The Art of Maxx Fergus

22nd May 2024 BWM Staff

Bear artist Maxx Fergus reimagines some of our favorite heroes of the comic book realm into dreamy, hirsute, big-bodied bears. He takes it one step further by creating SFW and NSFW versions for the ultimate fanboy fantasy experience! He also creates his own gorgeous bears from photo inspirations and his imagination. When we stumbled across his work on social media we were instantly intrigued, and we knew we needed to introduce him to you guys. Get to know him below!

BWM: Tell us a bit about your background.

Maxx Fergus (MF): Hello! my artistic name is Maxx Fergus, but you can call me Max. I live in Peru. From a very young age I liked watching cartoons and superhero characters, anime and video games. They became my references and inspired me to study graphic design. After a few years working in many fields of my career, I entered fully into the world of illustration. During the pandemic I learned to draw the human body and after a year I published my art on social networks.

BWM: What is it about bears that makes you want to incorporate them into your art?

MF: I am usually attracted to bears over 30 years old. I think that’s when a cub turns into a bear. That, in my opinion, is where his virility begins to be better appreciated on the way to physical maturity. That’s what I like to portray in my work.

BWM: What initially drew you into the bear community? And what keeps you there?

MF: Since I was young, I have been attracted to bears, the body they have is fascinating from the softest ones like chubby bears to the strongest ones like muscle bears. The fact that I am able to recreate them in my drawings, as a good bear lover, gives me satisfaction. And the feeling is greater when my audience likes my art!

BWM: Are you professionally trained or self-taught? Tell us about that.

MF: During the pandemic I took advantage of the time to draw. Back then I bought some books to learn how to draw male anatomy. I did a lot of sketches every day to keep up the pace and memorize every aspect of the body. However, it was not enough because I wanted to learn to draw more bear-type bodies as well. Books usually show you fitness or muscular characters so I had a bit of trouble drawing bigger men. That’s when I looked for references of those body types both in photos of real people and drawings by other artists to continue practicing.

BWM: Who are some of your artistic inspirations?

MF: My artistic inspirations are mostly some bear models, comic and anime characters with the same bear body type. I also like the way other artists mix these last two art styles such as Zelo Lee, Inkollo and Silverjow. I try to make my art look like a merge of those styles for my drawings of bears.

BWM: Where can we see/ purchase your work?

MF: You can see my works on my social media with the name of @maxxfergus on Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, Pixiv and Facebook. I also use Fiverr, a website where I show my services. You can find me there with the same name. I make fan-arts, original character design, and SFW/NSFW drawings. At the moment I’m doing commissions. You can send me a private message on any of the social media to stay in touch. It will be a pleasure to help you!

BWM: What big projects are you working on? What is coming next?

MF: I’m thinking about making groups of drawings of characters transformed or turned into bears that I call “Bearized”, for example: “Bearized Avengers” or “Bearized Justice League”. I’m also in the process of opening a Patreon account with the same name to make more exclusive and uncensored content for my followers. Stay tuned when I announce it on my social media!