How to Draw Animal Features on Human Characters | Anthro Character Design (Part 1)

[@lorettabes4553]

I'd love to see you guys cover Insects, like bees or beetles. I often see insects used as armor inspiration, but I'd like to learn how to mix the human/insect anatomy because it has been tricky. Bees have an exoskeleton and the internal structure is tough to translate easily.

[@wingedcanvas]

Jessie does love insects so you never know! ;)

[@milesdoesfimstuff]

⁠ probably can’t do this as good as these videos does, but until our fellow bug nerd has time I figured it’d be better than nothing: At least what I ended up doing depends a lot on the specific insect, but generally with beetles I have a lot wider characters with shorter necks to give more of the insect silhouette, placing potential wings where the thorax on the beetle would be. Generally skinnier legs which have very varying lengths dependent on the bug but usually placed higher up. (you can use clothing to give the effect of the body extending more compared to the legs without changing the anatomy of the character too much tho). The elytra does not have to be as big as its wings as insects such as beetles often fold them. With my isopod character I made sure the pereon would cover more of them as it’s quite long, basically the whole of them if you count the pleon, not like turtles who has their shell more as a part than as a whole if that makes sense. (I’m talking about the segment things on the back of isopods.) I also like implementing aspects like how some bugs can’t really hear like we do, and the ways their eyes function, into my character and world building. I haven’t delved a ton into bee designs but just doing some sketches, I find they have a similar thing with their legs to the beetles with them being a shorter length between the end of the body and the ground due to their higher placement, (slightly thicker tho). used a small torso with the lower part of the anatomy of the character being more important, I mean they have their whole stomach and heart there. (with the focus being more on the abdomen in itself and not the legs, it being more in an extending cone way, the legs more being a less important detail compared to how much more emphasis human-anatomy characters have on their legs, them being the whole lower part of the body for us. Arms and legs are shorter, two sets on the thorax if you choose to give your character extra limbs, as well as wings (which you can also emulate simply with similar shape fabric pieces such as capes). If you have a more stylised style you could get away with making the face more humanoid as the bee face looking down is kinda already shaped similar to the classic anime face shape tbh. Big eyes, fuzzy “skin”, possibly antenna, which I think it’s easiest just to look at a bee face for placement than try to describe (or I’m getting lazy). Hopefully this was at all readable, I did my best but man is it hard to write long things on a phone on this website. Feel free to correct any mistakes tho

[@RabbidsFan-d5o]

LOL I was just about to ask this question

[@EldritchBugmeat]

@@milesdoesfimstuffas a fellow insect/arthropod lover these are some awesome tips!!! Read thru it all, much appreciated :] Hoping we get an insect video too

[@scoredatarot]

Yeah like I have an ant character and this would be very useful

[@jacobcox4565]

Fun Fact: Pretty much every reptile, with the exception of crocodilians, lack lumbar vertebrae. Lumbar vertebrae make up the part of the spine that has no ribs attached to it. In reptiles, the ribs go all the way to the pelvis, which makes themincapable of twisting their abdomens.

[@Vinnnon]

I was thinking about the anatomy of the more unrealistic fish tail (timestamp 9:20) and how horrific the lower back pain would be on a person with just half a full grown shark slapped on their spine LOL

[@wingedcanvas]

We love giving our OC's trauma, and in this case that's backpain. Every OC needs a tragic... back-story. Badum ts.

[@onebilliontacos3405]

I saw the anatomy on that crocodilian in the thumbnail and I just knew I had to watch this video immediately

[@wingedcanvas]

I feel that, I feel that so deep.

[@tristindurocher-batley4780]

You might want to create a playlist for anthropomorphic anatomy videos for easier access to your older videos since they’re very informative for someone like me who wants to become a better artist and enjoys drawing superheroes, monsters, and anthropomorphic creatures and needs to refresh himself on proper anatomy from time to time without scrolling through an entire KZbin cchannel to find what he/she is looking for and I’m looking forward to part 2 of this video

[@pappanalab]

If you’re trying to make a fish person and you want it to feel more scientifically plausible I highly recommend you look at aquatic mammals instead for the body plan and then add scales and stuff later if you want to make them more fish-like. This is because there’s such a big anatomical difference between fish and mammals. By looking at cetacean you can see how mammals actually evolved to deal with the same environmental conditions as fish despite lacking many of the organs that fish have. You could go the fish/cetacean route for a mermaid tail and make it an extension of the spine but you could also leave the two separate legs and attach them together with just muscle and fat tissue like a seal or sea lion.

