THE ART OF DRAWING

MANGA
FURRIES

Talia Horsburgh
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: THE BASICS
Tools & Materials
Common Types of Furry Characters
Black & White Art
Adding Color
Coloring Traditionally
Coloring Digitally
Hairstyles
Anatomy & Common Poses
Clothing & Accessories
CHAPTER 2: KEMONOMIMI
Kemonomimi Levels
Commonly Used Animal Inspiration
Facial Features
Facial Expressions
Drawing a Neko Cat Girl
Drawing a Kitsune Fox Girl
Drawing a Kemonomimi Sheep Boy
Drawing a Kemonomimi Surfer Shark
CHAPTER 3: KEMONO
Kemono Levels
 Commonly Used Animal Inspiration
Facial Features
Facial Expressions
Drawing a Leopard Man Kemono
Drawing a Fashionable Sloth Kemono
Drawing a Bird Man Kemono
Drawing a Bunny Girl Kemono
CHAPTER 4: SCALIES
Scaly Levels
Commonly Used Animal Inspiration
Facial Features
Facial Expressions
Drawing a Mermaid
Drawing a Skater Dragon
Drawing a Snake Businesswoman
CHAPTER 5: FURSONAS
Making Your Own Fursona
Sample Fursonas
Drawing a Fursona: Tiera
CHAPTER 6: TEMPLATES
Heads
Standing Poses
Dynamic Poses
Clothing & Accessories
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 INTRODUCTION

Whether you are an experienced artist looking for furry inspiration

or just beginning your journey with drawing furries, welcome! In
this book you will learn everything from the basics of drawing and
color theory to creating your very own furries and fursonas! Are
you a manga fan who’s seen kemono (Japanese for “beast”) many
times and want to draw your own? Are you a part of the furry
fandom and want to draw your own fursona? Or are you intrigued
by furry art but asking yourself, “What is a furry, exactly?” No
matter your artistic level or your previous knowledge about furries,
this book can help you draw an entire world of imaginative and
unique characters!
Furries, often seen in Japanese manga, are characters based on
animals but have the body structure, personality, and speech of
humans. They are far off from what the animals look like in reality.
Learn to draw kemonomimi characters, which are mostly human
but have some animal traits, starting on this page. Kemono
characters are mostly animalistic, and you can draw some of those
starting on this page. If you’re interested in furless furries, flip to
the scalies section on this page. Scalies are furries that feature traits
found in reptiles, amphibians, or fish.
One of the most fun parts of the furry world is creating your own
fursona. The word fursona is a portmanteau of “furry” and
“persona,” and it is an artistic representation or avatar of a person
in their furry form. Learn all about how to create fursonas on this
page. Helpful templates are available starting on this page to help
you draw different types of poses and accessories for your furry
creations.
Now that you are ready to draw some furries, meet Fenn, our
fennec fox friend who will occasionally pop in and give you handy
tips and tricks for drawing these sometimes challenging but always
rewarding characters! With that, let’s jump straight in!
Fenn
 Chapter 1

THE BASICS
 TOOLS & MATERIALS

Your manga art setup can be as inexpensive and

simple as a piece of paper, a pencil, and an eraser!
This is really all you need to start practicing. As
you grow more confident in your art, don’t be
afraid to branch out and try different media and
paper. Below are some different options to create
furry illustrations with traditional and digital
media.

PENCILS
It is always helpful to have graphite pencils of a variety of
densities. Make sure your pencil kit includes a light shade (2H), a
medium shade (HB), and a darker shade (2B–6B). A popular
choice for many mangaka is a mechanical pencil, which allows for
different lead thicknesses and colors. Try different pencils and see
what works best for you.
INK
Inking is an important part of the manga process, both as a major
part of illustrating manga comics as well as the preparation stage
for coloring. Manga artists like to use fine-line pens or dip pens for
this stage. When using fine-liner pens, make sure to have a variety
of thicknesses. A great range of nib thicknesses is from 0.03 to 0.5
or above, plus a brush pen. Many art supply stores sell these in
ready-made sets to make starting your collection easier.
Traditional manga illustrators use dip pens with interchangeable
nibs. The most popular nibs for manga artists are the kabura pen for
straight lines, G-pen for diverse thick and thin lines, and maru pen
for extremely thin lines. If you are a beginner at inking, try liner
pens first, and then move on to dip pens once you become more
confident.
COLORING TOOLS
Four popular coloring media for manga are alcohol markers,
watercolor, gouache paint, and colored pencils. Alcohol markers
are a popular choice among mangaka for their superior blending
and color range. Use watercolor for backgrounds and light,
transparent elements. Gouache is more opaque than watercolor and
can be used for any part of an illustration. White gouache is often
used for highlights and finishing touches. Colored pencils are the
perfect finishing layer on top of paint and markers to add depth,
blending, and texture to your piece. Experiment with them and see
what you love!
PAPER
Choose your paper depending on the medium you are using. Unless
you are practicing, avoid generic printer paper. Wet media such as
watercolor or markers will need thicker paper, as opposed to dry
media such as colored pencils. Mixed-media paper is a great all-
around option if you aren’t sure what you need. Use bound
sketchbooks for practicing. For in-depth illustrations, use
sketchbooks with easy-to-tear paper so you can display your
completed drawings.
TABLETS
You can draw manga digitally as well. Generic-use tablets with
pens can be used for digital drawing, with more and more drawing
apps becoming available at a low cost or even for free. Many web-
based manga, such as webcomics, are created digitally, so it doesn’t
hurt to be versed in both traditional and digital options.
If you’d like to invest in higher-quality digital drawing tools, there
are many to choose from. Graphics tablets are very popular, but
before investing a lot of money, research your options and test
some out to make sure a tablet is right for you.
 COMMON TYPES OF FURRY
CHARACTERS

Before you jump into drawing some awesome

furries, know that there are different types of
anthropomorphic characters. All types are
connected by the same simple principle—a furry
is a creature with both human and animal
characteristics—but each varies in animal-to-
human ratio and animal type.

KEMONOMIMI are humans with some animal features. Most

often, kemonomimi will have animal ears, horns, wings, or a tail
added onto an otherwise normal-looking person. These features are
a fun way to add intrigue and unique design elements to a human
character.
KEMONO are animals that walk, speak, dress, and act like
humans. The base animal is usually either a mammal or avian
character. Their facial features can be distorted to better fit human
and manga proportions. Fur and skin colors generally stay true to
the real animals. These designs feature different hairstyles and
fashion choices, which help show the character’s personality.
SCALIES are based on animals with scales, such as fish, snakes,
crocodiles, and lizards. Scalies also include dragon-based
anthropomorphic character designs. Adapting these animals to a
humanoid figure can be challenging, but it is well worth the
practice!
FURSONAS are animals created to show off the creator’s
personality. You have a lot of freedom when designing these
characters and don’t have to closely adhere to the animals you are
using as inspiration. For example, you could create a neon-colored
wolf with horns or a pink fox with wings! The more creative the
better, as long as the fursona represents you!
 These aren’t the only types of furries
you can find. Each type has its own
subgenres and sections, but when
starting off, these main groups are the
most popular and important to know.
 BLACK & WHITE ART

An important part of the manga creation process

is line art and inking. But what are they, and is
there a difference? Well, the answer is yes, there is
a difference. Line art is involved in inking, but
inking isn’t necessarily involved in line art. More
on this below!

INKING A DRAWING
Line art is the stage after sketching in which you outline the lines
of the drawing that you want to keep with a fine-liner or dip pen.
After applying the line art, erase your sketch and you are left with
beautiful, clean lines minus all the original guidelines. You’ll then
take this clean drawing to the coloring or inking stage.
Inking is used to create black-and-white manga panels with
blocked-in shadows and dark colors with solid black. This
enhances the depth of the drawing when color cannot be used.
Here is a breakdown of this line art and inking process.
1 Complete your sketch and tidy it up. The neater the sketch,
the easier lining will be. There’s nothing worse than going in
with a pen not knowing which lines you actually want to
keep.
2 Using a thin liner pen or nib, trace over the lines you want
to keep. Make sure you’re not holding the pen too tightly or
else your lines will come out scratchy and shaky. Loosen your
wrist and take your time.
3 To make the line art more dramatic, go in with a slightly
thicker pen and darken areas where lines meet or where
there is shadow. These usually occur under the neck, around
the hairline and in clothing folds. After finishing this stage,
you can color or ink your drawing.
4 To ink a manga story or for black-and-white art, use a
black brush pen to block in shadows and dark areas or
patterns. Make sure to leave some white areas to give
contrast and depth to your drawing. Other shading
techniques such as crosshatching or stippling can also be
used while inking to produce more natural shading
gradients.
SHADING WITH INK
Shading conveys depth and volume in your drawings, making them
look more three-dimensional by showing how light and shadow
reflect off of your subjects. There are a few different ways to shade
using inks, as shown below.
HATCHING is good for slightly dark areas.

CROSSHATCHINGproduces texture and darkens a little more

than one-way hatching lines.
STIPPLINGis a time-consuming shading technique that
produces natural gradients. To stipple, apply small dots in
different densities.

