)

Wap said:


> Hello.
> 
> What are your opinions on plantigrade vs digitigrade feet? What would your pros and cons for each be?
> Note: this question only makes sense for animal-like feet, not so much for human-like feet.
> ...


Rodents are kinda tricky... They rest on their whole feet when they stand still, but they walk on their toes. So I think digitigrade style works best for anthros.


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## Peach's (Mar 26, 2019)

I met someone who had very serious opinions on this matter, and said anyone whose fursona wasn't digitigrade, that they weren't a real furry.

god I hate people like that


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## Casey Fluffbat (Mar 27, 2019)

While I have an opinions on the aesthetic of anthro characters, those opinions are largely shaped by what would be at least somewhat realistic.

Balancing on two legs is no easy task, and humans have a number of factors that contribute to their stability, a significant one being larger feet, something that also helps other primates stand upright when they need to. There is, however, a big difference, that being the overall shape of the foot and the importance of toes in giving that directional push, which differentiates us from other apes which have strange and inefficient walking gaits with feet that are better used for grasping things.

This is something to think about when designing a humanoid character from another animal, because like described above there is _big difference_ in the ability to walk on two legs _just between us and our closest relatives_. It's entirely up to artist to make it whatever they want, but from my perspective it's a balance (haha, get it?) between what looks good and what is functional that can make a good a design. That said, I'd say sort of a blend between the two, but make the digitigrade characteristics a little less defined and more cooperative with the plantigrade ones.



Peebes said:


> I met someone who had very serious opinions on this matter, and said anyone whose fursona wasn't digitigrade, that they weren't a real furry.
> 
> god I hate people like that



People who actually think they write the rules in a fandom that doesn't have source material, lol...


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## Misha Bordiga Zahradník (Mar 27, 2019)

Peebes said:


> I met someone who had very serious opinions on this matter, and said anyone whose fursona wasn't digitigrade, that they weren't a real furry.
> 
> god I hate people like that


Stares dissaprovingly in bear.


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## Skychickens (Mar 27, 2019)

Personally it depends on style to me. Trying to add shoes to digis is a nightmare for example, but digi has the effect of looking unbalanced a lot without some good catering. 

So it just depends really for me.


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## Wap (Mar 27, 2019)

Oh yea, i forgot to point out that digis balancing problems can be countered with a tail


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