Your Guide to the World of Furry Fandom
Yes you have. Leonard (played by Johnny Galecki) on Big Bang Theory is known for wearing t-shirts designed and created by Nite Owl Ink. And here’s the cool part: They’re a real company and they sell to the public too. T-shirts, hoodies, and poster prints… creepy animals and creepy other things… and pandas. Lots of pandas. All brought to you by the artist known as Willie Wat. Head on over to their web page to see what we’re talking about. See you on CBS!
image c. 2015 Nite Owl Ink
Tiki Paws have made a name for themselves crafting tropical-themed clothing, toys, and other accessories for dogs. Yes, really — we’ve covered them before. Well now the line has expanded! Tiki Paws have grown to include Geeky Paws — a new line of Halloween costumes for dogs, based around any number of fannish themes. Just the thing for when you’re out trick-or-treating and want a little friendly protection along. Check out their web site to see all the latest.
image c. 2015 Tiki Paws
Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact… Another animation-influenced graphic designer we’ve discovered is Christopher Lee — no, not that one, though he probably gets that all the time. This Christopher is an artist from Northern California who later moved down south to find work in art and animation. He did, working for graphic magazines like Vapors and Buck. Lately though he’s struck off on his own, creating a line of posters, prints, t-shirts, and even toy designs based on his original art. His web site is called The Beast Is Back, and on that ominous note you should go visit if you want to find out more. Seriously, you’ll see plenty of his art on just the front page.
image c. 2015 by Christopher Lee
No matter what it is, you can always take it to a new, higher, weirder level folks. Super Angry Birds is a new full-color on-line comic series from IDW and Rovio Studios, giving us a whole new take on (what else?) the Angry Birds universe. “It’s everyone’s favorite furious fowl as you’ve never seen them before! New Yolk City is your typical bustling metropolis and like every big city it has a dark side. Through lies, deceit and corruption, King Pig and his henchmen have taken over the town and have made life miserable for its citizens. This makes one group of birds angry…Super Angry! This new group of would-be heroes, with powers beyond mortal birds, fight a covert war against King Pig and his minions. They are the Super Angry Birds!” Told you. Two issues are out so far, so check it out over at Comixology.
image c. 2015 IDW Publishing
A recent article in Variety notes that Beast of Burden is now set to shoot as the first China / New Zealand co-production animated feature film. “Written and directed by Kirby Atkins (Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron), the story sees a species of now-extinct creatures called Thoriphants rebel against their life of servitude to mankind and embark on a treacherous journey.” You may recall that we previously discussed the film on this very web site. As a reminder, we’ll give you the link to Mr. Atkins’ original proof-of-concept short film, which helped him to secure the production deal for his first solo feature.
image c. 2015 Kirby Atkins
Smart Girl Accessories is a new-ish art collective specializing in t-shirts and other, yes, accessories for the nerdy female… or the stylish male. Their official slogan is “Putting glasses on animals since 2013.” Their inventory is small so far but growing, so check them out over at their web site, SmartGirlAccessories.com — or, at a nerdy convention near you, which is where we found them.
image c. 2015 Smart Girl
Call her Riri. Or Riri Mon, perhaps. Either way, she’s an artist who specializes in the chibi side of things… and she’s spun that talent off into Little Heroes, a series of toony acrylic charms for the gamer fan. After a successful Kickstarter campaign they’re now available as key chains, buttons, and other wearables. Not to mention her collection of art prints (many featuring some well-known anime and anime-style characters) and 3D media. Look her up at ririmon.com.
image c. 2015 by Riri Mon
Audrey Miller is an illustrator who works in numerous 2D and 3D media, and she’s another artist whose work often involves animals — both real ones and toony ones. A graduate of the Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach, California, she has studied both animation and illustration and since put herself to work creating prints, sculptures, plushies, and children’s book illustrations. Take a look at her web site and marvel at her way with color.
image c. 2015 by Audrey Miller
John Will Balsley is a cartoon artist with a distinctly “loose” style of design. He shows off his drawing talents on his web site (www.jwbalsleycomix.com) where he’s created several rather-adult-leaning graphic stories with titles like The Devil’s Henchmen and Taboose the Meerkat. Many of these feature various critters who are collectively referred to as The Roofles. Makes more sense if you look at it… or, maybe not.
image c. 2015 by JW Balsley