[@ProtoNeo089]

Now that this was video has shown to me, I'm finally gonna learn the mistakes I see to my Fursonas 😅 Love Animals, Love Furries :3

[@wingedcanvas]

Yess! We love this for your art journey.

[@TheSpeep]

Question related to fish tails (around 10:09) If youre gonna put a fish tail on a person, would you orient it vertically or horizontally? Because the tailfin of a fish is vertical, but thats because fish (like most reptiles and amphibians) have a spine that is built primarily to bend sideways. But here youre putting that feature on a humanoid body, which has a spine built to bend up and down much more than sideways, and thus might function much better with a horizontal tailfin, much more like a whale's tail.

[@applekoi8639]

If you want to do it the science route, with how flat the back of people are you could put all the fins on the side and such, since they would like move as a dolphin. Maybe smaller/less fins on top, as they are still present but less big on animals that move like dolphins! Of course, you can always just do whatever you want with it! Maybe your character is a hodgepodge of creatures, and isn’t really made to move as they should! Go wild!

[@Lycanmoon31]

Hahahah, I found this channel by the human with animal legs so this is amazing

[@wingedcanvas]

That's awesome! What a cool throwback.

[@oakley4735]

We love furry characters 💯

[@philipp_mn]

@@oakley4735 furry character? I will now buy your game!

[@Dapper_Dude666]

Heck yeah!!!

[@WarFoxThunder]

@@oakley4735 frfrr

[@snacc641]

Indeed

[@lyeph001]

Yes

[@klotothemontothex]

i really like the style your OC Ry (?) is drawn in. I've love to see more of them, that style for Splatoon-esque characters is so perfect.

[@Endarius_Termina]

I wanted to ask after seeing this, how would you approach a Marsupial such as a Kangaroo, Wombat, or Koala? I particularly love the idea of using a hand structure inspired by Koalas for a fantasy race.

[@AzulyK8]

I love these tutorials, they are so useful and informative!!!🥰

[@wingedcanvas]

Glad you enjoy!! Thanks for your support.

[@AlextheOcto]

omg the quick draw of the fox tail makes me so happy, so poofy, so adorable

[@wingedcanvas]

⭐Want to support Free Art Education? Become a Patron! ⭐patreon.com/wingedcanvas ⭐Receive critique, feedback, or just chat with our awesome content creators in our members only Discord channels.

[@mcgaggles]

hey I initially came here because your thumbnail was funny as hell- but this was quite helpful!

[@wingedcanvas]

Thank you! Glad you thought so.

[@Khaloofidino]

I’ve been waiting for this video, I’ve always wondered if jessie would cover accurate dinosaur anatomy but since dinosaurs are extinct and don’t have many fossils I don’t think that will happen.

[@pappanalab]

There also an entire scientific discipline devoted to interpreting those fossil. I think you’re greatly underestimating how much we do actually know. We can even tell color from fossil sometimes. There are a lot of cool dinosaurs to play around with. If you’re doing a T-rex or something tho I would recommend looking at what she did for alligators but just putting the legs more under their body like us since T-rex is bipedal.

[@Khaloofidino]

@@pappanalab yeah i know that we have a lot of fossils and we can see colors from them 2 dinosaurs were known to have colors from there fossils like Boreopelta and sinosoptryx ( spelled it wrong) but what I mean is actually draw accurate dinosaurs not merge them with humans I’ve tried finding tutorials but there’s none.

[@breadpanda8429]

I can't be the only one who sees a face at 8:10 when looking at the tail end of the bird skeleton... right? XD

[@wingedcanvas]

Pareidolia! You see that which is hidden.

