# Making fursona less cute



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

hello, a lot of people say "aww he's cute" in response to my fursona and i know its a compliment but its not what im going for. they seem to think he is a fluffy cuddly hug machine but he is not. i want his aesthetic to be "big eyed but creepy cave creature who feasts on blood and eats plastic" not "snuggly plush toy."

what can i do to make my fursona seem less cute? without making him into a hyper masculine body builder? thanks


----------



## Sergei Sóhomo (Feb 21, 2018)

Go the HP Lovecraft route. Give it features that make no logical sense


----------



## backpawscratcher (Feb 21, 2018)

Give him porcupine quills and draw in little BO clouds.  That ought to keep most people away.

Except me of course.

*hugs*


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

backpawscratcher said:


> Give him porcupine quills and draw in little BO clouds.  That ought to keep most people away.
> 
> Except me of course.
> 
> *hugs*



i am never stinky. i refuse to become a musky furry


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

get a good hunch going. Like gollum from lord of the rings


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

ellaerna said:


> get a good hunch going. Like gollum from lord of the rings



difficult because i am over 6 feet tall and already have back pain but i will try


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> difficult because i am over 6 feet tall and already have back pain but i will try


the taller you are the more hunch you can get.


----------



## Pompadork (Feb 21, 2018)

Facerot has some of my favorite ugly character designs. Droopy eyes, gnarled teeth, weird proportions, etc. Even if you dont wanna go full gross they have some great examples and ideas.
I personally tend to go with bug eyes and lanky proportions for more gross characters but I always end up with offbrand Invader Zim characters -sobsob-


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Oh, and get some weird teeth in there.
If he's eating plastic, he'll need teeth that can handle that.


----------



## Belatucadros (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> "big eyed but creepy cave creature who feasts on blood and eats plastic"


 Awwwww!! That sounds fucking adorable!!! :3

Kidding, of course. You can't really control how people view your fursona. In the end, there will always be people who think it's cute no matter how creepy or disgusting it is. That's just how the fandom works, I guess...


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

ellaerna said:


> Oh, and get some weird teeth in there.
> If he's eating plastic, he'll need teeth that can handle that.



he has triangle fangs


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> he has triangle fangs


Make them _weirder~_


----------



## lupi900 (Feb 21, 2018)

Belatucadros said:


> Kidding, of course. You can't really control how people view your fursona. In the end, there will always be people who think it's cute no matter how creepy or disgusting it is. That's just how the fandom works, I guess...



Yeah every time i told that my fursonna was a purple/blue jack with no fur or tail at /r/furry. All i got was insults by people who can't handle not everyone like anthros with so much fur they look a ball of hair. That they look pretty damn ugly when done in realistic style.


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

ellaerna said:


> Make them _weirder~_



biggrer? more teeth¿


----------



## Pompadork (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> biggrer? more teeth¿


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> biggrer? more teeth¿


yes.


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

quietinthepeanutgallery said:


> Facerot has some of my favorite ugly character designs. Droopy eyes, gnarled teeth, weird proportions, etc. Even if you dont wanna go full gross they have some great examples and ideas.
> I personally tend to go with bug eyes and lanky proportions for more gross characters but I always end up with offbrand Invader Zim characters -sobsob-



ok let me be more specific
how to still be attractive but not in a "im a cutesy small fuzzy thing" way??¿¿


----------



## Pompadork (Feb 21, 2018)

Another thing I'd add is that with fangs


Inkblooded said:


> ok let me be more specific
> how to still be attractive but not in a "im a cutesy small fuzzy thing" way??¿¿


OHHH ok I got you.
For that I would say you need to use more sharper features if you're not already if that makes sense? Rounder features are gonna come off as more baby face-y therefor cute. Out of curiosity do you have any reference pictures? I might be able to give you somewhat more of a specific idea of things you could do!


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> ok let me be more specific
> how to still be attractive but not in a "im a cutesy small fuzzy thing" way??¿¿


Well, I think that depends a lot on what you find attractive. 
Apologies if I'm off base, but I feel like you might find some inspiration from Liche (warning, a lot of it is NSFW). They do mostly ladies, so it's not a perfect example, but I find their artwork very attractive/alluring while still being creepy/not traditionally cute and cuddly.