FULL BLACK INK is for the darkest parts of the illustration.

 ADDING COLOR

Now that you have learned about black-and-

white art, it’s time to jump into the wonderful
world of color! Before getting into the specifics of
coloring techniques, here is a crash course in
color theory. This is extremely useful knowledge
for any artist!

THE COLOR WHEEL

When choosing color palettes, have a color wheel handy! Knowing
the colors’ relationships to one another can help you know how and
when to use them in your drawings.
Complementary colors are directly opposite each other on
the color wheel. When mixed together, these colors create
“true gray.”

Pros: Complementary colors have great contrast.

Cons: Because they mix to make gray, the colors can look
muddy if they are mixed too much in the drawing.
Split complementary colors include a main color and the
two colors on either side of the main color’s complementary
color.

Pros: Quick and easy palette inspiration.

Cons: Not as much contrast as complementary colors.
Analogous colors are those directly next to your chosen
color.

Pros: Analogous colors look pleasing together.

Cons: There is not a high contrast, possibly making it less
interesting than other color choices.
Monochromatic colors are the various tints, tones, and
shades found in a single hue (color).

Pros: An easy-to-manage color choice, monochromatic

colors will always work well with your chosen color.
Cons: With limited contrast, this color choice could become
visually uninteresting.
Triad colors are all evenly spaced from each other on the
color wheel.

Pros: Triad colors work harmoniously together, while

maintaining contrast.
Cons: You will not see as much contrast as with
complementary colors.
Words to Know
Hue: A “pure color,” which can be found on the
color wheel (red, yellow, blue etc.)
Tint: Any hue + white
Tone: Any hue + gray
Shade: Any hue + black
Warm: These colors include reds, yellows, and
oranges. When applied to a drawing, warm colors
appear closer. If you want parts of a drawing to
look closer to the viewer, make the colors warmer.
Cool: These colors include blues, violets, and
greens. Cool colors appear farther away, so if you
want parts of a drawing to look farther away, add
cool tones to it.
A BETTER WAY TO SHADE
Many beginner manga artists shade with monochromatic colors.
They choose their base color and add black to the color for shading.
Although this does work to an extent, it leaves the drawing looking
muddy and not as intense or interesting as it could be. Instead,
when choosing a color for shading, slightly change the hue, and
then use a shade of that color. For example, if your base color is
yellow, rather than just using a “darker” yellow, move to yellow-
orange and then find a shade color from there.

Base Color
 Monochromatic Shading

Shading with Hue and Tone

The last two of the above three drawings both use the same base
colors (shown in the first drawing). The monochromatic image
looks bland and dull when compared to the last image. This image
was shaded with slightly warmer and cooler hues. Although the
change is small, the outcome is totally different!
Color Palette Inspiration

Spring Palette

Summer Palette

Fall Palette

Winter Palette

Pastel Palette
Skin Tones Palette
COLORING TRADITIONALLY

There are many ways to work when coloring

traditionally, depending on the medium you
prefer to use. Practice coloring with as many
different media as possible. As the saying goes,
“You’ll never know until you try it!” You will
eventually find your favorite medium and
technique. Here are some tips to help you
practice coloring traditionally.
1 Have your line art ready and make sure the ink is dry before
coloring.
2 Color in the lightest colors for the base. Leave areas white
where highlights will be.
3 Shade the base color, still leaving the white highlights.
Make sure to always work from lightest to darkest.
4 With ink or gouache, paint the highlights on hair, skin, and
eyes.
Be aware if the medium you are using is a wet
medium or dry medium. Wet media need
specific paper and different drying times if you
want or don’t want colors to blend.
Don’t be too cautious with your sketchbooks.
They are designed to be doodled in and ruined
all in the name of practice and inspiration. Save
your masterpieces for the good paper and
canvas.
Get yourself a drawing board. They help elevate
and tilt art at different angles to work on. There
is nothing worse than working on a drawing on
a flat surface and lifting it up to see you’ve
drawn the perspective all wrong because of the
angle of the paper as you worked on it.
Stand back from your art. We work so closely on
our pieces that sometimes standing back and
seeing it from a distance helps us find flaws we
wouldn’t have otherwise seen.
 COLORING DIGITALLY

If you’d like to color your art digitally, below you’ll

find some tips and tricks to help get you started.
If you already have a tablet you can draw with,
start with that. There is no need to go and spend
the big bucks on a new device until you have
tried it out to see if digital art is for you.

1 Have your line art ready and open in your drawing

software, either drawn digitally or scanned into your
computer after drawing it on paper.
2 Block in the base colors in a new layer under your line art
layer. Color each section on a different layer (skin, hair,
clothes etc.).
3 Shade each layer by adding a new layer on top of the base
color. Set the layer to “multiply” for even shading.
4 Add highlights and any extra shadows, and you are all
done!
When choosing a canvas size to work with,
always use 300 dpi and a canvas of at least 2,000
x 2,000 pixels. The larger the canvas, the less
pixelation you will get and the crisper the lines
will be.
Layers are your friend! A good drawing program
will allow you to add layers to draw on. Make
sure your line art and colors are on different
layers to allow easier editing. That’s the best part
about digital art! That and the undo button.
Play around with layer properties. Each layer can
be set to different properties like multiply,
screen, and overlay, to name a few. These all do
different things to the colors in the layer, so play
around with the options.
Try all of the brushes available to you in the
program. Sometimes artists find a brush they
love and use it forever. But this can be limiting if
you never mix it up with other brushes.
The holy grail of layers is the clipping layer. If you
set a layer to clipping mode, it will only let you
draw or color within the area you drew on the
layer below. This allows you to change the color
of your line art, shade within a certain color, and
much more.
If you find your lines are shaky and messy, try
turning up the stabilization setting on your
brush. This allows for smoother lines and is
perfect when doing line art.
Remember that when you work digitally, colors
are shown in RBG (red, blue, and green), as these
are the colors that screens use to project an
image. However, in real life we can only print in
CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black), which
naturally dulls the colors you may be used to
seeing on your screen. If you want to print your
work and avoid this difference, make sure to set
the preview in your program to CMYK and not
RBG. This will automatically shift the colors to
look similar to how it would look when printed.
HAIRSTYLES

Whether it’s drawing fashionable hairstyles on

kemonomimi or drawing fur on a kemono, hair is
a key part of many character designs. Being able
to master how to draw hair in different styles
allows you as an artist to create more diverse and
unique characters.

Base
 Plait

Ponytail
Buns
GIVING HAIR MOVEMENT
If the hair you’re drawing looks unintentionally lifeless and stiff,
here is a simple trick to give it some bounce. Stiff-looking hair
usually comes from using too many sharp, straight lines for the
majority of the hairstyle. To combat this, slightly curl the ends of
the hair in different directions. For more movement, have a few
strands pull away from the main mass of hair. These tricks will
immediately give the hair more life and movement. Just take care
not to overdo it, as too much can make the hair look messy.
Hair Placement

When drawing hair, break it down into three sections:

the front (pink), midsection (blue), and back (yellow). The
front is where the bangs or any hair sits on the forehead.
The hair that frames the face and goes over the ears is
found in the midsection. The back section is the main
bulk of the hair that will either grow out long, stay short,
or be put into a hairstyle.
HAIR INSPIRATION
Sometimes the hardest part of drawing hair is coming up with a
hairstyle you like. To get you started, here are some short and long
hairstyle examples you can try. Give them your own unique twists
by adding braids, ponytails, and buns to a base hairstyle for even
more options!
 ANATOMY & COMMON POSES

Even though furries have a lot of animal

elements, they are all based off the foundation of
the human body. You will improve your furry
drawings immensely if you learn basic human
proportions and poses before jumping into
designing your own furry characters.

COMMON PROPORTIONS
A simple and common method artists use to estimate proportions
on the body is by using the “heads tall” measurement. The smaller
character at right is 5½ heads (purple) tall, with a torso (blue) of
1½ heads tall and legs (green) that are 3 heads tall. The taller
character is 6½ heads tall, with a torso of 2 heads tall and legs 3½
heads tall. By using this method, it becomes much easier to draw
well-proportioned characters. It is also easily manipulated to
quickly make a character a different height. For example, to make
the shorter character taller, make her torso a full 2 heads rather than
just 1½. For a tall furry character, maybe their legs could be 4
heads tall!
COMMON POSES
Once you become comfortable with proportions and anatomy, you
can move on to posing your character in more creative and varied
ways. What follows are six common poses broken down into their
stick figure forms, as well as their basic body shapes for you to
practice. If you ever want to illustrate a pose but get stuck, always
break it down to its most basic shapes.

