This isn't a tutorial of any kind, just my honest thoughts on what fursonas are.

The drawing above is of what's often referred to as a "fursona'. You take aspects of an animal(s) you think represent you, and make an animal or creature from it. This drawing is of my fursona, Heidi. She is half rabbit and half skvader. Skvader's are basically half rabbit half bird, so Heidi is ¾ rabbit and ¼ bird.

"Okay," you're thinking, "so you like cuddly animals and you like birds. So you made something that's both. Good for you."

Actually, there's more to it than that. A lot more.

I chose a rabbit because they are the ultimate victims of the animal world. Preyed on by just about every animal they encounter, the fact that they breed like...well, rabbits, is probably the only reason they're still here.

To me, using a rabbit represents my years of being tormented by all kinds of bullies.

So what about the wings? Personally, I love the idea of flight. Not just the freedom, but imagine how good it would just feel to glide on an air current, letting your worries drift away.

Heidi doesn't get that. You may have noticed her wings are small. That's not an art style, where I made them small and cute on purpose. No, Heidi has a defect where her wings were born crippled. Even though she's fully grown, her wings will forever remain tiny and useless.

Her inability to fly, even with wings, represents how even though I have dreams, it's very unlikely, or even impossible, that I'll achieve them.

Finally, we come to color. Heidi, as you may notice is black and white. Excluding the inside of her ears and eyes of course. This too, represents something.

When you look at someone what happens? You get a first impression. A small, 2D idea of someone you thought up in a second. But boy, are we so much more than that. Everyone has a life, years of experiences that made them who they are, make them unique. However for some reason, we compress people into quick, easy labels.

This is why I made Heidi black and white. When people look at her, they see no color. They see black and white, boring shades that would make people think she is just as plain as her fur.

This is also why I made her eyes such a piercing blue. They say eyes are the windows into the soul. Only when people look past appearances will they see the true person inside. While Heidi looks plain from the outside, her eyes reveal her true self; a colorful, fun-loving girl.

THIS is what a fursona is. It's not just a fun little creature to draw. It's a real, in-depth representation of yourself.

So next time you make a fursona, take a bit of a journey inside yourself. Who knows, you might be surprised at what you find.