[@zepht]

Something ive been trying to figure out for a while now is making cephalopod (octopus, squid, etc) humanoids, with things like tentacle tails and tentacle ears. This wouldnt be the same as splatoon nor like ursula from the little mermaid. id be really curious to see more opinions on how that could be implemented!

[@fuzfrogg]

Merpeople lets goooo!!! I love fishes RAAGGH!!

[@wingedcanvas]

LET'S GOOOO

[@pyre8084]

​@@wingedcanvasgills are ears btw.. ears are gills...

[@JulianaDRAWZstuff]

I love foxes, so awesome all the explanations are great!

[@HoneyDopamine]

IHAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@wingedcanvas]

You won't need to wait much longer for PART 2 ;) stay tuned!

[@jawredstoneguy6058]

The realistic fish tail is horribly impractical. Based off of how a human's musculature works, the human would have very little leverage with the tail. It would also be largely covered up by the legs, so mechanically, the extension fish tail is actually more realistic.

[@hummingbirdwof]

The drawing you did to show reptiles being flat is just a mood lol gremlin guy

[@Orchidmoonbeamart]

you have to do a video of where you look at game charters and see if they can work in real life. (like if they were real) this is grat tbw. OH MAYBE A TEFFLING EPASOED!????

[@wingedcanvas]

That's a fun idea! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@Orchidmoonbeamart]

@@wingedcanvas yw i bet you get better tho, lol

[@josebuendiamartinez9944]

I'm curious about some cases 1. A rhino/Einiosaurus/Styracosaurus horn or in general horns that are closer to where the nose is 2. Pachycephalosaurs dome head 3. Arms as wings. Not extra wings, by the arms became wings. Specially bat and pterosaur wings (since those have still fingers not attached to the wing)

[@Henry-kd1mu]

Amazing insight! (I think that's the right word 😅) I learned so much from the reptile bit! I am gonna apply it and save this for later (mostly because i am struggling with gator features on cartoon style)

[@SprinkledCactus]

I needed this! Thank you winged canvas, always coming in handy😊

[@brendenkong64]

I'm curious of how humanoid characters with tails (monkey tails) would look when walking or standing upright versus on all fours. Would they have to position themselves differently than a human to effectively move with the weight of the tail? Love these vids

[@samaphantNovaJewelX]

Could you do Elephant Anatomy in Feral and Anthro cartoon I need to learn how to do trunk poses and ear poses like a professional and I also need to do body poses like trumpeting posture and action postures in feral and Anthro style if interested

[@cloudjumpur]

I love that you brought up how fur works! If you could, how would extra feathers and scales work if they were added to the body? I’ve seen people add feathers to the side of characters heads for avian characters, but I’m not sure how it would work 😅

[@topiaz]

THANK YOU FOR THE FISH!!!!! i have an oc who' a fish but not a mermaid either, and i've been having a bunch of trouble with their design :,) edit: i've been doing the fin and tail thing (with dorsal fins, i think they're cool) for a while, glad to know how they'd Work so i can keep trying to improve the design

[@uwUmbra]

As a furry artist... ¡thank youuuu! 😭 ur tutorials are the best

[@AmbrosiaMooshine]

Yo this is an amazing video I loved it, I’m pretty sure I watched the three other videos around the time they came out- :)

[@that_carrot]

YAYYYYY I LOVE THESE TYPES OF VIDEOS

[@ZymRules404]

How would you combine the head of the animal and person? I like doing characters that take more of the bones structure of the animal more than the fur or the more animalistic features.

[@goruguro]

We need furry special episode ❤

[@wingedcanvas]

Get ready for part 2!

[@goruguro]

❤❤❤❤

[@griffin2686]

YEAAAAAA CROCODILE

[@wingedcanvas]

You know we had to throw that one in there.

[@griffin2686]

@@wingedcanvas average wc W

[@iskodisko978]

So, what about insects? Would the chitin exoskeletons be too difficult to move around, or too heavy when put up on a humanoid stature?

