I kinda like the crosshatching, gives it a sort of rough but natural feel, somewhat different. Fur can be a bitch, thus why I tend to only detail it when I'm, doing something all the way through (which has been rarely rofl); check these out, they might help a bit:

http://shadowumbre.deviantart.com/a.....rial-104939086 - Remember the "clumping" I'd mentioned? This is a good tut on it, and is used by  nimrais and  kaji, at times, as well as myself and several others.

http://yellow-eyes.deviantart.com/a.....ial-2-38826575 - Realism. I've used this for my recent stuff, as far as roughing it out, then defining it as I go along. The fur, I haven't had the patience, but artists like  -star- and so on have. Give it a shot rofl

http://ballistic-kitten.deviantart......orial-22997085 - (click on the thumbnail for the full tut) This one's more simplistic version of the realism version. It's more along the lines of what  blackteagan does, when she sketches fur. Great for sketches and works that aren't as hardcore as the uberrealism in the second tut.

In the end, do what works for you, gettin your image out of your head. It's all about trying shit out and whatnot. Goooooood shooooooooooow

thanks a lot, now i think i have a better idea of where to go to try out fur techniques. I tried and failed using actual fur brushes w/ overlays and masks but it really looked like shit. I just did this b/c it felt good for my paw, plus i'm very very good at procrastinating, even though the mutt has been telling me to get my ass in gear so i can visit again this weekend. Pretty sure u'll see me

nice i think i did a scratch board from the same image

tits. i always wanted to try scratch board

they're very fun just have to have a ton of pactience but well worth it even did some from blotchs stuff