SITTING BACK can portray that a character is comfortable

or laid-back. The trickiest part of this pose is getting the leg
proportions correct while the character is seated on the
ground. Make the pose look comfortable and natural by
bending both knees slightly, as opposed to drawing them
flush with the ground.
LEANING poses are complex due to the closed arms and
legs, as well as the weight of the body resting on one
shoulder and foot rather than on both feet.
WALKING poses can convey a lot about a character’s
personality or current mood. Pay attention to the slightly
foreshortened leg that’s stepping out, and also note how the
receding leg in the back is portrayed in this pose example.
TURNING BACK shows the natural curvature of the spine.
When drawing a character from the side like this, don’t
forget about the spine and how its natural curve will affect a
pose. Notice the bend in the spine section on the stick
figure.
KNEELING is a cute and common pose. Don’t forget that
much of the calf portion of the leg is covered by the thighs
and is not visible.

CROSSING LEGS can be a somewhat challenging pose due

to the foreshortening and crossover of the legs. It helps to
draw both legs in full, and then erase the parts covered up at
the very end.
LEG COMPARISONS
When transferring your knowledge of human anatomy and
proportion to drawing furries, the biggest challenge is using animal
leg shapes. Below you will find three types of legs often seen on
furries. The colors show the corresponding parts, including the
thigh, knee, calf, ankle, foot, heel, and toes or nail.

PLANTIGRADE creatures make ground contact with their

toes and heel when they walk. These include humans, apes,
and bears.
DIGITIGRADE animals make ground contact with only their
toes, such as cats, dogs, and rodents.
UNGULIGRADE animals make ground contact with only
their hooves or nails when walking. Ungulates include
horses, deer, pigs, and rhinoceroses.
Step 1 To draw a digitigrade or unguligrade leg from the
side, first make a straight line the length of how long you
want the leg to be. Mark a small line at the bottom and at
the middle.
Step 2 Draw a lightning bolt shape that starts at the top of
the vertical line and changes direction at the midway line.
End the shape at the bottom of the vertical guide line.
Step 3 Using this as a basic guide, sketch in the leg, adding
toes or a hoof at the bottom.
Step 4 Erase the beginning guide lines, and you’re all done!
Step 1 To draw a digitigrade or unguligrade leg from the
front, make a straight line the length of how long you want
the leg to be. Mark a small line at the bottom and at the
middle.
Step 2 Draw a large oval for the thigh that extends from the
top of the vertical guide to just past the midway mark. The
calf is slightly seen connecting the thigh to the foot. The foot
and toe portion takes up the bottom half of the leg.
Step 3 Erase the beginning guide lines, and you’re all done!
Keeping Balance
If you notice that your digitigrade and unguligrade
characters look off-balance, this may be because
you are placing the feet away from the character’s
center of gravity. This is due to the more
complicated leg configuration. When the feet sit
in line with the character’s center of gravity, the
stance will look stable. However, if the feet are too
far back, the character immediately looks wobbly
and unbalanced. To correct this, draw the part of
the foot that is in contact with the ground first.
Then draw the entire leg and leave the rest of the
foot for last.
POSE INSPIRATION
Because we don’t see digitigrade legs on humans in real life, it can
be hard to visualize some pose and leg configurations. To help,
here are some leg positions you can try drawing to further practice
this anatomy skill.
 CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

Once you learn to draw clothing and add in the

necessary folds and creases to make them look
believable and interesting, you can jump into the
fun part—designing your own furry fashions! After
mastering these basics, try making your own
custom looks.

BREAKING INTO SHAPES & ADDING THE FOLDS

If you are finding it hard to fully visualize an article of clothing,
simply break it down into basic shapes. Pants become two long
rectangles; shirts become a combination of rectangles, semi-circles,
and triangles; and dresses become a series of rectangles and
triangles. Find clothing images online or take the clothes you are
wearing now and break them into their basic components for quick
practice!
To avoid drawing clothes that look stiff and static, include folds.
Most folds and wrinkles resemble a triangle or the letter V in some
way, and they “point” to areas where tension is being applied to the
material. This commonly occurs under the arms, around the
elbows, and at the hips and knees. In these areas, the folds are
concentrated and tight. In points where the material is loose, folds
are more open and spaced apart. The type of material you’re
drawing and how thick or thin it is will also affect the look of the
folds.
One-point tension

Two-point tension

Linear tension
 Folds on a sleeve as an arm bends

A great way to improve how you

draw folds is to grab a towel and
throw it on the ground or over a
static object. However it lands, try to
draw it as realistically as possible,
with all the wrinkles and folds you
can see. Practicing this will help you
visualize clothing folds for yourself.
THICK VS. THIN, LOOSE VS. TIGHT
Drawing snug, thick, cold-climate clothing will be different from a
thin, loose summer outfit that blows in the breeze. Keep these
quick and easy tips in mind as you make clothes look thick or thin,
or loose or tight.

Thin Material

Will generally have lots of folds and wrinkles, as there isn’t

much support to keep a certain shape
Is easily affected by its surroundings, such as being blown
around by the wind
May be see-through if very thin
Thick Material

Has fewer folds, as there is more material to hold a shape

Has chunkier folds
Features rounded edges, with less sharp and straight lines

Tight Clothes

Are form-fitting and feature a lot of small folds all over, as there
is tension being applied everywhere
Are not greatly affected by conditions like wind or body
movement, and will retain a tight fit on the body
Loose Clothes

Are not form fitting

Have tension from gravity pulling on the loose material
Will be affected by body movement and wind
ACCESSORIES
Accessories convey a lot about the personality and background of a
character. If a character is outgoing, they may over-accessorize
their outfits with bows, frills, bangles, and more. Accessories such
as bags and hats can show what the weather is like or where the
character may be going. Below are a few ways to draw some
common accessories, as well as some possible inspiration you can
use for your own character designs!
The great thing about accessorizing
furries is that you can embellish
things you wouldn’t normally get to
with human characters, such as tails,
wings, horns, and large ears! Let your
imagination run wild with how you
might add personality to these features to make
super-unique anthropomorphic characters.
 Chapter 2

KEMONOMIMI
KEMONOMIMI LEVELS

Kemonomimi characters are humans that

possess animal traits but are, for the most part,
still human. They are often very cute and take on
personality traits of the animal they are paired
with. If you are used to drawing human
characters in the manga style, drawing
kemonomimi should an easy step into the world
of furries!
TURNING UP THE KEMONOMIMI DIAL
A large part of a kemonomimi’s animal traits are focused around
the head and face. Below are ways to level up your human
character into a fully realized kemonomimi.

LEVEL 1 contains no added animal features and is fully human.

LEVEL 2 has animal ears on the top of the head instead of human
ears on the sides. This is the most common and popular
kemonomimi level.
LEVEL 3 includes sharp teeth and very slight pattern markings.
LEVEL 4 has another animal’s pupils. At this level, we start
straying into kemono territory, but it is still just enough to be
considered kemonomimi.
THE KEMONOMIMI BODY
Kemonomimi can also feature tails, wings, and fins! Wings on the
back sit where the shoulder blades are, and tails sit at the bottom of
the spine near the tail bone.
When drawing a kemonomimi that
has one of these body additions,
consider how their clothing
accommodates it. Sometimes holes
in pants and shirts to fit wings and
tails are necessary.
COMMONLY USED ANIMAL
INSPIRATION

With so many animals to choose from, it can be

hard to decide how to design your kemonomimi.
To help out, here are some of the most common
and popular human-animal pairings and how
they are added to the body.
Girl
Wolf
Fish
Bear
Tiger
Bat
Cat
Mouse
Boy
Dragon
Rabbit
Red Panda
Deer
Bird
Bull
Fox
 Chibi Kemonomimi
As if kemonomimi couldn’t get any cuter, now we
have them in chibi form! Chibis are hyper-stylized
to fit “baby” proportions (i.e., big head and eyes
with a small body). Kemonomimi are often drawn
as chibis for the extra cuteness factor, and they are
great for showing emotions in a supercute and fun
way. Below are three popular kemonomimi: a dog,
cat, and bunny. Next to each is a simplified base
drawing. Use that as a template to practice
drawing your very own adorable characters!
FACIAL FEATURES

Human features make up the majority of a

kemonomimi’s design, so it’s important to learn
human facial features, placement, and
proportions. Remember that on humans, eyes sit
along the middle line between the top of the
head and the chin; eyes are generally an eye-
width apart; ears (if human) sit along the eyeline;
the hairline usually lies halfway between eyes and
top of the head; and the mouth is halfway
between the eyes and chin.
PUPILS
You can also customize your kemonomimi’s pupils and irises! In
the animal kingdom, there are various pupil shapes and iris colors
and patterns. Depending on the kemonomimi, you can include
these as long as they match the animal your character is based on.

Frog

Gecko

Cat/Snake
Goat
EYE SHAPES
Because the eyes convey a large part of a character’s personality,
avoid drawing the same style of eye for every character. Characters
who are young, innocent, naive, genuine, and open will benefit
from large, rounded eye shapes. Eye shapes and eyebrows with
sharp corners that slant up can portray a character that is serious,
mischievous, or focused. Eyes that slant down are perfect for
quieter and more reserved characters. Play with many different
shapes and see if you can make up your very own styles!
MOUTH
An easy way to make a human face appear more animalistic is by
changing the mouth. One mouth shape is a number 3 lying on its
side, as seen in the examples below. This mouth shape works great
with feline and canine kemonomimi.
 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Once you’ve designed a kemonomimi, add

emotion to the character’s face. Here are some
common emotions your character may
experience and the key features in portraying
each expression. With large-eared kemonomimi,
use their ear positions to enhance the emotion
displayed.

