woo! another ref sheet. so far im on track of making one ref a year, with nealis last year, woolly the year before that, then putt, a remake of scooters ref in 2022, then, well nothing in 2021, but i made two in 2020, then scooters original ref in 2019
anyway, i had to think of some new lore because i like to take a ref as a chance to actually flesh out a character. i think the most surprising part about this sheet to me is that i was actually able to pick a name for this guy
design-wise there are a couple things different about this guy from the first time. i straightened out the antenna, i added ocelli, and i added a little jag around the mouth, all of which were to try to be more realistic to real life grasshopper anatomy. for the ocelli, i was close to excluding them altogether and i think overall i will make them optional to draw for art fight and stuff, but i think theyre interesting as a character aspect. for the mouth, i wanted to allude to palps (insect mouthpart). i find insect mouthparts kind of confusing and i couldnt find a way to make them realistic and cute at the same time. if this was my first drawing of kiapo, i probably wouldve experimented more, but i think ill try again when i make any future bug characters
creative backstory:
[pronunciation: KEE-ah-POE]
kiapo is my first anthro furry character in nearly four years, mostly because ive been more interested in the object show community and honestly started to get a little bored of furries. but now im back, especially with my new obsession for insects! as i said in my first submission featuring him, i based his clothing on a henry tigan music video and the species on a real life grasshopper i found in my room one night
personality:
kiapo was born in uganda speaking luganda as his native language, also picking up english and swahili from school and family. hes been interested in building and architecture from a young age, from toys and especially old computer games. hes known to focus deeply and quietly on his crafts and finishes in impressively short manners. hes gotten enough quality education to be able to travel internationally for college, currently studying in switzerland where he can get by well enough in english, but has also learned basic swiss german from exposure. he can often come across as stoic and emotionless, but is usually just introverted and somewhat insecure. he usually wears hats because he doesnt like how he looks without them
P.S. i decided to base the interest of architecture on this obscure youtube series i found by sckchui. its rather old and obscure, but its this guy (who has a degree in architecture) teaching architectual concepts through minecraft with these college-like lectures in between. i found them entertaining and interesting and it actually kind of made me want to study architecture myself. i recommend it if it sounds interesting. he also has another series where he reviews minecraft maps submitted by his fans
