Anthro Who's Whoo - *danee313

Hello! My name is Danielle. I usually go by "Danee" or "Dee". My hometown is Detroit, MI. Personality wise I'm usually a pretty quiet and reserve person. Not much of a social butterfly! Currently I work as a graphic designer and post-production assistant at a photography studio.

How long have you been doing art?

Forever! Pretty much ever since I could pick up a crayon. I have an older brother who's also into art and I use to sit and watch him draw. I got on his last nerves asking him draw stuff for me all the time! He taught me a lot of the basics of drawing. In a way I was blessed to grow up in household full of art. My father was a Die Maker who drafted and mother is into sewing and crafts. As a result I've always loved all forms of art.

What brought about your interest into Anthro?

The 1980's were chock full of amazing anthro theme shows and movies. Disney movies/afternoon cartoons, Don Bluth movies, Looney Tunes, and countless of other shows from that era were some of my earliest influences. By time the 90's rolled around the Sonic the Hedgehog series (games, comics and cartoons) made a big a impact on me. I have a bit of an embarrassing confession to make: For years I ignorantly call these types of characters "Animal People"...Yeah I know sad It wasn't until I joined deviantArt that learned the correct terminology.

Do you have a fursona or favorite OC? If so, what inspired it?

My fursona is a Serval Cat named "Danee". Why a Serval Cat? Not quite sure why but of all the wild cats, Serval Cats are my favorite. I think they're pretty unique looking (those huge ears lol!) Another recurring OC character of mine is Peaches aka "Momo".  She's based off a beloved cat I had growing up.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

I have to say once again my brother Tygahman who jump started my interest in drawing in the first place. Our taste and styles are very different. However we still like to share and critique each others art from time to time.  Basically I'm still bugging him! lol!
As for other artists that I look to for inspiration, well I have a lot! When I was collecting the Sonic comics years ago, comic artists Patrick Spaziante or "Spaz" and Jay Axer were favorites.  Favorite Classic artist: Alphonse Mucha. There's also a lot of anime/manga artists that I draw inspiration from as well. Just to name a few: Haruhiko Mikimoto, Hayao Miyizaki and Naoko Takeuchi.

What are you looking to improve in your art?

Even with all of my years of drawing I feel like I still need to improve. I tend to struggle with anatomy issues and consistency. I also would like to get out of my comfort zone of just drawing figures all the time and maybe focus more on backgrounds and other objects.

Do you have a creative process that you follow?

Before I start a project, I usually try to research the subject/theme first, gathering up references. I do a ton of preliminary sketches just to get the feel of the character and theme. If time allows, sometimes I'll do multiple versions of a drawing and pick out what works out the best.

Any words of advice for other artists?

This is going to sound super cliche but Practice, Practice, Practice! And as easily as it is to get discourage, never give in to the negativity! Draw whenever you can. (I carry a small notebook in my purse and just in case an idea hits me.) Look at other artist's works as inspiration but never compare your skill level to other artist. You'll only be tearing yourself down. Just keeping creating art!

Thank you danee313 for sharing with us today!

Who will it be next? Could be you!

What sort of questions would you ask your fellow anthro artists?

Post your questions below!

Past Articles
Who's Whoo #1  [link]
Who's Whoo #2 [link]
Who's Whoo #3 pixlphantasy.deviantart.com/ar…