Happy

Ears up and perky

Wide-open smile
Eyebrows high
Eyes closed
Angry

Ears back
Pupils small
Eyebrows low in the middle and slanting up
Mouth clenched
Sleepy

Ears very low

Eyes shut
Creases under eyes with drool on mouth
Sad

Ears down
Eyebrows low and slanting up in the middle
Eyes slanted down
Mouth frowning

Shocked

Ears up with hair sticking up

Eyes wide with small pupils
Eyebrows high
Mouth open
Hungry

Ears up
Stars in eyes
High eyebrows
Open-mouthed smile
Confused

One ear up and one ear down

One eyebrow up and one down
Mouth pushed to one side
Shy

Ears low
Small smile
Blush lines under eyes
Eyebrows slanting up in the middle

Bored

One ear up and one down (or both could be down)

Eyes, mouth, and eyebrows flat and horizontal
No highlights in eyes
DRAWING A NEKO CAT GIRL

When a kemonomimi is part human and part cat,

we refer to the character as a neko, meaning “cat”
in Japanese. These characters bring loads of
cuteness everywhere they appear, with the
signature cat ears and tail.
1 Using a light pencil, start by drawing the basic human stick
figure shape as shown here. Pay close attention to the slant
of the hips compared to the shoulders. Don’t press on the
paper too hard in this early drafting stage.
2 Build up the stick figure by adding a torso and legs.
Imagine the torso is a rectangle that has been “pinched” in
the middle. Also include guides for the fingers. Her hands
are open-palmed with the fingers bent.
3 Finish off the figure by drawing in the arms, neck, and
hands. Also plot the facial features, and add guides for the
cat ears and tail. Avoid drawing too many straight lines. Very
rarely does a human or cat body feature anything straight,
so try to keep the lines curved, even if it’s only slight.
4 Draw the dress over her body. It doesn’t have to be too
detailed at this stage; just keep to basic shapes as seen on
the guide. Important things to note are the puffy sleeves and
the wavy line that follows the bottom of the dress. Also, fill
out the tail with fur.
5 Once the basic dress shape is down, add finer details such
as the collar, buttons, and frills. Over the legs, draw high
boots that closely follow the leg guidelines. On the head,
draw the front and side sections of her hair. After finishing
that, add details to the ears, including a little tuft of fur at the
ear base.
6 With the majority of the body drawn, add the back of the
hair. This neko has long, wavy hair that extends to her hips.
Try to keep lines fluid to give the feeling of motion in the
hair. Add a small bow and clips to the top of her head.
7 Once you’re happy with your sketch, grab a fine-line pen
to begin your line art. Draw over everything you want in the
final drawing and erase all the guidelines. If you’ve found
your sketch is too dark, lightly go over the entire drawing
with an eraser. You can also use a lightbox to trace your
sketch onto a clean piece of paper and line it from there.
8 After your line art is completed, add color! The colors here
are based around a blue-green with hints of white. You could
also use a more traditional feline color scheme instead
(calico, ginger, etc.).
When drawing a kemonomimi with
animal ears, make sure not to add
human ears as well! For believability,
stick to one set of ears.
DRAWING A KITSUNE FOX GIRL

Kitsune are mischievous and smart fox spirits,

commonly depicted as humans with fox features.
They can have as many as nine tails, depending
on the kitsune’s age and maturity. Some kitsune
are surrounded by small blue fireballs. These are
onibi, which are a type of “ghost light” in
Japanese legends.
1 Start by drawing the head, leaving enough room to draw
the body below. Use the head height to determine the
proportions for the rest of the stick-figure body. Draw the
torso two heads tall, and make the legs the length of three
heads. Keep the hands and feet simple for now, drawing
them as basic shapes.
2 Add large fox ears to the head. In the trunk of the body,
draw the chest and pelvis shapes, and join them with an
outline of the waist. Also begin adding detail to the hands
and feet.
3 Draw the front part of the hair and flesh out the body.
Avoid using stiff, straight lines when drawing bodies; even
when a limb may be straight, add slight curves where the
muscles and fat sit, such as in the thighs and forearms. Also
finish adding the details to the hands.
4 Draw the long back half of the hair and the iconic kitsune
tails. Although you can have as many tails as you’d like,
usually there are between one and nine.
5 Draw in her face and erase the body guidelines. Add a bit
of fur detail to the tips of the tails.
6 Using the body as a reference guide, draw in the kimono,
fan, shoes, and small onibi.
7 Erase the body under the clothes and add other
accessories, such as the bell around the neck and hair
decorations.
8 Outline this kitsune with a black liner pen, erase the
guidelines, and color. A common kimonowearing kitsune
color pairing is red and white. Onibi are commonly depicted
as blue flames.
DRAWING A KEMONOMIMI SHEEP
BOY

Even though it isn’t the most common animal-

human fusion, it’s hard to pass up a supercute
and coy sheep kemonomimi! You can see his
sheeplike influences in his ears, horns, eyes, and
style of dress. His shepherd’s clothing and wooly
features help enhance the connection between
person and animal.
1 To start, lightly sketch out the body frame following the
guidelines shown here. Note how the shoulders and hips are
parallel with each other, the face is turned slightly to the
right, the feet are turned inward, and the elbows sit around
the middle of the torso.
2 Flesh out the body. The neck wraps around the shoulders,
and the torso stays the same width from the armpit to the
hips. From the shoulders, draw in the arms, making the
wrists the thinnest section. On the legs, the thickest point is
where the leg joins to the hips, and the thinnest point is at
the ankle. Add in the sheep ears, which sit on the horizontal
face guideline.
3 Add in the facial details, creating a shy expression by
making the eyebrows slant upward near the middle and
drawing a small smile. Draw the fingers, keeping in mind
that he will be holding a shepherd’s staff in the final piece.
Finish off the ears by drawing in a curved line that follows
the bottom curve of the ear.
4 To draw fluffy hair, make sure the hair sections are wide
with a slight flick at the ends. For his poncho, stick to “V”
shapes around the neckline and bottom hem. Avoid using
too many straight lines along the bottom edges.
5 Finish the outfit by drawing the clothes underneath the
poncho. Around the wrist and just under the knees, include
wooly cuffs for the shirt sleeves and tops of the boots. Draw
the boots, which follow closely to the leg guidelines.
6 On either side of the head, add in the classic sheep horns.
To draw these, imagine spirals that have a point at the end.
They can be tricky to draw at different angles, so use photo
references to help visualize their shape. In his right hand,
draw the staff, which is long and thin with a hook at the top.
Finally, add in small details such as an earring in the right ear
and laces on the boots.
7 With the sketch complete, use a fine-line pen to trace over
all the lines you want to keep. After the ink completely dries,
erase any visible pencil lines. At this point, add a few more
small details, including the blemish spot near his mouth and
the lines on his horns.
8 Lastly, add color. Much of this color palette is earthy with
different variations of browns, white, green, and yellow. Also
note the shape of his pupil; sheep have rectangular pupils,
unlike the circular ones in humans. Add highlights around
the eyes, hair, horns, and clothes, and then you are done!
DRAWING A KEMONOMIMI SURFER
SHARK

Is this shark boy a kemonomimi or a scaly?

Perhaps he’s a bit of both. (Learn more about
scalies starting on this page.) This human-shark
pairing is made obvious through his powerful tail,
sharp teeth, and shark fin. It is up to you whether
aquatic characters like these breathe air, water, or
both. Jump in and try and draw this surfing shark
kemonomimi!
1 Using a pencil, lightly sketch out the character’s basic pose
in stick figure form as shown here. For now, make the hands
ovals and the feet triangles. The shoulders and hips are
parallel with each other, and the knees are bent.
2 Draw the torso of the figure with a rounded rectangle. Cut
it in half with a rounded line to separate the upper torso
from the stomach. Draw a triangle at the hips for the pelvis.
3 Add the arms and legs. When drawing these limbs, think
of them as rounded cylinders.
4 Now that the majority of the body is drawn, sketch a shark
fin above the shoulder. At the back, draw a long, thick tail
that rounds off at the end. Draw the fingers on each hand
and add pointed ears to the head.
5 Moving to the head, sketch in a face with a wide-open
smile, but don’t include the teeth just yet. Include the
hairline across the forehead and add simple board shorts.
Playing off the natural personality of
an animal is a great way to better
fuse both human and animal in
kemonomimi. Dogs like to run and
cats like to sleep, for example. Many
animals tend to have a few
personality traits you can use as
inspiration in the kemonomimi character design
process.
6 To finish up the sketch, draw sharp, spiky hair and add the
remaining small details. These include shark-like teeth, a
large fin at the end of the tail, toes on the feet, and a long
surfboard underneath.
7 Using a fine-line pen, outline your sketch, making sure to
keep the lines you want to remain in the final illustration.
Wait for the ink to dry, and then erase the sketch
underneath.
8 Bring it all together with color! This character has tanned
skin and gray-and-white animal features. Color the board
shorts and surfboard in summery, warm-toned colors such
as yellow, red, and orange. To finish it off, add some small
blue water droplets around the background.
Chapter 3

KEMONO
KEMONO LEVELS

From kemonomimi, which are more human than

animal, we move into kemono territory, where
characters are more animal than human! The
ratio of animal to human can vary, and your own
personal style and preferences will influence how
you draw them.
TURNING UP THE KEMONO DIAL
This character design changes from 100 percent human to a half
animal-half human character, and finally to a mostly animal
character, with 75 percent animal traits and 25 percent human.

