alright, this is what i have heard more than anything, so i think a change is definitely in order. i know people have mentioned making the lighter fur darker, and i'd just like to take a moment to explain why i haven't. part of the reason why i think the colours of this design are attractive compositionally is the high contrast of both fur types. if i closed this gap, the design would looks less dynamic, and the idea of a ninja "helmet" and "armour" depicted by the dark fur would be played down
i think it is still possibly for this design to look dark with that light fur intact, and with this in mind, i've decided to experiment with the colour of the scarf. personally i liked the gold, but i some interesting things have come up through experimentation
i've numbered them all so that it's easier to discuss them (#1 being the original) so let me know what you think! there's a lot to look at and i wanted them at a decent size so i'm going to link:
http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/6388/tanukicolourcompv2.jpg
thoughts? the dual-colour is an experiment more than anything, but i actually think with some tweaking it could look good. so far purples look good to me!
with regard to the eyes, i hear you. i really want to stress that i don't think "dark" types have to look evil or be all black and red etc, but at some point the eyes stopped expressing what i wanted - a sort of mischievous fox-like look - and are instead apparently now just too cute!
i'll post another variety of revised eyes soon, and i might bring back the option of having them open, though personally i like the slanted look
thankyou for so much feedback, it's really helpful and i couldn't refine this design without it! and sorry again for such a huge post aaaa