What is this class?
This is a heavily-modified, anthro-flavoured version of an art appreciation class I teach IRL!
Who is the instructor?
I'm quasiotter (he/any)! I'm a 38-year-old cis-male latino grey-ace otter/bear who teaches community college art courses in Oregon, USA. I have an MFA in Art, BFA in Creative Photography, and a minor & AA in Human Communication.
How much does this cost?
Nothing. If you want to donate, see the bottom of this page.
Is this accredited?
Absolutely not! This is not affiliated with any institution, which gives us total freedom to explore art as we want to. You will be learning for the sake of learning, making stuff, and community! Also, this is based on an Open Educational Resource class, meaning that this material is meant to be free and open to everyone. Credits at bottom of this page.
What is the structure of the class?
On biweekly Sundays at 1pm PST, we'll meet in a Discord call. Video and audio participation is encouraged but optional. For two hours, I'll show slides with cool artwork and information while also providing space for discussion and giving out activities (so you're not just watching me talk at you the entire time). We will have five total classes, every other week (fortnightly), starting 20 September 2026. The dates are 20 September, 4 October, 18 October, 1 November, and 15 November, at 1pm
What are the topics of the class?
The original course has twenty sessions, 80 minutes each. I'm condensing it and delivering the most relevant material for this community. Every session there will be two-or-more lessons covered with a break in-between. The topics will be:
♥ Intro + Antrhopomorphism // Categorizing Art
♥ Elements of Art // Principles of Design
♥ Media + Materials // Time
♥ Comics // Videogames
♥ Abstraction // Art in context
Is there homework?
Yes! I'll provide an visual art-making assignment as well as a writing prompt for each topic I'm covering. You are free to do both or just one. Since there are two topics per session, there will be four assignments given to be done over the space of two weeks.
Is there grading?
H*ck no! It's such a pain in the ass for me. Instead, you can request feedback from your classmates on your work.
Do I have to have a fursona for this class?
No. However, even if you already have one, we will be all be creating a new one!
Do I have to be skilled at making art?
Nope! The original course is for students not studying art. You'll be drawing, using mixed media, and even creating a simple tiny videogame!
An important aspect is that you may not use value judgment words like "good" or "bad" or "I like" etc., and do not talk about how you feel about your work! You can ask your classmates for tips, though!
Can I make NSFW art?
Absolutely, but you must use the spoiler function when posting your art with a content warning. No pedophilia/cubs, bestiality, or bigotry will be allowed, however.
Do I have to share all of my artwork that I make?
No, although I encourage you to share as much as you're comfortable with! For the in-class activities, I would suggest having both a PUBLIC and PRIVATE page to work on.
Will the class sessions be recorded?
Yes, but it will be unlisted in my Youtube channel and only shared inside the server.
Are we doing digital and/or traditional work?
I highly encourage a mixture of both! I'm going to recommend doing as much traditional artwork as you can because not being able to Undo will rewire your brain (positive). You will also become smarter and taller.
What materials do I need?
♥ Computer/phone for attending class in Discord, making digital imagery, making a videogame
♥ Composition book/notebook for notes, activities, writing, etc. Gridded pages are preferable (for analogue pixel art)!
♥ 4x6" index cards for daily drawings
♥ Pen with waterproof ink (i.e., Uniball Vision)
♥ Drawing pens such as Papermate Flair, Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen, Pigma Micron, Pentel Arts Water-Based Color Brush Pen, Kuretake Bimoji Brush Pen
♥ Watercolours
♥ A watercolour brush that has a reservoir for water inside of it. They may be difficult to find but trust me, it's worth it
♥ Construction/coloured paper you can cut into little shapes
♥ As many types of colouring materials as you can manage (cheap is good!)
♥ Whatever materials you want for collaging
♥ Scanner (if possible; but a scanning app or taking a photo can work too).
♥ Library card and/or access to a bookstore for suggested readings
How do I join this class?
Because we're doing this in a private Discord server, the max capacity is 23 to allow all of us to (optionally) turn our cameras/mics on in the class call.
I'll start accepting applications on a first come/first served basis beginning at September 6th, 9:00:00 AM PST. Send an e-mail to aaaartappreciation [at] gmail [dot] com to enroll, with the funniest song title that you know of for the subject line. If you send an e-mail anytime before that exact time, I will not count it!
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Donations
You are not obligated to donate at all. Yes, I know I deserve to be paid (as do all instructors!), but I don't want to deal with taxes nor do I want to lose foodstamps and Medicaid benefits lol
If you want to donate:
♥ If you have a Bandcamp account, you can send me a digital giftcard here. DM me for my e-mail address.
♥ You can send me something via snail mail. DM me for an address to send to. Or maybe you live in Oregon and we can meet up?
♥ Make artwork for me
♥ Commission an artist I like
♥ Pay it forward somehow
♥ Feel free to come up with something else
Credits:
♥ This class is inspired by, and largely structured by GabuMatt's Furry Cartooning for Amateurs class. Yes he knows about this and encouraged it!
♥ Original OER class by Andrew Douglas Campbell, Isabelle Havet, Laura Butler Hughes, Daniel P. Lopez. We used a wide variety of sources to create the material that's impossible to fully list.