Character Design Lesson 3 - Creatures and Monsters

   Following on from the previous design lesson, today was about animals and monsters. We looked at how animals and humans have similar skeletal structures, what the function are of the different muscular groups, their traits and how animals adapt to their surrounding.

   So to gain a bit more of a understanding, we was assigned two animals to draw and research. Also, how they are able to survive in their environment, and what makes them either a predator or a herbivore. I got given polar bears and otter, we could try and blend them if we wanted, but I enjoyed studying them more.

When it comes to monster/ creature creation, all design are influenced by real animals. So, after looking at some monsters from films, we was given an environment to create our own hybrid. We had to think about how they moves, what they eat, would they have weapons/ camouflage, etc. I got given an aquatic world and firstly came up with the following:

A creature that buries it body in the sand/ attaches itself to rock, and uses its seaweed like tentacles to bait small fish. Once in the reef, they would wrap around the fish and close up to absorb it. The antennae help in navigating around the sea bed, and the legs/ head would retract when a predator was close. 

   In talking to my tutor, a new design came up. As the creature was quite heavy, it would need more study legs to travel, also meaning it would be quite slow. The reef tentacles would be better if they closed individually, trapping the fish in a large cage. When it comes to the disguise, it would need to have a more rock like appearance, otherwise it would be too easy to spot. Following these ideas, the next drawing came about.