# Tips for creating a visually distinct fursona?



## sylvanaris (Dec 10, 2018)

I've been thinking about redesigning my cat sona since I kinda rushed into it the first time and I don't think I'm fully happy with how they look. Before my sona was a generic dark brown feline, but now I think a tawny Ocicat with spotted tabby markings would look quite pretty. This would mean getting rid of the rainbow tail and pawpads - currently the main distinctive part of my sona.

That gets into my actual question: how can I make my sona look visually unique? I'm guessing that I'll probably have to do that more through clothing and accessories, since markings-wise I want to make them look like a realistic cat.

_Current ideas:_ rainbow cat collar, characteristic clothing (???), hair (either a pixie cut like I have now or the straight shoulder-length full-fringed hair I had as a teen), piercings (not sure about this since I don't have any piercings and my sona is kinda... me)

*Questions:*

How did you make your sona look distinctive - through markings, clothing, accessories or other body features?
Are tabby markings too complex to draw? I don't see a lot of tabby sonas around + was wondering why that was.
Human-like hair on anthros - yes or no? (just whatever your personal aesthetic preference is)
Under the spoilers is the cat I want to redesign my sona off and my current sona design. Any advice is appreciated!



Spoiler: Tawny Ocicat














Spoiler: Current sona


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## Firuthi Dragovic (Dec 10, 2018)

sylvanaris said:


> How did you make your sona look distinctive - through markings, clothing, accessories or other body features?



There were three ways I distinguished my 'sona visually.  First off, fins.  Elbows, knees, middle of tail, and then having three fins at the tip of the tail.  Second thing was to go full-on Gremlins with the ears, instead of having cartilage in the middle of them like I see with a lot of dragon designs.  Third?  As clothing goes, I noticed a lot of fursuits that included a bandana on the neck (I assume it's a visual trick to hide the area between the head and bodysuit) and decided to take it further with a winter scarf.



sylvanaris said:


> Are tabby markings too complex to draw? I don't see a lot of tabby sonas around + was wondering why that was.



Complex might not be the best word.  They take a lot of time compared to most types of markings.  Then again, I'm not sure how well that logic holds up with some of the more... strongly-patterned species I've seen out there.



sylvanaris said:


> Human-like hair on anthros - yes or no? (just whatever your personal aesthetic preference is)



I could only see it working on creatures that already have something approximating it.  So mainly mammals, but I suppose styled feathers that look like a hairstyle can work well for birds.  Anything else, though?  That's going to take some effort to sell me on that idea.

.....why do I suddenly feel like moths could get away with it too?


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## Pogo (Dec 10, 2018)

Ayy its another cat heyo.

Just make something you can say your happy with bland or colorful
Imo Appearance is surface level. If you want a stand out character it should have stuff going on under the surface. Various traits and opinions will give you a lot more to work with if your using your oc in stories or rp's.

But you probably got that stuff already figured out. Anyways good luck with the redesign. ^^


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## Deleted member 111470 (Dec 10, 2018)

sylvanaris said:


> How did you make your sona look distinctive - through markings, clothing, accessories or other body features?



Well, first - the species I chose is something seldom seen in the fandom. I didn't choose it because of that reason - it was just my main choice, and it happened to be a rare kind of animal when it comes to fursonas - a generic grey anthro monkey.
Second - because of his backstory, he has a scar running across his face. I didn't decide he should get a scar so he can be more unique - he has a scar as a result of his "lore", so to speak.

I prefer having characters that look simple, but where each thing has a reason to be there, not just because I wanted it to be cool and special.  In the spoiler below I will link my avatar in higher resolution, and a full-body picture of my sona. I don't necessarily think he's all that unique, but it might give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Also - if you can, you should  try to to join or start a RP with your fursona/s. That might give them more depth and from it you could gather ideas that will turn to visual changes in them.



Spoiler









And here's a full-body:









sylvanaris said:


> Are tabby markings too complex to draw? I don't see a lot of tabby sonas around + was wondering why that was.



Probably difficult to be consistent with them every time. To me, it looks like something that can be easily misplaced when drawing them. And maybe it's more time-consuming.



sylvanaris said:


> Human-like hair on anthros - yes or no? (just whatever your personal aesthetic preference is)



I don't like human-like hair on anthros.

[edit]
I really like your fursona's blue eyes. In fact, I love cats with blue eyes IRL. I think it's incredible.
[/edit]


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## Keefur (Dec 10, 2018)

Just think about the complexity of your design if you ever decide to make a fursuit.  As @Shane McNair said, you can accessorize a plain fursona.  I know a coyote who is quite plain, but wears a bright bandana and you can recognize him anywhere.


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Dec 13, 2018)

Not a fan of bright coloured characters and usually makes me throw them into the rest of the people who also have bright coloured characters, in other words you just put yourself in a more crowded area and do the opposite of your goal of being noticed which is also why people use flashy and bright colours that don't work.

Don't focus too much on flashy colours, since as @Shane McNair said the clothing and accessories are really good for a fursona.
Along with a nice pose can give the viewer a good idea of your character. Their job or their personality based on their clothing.

Your fursona shouldn't give the impression of "Hey everyone, look at me and my flash colours!" it should give the impression of "This is who I am and this is how i'm different."
Then again, with a base you're somewhat limited on the poses.


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## Tyno (Dec 13, 2018)

No cat is the same most of the time. Just lay off the rainbow tail it kinda throws off the natural colors theme.


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## Keefur (Dec 14, 2018)

I will share this one thing.  I have seen some wonderful suits that had terrible owners, and I have seen some terrible suits that were very popular because their owners truly "owned" their suits and made their fursonas come alive.  If you are a good performer in your fursuit, you will be recognized for it even if your suit isn't worth thousands of dollars.


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Dec 18, 2018)

How did you make your sona look distinctive - through markings, clothing, accessories or other body features?
_So, I guess Jungle Book somehow didn't take off, or I'm old. Haven't seen a lot of black panthers. However, I think you can get there more with personality/accessories than markings. Seriously, aside from a muzzle and belly that are lighter than the rest of me, I don't have distinct markings - because I can carry myself with proper poofy pants, swords, and similar. Find a characteristic you like and run with it - markings won't get you there. Think about it - you don't remember any of your friends, generally, because of their eyes. But Steve likes DOTA too much, so you remember that. Leah's a harry potter fanatic. You remember that, not their appearance. _

Are tabby markings too complex to draw? I don't see a lot of tabby sonas around + was wondering why that was
_Generally I think folks like simple because it's easier to keep consistent, but there's no reason tabby markings don't work. I think people just prefer more exotic cats. Generally though, I think people hit a level where they are distinct enough for their liking and that complexity falls short of "tabby." If you're going that route, I might suggest picking broader features, e.g. some spots, color regions, etc. which get what you want and can be seen at a distance. I wouldn't go natural tabby because you'll end up lost in the noise. Besides, you (or your commissioned artists) will thank you. _

Human-like hair on anthros - yes or no? (just whatever your personal aesthetic preference is)
_All of my male characters are bald, my female characters have hair. The issue is mainly that short hair is hard to make visible, so I skip it. I guess if I had a buzz-cut female character, I'd skip the hair too. No strong opinions either way, but hair on a scaly character looks weird._


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