100 PERCENT human characters have no fur or animal

features. To make this character into a kemonomimi, all you
would need to do is add animal ears and tail.
50/50 characters gain some animal traits, in this case a
white tiger. She has fur, animal ears, a tail, and some tiger
facial features. Her anatomy, however, is still based on a
human’s body and proportions. This way of drawing furries is
popular among those wanting to keep a manga- or anime-
influenced look to their work. If you are well-versed with
drawing people, this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge,
as the anatomy doesn’t change much.
75/25 percentages result in a character who is much more
animal than human. This character’s face has widened, and
she has a distinctive tiger snout. Her hands are more
pawlike, and her legs are digitigrade like a real tiger’s. This
way of drawing furries can become challenging when
dressing them in clothes that are designed to fit human
anatomy. You need to be a little creative to draw clothes that
fit and look natural on the character. This furry style is
popular with fursona designs.
HEAD & HAND CHANGES

Note how the side profile of the face changes between the
ratios. The 50/50 ratio still remains quite human-looking,
minus the animal nose and ears. In the 75/25 ratio, the head
looks much more animal-based, with few human elements.

The character’s hands can vary greatly between each level.

It’s a good idea to include paw pads on your kemono, even
when using the 50/50 ratio.
Fur & Feathers

Here’s a simple and effective way to give your

characters fur or feathers without making them
look too messy. Add little tufts of fur or feathers
where the body bends or where clothes press
against the body.
COMMONLY USED ANIMAL
INSPIRATION

When drawing and designing your own

anthropomorphic characters, it’s great to know
which animals are particularly popular in the furry
scene. These include, but are not limited to bears,
lions, wolves, deer, owls, and rabbits.
BEARS are great animals to bring into your furry illustrations,
as they come in many shapes, colors, and sizes. They also
have a plantigrade leg type like humans do, which makes
this the perfect kemono to try if you struggle with drawing
digitigrade legs. Bears tend to be large characters and can
be intimidating or adorable.
LIONS are dignified and powerful, and therefore not
surprising as a common character choice! One of the most
challenging things when using this animal is drawing the
mane that surrounds the head. If you have trouble with this,
draw the character without the mane and add it at the end.
WOLVES are always a good choice. They can be courageous,
loyal, and fierce. So your wolf won’t end up looking like a
dog, remember that wolves have long, thin muzzles and
long, pointed ears.
DEER are graceful, peaceful, and sometimes mysterious
creatures. Some features to keep in mind are the thin legs,
large noses and ears, and antlers for the bucks (males).
OWLS are among the wide range of avian species to choose
from, but if you’re stuck, a popular option is the owl. To make
sure your owl furry looks proportionate, be sure to give it a
small beak, large wings and large feet.
RABBITS are adorable and energetic, making them a
favorite for furry inspiration. Depending on the breed, their
ears can either stand up or hang down, providing variety for
designs. Make sure to include their iconic large rabbit feet
and fluffy tails!
CHIBI KEMONO
A fun way to draw your furry characters is in a chibi style! Chibi in
Japanese means “baby” or “small,” and these drawings take on
baby proportions with a big head and eyes and a small body. Here
is a simple step-by-step base model that you can add specific
animal details onto after.

1 Draw a large circle for the head and a small pentagon

shape underneath for the body.
2 Connect the head and body with a small neck. Draw two
large ovals for the thighs and two long ovals for the arms.
3 Add long rectangles for the legs and feet under the thighs
(for digitigrade and unguligrade legs).

For plantigrade characters,, ignore the oval thighs and

simply draw straight legs connected to the body.
Here are some animal inspirations you can try drawing using
your chibi base model!
FACIAL FEATURES

To help better understand how snouts or muzzles

and beaks look on the face, break them down into
simpler shapes. For snouts, think in rectangles,
and for beaks, think in diamond shapes.
SNOUTS are just rectangles attached to spheres, once
broken into their simplest shapes. Here are three examples
of long, medium, and short snouts. Each color represents a
different feature of the face. Blue represents the nose bridge,
yellow is the front of the mouth, green the snout’s side, and
pink represents the cheeks.
BEAKS are all diamond-shaped in some way. Many beaks
extend back into the face, so the eyes sit over the beak in
many cases.
FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Once you feel confident drawing snouts and

beaks, you can begin drawing furry faces with
emotion! Take note of the mouth, eye, and
eyebrow position in each facial expression and
how it adds to the emotion expressed.
SHOWING EMOTIONS WITH BEAKS
Because beaks are rigid, make sure to manipulate the corners of the
mouth to point up or down for different emotions. The eyes and
eyebrows also play a crucial role in enhancing characters’
emotions.
HAPPY faces have smiles, relaxed eyes, and high eyebrows.

ANGRY expressions show sharp teeth, raised nose bridges,

and downwardslanted eyes and eyebrows.

SCARED characters have wide eyes with small pupils,

eyebrows raised in the middle, and mouths set low on the
face.
LAUGHING is characterized with wide-open mouths, closed
eyes, and small tears.

SAD expressions often have closed eyes with tears, eyebrows

raised in the middle, and low-set mouths.

SURPRISED faces have mouths in an “O” shape, wide eyes,

and eyebrows raised high.
When drawing open snouts, keep in
mind that they don’t open straight
up and down. It follows a curve, so if
you draw it straight up and down, it
will look robotic and unnatural.
DRAWING A LEOPARD MAN KEMONO

An animal as cool and collected as a snow leopard

deserves an equally cool and collected kemono
version. This character features a relaxed but
confident posture, a popped collar and pendant
necklace, and visible markings on his tail.
1 For the head, draw an oval on its side and split it into four
sections with two curved, intersecting lines. Draw the frame
for the body, paying close attention to how the legs bend. To
keep furry characters with this type of leg shape looking
balanced, make sure the foot sits vertically under the hip.
Leopards have big paws, so make sure the hand shapes are
large as well.
2 Start adding leopard facial features, such as the ears on
either side of the head and a box-shaped snout on the face.
Keep the torso and hips wide. The right hand will be in a
pocket, so draw that hand close to the hip.
3 Add the mouth halfway through the rectangle, with the
nose above in a “V” shape. Draw the legs in three sections:
thighs, calves, and feet. Then add a guide for the long tail.
4 For the “cool” look, draw the eyes small and sharp. Section
the arms into the upper arm and forearm. Draw the hands
with thick fingers. On his right hand, only draw the thumb,
as the rest of the fingers will be in a pocket.
5 Start drawing the clothing. First add the jacket minus the
sleeves, and then add the belt and pants. Draw tufts of fur
around the neck and face. Add paw pads to his left hand and
toes and claws on the feet. Following the guide, draw in a
fluffy tail. A snow leopard’s tail is characteristically long with
lots of fur, especially at the end.
6 Complete your sketch by adding some styled hair on the
top of the head for a more human look. Add the jacket
sleeves, a belt buckle, and crease lines to the pants. Finish
the look off with a low-hanging necklace.
7 Using a fine-line pen, trace over your sketch with the lines
you want to keep. Save adding the pattern on the fur for the
coloring stage. After you are happy with the line art, erase
the sketch underneath.
8 The last step is to color your drawing! This step is
particularly important because you are adding the
distinctive snow leopard spots. For the paw pads and claws,
use a dark brown color, not white or pink.
 When drawing furries, think about
what your animal’s legs look like
compared to a human’s. The snow
leopard and many other animals,
such as cats and dogs, use
digitigrade locomotion. See “Leg
Comparisons” on this page for more
about drawing digitigrade legs.
DRAWING A FASHIONABLE SLOTH
KEMONO

