CoyoteInTheHat wrote:I've been lurking on this thread for a while and I figure it's time for me to jump in and see what I can do to contribute.
Hey @
CoyoteInTheHat, welcome to BDCraft.
The furry skins are a project I've been dreading for a long time, so any help you can offer is a godsend!
With resolutions, I typically use 1024px as the horizontal axis, as very rarely will anyone need to go above this. I don't know what software you're using, but if you use the Pen tool (or some other vector graphics tool) as often as possible then we won't see as much pixellation when scaling
The pen tool also allows you to change colour much easier. I usually go for two layers to everything: a "base" layer that only has a filled in colour, and a "shadows" layer that's just jet black and faded to about 10-20% visibility. You'll see plenty of examples of this in the document. It's a workflow that really helps if you decide to use the same asset for another skin, but in a different colour.
I've included some "Artists' Resources" on the front page, which includes a "Furry Template" document. It should help you understand how the skin is mapped out, and I've included some getting started resources too (basic skin shadows, eyes, guidelines etc.)
I've added some slices to the document so you know where the borders of each square are and won't go over the edge with your artistic magic! If you're using Photoshop, when you open the document make sure snapping and slices are turned ON. These settings are under VIEW>SNAP and VIEW>SNAP TO.
As a word to the wise, I find it's always better to start from the bottom. Make a few basic skintones (plain fur, leopard fur, tiger fur etc) and gradually add more details like hats, mouths etc, instead of setting out to make a skin and trying to complete it all at once. May not be how you normally work, but by creating loads of assets in advance, it definitely helped me churn out loads of skins very quickly.
Best of luck and welcome to the team!! Can't wait to see what you can do!
:love: