Help Drawing Anthro

[Scout the Fox]

Alright. I don't know if this should be in the Artistic Stuff forums or not, but I figured since I need help it  go here.
Last night, I was just doodling around in my drawing pad; experimenting with anthro stuff. I wasn't really trying. When I was done, what I had made really wasn't that bad for a non-serious doodle if that's even a word  . Anyways, I feel like if actually sat down and tried to do anthro in extreme detail, I could become successful as an artist. But there are still some things that I need help with obviously.
1. Color- Nearly all art in the furry world has color to it. I've seen some that have been made with the computer and some that have been made with IRL media. BUT what media works the best? And if it's a computer software, then which one?
2. Headshape- Dear geez this one gets me sooooooooooo frustrated. I have never been able to get the head right on any type of art the first try like ever. Is there a general shape for anthro or no? I want to make my fursona first, so keep your tips foxy please. 
Last but not least: Inspiration- Emotion seems to be really important in any type of artwork really. But my question is how do you apply emotion to your anthro? Facial expressions, body language, anything.
Thanks for reading and helping me out  .

[nixon/monto]

scout thats how i started and eventually i played with it for about a month to a year and when i fiqured i did all i could i got a book called draw furries by jared hodges and lindsay cibos and it helps on all of the topicyou can get it at librarys and it's not that expensive.

[Scout the Fox]

  Thanks so much. I'll try to find it.

[nixon/monto]

you are welcome good sir.

[Dirtcopter77]

For colours, pretty much anything works. Bright, cartoonish colours for fun pieces (raves, for example), realistic colours for realistic pieces.

Head proportions are very difficult to get right, especially at first. What I like to do is lightly pencil in a skull first and construct a face around it in ink, paint or whatever I'm using. That's just what I've found helpful. Good luck!

[Scout the Fox]

You two helped so much that I must write in pink

[Byracka]

I'd recommend (depending on your wanted level of skill) that you study both the anatomy of humans and the animal you are interested in. This study can be of different depths. Basic shapes, skeleton structure, muscles, surface anatomy. Things that if you study them enough, you will basically be able to draw any pose from any angle.


I can give a few tips of resources if you are interested in that kind of depth.


Anthro is basically, as you know, animals with human characteristics.. OR, humans with animals characteristics. It works both ways. If you understand them both you can mix to you liking. What is understanding? Understanding is knowing how the creature is build from bone to skin. How the muscles wraps around, how the proportions makes a realistic character. This isn't easy to do, you need guidance, or an extremely good sense of right and wrong. Many artists learns to draw with contours, which is easier to do and have many flaws. But can still produce awesome drawings. 


Ah, I have many things left to say, but I'll hold them for the moment 

[Scout the Fox]

Thank you very much. I am interested in the resources, so if you would PM me that would be nice