How I Created my Fursona - Fursona Creation Tips/Advice

This creature is Charlie. If you have followed me for any amount of time, then you have grown familiar with this character. I enjoy drawing him, and at least one illustration of his shows up whenever I participate in an artshare. An artshare is a community thing on Bluesky where artists support each other under a parent post, sharing their illustrations and checking out other creators' works. If you haven't met him in a post yet, then you likely saw this image of him for my profile picture.

This image is a design for a fursona badge. You will learn more about fursona badges in an article about essentials for furries that will be released in the future. If you wish to know what a fursona badge even is, then make sure to follow this blog, or wherever you are watching the vlog editions, so you won't miss out on learning a little more about furry culture.

Charlie is not a normal character, however. He is my fursona. A representation of who I am as a person in a fluffy form where I can express myself in ways I may not be able to in the real world. Plus, Charlie makes good branding for my art career much like how Mickey Mouse represents Disney as a company and is often used in their branding.

It took me years to figure out Charlie as my fursona, however. He is not an idea I immediately came off with, but rather, a culmination of efforts of figuring out a fursona starting in my middle school years. There is not much to that story. I always knew I wanted something with at least horse features, but a more traditional fursona of a singular species just never sat right with me. Any regular horses I made did not capture who I am like Charlie does.

So, here it is. The process behind Charlie's creation, and why he is perfect for me at this time.

Choosing a Species

Charlie is a chaotic mix of creatures. A frankensteinian freak who wouldn't be so cute if you were to encounter a real world version of him. Horses may be my favorite animal, but I like other animals as well. So, I chose four animals to take traits from in order to make him perfect:

1. Horse

2. Cat

3. Raven

4. Utahraptor

While most of these are not obvious and barely show up, they are still there. His tail and muzzle marking are inspired by the tail and theoretical feather patterns of utahraptors making their mouth area bald. The wings are meant to be a reference to ravens, although my style is frankly too simplified for that to show up a lot. It would be something I would point out if I was commissioning an artist who draws in a much more detailed way, where what species the wings are meant to be from could impact how they draw the wings. If I were to have his raven traits pop up, it would in writing him as a character. Namely in his intellect and his love language!

Filling out the details

Being a digital artist is something I am passionate about, so I decided to base a good bulk of Charlie's design off of that. The pixel-like features represent the fact that digital images are made out of, well, pixels, and his tail is meant to resemble a paint brush. I also like bowties, so I gave him one. His eyes take influence from old-timey cartoons as I am a cartoonist, and the infancy of modern cartoons is something that should be acknowledged. For better and for worse, they are a part of human history. Specifically a part of a niche of human history I should familiar myself to.

A hidden detail is his reproductive system. There normally isn't anything downstairs, as is drawn, with there being pure fluff unless he intends to use something that would go in that area, which would typically be for peeing. This detail comes from my own nonbinary gender identity. Having nothing and being able to form whatever it is I need at the moment sounds pretty nice, however, it is something that can only be possible through art. In real life, I will have to make a decision and stick with it. I won't go too much into detail here, but I am currently researching and exploring my options of how I may or may not want to change that part of myself.

In all honesty, taking in things like your gender and sexuality can be great pieces of inspiration for things such as building the biology of your fursona, especially if they are a unique species like Charlie is. It's not the only way to use of those parts of yourself for inspiration, but it can lead to some interesting things.

The Source Of Charlie's Colors + Name

For the colors and Charlie's name, I took inspiration from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He shares a name with the story's protagonist and his fur is meant to shine with the same golden luster of the story's golden tickets. This is a story that holds a dear place in my heart, and I love very much. So, naturally, I felt the need to include some factors into Charlie. He's not meant to be a fan character or anything like that, it's just meant to be a homage to something that shaped who I am to this day.

Some Advice to Pull From This

Your fursona should reflect who you are as a person in some way. While things don't have to be as deep or serious as I have taken them, the more thought put into a design will lead to something more unique and iconic. Consider your career, what your favorite story is, your favorite animal, what you identify with, or even what drives you to be a furry in the first place. If the result of that is something such as a blue wolf, then there is no shame in it. Blue wolves wouldn't be a cliche if it's a bad combination. It just means you may need some sort of accessory or other special detail to help your blue wolf stand out a little more.

You can put as much of yourself or as little as you like. A good starting point is your favorite animal paired with your favorite color. You can always consider more factors and details later on. After all, fursonas are meant to change and evolve over time. Charlie's current design isn't even his first iteration, and it would be surprising if this will be his last. What matters the most is that you make something you are happy with now, and your future self can later change it if your future self no longer likes it. They can even drop the character and make a new one altogether. There is no shame in that!

Conclusion

For many years, I have overcomplicated fursonas. I thought they had to capture some deep and unknowable part of myself and capture who I am perfectly. I was wrong to think that. Fursonas don't have to capture my life story, my very life essence, nor anything that can't be captured in one design. Just a collection of my favorite animals and my favorite things are enough. And when I took that approach and drew Charlie for the first time, I immediately knew I found him. It immediately clicked that this was my fursona. A depiction of who I am down to the very core. It was like looking into a mirror that reflected a different reality.

If I could truly be Charlie, I would jump at the chance. I adore him to pieces, and I believe that every furry out there should have a fursona that they love that much. So, hopefully, this article will help you with figuring out what that fursona is to you. If you have an idea that needs visualization for a future ref sheet, please contact me at dextivestudios@gmail.com! I'm willing to make a simple illustration of your fursona for you. If you can naturally integrate the word "bagels" into your message, then I'm willing to do it for a base price of 5$. Consider it as a coupon!