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Listed below are questions and answers you may wish to know about concerning this page. If you have any questions you may wish for me to answer, please email me at dwolf@tobysteward.com with the question and I'll answer it on this page.
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When did you start drawing?
- Who was your very first character?
- Have you taken any courses in animation?
- How do you draw a character?
- Why do you draw so many dog characters?
- Why do some of your drawings suck?
- I hate your characters! You suck!
- Just how old are you? Cartoons are for kids!!
- How come you don't have pictures for most of your characters?
- Are the Toons in your universe the same as anthromorphics in the furry fandom?
- Aren't Toons animals?
- What's the deal with your Animation Universe Text?
- But wait! Some Toons listed in your Universe can reproduce and have babies! Won't fellow furs (fellow drawers) get mad at you?
- Will you draw a picture for me?
- I like some of your drawings...can I put a picture up on my site?
- Have you ever considered joining one of those websites that furs can display their artwork?
- Why do you like your mascot so much? It sounds as if you're totally infatuated with the guy!
- Do you have any advice for a budding Toon drawer like me?
When did you start drawing?
I started drawing waaay back in 1990. I was in art class in high school and one day I drew Baloo (Tale Spin) from a magazine and well, it sucked! I drew it again and this time it was much better.
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Who was your first character?
My very first character is Blade, a black and tan Alsatian. He came about when a friend of mine wanted to write a book. She was going to write the whole story while I drew the pictures. The main characters were Alsatians, and thus Blade was born. Back then, he didn't look anything like what he looks like now.
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Have you taken any courses in animation?
Nada, zero, zip. I have never taken any courses that dealt specifically with animation or cartooning. My art class in high school had a bit on it but it didn't go indepth. I learned how to draw Toon artwork by drawing a lot from characters in magazines and then expanding to include original characters.
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How do you draw a character?
I am NOT a professional drawer, so unlike them, I do not use anything like circles and stuff (although I do sometimes). I just draw right then and there. Everyone has different techniques on how they draw. As for me, when I draw, I always draw the nose first (sometimes the eyes first, depending on the character), then the muzzle/snout, the eyes, the head, the body and last, the tail (if any).
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Why do you draw so many dog characters?
The main reason is that I love dogs. They are my favourite domestic animals, and the wolf is my favourite land wild animal. I draw lots of dog characters because 1) I love dogs and 2) It's easier to draw a dog. That's why you don't see too many Toon hippos or elephants here :) I never had any experience drawing much animals, but maybe I'll try in the future.
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Why do some of your drawings suck?
There are several reasons why some of my drawings suck. 1) I had a bad drawing day (as opposed to a good drawing day) and 2) I am not a professional. Action and body poses are still hard for me to draw, and hands...don't get me started on that. Usually when I draw, I just draw the head, because they're easy to draw. How well I draw also depends on what mood I was in when I started drawing. Nobody's perfect.
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I hate your characters! You suck!
First of all, that isn't a question. Second of all, I personally don't care if someone hates my drawing abilities (heck, even I know I'm not that good either :) or any or all of my characters. Everyone has their own favourite art styles, so if they hate my style, it's not my fault or theirs. And if I tried to force someone to like them, I would be just as bad as them.
However, I do not like it when people flame me in the immature way, like this:
YOU ***HOLE! YOU CAN'T DRAW SH**! GO OUT THERE AND GET A LIFE! I HOPE YOU DIE AND NO ONE WILL KNOW WARE YOU ARE!!
Pathetic, really...usually people who sprout things like this, and I see this a lot when people are viciously defending something they love (geez, it's only a TV show/toy/whatever!), they are either kids or pitiful adults who are probably still in Grade 1. They always resort to swearing, always uses capital letters and can't seem to spell (it's 'where,' not 'ware'). People acting like that will 1) get no respect from the person they're talking to and 2) make them look like an idiot.
I appreciate comments from people who do it the RIGHT way by giving specific reasons why they don't like my characters and be calm and cool at the same time. At least you know they have a clear head and are sane...
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Just how old are you? Cartoons are for kids!!
Okay, I never had anyone say this to me before except for my sister and my parents, but I put it in here anyway in case someone DOES ask me that in the future.
For your information, I am not a kid (I'm 21 but I AM a kid at heart), and animation is NOT just for kids. Well okay, they were at one point in time but animation was originally geared towards the adults, until the kids started watching it more and then people suddenly got the idea that animation is for kids. Sorry, but that level of thinking is rather um...stupid. Animation is, and always will be, an art form. The majority of Americans think animation is for kids and no one should watch it unless they're kids, and that's sad, while British people view animation as something for everyone, and that's the sort of thinking people should adopt.
Animation is for EVERYONE, from the young to the old. Instead of saying it's childish and such, you should consider the fact the massive output it takes to make one movie or half hour episode. I appreciate the willpower of the animators to draw close to a million or so pictures of the same character over and over and over again to make an animated movie. What patience! Why should animation be different than cavemen art and abstract art? I don't know what the heck abstract art is supposed to convey, being made of blotches and stuff but people DO like it and consider it art.
Nowadays, there are lots of animated TV shows that is strictly for the adults, like The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and even Animaniacs, which contains tons of spoofs only adults would get. It's not just for kids anymore...
As for me, I love animation (well, except anime, but that's another story :). It's a big escape from 'real life' and more often than not, animation is more funnier than comedy movies. I like the idea that animals could have human characteristics. I don't have a human idol, but a Toon idol.
