Fancy Rats Part 2

[soc_puppet]

Apparently, April 4th is World Rat Day, so I absolutely have to share these before the clock turns over where I am 😉


Stressed, Excited, Optimistic


Refreshed, Relaxed, Silly


Surprised, Lazy, Discontent


Gloomy, Uncomfortable, Anxious


Satisfied, Mischievous, Exanimate


Exhausted, Sick, Content


Tired, Aggravated*, Annoyed


* ...Okay, I'm cheating a little bit; I did a lot of these out of order and legit forgot I hadn't finished Aggravated yet, so this is technically Irritated rat. It still works pretty well, I gotta say (mosquitoes will do that to you). Also I don't actually like the first version I made of Aggravated, and am planning to visually link it with another mood or two that I already have finished, and another one I still have to do (Naughty and Jealous/Envious, respectively) for a kind of short story! I already accidentally did it with a few other moods I finished out of order (Lazy (seen above), Thirsty, and Full), so I figured I might as well make it official when the inspiration strikes 😉


I hope these may you smile! Happy World Rat Day 😃

Comments

[meridian_rose]

They are so cute! I had forgotten about World Rat Day!

[soc_puppet]

Thank you! I can't remember if I even knew about World Rat Day before, but if I did, I certainly forgot about it before this year 😅 Still, I'll happily take an excuse to celebrate rats!

[redsixwing]

Oh my gosh, the little rat stretch for Exhausted!

These are adorable. Thanks for sharing them on Rat Day. :D

[soc_puppet]

One of the many adorable things about pet rats is that, when they yawn, they stretch a front leggy out; and sometimes two! I thought it would be perfect for "Exhausted" 😊

[redsixwing]

*tiny gasp* CUUUUTE.

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

You have totally nailed the body language of rats. These are adorable. <3 Also, it's fun to see the different colors and patterns of fancy rats.

Re: Wow!

[soc_puppet]

Thank you! I tend to mix and match whether it's actual rat behavior versus human behavior done by a rat (Exhausted rat versus Tired rat is a good example; rats yawn like Exhausted, not Tired, and I'm pretty sure they don't get little yawn-tears), but it's fun to come up with either way!

Figuring out which colors and patterns to use for each mood is one of the trickier parts, I'll admit 😂 Still, it might give me some extra room for cheating in the future; I know the Big Eyes mood theme has a number of moods that are just recolors of each other, so if I get stumped on any particular mood, I might be able to look at a related mood and just draw a different rat there 😜

Re: Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Thank you! I tend to mix and match whether it's actual rat behavior versus human behavior done by a rat (Exhausted rat versus Tired rat is a good example; rats yawn like Exhausted, not Tired, and I'm pretty sure they don't get little yawn-tears), but it's fun to come up with either way! <<

It's that combination that makes it more amusing for me.

>> Figuring out which colors and patterns to use for each mood is one of the trickier parts, I'll admit <<

You might consider color theory if you're into that. For instance, high moods (happy, excited, in love) tend to go with warm colors (brown, fawn, yellow) and low moods (sad, lonely, depressed) with cool colors (black, gray, blue). Broken or spotted patterns have more energy than solids.

You can also switch up what the rats are holding, wearing, leaning on, etc. Props can say a lot about a mood, and you can easily change the color or pattern of something like a blanket, rug, couch, ball, etc.

Re: Wow!

[soc_puppet]

Honestly, the combination is both more fun and easier for me, so I'm going to stick with it 😂


Hmm; I might consider color theory going forward. But then, I might also intentionally go in the exact opposite direction, just 'cuz I don't want to unintentionally play into stereotypes. I don't think there's any particular stereotypes about rat colors/coat types/etc and behavior patterns the way there are with, say, cats (orange cats and torties in particular), but still! I mean, there's a bit of a stereotype about dumbo-eared rats being extra friendly and chill, but that's ear-type, not colors.

I am absolutely on board for any props that let me sneak in green or blue in particular. Bring on the rainbow!

[vriddy]

Seeing those rats on my reading page is always a highlight <3 Thank you for sharing them 😍

[soc_puppet]

My pleasure 😊 Any excuse to share the beans!

[scytale]

Those rats are all so cute! I love the exhausted rat, but they're all so wonderful.

[soc_puppet]

Thank you very much! I couldn't quite capture the full charm of a double-arm-stretch rat yawn in 100x100 pixels, but boy did I give it my best 😉

[spiralicious]

They are so CUTE! And they work so well :D