[CW: this post contains NSFW erotic art.]
If you’ve been following the blog for a while now then you have likely already surmised that I’m a pretty big furry fan, or more specifically: I fucking LOVE queer furry porn. Lucky for me, the furry art scene is BURSTING with queer furry art and sex comics.
In fact, I’m pretty confident in saying that in terms of sheer volume alone the furry scene seems to have more queer and trans positive sexual content than any other art genre out there.
But, like, why? Why is it that the furry community seems to be such a huge conduit for expressions of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity? I dunno, so, I’ve been reaching out to various queer furry artists to get their takes on the community and erotic art fandom that has come from it.
Since late last summer I’ve had the pleasure of first speaking with SalKitten, followed by SerialDad, then HootSewers (aka MrSewers), and most recently TakimiNada.
This time around I reached out to the amazing Wren, whose most recent work popped up in my Twitter feed and completely fucking blew me away with how cute, sexy, and queer affirming it is.
Here’s what we got to talking about:
What initially drew you to the furry/anthro community and what do you enjoy about making furry art?
Wren: I have been active, or at least involved in the fandom, off and on for about 12 years now. Back in middle school, I was initially actually drawn to it by the whole community being a fun way to escape and explore yourself.
My reasons for being in the fandom shifted and changed a lot over time, but at its core its remained a powerful avenue to just explore how I feel internally in regards to my identity, sense of self, gender, sexuality, and all that. That aspect is what’s allowed me to continue enjoying making furry art. My character can grow and change with me and I find I’ve been able to discover things about myself through that process. It’s fun!
As a queer individual yourself, how big of a role, if any, does your identity play in the art that you create?
Wren: It plays a MASSIVE role in my work for me. The only reason I was able to come to terms with being trans myself was sitting down one day and just drawing myself as a girl and me going “oh… this feels right for the first time????”. Over the past few years I’ve used a few different characters to just explore that and find what felt best to me through the medium of drawing.
Because of that, there’s a lot of stuff that feels really awkward and is clear part of a path towards growth, but its been wonderful to be able to just have the ability to safely explore my queerness through drawing cartoon animal people.
The furry community generally seems to attract a fandom of very diverse sexualities, as well as gender identities and expressions. Why do you think that is?
Wren: Probably for the same reasons I described above! Furry is a really safe outlet to just explore your internal self in a way that feels tangible without potentially putting yourself in harms way. You can be and do whatever you want!
You recently released some adorable furry lewds on Twitter, but mentioned that you hadn’t drawn any NSFW content in ages. Why is that? And what inspired you to create these new pieces?
Wren: Ah yeah! So, I’m not a very horny person and I have a career that draws a lot of attention to me, so it just wasn’t something I put energy into for a while. HOWEVER, I went through a recent bout of feeling kind of lonely and struggling with some personal stuff, so I decided to just indulge myself.
Drawing honest and cute adult art is really cathartic for me when I take the time to do it. I end up pouring a lot of my idealizations into them about being happy and safe and exploring vulnerability, comfort, and intimacy. So it kind of just ends up being a really comforting thing for me when I’m feeling low.
Also gosh, I love drawing big soft queer people.
In your opinion, what do you think it is that so many folks find appealing about lewd anthropomorphic and furry art?
Wren: WELL, there’s a LOT of horny people for one. Like I said before, it allows you to explore and have fun in a space that’s purely fantastical. You can explore kinks that either aren’t feasible or physically safe at all through art.
Also, at least on my end with the queer adult art I enjoy and sometimes make, it’s really validating to see other characters that are similar to how you feel being vulnerable and happy.
You often talk about how much you love creating the “wholesome, erotic queer art [you] want to see in the world.” What advice or tips would you give to other LGBTQIA2S artists looking to do the same?
Wren: Hm, all I can say is just have fun! Just explore what you like and make the content you want to see! Making stuff that’s honest to yourself, whether it’s adult or not, is going to be both great for you and other people seeing it.
For more awesome artwork be sure to follow Wren on Twitter!