So, in closing, if you still think animation is for kids, then please remember that there are lots of other people who DO. Most people today still think it's for kids but more and more people now are just beginning to appreciate it as an art form.
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How come you don't have pictures for most of your characters?
Unfortunately, I am unable to draw anything that even remotely resembles a human, so I can't draw any of my human characters, although I do know what they look like because I think them up in my head. Plus, I can't draw anything that looks serious, and that's a shame because I want to draw serious stuff. That's why there are no pictures whatsoever of Ajax or Colins. Granted, I HAVE drawn pics of them but they look so silly looking and non-serious that it's crappy and therefore do not look anything like them.
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Are the Toons in your universe the same as anthromorphics in the furry fandom?
That is a definite no. My Toons are not anthromorphics. Anthros are often described as animals that have human-like qualities like walking, talking and wearing clothes. Toons are basically animated characters that act like humans but are not real animals. Thus, Anthros and Toons are two completely unrelated species. At least in my universe it is.
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Aren't Toons animals?
Yes and no. Yes, they're animals, but no, they're not real animals. Anthros are real animals that behave like a human. In my universe, Anthos do not exist (with the possible exception for Hot Dog and the gang). Toons do look like animals, and can make animal sounds, but for all purposes, they are still not real animals. They are cartoon characters that first came about when people started drawing them. How could they be real animals if they were drawn? Granted, most B Toons nowadays don't come from paper, but they still retain the look of cartoon characters.
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What's the deal with your Animation Universe Text?
I made it mainly because I wanted to. Most Toons you see on TV today are crazy guys who do nothing but annoy people all day. I didn't want any of my characters to be like that (okay, most). Therefore, I thought up 2 types of Toons, the crazy kinds and the sensible kinds. Plus, it's different and unique. Besides, lots of people make up their own universes for their stories and stuff. I did the same thing.
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But wait! Some Toons listed in your Universe can reproduce and have babies! Won't fellow furs (fellow drawers) get mad at you?
I know it is against the norm for Toons to have reproductive organs and have kids and stuff, and some people don't want to see that kind of stuff, but then again, my Universe deals more with serious matters. There is nothing light-hearted about it. At least, not in the way Saturday morning shows are concerned.
Seriously, I had this page up since October of 1998 and so far, NO ONE questioned the text or bashed me to the ground. I have also sent the text out to several people who are also fans of the furry fandom to read, and as of yet, the feedback have been positive. Thus, it is safe to assume everyone's cool with it.
Even more seriously, there is no set rule on Toons. I never see anyone actually point out word for word what a Toon can or cannot do, and nothing's set in stone. On the contrary, Toons have kids all the time, despite what some people think. How else can you explain Pete and Goofy's kids (Goof Troop), or Donald's nephews? Now don't go on telling me they arrive by flying storks...
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Will you draw a picture for me?
Sorry. I don't have the time and energy to do that. I'm always busy doing other stuff like constantly updating my many (and I do have a lot, not just this one) webpages.
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I like some of your drawings...can I put a picture up on my site?
Sorry, but you can't, unless you give me credit for my drawing with a link to this page AND my name. Also send me the URL of your page so I can link to you. It's distressing to see your own artwork on someone else's site with NO such copywritten notices stating that it's yours...I take pride in my Toons so, please...let me know if you're planning on using any of my pictures.
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Have you ever considered joining one of those websites that furs can display their artwork?
Yes I have. As you can see, my page is already at Furnation and an hoping to get lots more feedback. I rarely gotten any over at the old site at Geocities.
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Why do you like your mascot so much? It sounds as if you're totally infatuated with the guy!
That is a very good question. Ironically, when I first started drawing the character and thought up 'episodes' around him and the gang (check out The Cast List section), I didn't like him much. While I made him the leader, he well, never did much. Leaders aren't like that, so I had to make him act, and that was just what I did. He magically grew taller (don't ask :), and eventually evolved into what he is today.
To tell you the truth, I really don't know why I like him exactly. I suppose he just grew on me, not to mention out of all my characters, he's the only one besides Idge that actually 'matured' over the years. I don't mean he was childish (there's a kid in all of us, whether you believe in it or not) in the past. I meant he started out as a talkative, smart guy into a serious, talkative, smart, family guy. His personality changed a lot. In closing, the Toby of 1999 is totally different from the Toby of 1994. You might say they're two completely different characters. As you can see, I can't exactly explain it.
What I can say is that in my personal opinion, he's the coolest and most loyal Toon I ever knew, and that includes every single Toon you see on TV, and yes, I am infatuated with the guy. He is very loyal to his family and will never beat them up or get a divorce. In fact, NO Toons do in my universe. That's why he's my mascot. If he was a real person (hopefully still as a Toon), I'd marry him :)
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Do you have any advice for a budding Toon drawer like me?
Yes. Draw, draw and draw! Practicing a lot will greatly improve your drawing skills. My drawings back then sucked but I kept at it and now they're much better. If you're a first time drawer, try your hand at drawing some Toons on TV from pictures downloaded from the Internet or from magazines and comics.
NEVER trace!! Tracing will get you nowhere. Just take a picture you like, put the picture beside your drawing paper, and draw the character. NEVER draw from the feet up. It will only result in a crappy picture. After you tried your luck at other Toons, and you're comfortable with drawing, try drawing them without looking at a picture. If you can accomplish that with a decent picture, then go ahead and draw original characters. Use pictures of real animals to help you as a guide. This is what I do.
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