The Obligatory ‘About Me’ SectioN

Enigma the hyena may be a creation of mine but he is also an extension of me - a persona, a furred persona, a ‘fursona’ if you will - so a lot of myself is reflected on him. My real name is Fraser Anthony (a name that has and probably always will confuse people due to the surname being a common forename), so now that’s out there I can tell you a little more about myself.

Why a hyena? For as long as I can remember they’ve been a favourite animal of mine, probably sparked by seeing Disney’s The Lion King in the cinema in 1994 at between 3-4 years old. Something about their designs grabbed me along with their engaging & hilarious personalities and of course THOSE laughs…which led to my fascination with animation & art and in turn desire to make my OWN characters and drawings.

who is fraser ‘enigma’ anthony?

Born in 1991 in the rainy land of the United Kingdom I was raised in North London into a creative family of musicians and artists, the youngest of 3 siblings. Being close with my 2 older sisters and getting along really well meant we all would sit down together and draw with the encouragement of our mother from a young age, often sharing ideas and drawing our favourite things - usually characters from animated films or Sonic the Hedgehog. As we got older this would continue albeit moving on to original concepts and even happens to this day despite moving into our own homes!

I like to think I’m approachable and calm, but with a good sense of humour and not the type to be too serious…apart from when a situation needs it. Laid back but still full of determination & persistence.

interests & inspirations

I have many hobbies and things that form who I am! My main passions are art(obviously) and music - I listen mostly to heavy metal, rock, electronica & psytrance but I was raised on old-skool RnB and funk so those hold a special place. If there’s a good metal gig or festival odds are you can find me in the crowd (although admittedly I can’t really handle moshpits anymore…). I am also a casual drummer! I own a kit and have played a gig back in college - if I’m not drawing or out exploring I try to squeeze in some drum practice here and there.

As for some other things I love: history, long walks/hikes, wildlife, roller-coasters, traveling abroad, cooking & baking, horror films and stargazing. All these and more shape my life and often inspire my work!

THE PRESENT AND BEYOND

Nowadays you can find me living in Canterbury, Kent right in the south-east of the UK. I’ve held many jobs over the years from working at one of England’s busiest theme parks (Chessington), working behind the scenes in the mailroom at Discovery Channel UK and multiple retail jobs including my most recent role as Supervisor in an art & stationery store. During all that time I was still illustrating and taking on art commissions but after doing these kinds of jobs for over 10 years I decided to go self-employed and become a freelance illustrator, which is where I’m at now.

We’ll see where this new artistic journey takes me!

A final note…

With special thanks to all my friends, family and peers who have supported me and continue to do so - you mean the world to me and make it all worth it.

To my sisters for putting up with my extrovert nonsense and being the best siblings anyone could ask for. To my mother for shaping me into who I am today and always guiding me in the right direction. And to my late Dad: You may no longer be with us but I can’t thank you enough for all the encouragement and feedback you gave not only on my art but on my devoloping life. I hope I’ve made you proud & that you’re resting in peace knowing your son and 2 daughters will never give up being creative & doing what we love - guess your stubbornness lives on! Thanks for everything <3

~ENIGMA