Barkley said:
I dunno, this looks pretty NSFW to me. *pic* But anyway, I have no idea what this whole furry thing is about. I mean the draws behind it. Is their a sexual element involved for all people who identify as a "furry" or a majority? Is it mainly an artisic interest for some? If so I'm unsure of what the draw behind it is, I understand some of the images in this thread can be enjoyed from an artisitc perspective and are very well produced pieces of art, I however don't understand why someone would specifically enjoy looking at a multitude of different images of the same subject. Then there's the dressing up as Animals... I don't really get that either. This is all VERY confusing to me, I can understand getting off to some kinky furry hentai but I don't understand the appeal of being so heavily interested in just art of anthromorphic animals, or taking on the persona of an animal. |
I blame Wright for that pic...
No one knows what the majority of furries are into. We're all human, no one represents everyone. I've never seen anyone ask "car-ppl" broad, vague questions like that (I'm not interested in cars at all) but I'm sure they exist. Its just one aspect of a person, nothing more, and there are no rules on how that aspect has to be.
For me its all about the art, but sex sells and unless you're a brilliant artist then nudes will get you a whole lot further than SFW art. It just happens naturally, humans are sexual beings after all. So the deeper you delve into the art side of things(REGARDLESS of the subject), the more NSFW elements you'll find. The cool thing about art in my opinion is that its so much lighter. I don't quite know how to explain this and it might just sound weird but, imagine this:
If that pic you qouted was of a real human, then I'd see it as porn. I would not get any artistic appreciation from it, it would be a picture designed for lust. Now that its drawn, I can appreciate the female form(it is still that, ofc) while also looking at the subject, the choices in bodytype/size/colour/fur(if any) and on (since everything in the pic is now an active choice, every detail had to be created) which colours were used and how they were used, how the artist handled lighting and shadows, I can appreciate the well made anatomy, the beautiful linework and overall be amazed that someone made this from scratch. It took a lot of practice and effort and its a really nice piece of craftsmanship. There's so much to it, "despite" it being "just" a barely clothed woman/animal hybrid.
And then we come to the multiple pics of the same subject. I love seeing how different artists take on the same subject, see how their unique (well, hopefully unique) artstyles brings something to life. If this thread had a different theme I'd be able to share hundreds of pictures (VERY safe for work) from very different artists. That's what I look for when I look at art, especially when it comes to fan art. I want to see how an artist takes something familiar and does something new with it.
I'm fine with most art but I prefer things that I'm familiar with. That's why I've saved up a collection of over 3.000 pony pics... Being a fan of pony/brony art naturally lead to an interest in furry art. Same subject, I mean.. My dad can look at boring cars all day :D That's interesting to him.
Furry art also ticks another box, and that is that its different. Or rather, different enough. Call it hipster, but I love things that are different. Keeps it fresh and interesting. I'd like to post a pic with vore (in case you didn't know, vore is short for "voraphilia" or "vorarephilia": a fetish in which one fantasizes about being eaten alive or eating another creature alive), just to share something that I find absolutely fascinating. There's nothing explicit about it, but its certainly a weird fetish-thing so I probably shouldn't.. Vore does nothing for me as a fetish, but as a strange subject and as good art, it does a lot. That comic that RavenXtra posts, The gamer cat, isn't it more interesting with cats? You could certainly do it with people instead, but that would be a bit more vanilla and boring... (In reality, cats are far easier to draw than detailed humans. Lots of pony artists are bad at drawing humans, but do great things with their pony art. That's kinda interesting too :P) It might be a bit cheap, using cute cats to draw attention, but it does work ^^
I'd never deny that I enjoy NSFW-elements in my art though. I would however argue that its different, but yeah. I don't know if that makes sense to others :P
Dressing up means becoming anonymous. Lots of socially awkward people who usually are very reserved turn into superextroverts in those suits. With mixed results :P Regardless, just think of it as cosplay. Fursonas are simply avatars online. You call yourself Barkley and have a pic of penguins. That's your "internet-sona" or something, haha. Yes, some people take it a lot further, but hey. Everyone's different.
"I can understand getting off to some kinky furry hentai but I don't understand the appeal of being so heavily interested in just art of anthromorphic animals"
Believe it or not, I don't get off to kinky furry hentai but I do enjoy looking at it due to the art ^^ When it comes to all out porn with anthro themes, most of it is very human (for example, the pic you quoted clearly has the "parts" of a normal human woman) but some take it a few steps further and draw authentic animal genitals. I have 4 cats, and I really like animals, but not like that!! That's just weird and it really pushes me away.
/rant, I guess? TL;DR - People are into different things. Understanding and accepting that is far more important than understanding the subject itself. Trying to understand other's perspectives is, IMO, always appreciated, but in the end: To each his own, live and let live.
*Edit* I spent a fucking hour on this? What? haha
