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Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Canine (Other)
Size 983 x 683
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Custom for vvabu on da
Silky Beardogs are a modern day species of bear-dog from the family Amphicyonidae.
Anatomical characteristics-
1. canid skull, body, and rear half
2. bear-like front paws; semi plantigrade with large claws
3. small bear-like ears
4. long, thick fur (this is where the term 'silky' comes into play) on the front half of the body, and the tail.
5. excellent eyesight, can see in color and in low light
6. anthro form would probably look silly, not there yet
Fur colors/markings characteristics-
1. gradient front to back or top to bottom
2. natural inspired markings from any species/natural world (no stars, peace signs, smiley faces, etc)
3. any colors
4. solid colored coats are very rare
Behavioral characteristics-
1. live in very large groups but are monogamously paired
2. obligate carnivores
3. diurnal
4. able to hibernate if needed
5. produce small litters (1-2 offspring)
6. may be "tamed" if raised in captivity - will form an especially strong bond with only they who raise it
7. may revert back to wild state if something happens to whoever domesticated it
(more info may be added/changed periodically)
Silky Beardogs are a modern day species of bear-dog from the family Amphicyonidae.
Anatomical characteristics-
1. canid skull, body, and rear half
2. bear-like front paws; semi plantigrade with large claws
3. small bear-like ears
4. long, thick fur (this is where the term 'silky' comes into play) on the front half of the body, and the tail.
5. excellent eyesight, can see in color and in low light
6. anthro form would probably look silly, not there yet
Fur colors/markings characteristics-
1. gradient front to back or top to bottom
2. natural inspired markings from any species/natural world (no stars, peace signs, smiley faces, etc)
3. any colors
4. solid colored coats are very rare
Behavioral characteristics-
1. live in very large groups but are monogamously paired
2. obligate carnivores
3. diurnal
4. able to hibernate if needed
5. produce small litters (1-2 offspring)
6. may be "tamed" if raised in captivity - will form an especially strong bond with only they who raise it
7. may revert back to wild state if something happens to whoever domesticated it
(more info may be added/changed periodically)
Category Artwork (Digital) / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Canine (Other)
Size 983 x 683px
File Size 339.2 kB
Wow, I have been eyeballing these for quite some time and I really love their looks and the concept behind them. At first I just noticed they appeared to be earless thick/long-coated sighthounds but it's more than that. I totally dig the colors/markings I've seen, I definitely want one at some point, haha.
Hey! I'm glad you like them. :) Read on if you really want to know a bunch of useless history about them and how they got to be where they are now. :P
In the beginning, they were not a developed idea at all... I just knew I wanted to draw something for myself with thick fluffy bear/monster legs and large claws. In doing so, I was likely reminded of Afghan Hounds, because I'd been meaning to draw one of those for a long time as well. I have a super soft spot for them because my childhood dog was an Afghan. I remember considering ears when I got to that part, debating between oversize ears or none, and decided on none. The tuft of fur around the ear ended up there for whatever reason. I wanted thinly furred back legs as to not take attention from the front end, but the Afghan/sight hound idea likely influenced the build of the legs. And then I suppose I went with a huge tail to balance the back end with the front and maybe add a little fox influence or something.
I sat on the sketch for a while, without really knowing what to do with it, then I watched another artist stream and I saw she had something similar sitting around in her art program as well. They weren't exactly the same, but had enough similarities that it might look funny if we both posted them at the same time. Since we both were Wolfhome users, I asked her if she wanted to collab with me on them so it wouldn't look like either of us were copying each other when it was really a coincidence. She agreed, and I colored one of hers, and she one of mine, in addition to us each coloring one of our own. We psoted a thread without naming them anything or coming up with any specifics and sold the 4 as adopts. Then her roommate decided she wanted to come in on the project, but when she did, she basically wanted to go with the other user's anatomical design, and also wanted me to change the way that I color (cel color instead of blending) so that things would appear more uniform. I decided to bail out because I didn't want to sacrifice the anatomy that I chose, or try to color sharply, because it's not natural for me. So they made a new topic and gave theirs a name and specifics and made some adoptables and I just kind of sat on mine a little more for a while.
I talked to some friends of mine about what to do and they were really supportive of me going my own direction with mine, and during a lot of brainstorming for a name, I found out that dog-bears and bear-dogs were actually a thing prehistorically, as they split off into their own separate species of either bear or dog. My line art obviously did not resemble what these animals looked like prehistorically, but learning this gave me the nudge to decide that what I made was dog x bear, simply speaking. That was also when I decided that there were little bear shaped ears under that tuft of fur on the head. I also needed some kind of word to describe the dense fur, and I used to own some silkie bantam chickens, so I went with that.