[@imapotato8649]

“It’s been around 2 years since that video was released… *hate that* “

[@glenmurie]

Instead of a fish skeleton I'd assume it would be easier to use a dolphin, whale or maybe even a seal skeleton to build off of instead of a fish skeleton. Dolphins have skeletal structures much more similar to humans especially on those front fins where there's 'arms' and 'shoulders'. Dolphins and whales have bits of pelvic bone floating inside them too (like an appendix really) and seals and such have legs and feet that make their back flippers happen.

[@blankspace42]

I would love to see your interpretation of a mermaid that's more akin to manatees, dolphins and other mammalian sea animals rather than actual fish. Like if, let's say, if they live in somewhere cold or somewhere warm, how would their anatomy look?

[@L3m0n_sh0rk]

THANK YOU‼️‼️‼️ I NEEDED THIS

[@Dustinlove102]

💚💚💚

[@unripetheberrby6283]

This is awesome, thank you~~ :')

[@wingedcanvas]

I'm glad you like it! Thank you too.

[@Watermel_jelly_fox]

how would you draw a half human half spider or a spider demon? I could not find what I needed so when I try to draw it nothing looks good

[@DJ-ew8fd]

You are so good at blocking out the shapes and drawing in general. Wow. Go you.

[@DCRdemonLORD]

Got a question, how about when we wanna design a furry wolf like character, especially its hands and legs, if the hand had 5 fingers then the legs should have 5 fingers too right? But wouldnt that make it weird when you see a wolf or a dog leg having 5 fingers?

[@ShiraBrattyCatChief]

Ah yes including furries, Winged Canvas NO!. WINGED CANVAS YES!

[@Handsanitizeristasty]

this helps a lot! If you can, please make one on dragons. I have been searching for literally 2 hours trying to figure out how to draw anthro dragons. Or if anyone in the comments can tell me where on is

[@Dapper_Blahaj]

Snake tails like a Raja Naga kinda curious on how to do that, I’m confused in a sense as would it work like a mermaid/man but snake or would it work like something else :3 also great tips

[@spikereye4962]

how would one do insects? or spiders?

[@LightIceAurora]

I have a character with a cord tail, how would that work if they're human?

[@majesticlunatic4985]

I'd personally like to see how someone would draw a snake person. Id imagine its very similar to the reptiles and fish.

[@LunaSkye64]

Holy shit this came in at a perfect time since I’m developing a witchy character with cat features

[@Blorckits]

Can you make the next video on how to draw animal feet please?

[@imjustafan4507]

ooooo how abt pawsssss?

[@fizzipawp_z]

Anthronatomy, if you may.

[@yv3sussy]

time to draw furries lol and get them furries money.... 🤑

[@wingedcanvas]

You know it. Furries love to buy art, let us help you perfect it!

[@unkirbyjosuke1904]

HELL YEAH, FURR

[@inkman3898]

Y

[@wingedcanvas]

We love combining attributes!

[@MrKIMBO345]

There were ancient alligator that stood on two legs.

[@alansurviver]

What about whales instead of fish? I'm pretty sure that their skeleton is closer to ours since they're mammals too

[@PowerKetchup]

Yeah I’m late but another thing with fish is their eyes. They bulge out expressionless and creepy

[@callyral]

colon three

[@DerpDerp3001]

There are two methods: starting with a human, and starting with the animal.

[@Matuki4K]

osea furros

[@edtheangler4930]

Help I told my nerd dad about my webcomic and he got interested in the plot but I forgot to mention it's literal yaoi

[@christophercortese9794]

FLESH IS PLASTIC BLOOD IS PLASTIC HEART IS PLASTIC MIND IS PLASTIC FLESH IS PLASTIC BLOOD IS PLASTIC HEART IS PLASTIC MIND IS PLASTIC FLESH IS PLASTIC BLOOD IS PLASTIC HEART IS PLASTIC MIND IS PLASTIC FLESH IS PLASTIC BLOOD IS PLASTIC HEART IS PLASTIC MIND IS PLASTIC

[@jhjffjfjkddf]

@@christophercortese9794 yo what

[@sketchingwithcolor9480]

4:56 Gross, but I love it.

[@SparksArtandCosplay]

Noo! /j