Werewolf Guide - Appearances

"The physical appearances of werewolves can vary widely, sometimes to the extent that they go beyond the range observed in real wolves. The two most important factors are race and personal history.

The racial background of a werewolf’s human side is especially likely to influence those who were born rather than bitten. Caucasians usually have thick gray coats and resemble Canis lupus lupus or C. lupus lycaon. Central Americans more closely resemble C. lupus baileyi. Asians have shorter coats and resemble subspecies such as C. lupus pallipes or C. lupus chanco.

An interesting phenomenon is observed in bitten from populations whose human sides did not coexist with wolves in ancient times. They may display more unusual markings or build, often looking as if they had been crossbred with dogs. This can manifest in traits such as doglike coloration or tails that are naturally held in a more curved position than a wolf’s. Some believe that this is an adaptation to more closely resemble the feral pariah dogs that are always found living alongside humans. People of mixed races rarely display these traits, instead taking after the parent with a more natural appearance.

Personal history is a more random influence on appearance, and will often have no effect whatsoever even in werewolves who were bitten. The most common effect seen is unusually simplified coloring in werewolves who were bitten after reaching 50-60 years old, giving them wolf forms which have solid coats that closely match their human hair color. It is as if their body has been used to the hair color for so long that it carries over into wolf form. They may be brown, light yellow, or silver colored.

Geographical location gives werewolves a set coat length and density based on the temperature of the area they were living in during their first transformation. Although a werewolf’s coat does show a tendency to lengthen and thicken with the approach of winter, a person exposed to colder temperatures beforehand will naturally keep a longer and thicker coat year-round. This can be a problem for those who move to warmer climates later in life. The coat takes a long time to change, and they will adjust faster if they spend more time in wolf form. It will never shorten or thin out enough to match what it would have been like if the person had started out in a warmer environment. Werewolves have a strong natural tolerance to cold, and those from warmer climates have an easier time adjusting to a cold climate.

A werewolf’s physical build is closely tied to their human build, and translates proportionately to the range naturally seen in wolves. A werewolf does not keep their human weight when shifting, but instead takes the size proportionate in the scale usually seen for the wolf subspecies it most closely resembles. Wider size variations are observed in bitten, especially large men who may become unusually large wolves.

Physical defects such as obesity, injuries, or missing limbs will be carried over into wolf form. Due to increased metabolism and desire for a more active lifestyle overweight werewolves usually loose weight after gaining shifting abilities."

Chapter 8 of my Illustrated Werewolf Guide, describing the species of werewolf I created.

Other chapters-
Introduction- [link]
Non-wolf shapeshifters- [link]
How shapeshifting is transferred with a bite- [link]
Rogues- [link]
Restraint- [link]
Terminology [link]
Psychology- [link]
South America- [link]

Running low on ideas for continuing this, but not quite finished with it yet. This one was fun for getting more practice drawing humans. Not sure if you can tell, but I am much better at drawing men than women for some reason.
All random characters except for the last guy. I created him a few years ago, don’t even remember what his name was. He bit his wife so that they could have stronger bodies and live longer, healthier lives together.

References- Tutorials by