DIY Foxes: Zhivago’s Universal Ref Sheet
Zhivago’s Ultimate Reference Sheet
Kickstarter ends 8/18/14
Reference sheets are expensive. They’re not just a simple illustration of a character, but in many cases an artistic ordeal, an exercise in getting it just right. Every darn marking, the exact eye color, and why does a lion-iguana have a cutie mark anyway?
Zhivago’s reasonably user-friendly DIY ref sheet has been helping furs build their own references since 2012. It’s a complex-but-not-overwhelmingly-complex Photoshop file with lots of options for ears, tails, hairstyles, head shapes, for male and female anthro characters. It’s pretty solid. Granted, if you’re playing, oh, a hairless dog–not that anybody would do that–there’s going to be some challenges, but from what I’ve seen puttering around the fandom, most of the complexity is in coloration, and Zhivago’s got an admirable base to work from.
With thanks to ISinMuffin for the thumbnail of “Gavin”
The kickstarter–which is a great example of a conservative, small-fund project, the sort of thing that Kickstarter2014 really lends itself to–is expanding the concept of the original, with more hairstyles, more “accessories” (tail styles, ear types, etc.), a few more species–and then taking a few steps beyond “more goodies” to add digitigrade vs plantigrade options, back views, front facial views, and even–if the stretch goals allow–feral versions.
Not a lot to say on this “short and sweet” Kickstarter, it’s a nice little project, and fans of photoshop will enjoy poking around with the original until 3.0 comes out! If you’re already looking around for a reference sheet anyway, check out that $200 level.
Note: Images used above are included to promote the work of crowdfunding artists, and are owned by the original creator.