Then I came up with some behavioral characteristics and markings guidelines so that they'd be a little less random. For the markings, I wanted to preserve my idea for them to be natural-ish while also allowing a wide variety of designs and creativity so that hopefully anyone that wants a silky beardog could end up with one that they really like, and also so that there wouldn't have to be a lot that all look the same, unless that is what people want for themselves.
These already ended up being way more popular than I ever thought they would, and it was especially uplifting, considering that in the beginning someone pretty much implied that my ideas and techniques weren't good enough. I have been super pleasantly surprised at how many people have ordered customs, especially being that they are all made on the same line art. In a perfect world, I think it would be nicer if they all had custom lines, however, using the same line art really helps to be able to spend time making quality markings for each one without becoming completely burned out. It also helps a lot when I am coming up with new ideas for adoptables, although I haven't actually had time to do many of those lately because so many people are ordering customs! A welcome predicament.
In a nutshell, I am super stoked every time someone says that they like these and that they want one, and I am really thankful every time someone buys one, because I've been using the money to chip away at money I owe at the vet. I also get super giddy excited when I get to see art of them made by other artists. It's really just the coolest thing.
In the beginning, they were not a developed idea at all... I just knew I wanted to draw something for myself with thick fluffy bear/monster legs and large claws. In doing so, I was likely reminded of Afghan Hounds, because I'd been meaning to draw one of those for a long time as well. I have a super soft spot for them because my childhood dog was an Afghan. I remember considering ears when I got to that part, debating between oversize ears or none, and decided on none. The tuft of fur around the ear ended up there for whatever reason. I wanted thinly furred back legs as to not take attention from the front end, but the Afghan/sight hound idea likely influenced the build of the legs. And then I suppose I went with a huge tail to balance the back end with the front and maybe add a little fox influence or something.
I sat on the sketch for a while, without really knowing what to do with it, then I watched another artist stream and I saw she had something similar sitting around in her art program as well. They weren't exactly the same, but had enough similarities that it might look funny if we both posted them at the same time. Since we both were Wolfhome users, I asked her if she wanted to collab with me on them so it wouldn't look like either of us were copying each other when it was really a coincidence. She agreed, and I colored one of hers, and she one of mine, in addition to us each coloring one of our own. We psoted a thread without naming them anything or coming up with any specifics and sold the 4 as adopts. Then her roommate decided she wanted to come in on the project, but when she did, she basically wanted to go with the other user's anatomical design, and also wanted me to change the way that I color (cel color instead of blending) so that things would appear more uniform. I decided to bail out because I didn't want to sacrifice the anatomy that I chose, or try to color sharply, because it's not natural for me. So they made a new topic and gave theirs a name and specifics and made some adoptables and I just kind of sat on mine a little more for a while.
I talked to some friends of mine about what to do and they were really supportive of me going my own direction with mine, and during a lot of brainstorming for a name, I found out that dog-bears and bear-dogs were actually a thing prehistorically, as they split off into their own separate species of either bear or dog. My line art obviously did not resemble what these animals looked like prehistorically, but learning this gave me the nudge to decide that what I made was dog x bear, simply speaking. That was also when I decided that there were little bear shaped ears under that tuft of fur on the head. I also needed some kind of word to describe the dense fur, and I used to own some silkie bantam chickens, so I went with that.
Then I came up with some behavioral characteristics and markings guidelines so that they'd be a little less random. For the markings, I wanted to preserve my idea for them to be natural-ish while also allowing a wide variety of designs and creativity so that hopefully anyone that wants a silky beardog could end up with one that they really like, and also so that there wouldn't have to be a lot that all look the same, unless that is what people want for themselves.
These already ended up being way more popular than I ever thought they would, and it was especially uplifting, considering that in the beginning someone pretty much implied that my ideas and techniques weren't good enough. I have been super pleasantly surprised at how many people have ordered customs, especially being that they are all made on the same line art. In a perfect world, I think it would be nicer if they all had custom lines, however, using the same line art really helps to be able to spend time making quality markings for each one without becoming completely burned out. It also helps a lot when I am coming up with new ideas for adoptables, although I haven't actually had time to do many of those lately because so many people are ordering customs! A welcome predicament.
In a nutshell, I am super stoked every time someone says that they like these and that they want one, and I am really thankful every time someone buys one, because I've been using the money to chip away at money I owe at the vet. I also get super giddy excited when I get to see art of them made by other artists. It's really just the coolest thing.
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