Hello and welcome to another artist feature here on AnthroBrand.com! In today's article we are going to meet a very special friend of mine and one of the first people I met on Twitter when I started the site, Rial~ She has a lovely character and a great style, and is also super nice! So please give this article a read to learn more about her, then hop over to her socials and give her a follow. You won't regret it!

As always, if you're interested in participating in an artist feature, or have any questions about me or AnthroBrand in general, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at any time via email at Mariah@AnthroBrand.com. I'll do my best to get back to you as quickly as I can. Here we go!

1. How long have you been drawing in the general sense?

Drawing has been a hobby for me since I was young, but went mostly undiscovered until my adult years. Growing up, I barely drew at all. It was mostly during classes, either doodling what the teacher was talking about along with my written notes, or in classes I wasn't really interested in. Unfortunately, I didn't store any of those, and I do not remember what the drawings were like. Aside from casual, lazy drawing at school, I'd do a doodle in one month, a sketch in one year.

2. How long have you been doing digital art?

I decided to finally unearth my passion for drawing in December of 2019. I've been investing a lot of time into it since.

3. What was your first digital art tablet? What was good about it, what was bad?

I got my first tablet in the early 2000's. I don't remember which brand it was, but it was one I could afford. I remember it being overall a mediocre experience that put me off trying to draw digitally, so I set it aside and stuck to pen and paper, doodling during school classes.

4. Do you consider yourself a furry? Or do you just enjoy the Anthro community for the art and characters?

Many of my favorite movies, games, and television shows feature anthro characters; and many of my friends are in the fandom. I went to a furry convention once, ninety percent of my art features non-human characters, I own three original characters, and one of them is my sona; which you see represented here! I especially enjoy the art side of the community, the freedom of expression it brings, and how it unites folks all over the world. To me, it's about the people and the experiences, and not about labels. If I have a part in the furry fandom, it's only half a foot.

5. What brought you to the Anthro community?

My interest in creatures and non-human beasts. The shapes, the anatomy, and their behavior are intricate and a marvel of nature or imagination. Bringing human characteristics and mixing it with the wild opens a great door for exploration and creativity that isn't bound by what we see. A full of wit mouse, an enormous talking dragon, a gentle wyvern - the possibilities for stories and tales are vast!

6. Who is your favorite artist? What do you admire about them?

If I have to name one, it is Reizi Ishimura (https://www.artstation.com/reizi666). What I like about Reizi is that they break many of the established rules for gender, size, and shapes, creating visually appealing designs. Their characters and stylization can be categorized as 'Kemono', an abbreviation of 'Bakemono' (meaning 'Monster' or 'Beast'). Leaving the 'Ba' syllable out, Kemono is a softer word, and thus, became to be accepted as the translation for 'Furry', in Japan.

What's most characteristic about it are the big eyes, the snout/nose is smaller, and some of the distinct shapes that have been established by artists. Of course it is not possible to categorize it as simply as that, since it varies wildly based on which artist is drawing it. There's in-between styles as well, and this exploration of styles makes me excited to see and be inspired by their art! However, I do not feel it's fair to have only one favorite artist! I have plenty of inspirations across different styles and media, and I certainly recommend finding, consuming art from, and supporting artists that you love the work of!

7. If you could give one piece of advice to new artists, what would it be?

My advice is to make sure you're drawing because YOU want it! I've found that a few of the artists I met over the years fell on a deadly trap, and later ended up realizing they were drawing for others, or to impress others. Of course you'll still have produced art, and of course you might have improved over the years; but drawing for validation will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and your relationship with art will suffer. It CAN be salvaged, but it'll take effort and can be very uncomfortable. So please be kind and truthful to yourself, and don't let that happen.

8. What are your art goals?

The first one I conquered just this August, which was to open my first slot for commission work, hooray! My next goal is to improve my art and work on it so I can make it my full-time job! Then a lot of possible paths open from there that I'm starting to think about!

9. If you could master any art skill overnight, what would it be?

Definitely Shape Language! A lot of what makes a good piece, animation, or design, is the creation of interesting and readable shapes.

10. Tell me a little known fact about yourself!

I really enjoy finding and trying out small cafés or restaurants. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has put a halt on my adventures out and about, but I'm looking forward to exploring again. Before the pandemic, I found great eats in the cosiest places, filled with the local community, and it was as if I was eating in a Ghibli movie!

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And there you have it! A big thanks to Rial for participating in our latest artist feature. Please take a look at Rial's social links below so you can follow her and see all of her latest works and keep track of when she is open for future commissions!

Rial's Social Links:
Patreon should have all of updated links https://patreon.com/Rial
Twitter https://twitter.com/z32o
FurAffinity https://furaffinity.net/user/rialfur

Thanks for reading!