FREE Resources for Furries!

The Furry Fandom is a great place to be! Full of creativity and freedom of expression…not to mention the caring atmosphere and amazing people. But, for newcomers, there is a lot to take in.

There are certain “expectations” that one must meet in the fandom to avoid trouble…they are simple things, but, people still tend to get them wrong. Most newcomers break the most important rule of the fandom: Do NOT be an art thief!

It’s not like a lot of people mean to break this rule. They love furries, so, they go on Google, search up “furries”, they pick a character they like, and then parade around with that as their new icon hoping to “fit in”. Little do they (often) know that this character already belongs to someone else…and that they have just stolen artwork that someone else has paid for. Que the chat that happens once this person decides to post something:

Newbie: “Hi, I’m (blank). I am new, nice to meet you!” ^.^
Furry: “Um…is that your character?”
Newbie: “Yes! Isn’t she cute?”
Furry: “Well, I know for a FACT that is NOT your character. That character belongs to (blank) and you should not be using it!”
Newbie: “I just saw it on Google and thought it was cute…”
Furry: “Well, that is art theft! Stop using that picture and make your own Fursona!”
Newbie: “Well, I can’t draw…”
Furry: “Then pay someone to do it for you.”
Newbie: “But I have no money.”

…

This conversation could go on forever and, it usually ends up with nothing good as the result. Unfortunately, as kind and helpful as the fandom can be…no one really has patience for art theft, and very few actually realize that there are better ways to handle a situation than in calling someone a thief. We are quick to point the finger, but not as quick to sit there, take the time, and EDUCATE new furries on the DOs and DONTs of the fandom. Still, that is what this blog is here for!

I was in the fandom for well over 7 years before I realized that there are some FREE resources to help beginning furries. I’m talking free art groups / fursona making programs / free-to-use bases, and etc. So many things that I wish I would have taken advantage of!

Well, now I get to pass on this knowledge to anyone that can make use of it!!!!

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#1 FURSONA MAKERS:

—Having a fursona is not something you need in the fandom, but it def helps you stand out. Most people in the fandom have some sort of a fursona, and, luckily for you, you don’t have to sit and save up the money to get down an ‘idea’ of how you might want to look. Turns out that there are several programs that allow you to play around and create your own custom character.
Please keep in mind…these are just programs, so, options might be limited…but, think of this as merely the starting blueprint for what will one day be a finished product. For example: I had my winged-wolf Mia since I joined the fandom…but, I knew she was a bit too basic and in desperate need for a makeover. So, when I found Wyndbain’s wolf-maker, I played around with it and ended up creating the starting point to what would soon be her finished design. I took what I made in the wolf-maker, would later add new hair and a piercing…and of course, I made her anthro. But, this program helped me a lot, and it gave me a better idea of what I wanted in my personal fursona – so, even if it’s not 100% what you envisioned, use it as a building block and foundation! Then later you may find something free that can help you even more, or, you can use this building block so that when you hire an artist, they can really bring your sona to life!

So, check out the links below and get creative!

[[NOTE: These sona makers are free-to-use, but they are NOT for making adopts! You may not sell your creations from these makers for any kind of profit! This is stated in the ToS (Terms of Service) of each maker / you will get caught / and this will earn you a beware in the fandom!]]

• DOLL DIVINE: 

Doll Divine has a MASSIVE list of creator programs for various animals (ie; Wolves, dogs, cats, horses, owls, rats, dragons, etc.) They have Furry Makers among a ton of others! So, this would be the best place to start. go to the Doll Divine Website and click on their “Animal” category to see what all is available.

• PICREW:

Picrew is another image creator which offers an easy way to create a unique character for yourself (just to start). By using the search bar and entering “Furry”, a few options will come up, like cat creators, fighter creators, and even full-on furry creators (though some of these are alpha builds). You can even check out this awesome Reddit List of the BEST Picrew for making fursonas!

• OTHER:

+ Fursona Maker on Meikerio

+ (Under construction)

These are just a few of the resources out there. A quick Google search for “Fursona Maker” or “Furry Maker” pulls up a ton of results, even apps! All you have to do is look!

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#2 FREE ART GROUPS:

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as “free art”. There are artists out there that are willing to help beginners…but you have to understand that there are rules to this as well. When posting for free art in a group, you must understand: You are not guaranteed anything!

It’s free art! It’s a favor! Even when someone agrees to draw art for you, they are not obligated to do it or even finish something once they start it! Is it rude for them to promise you something and not do it? Of course it is…but, the plain fact of the matter is that you did not pay them! They are not under any contract with you…therefore you can not file a complaint on them if you never get any art.

Also, in free art groups, you may not get drawn at all. Those groups are filled with people asking for art, but barely any artists willing to draw for other people. In fact, you might get asked to do an art trade and then find out that the piece you got for your half may or may not be lower quality than what you gave that other person. The art you get in those groups will not always be of fantastic quality…so please understand that. That’s not to say you can’t get amazing artwork from free art groups. It is very much possible! It’s just not always a huge chance of getting what you wanted…or even getting it in a timely manner.

Also, a lot of free art groups post raffles so that people can win free art. If you join those raffles, again, you are not guaranteed to get anything! You may not win, so do not complain if you are not picked…and even if you are picked…you may not get any art. It depends on the artist and if they are willing to do what they said they are going to do. These are just the dice you roll when you join a free art group.

But, it’s always worth a shot. So here are some free art groups on facebook that have really helped me out in the past:

—-FREE FURRY ART
—Free Furry Art (NSFW & 18+ ALLOWED)
—Free Furry Art [read all the rules please]

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#3 FREE-TO-USE-BASES:

So maybe you have decided that you want to color/design your own fursona…but the art portion might be a problem. Or maybe you can draw, but you would rather own something of digital quality – maybe make a digital ref or an icon (something along that nature), well, that’s when free bases really come in handy.

A free-to-use base is just what it sounds like…it is someone else’s digital lines for you to color in and edit in any way that you wish! These can be ref sheets, regular drawings, icons, and etc – and they are free for you to use so long as you follow the artist’s rules!

[[NOTE: When using a free-to-use base pay attention to the specific rules for that base! Some may be used for adopts (so long as they do not go over a specific price), some are not allowed to be used for profit at all! NEVER remove the signature from a F2U base! Not all bases are free-to-use! Never take a ‘pay-to-use’ base without paying for it or without exclusive permission! Always credit the artist of the base even if their signature is on it!]]

There are bases for all different sorts of species out there. I myself have used them for Protogens, hyena’s, dragons, and canine-characters! One amazing place to get free bases is from the profile page of “Free_2_use” on Furaffinity! They have compiled a massive collection of free-to-use bases from all over the web and their collection is still growing! Some of these bases are even Paint-program friendly! So be sure to click the link below to check them out!

Free_2_use on Furaffinity

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So there you have it!

There are 3 massive resources that any new furry (or even veterans) can use to their advantage! And the best part is that it is all free!!! Being a furry is all about creativity! It’s about the art, the creative process, in working hard to create something new and unique! So while some of these things might require a little work, that’s all part of being a furry!!! Especially when you are a furry on a budget!