Sloths do things in their own way and in their

own time. This fashionable sloth kemono shows
personality through her spunky clothes and
hairstyle. When drawing this furry, feel free to
include as many or as few accessories as you’d
like.
1 Start by lightly sketching in the head, spine, shoulders,
hips, and legs of the sloth, all in stick form. Make sure not to
draw the legs too long, as sloths have small legs.
2 Fill out the body with a rounded square for the torso and a
rounded pentagon for the hips. Then draw the legs, starting
wide where they join the hips and then tapering down to the
feet.
3 Add long, cylindrical arms. Bend the character’s right arm
so that the hand is near the face.
4 On the body, draw in the basic shapes of a dress. On the
head, add eyes that sit on the horizontal line and a small
circle that sits along the vertical line and just below the
horizontal line. Around the cheeks, draw in tufts of fur. On
the feet, draw two lines to segment the long nails.
5 Draw a short-sleeved cardigan that stretches almost to the
feet. In the small circle in the middle of the face, draw a
large, triangular nose and a small mouth. Detail the eyes and
add hair on the top of the head that parts in the middle.
6 Time to tie it all together with the finishing elements! On
her hair, draw pigtails that sit on each side of the head. Draw
the iconic long sloth claws on each hand, and add a small tie
along the sash in the middle of the dress. Sloths have very
long fur, so make sure to add texture along the arms and
legs.
7 Now that your sketch is done, grab a fine-line pen and
trace over the lines from your sketch that you want to keep.
You can draw the fur patterns on the sloth’s face now or
leave it for the coloring stage.
8 Let this character’s personality shine by adding some fun
color! Add things like multicolored hair, sparkles, and
patterns for a unique look. Important things to note with
sloths are the dark patches around the eyes and mouth, and
the dark nails.
DRAWING A BIRD MAN KEMONO

As majestic as avian furries may look, they come

with their own unique set of challenges that can
easily throw off an artist. When drawing bird-
inspired kemono, look up photographs of the
animal if you find you are struggling with certain
areas, such as the beak, wings, or talons.
1 Start by drawing a squashed oval for the head. Add a
horizontal and vertical line within the oval to help plot the
facial features. As this character is looking to the right, place
the vertical guide to the far right. Draw the spine slightly left
of center at the bottom of the oval. To help show that the
character is turned to the right, draw the shoulders and hips
slightly curved. Add guides for the feet, as well.
2 Much of the body will be covered by wings, but it is still
important to sketch it in to make sure you don’t get the
proportions wrong. The neck and body are both wide and
fairly straight for their entire length. Draw large ovals for the
thighs, and then extend the smaller lower leg to connect to
the feet. Draw the toes without the talons.
3 Draw the beak and the right eye. Due to the turn of the
head and the size of the beak, the character’s left eye is
mostly obscured. Start the large arm wings by drawing
shapes using the arm guidelines.
4 To complete the basic wing guidelines, draw where the
large flight feathers will sit. Also include a triangular shaped
tail at the back that extends halfway down the lower leg.
5 Following the wing guides, draw in the feathers. Note
where the feathers are smaller, and where they are longer
and wider. On the legs, add loose pants that are tight around
the knee.
6 Now that all the anatomical details are down, add clothing
and accessories. On the head, draw feathers that create a
hairstyle for the character. Draw a scarf wrapping around the
neck with each end flowing behind him, and create a shoe
design that is open at the toes that allow him to best use his
talons.
7 With ink or a pen, outline the lines you want to keep.
When lining the wings, it is not necessary to detail out every
individual feather. It’s OK to have some broken and
unfinished lines that will become neater in the coloring
stage. Once lined, erase the sketch.
8 Now color the character! When designing and coloring
avian furries, look at real-life examples to get inspiration for
how you might color your character. There are limitless
possibilities for you to choose!
 When designing an avian kemono,
you can choose whether to have the
arms as wings, or to give them
humanlike arms with the wings on
their back. Because this is a fantasy
creature, no configuration is wrong,
so the choice is yours!
DRAWING A BUNNY GIRL KEMONO

Rabbits can be used for characters with high

energy. This is especially visible in this character’s
pose as she leaps for joy! The color choices for her
fur and clothes also convey that she is upbeat and
happy, fun, and vibrant.
1 As this character is jumping with an arm raised, draw the
spine with a bend in it, and angle the shoulders and hips in
opposite directions. The head of this character is large, so
don’t make the torso, arms, or legs too long. She also has
large rabbit feet portrayed as long ovals at the ends of both
legs.
2 Once you are happy with the skeleton of your drawing,
draw the torso and hips. From each hand guide, add four
fingers, with her right hand in a “peace” or “bunny” sign.
Draw vertical and horizontal face guidelines on the head.
3 Sketch her upper and lower leg sections. The lower half of
the bent leg is mostly obscured by the thigh, so only a small
portion is visible. Where each face guideline meets, draw a
small hexagon to help place her nose and mouth in the next
step.
4 Draw the arms and add the facial features. In the hexagon
on the face, place the mouth and a V-shaped nose. For the
mouth, imagine the number 3 on its side. Lastly, add in the
large eyes.
5 Add the two large rabbit ears, and then draw an open
jacket over her clothes. To help give the illusion of her
jumping, have the jacket pull away from her torso as if
affected by the jump. On the back, give her an iconic fluffy
rabbit’s tail.
6 Finish the sketch with a few details. Add short, fluffy hair
on her head, lines in her inner ears, and details on the
clothing. Draw her cheeks slightly larger and fluffier like a
real rabbit and three curved lines on each foot for her toes.
7 Line your art with ink or pen to prepare it for coloring. At
this stage, add more details, such as earrings, whiskers, and
fur. Once you are happy with the line art, erase the pencil
lines.
8 To help keep this character looking upbeat and happy, you
can use yellows and whites for the primary fur colors. The
pinks, blues, and greens on her clothes are fun and vibrant.
Rabbits come in many different colors, so choose what you
think suits your character best!
Make sure not to add paw pads on her
hands, as rabbits don’t have pads on
their hands and feet!
Chapter 4

SCALIES
 SCALY LEVELS

Humanizing a scaly can be a challenge because

of the inhuman body shapes of reptiles,
amphibians, and fish. Making scalies look natural
requires more creativity from the artist, but this
also means there is more freedom to create
awesome, unique-looking characters!

TURNING UP THE SCALY DIAL

This character changes from 100 percent human to a half scaly-half
human character, and finally to a mostly scaly character, with 75
percent of the scaly traits and 25 percent human. You will see the
75- to 25-percent ratio more often, but try both ways to see what
you prefer!
100 PERCENT human characters have no scaly qualities.
50/50 characters have human proportions and anatomy, but
the skin becomes that of the reptile, amphibian, or fish, with
slight facial structure changes and tails. It’s uncommon for
scalies to have hair.
75/25 percentages portray more animal-like characteristics
in both looks and proportion. Here, the head of this crocodile
scaly now fully resembles the animal. Some adjustments are
made to allow the scaly to stand, including adding
digitigrade legs.
HAND CHANGES
Transform human hands by adding long, sharp nails and webbing
for aquatic scalies. “Underbelly” patterning is a great touch to add
to the undersides of the hands as well.

Do fishlike characters count as

scalies? Even though not all fish
have scales, fish do fall into the
broad spectrum of scalies. To make it
easy, this book pairs aquatic animals
with scalies, even if they don’t have
scales.
DRAWING SCALES
As the namesake suggests, drawing scales is a pretty important skill
to have when drawing this type of anthropomorphic character.
Scales come in many shapes and sizes, and with a bit of practice,
you’ll be able to draw them all!

1 Lightly draw parallel diagonal lines in one direction.

2 Cross them over with parallel diagonal lines in the

opposite direction, creating a lattice effect.
3a Using this image as a guide, draw in the scales following
the diamond spaces between the lines.

3b Make the lines wider or thinner to change scale size and

density.
The “U” SHAPE works well for scalies based on fish and
other aquatic animals.

The “V” SHAPE suggests scales with stronger density and is

perfect for lizard- and dragon-based scalies.
The “0” SHAPE creates a skin texture similar to that of
lizards and crocodiles.

The “W” SHAPE is a fancier version of the “V” shape and is

perfect for dragon-based and other armored scalies.
 Body Additions
Here are a few examples of common body
features found on scaly characters. Frills, webs,
gills, horns, and fins are all features to consider for
your own characters. Just make sure that it makes
sense; don’t add gills to a scaly that doesn’t go in
the water!
COMMONLY USED ANIMAL
INSPIRATION

There are many species to choose from for scaly

inspiration, from lizards to sharks and many more.
Remember that you can use fish, extinct
dinosaurs, and mythological creatures for
inspiration as well.
LIZARDS have slim bodies, large hands and feet, and a long
tail. Some popular lizard species to consider are geckos,
frilled-neck lizards, Komodo dragons, and bearded dragons.
SHARKS are the most intimidating creatures of the ocean
and are a challenging but rewarding animal to try. Add arms
and legs to make this a scaly character. Look up images of
tiger sharks, great whites, reef sharks, and hammerheads for
specific features to include on your scaly drawing.
SNAKES also have inhuman anatomy, making them another
challenging scaly type. Remember that this challenge allows
for a lot of creative flexibility! You can choose to include legs
on your snake scaly or let the tail do all the work. The choice
is yours! Popular snake options include the rattlesnake,
cobra, and green tree snake.
CROCODILES are a crowd favorite when it comes to scalies!
Make your character look strong by giving it large shoulders,
hands, and feet. Crocodile-based scalies have longer, sharper
snouts. Alligator scalies have shorter, rounder snouts.
CHIBI DRAGONS
Dragons are one of the most popular choices for scaly inspiration
(despite them not being real) due to the large creative freedom they
provide. Not only can they look really cool, but they can also look
supercute when given chibi proportions! Here are three common
dragon body types broken down into their basic shapes for you to
try when you design your own dragon characters.

