Sara "Matrices" Howard selected as Guest of Honor for Anthro Northwest 4

Seattle, WA – March 6, 2020 – Longtime Pacific Northwest resident and fursuit maker Sara Howard (Matrices) has been selected as the Guest of Honor for Anthro Northwest 4. Matrices is best known for her exceptional contributions to the fandom in which she creates detailed online tutorials that help others create beautiful costumes of their own. In addition to her tutorial Matrices performs as a variety of characters and has over two decades of dedication to her craft.

Matrices has hosted illustrated step-by-step tutorials on her website matrices.net since 1999, showing visitors how to build every part of a costume. Some of her free lessons are on such topics as: how to build a foam head, sewing body suits, patterning paws, detailing and finishing, and many more. In the early 2000s, she began sharing work-in-progress photos on the fursuit making group on the blogging site LiveJournal. While many of her peers went on to build costumes for a living and understandably kept their techniques secret, Matrices continued to research, photograph and chronicle her experiences. "I decided to continue making costumes for myself and keep on writing about how they were made," she recalled. "I think that is what made the difference for me. It remained a passion to document the process, as well as actually have the chance to make new, fun characters to wear to events."

She has also posted many instructional videos on her YouTube page, with her fursuit head-making tutorial receiving over 300,000 views since it was posted in 2009. "My goals in it are still the same, to try show people that it is a fun hobby that I am passionate about," Matrices said, adding she answers questions submitted through her website or social media almost daily. "I highly encourage those to share your ideas and experiences with others… it gives us all the chance to see new creative costumes that help take people on adventures, encouraging creative expression."

While this is her fourth convention Guest of Honor appearance, Matrices is thrilled to be part of Anthro Northwest and the creative energy found throughout the convention, citing "Andy's Adventureland" and the "awesome vendors' room" as her favorite parts of the event. "It's an incredible honor and exciting opportunity to be given this fabulous chance to get recognition for my teaching, and sharing a craft that I love so much, with so many people throughout the fandom," she said.

With her willingness to share her knowledge and a helping paw with others, Matrices clearly exemplifies many of the best attributes of the furry community. It is a special honor to welcome her as a guest at Anthro Northwest 4. Matrices will be hosting a variety of panels over the weekend, including various aspects of costume creation, maintenance, and advanced patterning techniques. She will be present at the Patron Sponsor Dinner and can be seen around the convention space in her newly revamped costume of Matrices the grey dog.

About Anthro Northwest

Anthro Northwest is an anthropomorphic arts convention being held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Seattle Washington from November 18th to the 21st, 2021. Anthro Northwest is dedicated to the advancement of anthropomorphic art through workshops, panels, educational seminars, community activities and charitable giving. Anthro Northwest Charities is a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.