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 21, 2018)

quietinthepeanutgallery said:


> Another thing I'd add is that with fangs
> 
> OHHH ok I got you.
> For that I would say you need to use more sharper features if you're not already if that makes sense? Rounder features are gonna come off as more baby face-y therefor cute. Out of curiosity do you have any reference pictures? I might be able to give you somewhat more of a specific idea of things you could do!



not really, I'm still in the process of drawing it.
and I dont know how exactly to add sharp features. aside from teeth



ellaerna said:


> Well, I think that depends a lot on what you find attractive.
> Apologies if I'm off base, but I feel like you might find some inspiration from Liche (warning, a lot of it is NSFW). They do mostly ladies, so it's not a perfect example, but I find their artwork very attractive/alluring while still being creepy/not traditionally cute and cuddly.



hmm well that seems to be mostly normal with just a very weird mouth


----------



## ellaerna (Feb 21, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> hmm well that seems to be mostly normal with just a very weird mouth


Sometimes all you need is one really creepy feature to make the whole thing unsettling.


----------



## Ciderfine (Feb 21, 2018)

Link me what this character of an icon looks like that represents you and I can give you a simple sum on making it more mature, complex and more emotional of character then "OMG cute, teh fuzz" etc.

Not many people skip to such a topic and ask for other information nodes on it. Shows you care, worry and think about your character. I dig that.


----------



## Wollymon (Feb 22, 2018)

Eye size is a big part of it, you could draw his eyes smaller


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 22, 2018)

Wollymon said:


> Eye size is a big part of it, you could draw his eyes smaller


*no*


----------



## Skakuna (Feb 22, 2018)

What might make eyes creepy:
- big eyes and tiny pupils. NO light reflecting. Insomniac maniac vibes.
- no pupils at all, just one color for whole eyes
- horizontal pupils or those looking like fourpointed stars. And again no light reflecting.
And also realistic eyes or those 'use your own eyes' but since you stated you want the eyes to be big then it's out of question.

Other things you might consider to make the character less cute:
- too wide smile, giving Heath Ledger's Joker vibe
- realistic style (some fursonas and fursuits are SO creepy because of that!)
- thorns on skin patches that look all slimy or rought in touch, as id it was too dry
- drool. Ever seen buldog drooling all over? Not cute at all, is it. If you add a tint of green, people will connect it to something toxic and definitely won't be so eager to hug you.
- no fur on fingers or toes. To me it's super gross.
- I know you said you already chose triangle teeth, but maybe add some reseambling needles. Normal or crooked ones.
- if in fursuit, train your laugh. Look up how Jokey from L4D2 giggles. That is not something you'd like to hear in a dark cave you just went in...

There is one fursuit head that creally creeps me out, and I'm not sure why. It's amazing and well-designed, and I love it, but it's just... idk, there is something that makes me feel uneasy about it... it's Rapture by Rancid Rampage. They nailed it. They made something incredible. And it's scary.

Hope at least one of those will be helpful


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 22, 2018)

Skakuna said:


> What might make eyes creepy:
> - big eyes and tiny pupils. NO light reflecting. Insomniac maniac vibes.
> - no pupils at all, just one color for whole eyes
> - horizontal pupils or those looking like fourpointed stars. And again no light reflecting.
> ...



his pupils change size (as all do) but since he is sensitive to light they are usually small unless he is in a dark environment. (but i am of the opinion that overly big pupils are creepier)

i am not a fursuiter so that doesnt apply to him. i couldnt fursuit him even if i wanted to because he doesnt have a snout or look like a real animal... and i dont like toon suits

im also trying to go for "mildly unsettling" rather than "disgusting and icky" so im not going to cover him in slime. i dont want him to be ugly either


----------



## Zehlua (Feb 23, 2018)

Make the mouth crooked


----------



## defunct (Feb 23, 2018)

less fluffy hair, less smiling.
it's a pretty simplistic drawing simple usually tends to skew more cute and less creepy
do you have any more art of him?


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 23, 2018)

Nastala said:


> less fluffy hair, less smiling.
> it's a pretty simplistic drawing simple usually tends to skew more cute and less creepy
> do you have any more art of him?




i dont think non serious ms paint scribbles are what you should be judging

i dont have any finished art thats relevant. im still working on it. and id rather not post it here


----------



## splatterdot (Feb 23, 2018)

Usually what I do is make their eyes smaller and thinner. As well as that, giving them a large forehead and thin pupils would help too. Usually people associate big eyes, button noses, and cute 'pinchable' cheeks with cute.


----------



## defunct (Feb 23, 2018)

Inkblooded said:


> i dont think non serious ms paint scribbles are what you should be judging
> 
> i dont have any finished art thats relevant. im still working on it. and id rather not post it here


do you want some?


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 23, 2018)

Nastala said:


> do you want some?



what


----------



## defunct (Feb 23, 2018)

finished art


----------



## Inkblooded (Feb 23, 2018)

Nastala said:


> finished art



well yes but i have a lot of owed art to do so its not a priority right now


----------



## sharprealmcomics (Feb 23, 2018)

<- its not easy mine is a evil murderer and a gang member and just all around pure evil...and yet HES ADORABLE! and even handsome XD


----------