Dragon 1. Based on Eastern dragon designs, this dragon has

fur and can fly without the aid of wings.
Dragon 2. Based on Western dragon designs, this dragon’s
arms are its wings. It has horns and scales.

Dragon 3. This multi-headed dragon is challenging to draw

but is a unique and fun design.
FACIAL FEATURES

Facial features and head shapes vary greatly

among scaly species, so for practice, here are five
common scaly head shapes and how to draw
them. To help you understand the three-
dimensional form of each head, the main facial
feature sections are separated by color to better
distinguish each part in the drawing process.
While practicing, observe closely and take note of
each animal’s snout, nose, and mouth, as those
features change the most between each animal.

Crocodile

Dragon
Lizard

Shark

Snake
 FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Now practice drawing the crocodile, dragon,

lizard, shark, and snake faces with some emotive
expressions! Below are some common
expressions to try on your scaly characters.

HAPPY expressions often include relaxed facial features,

closed eyes, and a large smile.

ANGRY faces have sharp eyes and angled brows, crinkled

snouts, and sharp teeth.
SHOCKED expressions may have a wide-open mouth, large
eyes with small pupils, and eyebrows raised high.

GRUMPY expressions have low eyes without highlights, flat

eyebrows, and pouting mouths, with the bottom lip pushed
over the top.

LAUGHING characters have wide smiles, closed eyes, and

sometimes small blush lines under the eyes, which convey
joy.
SURPRISED characters have raised eyebrows, wide eyes, and
a small “O” shape for the mouth.

WORRIED characters frown with a slightly open mouth and

eyebrows that push up in the middle.

SMUG looks feature a mouth in a long smile, with eyes low

and eyebrows raised.
 DRAWING A MERMAID

In Japan, the word ningyo refers to a creature

similar to a mermaid but is much more fish than
human. In this drawing, we will marry both ideas
by creating a mermaid design and adding more
fishlike ningyo elements.

1 Sketch the guidelines for the head, shoulders, arms, and

trunk of the body. At the hips, instead of drawing two leg
guides, continue the line, imagining it as a tail that can be as
long and as flexible as you’d like.
2 Following the middle horizontal guideline on the head,
extend it out to create three evenly spaced bones that will
become fins where the ears would normally sit on a person.
Draw the chest as a rounded box in the body’s top half. At
the end of the tail, draw two large fins.
3 Connect the chest to the hips by drawing the waist. Follow
that line down as the body becomes the tail and taper it
toward the tail fins. On the head, add small, curved lines to
connect the bones and create small fins.
4 Draw in the eyes, nose, and mouth. Add basic anatomy
details to the hands and chest. Where the hips sit, lightly
sketch in a “V” shape where the fish scales start on the tail.
5 Now properly draw in the top half of the body with the
neck, arms, and torso. For an optional addition, draw two
more decorative fins on the tail, keeping the lines fluid to
give a sense of the mermaid floating in the water. On her
hands, connect each finger with a curved line to show
webbing, which helps her swim.
6 Around the chest and wrists, draw scalloped lines to create
a shirt made of scales to enhance this character’s fishlike
quality. Also add in the beautiful, flowing mermaid hair! Keep
the hair lightweight to give the illusion she is floating in
water.
7 Finish the mermaid by giving her some ocean-themed
accessories in her hair and around her neck and hips.
8 Outline the lines you want to keep with black liner pen,
erase any guidelines, and add color. When coloring, go for
ocean colors, such as blues and greens. Finally, add some
bubbles around her.
DRAWING A SKATER DRAGON

You may be used to seeing powerful and

intimidating dragons, but how about one that
rides a skateboard? One of the best things about
creating dragon furries is that you can give them
fun, humanlike personalities and hobbies that
you may not usually see in a “normal” dragon.
1 Start by drawing a circle for the head. From there, extend
the spine down with a very slight bend. Draw the body’s
framework, but leave out the left hand as it will be hidden in
a pocket by the end of the drawing.
2 Using the framework as a guide, draw the neck, torso,
arms, and legs. To portray strength, draw a thick neck and
wide shoulders and hips. Keep the feet small, as the talons
will add length later on. Sketch the snout shape and the
basic shapes of the webbed ears on the head.
3 Complete the snout, nose, and mouth. Add the eyes and
define the jaw by extending the bottom of the snout back to
the neck. Section the fingers on the hand, add the talons on
the feet, and create a guide for the long tail.
4 On top of the head, draw in spiky hair. Using the guide,
add the tail, making it thickest where it connects to the
body. At the back, draw the basic guidelines for the large
wings.
5 After you finish the body, draw the clothes. A large
rectangular pocket sits at the front of the hoodie where the
character’s left hand rests. Draw him holding the skateboard
in his right hand. The shape of the skateboard is a long
rectangle with a slight bend in the middle.
6 Draw the remaining finer details on the clothes, tail, and
skateboard. Lastly, finish the wings by adding the webbing
in between the wing sections.
7 When you finish your sketch, go over the lines you want to
keep with ink. Add some extra details, including sharp nails
on the hand and a small ball of fire coming out of the
mouth. Once the line art is done, erase the sketch.
8 Add color! If you choose this color scheme, use warm
colors, such as red, green, and yellow, on the dragon’s body.
Use cooler blues and purples for the clothing.
DRAWING A SNAKE
BUSINESSWOMAN

When it comes to drawing anthropomorphic

characters, scalies can be challenging because
fish, reptiles, and amphibians are so unlike
humans. You may need to add various body parts
to make them appear more human, such as
giving this snake scaly arms. You can also make a
body part “act” more human. For example, note
how this snake’s tail acts like legs in certain
places.
1 Start the guidelines. The spine that extends from the neck
becomes the tail and wraps round the character. As there
are no hips to join legs, just add guidelines for the shoulders
and the left arm. Most of her right arm will be obscured by
her body.
2 Quarter the head with curved vertical and horizontal lines.
Around the head, draw a hood, which is a feature found in
many snake species. For our character, the hood can be
interpreted as hair around the head. Section the torso into
upper and lower sections, and use two ovals for the base of
the tail to give the illusion that the character is sitting or
kneeling.
3 Draw the neck from the head down to the “V” shape at the
bottom of the hood. Add the left arm and hand.
4 Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth, and add further details in
the hood as shown. This character is holding a tablet and
writing, so include a small rectangle for the left hand to rest
on. Continue the tail on the other side of the character as it
wraps around her body.
5 On the torso and upper part of the tail, draw a suit jacket
and skirt by following the body guidelines. On the neck and
hood, draw curved horizontal lines for scales.
6 To finish the sketch, add the right hand holding the tablet
and a pen in the left hand. Draw the tip of the tail behind her
and continue the scales that began on her neck. These
scales run down the front of her body, underneath her
clothing, and on the underside of her tail all the way to its tip.
Note where the scales are visible in the drawing.
7 Use an ink pen to line your art. Don’t draw the main scales
at this stage; just lightly include the long underbelly scales.
Once you have finished lining the lines you want to keep and
the ink has dried, erase the sketch.
8 Now color your drawing! Adding spots of highlight to
indicate scales or shiny skin makes scaly characters pop.
When designing your own snakelike scalies, consider
different colors and patterns to represent their possibly
venomous quality.
Don’t draw each and every scale on
the skin of a scaly character. Small
clusters scattered around the
character give the appearance that
they are covered with scales.
 Chapter 5

FURSONAS
 MAKING YOUR OWN FURSONA

A fursona is a character created specifically to be

the creator’s “furry persona,” or in other words,
how they imagine themselves as an
anthropomorphic fantasy character. So how does
a fursona differ from a regular furry character? It
all depends on the creator! Common furry
characters are usually based on an animal’s
realistic coloring, patterns, and body features.
However, with fursonas, you could design a cat-
based character that’s bright pink with wings! Or
a neon-green dog with four tails! It’s all up to how
the creator envisions their own personality.

Creating a fursona might seem overwhelming at first, so don’t

expect your character to be perfect the first time you draw it. To
help organize your thoughts, here is a step-by-step guide you can
reference to successfully create your very own fursona.
DESIGNING & PLANNING YOUR FURSONA
Step 1. Choose an Animal Base
Choose an animal (real or imaginary) as your foundation. This
should be an animal you really love or you can write down your
own personality traits and choose an animal you think fits those
qualities in one way or another. Popular options are lions, tigers,
wolves, cats, dogs, foxes, and eagles. Uncommon, but equally cool
options are raccoons, bats, lizards, parakeets, or even hedgehogs!
 If you are a courageous person who
loves travel and freedom, you may
choose a lion as your base animal
and add wings. If you’re someone
who is quiet and likes to stay up late
reading, you might choose an owl
that is always holding a book.

Step 2. Build It Up
This step is an optional but fun opportunity to add other animal
parts that you wouldn’t expect to see on the animal you chose! You
can add horns, tails, fins, or wings. If you want to make your
fursona unique without including another animal’s features, you
can multiply or emphasize parts of your chosen animal. For
example, you could make a tiger’s teeth extra-long to look fierce,
or you could give your cat fursona five tails instead of one.
Step 3. Patterns & Colors
In addition to your fursona’s body structure, you will choose colors
and patterns. Do you want your fursona to stand out in a crowd and
be bright yellow with blue stripes? Or maybe covered in pink polka
dots? Use realistic colors if you prefer, but the sky is the limit, as
long as you feel that it represents you! Here are some interesting
combinations of markings and colors that you can try on your
furries.

Normal Markings + Normal Color Use your inspiration

animal’s natural markings and color palette.
Special Markings + Normal Color Create your own unique
markings with a realistic color palette.
Normal Markings + Special Color Stand out from the
crowd with wild and unusual color combinations, but keep
some realistic markings.
Special Markings + Special Color For a fully unique and
bold design, use a combination of new markings and
exciting colors!

Step 4. Clothing & Accessories

Design clothes that match your personal aesthetic. These can be
clothes you like or would wear in real life. If you’ve always loved
frilly dresses but never had the chance to wear one, give it to your
fursona to flaunt! Clothing is something you can design and
redesign as often as you’d like, so be as creative as you want and
have fun!
Step 5. Picking a Name
This step can come at any stage of the fursona-creating process, but
to be safe, it’s a good idea to leave it for the end, once you are
happy with your design. Giving your fursona a name is a big deal,
and in a way makes them a little more “real.” You could give them
a fantasy name, or a name you have always personally liked.
Regardless of what you pick, as long as you’re happy with it, that’s
all that matters!
Some fun names you could use:

Neo
Inas
 Xesu
Zaru
Kinei
Remri
Freora
FURSONA REFERENCE SHEET
After spending all that time creating your very own fursona, it’s
important to record all the little details you took time adding so you
don’t forget them in the future. Reference sheets are basically
diagrams of your fursona, showing important details, such as fur
patterns or any unique features that could be missed or forgotten.
Reference sheets can include close-ups of paw pads, eyes, ears, or
any other part you want to record specific details about. Usually
reference sheets include limited clothing, as their purpose is to
show the character’s design; however, if you wish to add your
fursona’s favorite outfit, you are welcome to.
A. Front view Draw this pose open enough so that markings are
properly visible and not hidden.
B. Back view Show off back markings and details. Some reference
sheets do not include the tail in the back view so that body
markings are unobscured.
C. & D. Name, gender, etc. Add your fursona’s name in their
handwriting, gender, and any other information, such as their
birthday or age.
E. Paw pads If you are using an animal that doesn’t have paws,
footprints also work. Include colors and any details that appear on
the feet here.
F. Colors Limit shading on a reference sheet so that the base colors
remain clear.
G. Eyes, etc. Show a close-up of the eye or any other small details
that you want to note, such as a standout body marking or face
detail.

A popular thing for fursona creators

to purchase or make themselves are
“fursuits.” These are full-body suits of
their character that they can wear to
interact with others as their fursona
in real life. If this interests you, make
sure to design your fursona to be
“wearable.” Imagine your fursona as a suit. Would
your head, hands, and feet fit inside?
 SAMPLE FURSONAS
Creating characters as unique and personal as fursonas is such
an enjoyable experience, and the end results are often so
satisfying! A lot of decisions need to be made when designing
your character, so to help inspire you—or perhaps narrow
down your choices—here are some sample fursonas to kick-
start your creativity. Take note of the animals, styles, and
colors on these pages that speak to you the most!

CAT FURSONA
The aloof, self-loving cat is a perfect animal base for those who
prefer to be alone and independent. One of the remarkable things
about cats is that they come in many different colors and patterns,
which can be fun to design.
Important body features to consider:
Small size with slim features
Small snouts, noses, and mouths
Irises change drastically depending on lighting and setting
Long tails
DOG FURSONA
For a person with high energy and full of love, a dog-based fursona
is a perfect match! Unlike cats, dog breeds vary greatly in size and
shape, allowing for many possible design options.
Important body features to consider:
Large heads and snouts (depending on breed)
Bulkier than cats (i.e., large paws, arms, and legs)
Many ear and tail shapes
AVIAN FURSONA
With some of the widest varieties and options for color, size, and
shape, birds have limitless possibilities as a fursona base. From
graceful swans to powerful hawks and petite hummingbirds to
silent owls, half the trouble is simply choosing what type of bird to
use! Mix and match birds if you feel that will better suit your
fursona.
Important body features to consider:
Beaks vary in shape and size
Wingspan and tail size and shape vary greatly
Many options for colors and patterns
DRAGON FURSONA
Moving more into the fantasy realm, dragons are a popular choice
for many fursona creators. They are mysterious, alluring, and
intimidating. There are so many options and possibilities when
designing a dragon, so try not to overcomplicate your design by
adding too much. Sometimes less is more!
Important body features to consider:
Wings of all types, or no wings
Scales or fur
Possible powers (i.e., breathing fire)
HORSE FURSONA
Few creatures in the animal kingdom are as majestic and powerful
as the horse. These fursonas have many options for hairstyles on
the mane and tail.
Important features to consider:
Body patterns and coloring
Mane and tail hair length
Hands can resemble human hands or horse hooves
FOX FURSONA
While many people see fox characters as untrustworthy or sneaky,
the mysterious, playful nature of the fox can be hard to pass up for
many fursona creators.
Important features to consider:
Long snouts
Thin legs and small paws
One or more fluffy fox tails
DRAWING A FURSONA: TIERA

You’ve already seen the reference sheet for Tiera

(here). Now is your chance to draw her! Tiera is a
free-spirited fursona who loves to be out in
nature. To help capture her adventurous side,
draw her wings open with her head tilted up,
looking for the next place to go explore!
1 With a pencil, lightly draw a large circle for her head and
split it into four sections, with the vertical line closer to the
left side. Draw her body frame, paying attention to the angle
of her shoulders and hips. Sketch large ovals for her hands
and feet.
2 Draw her body, using ovals for her legs and rounded
rectangles for her arms. Keep the lines rounded to avoid
making her pose look stiff.
3 Add guides for the wings and tail. On the head, include
only her left ear, as the other ear will be obscured. Draw her
snout, nose, and slightly open mouth.
4 Add more detail to the face. Sketch the eyes and front of
her hair. Add some lines on the wings as guides for the large
feathers. Along the tail guide, sketch in a long, fluffy tail.
5 Finish sketching her hair by adding the ponytail that flows
behind her head. Keep the lines loose and curved to make it
look like her hair is in motion. Detail the wings with both
small and large feathers. Finally, add a sleeveless top tucked
into shorts for a casual look.
6 Add the finishing touches to the sketch, with sunglasses
and a bow on her shirt collar. Draw a bracelet and earrings,
and any other accessories you’d like.
7 Once you are happy with your sketch, use a fine-line pen
to outline the parts of the drawing you want in the finished
piece. After the ink has dried, erase the pencil lines
underneath. If you want a clean piece of paper to color on,
use a lightbox to trace your sketch to a clean piece of paper
and line it from there.
8 Now add color! Turn back to here to follow the reference
sheet for her fur markings and other details. You could also
completely change her design and color her however you’d
like. The great thing about fursonas is they can be changed
and adjusted as much as you want, so have fun, be creative,
and let your personality flow!
 Chapter 6

TEMPLATES
To download any of these templates for printing, visit this link:
https://www.quarto.com/files/MangaFurries.
HEADS
STANDING POSES
DYNAMIC POSES
CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Talia Horsburgh is an
Australian illustrator known
commonly online by her
internet alias Orbitalswan
(@orbitalswan). From humble
beginnings tracing anime DVD
covers on her bedroom floor as
a child, to completing a
bachelor of fine art at the
Queensland College of Art in
2016, Talia has a passion for
creating and teaching art. She
has taught drawing workshops
to teams from notable
companies such as Google,
YouTube, and Pinterest. Talia is the author of The Art of Drawing
Manga, has been featured in various magazines, and was
recognized “Best in Western Talent” by NEO magazine.
ALSO FROM WALTER FOSTER PUBLISHING

ISBN: 978-1-63322-804-7
ISBN: 978-1-63322-862-7

ISBN: 978-1-63322-473-5
ISBN: 978-0-7603-7544-0

Visit
WalterFoster.com
© 2023 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
Text and illustrations © 2023 Talia Horsburgh

First published in 2023 by Walter Foster Publishing, an imprint of

The Quarto Group.
100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA.
T (978) 282-9590 F (978) 283-2742 www.quarto.com •
www.walterfoster.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any

form without written permission of the copyright owners. All
images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and
prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is
accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of
copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this
publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits
accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any
inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or
missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

Walter Foster Publishing titles are also available at discount for

retail, wholesale, promotional, and bulk purchase. For details,
contact the Special Sales Manager by email at
[email protected] or by mail at The Quarto Group, Attn:
Special Sales Manager, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 265D,
Beverly, MA 01915, USA.
ISBN: 978-0-7603-8186-1

Digital edition published in 2023

eISBN: 978-0-7603-8187-8

Proofreading by Isabel Ngo, Tessera Editorial

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1