Comparing Techniques

Below shows two images of the same creature. The white paper version is the original i designed in my sketch book, the brown paper version is my second attempt at it to discover any differences if any.

I believe the results are obvious, the brown paper version seems more professional and life like, its display of light and dark colour tones provide greater insight into the creatures structure and appearence. The white paper version seems flat and lifeless in comparison. Also the quality of line on the brown paper overall appears much stronger.
Comparing a design like this has helped me realise the differences between using different materials and i will continue to experiment throughout my creative career, as until i try i will never know!

This creature has been designed as part of a mini brief i set myself based in my findings in my research section. The brief was - to consider purpous before design which was "Speed & Defence" but this Rhino/Snapping Turtle inspired creature is actually a sub speices of the main outcome.

Experimenting with New Materials

My Toucan sketch, (brown envelope, pencils around 30mins)

Today i was in search of a brown sketch book to practice my traditional art skills but on a different type of paper. Traditionally i have always worked on white paper when it comes to using pencil, but after seeing a recent inspirational piece by Norman J. Schureman where he uses brown paper i thought id give it a go as it seems to give his drawings energy and life, and i believe this is because of the ability to create light and shadow markings on the page. I will be incorporating this technique in my designs in future.

But as you may have noticed my quest for a brown paper sketch book failed and so i discovered the next best thing... a 25 pack of brown envelopes... Creative i thought! I am also enjoying being able to stick my drawings up around my work space, rather than ripping it out of a sketch book! The picture above shows my Toucan pinned to my notice board.

Inspiration... Via Facebook!

Inspiring words via Disney Pixar on Facebook. Believability being my main goal this year.

Alchemy Experimentation

I discovered Alchemy at a recent Degree Show at Uni, and then was reminded of it when id seen it on another blog, so i decided to give it a go and see what happened.

It is a really interesting programme, at times difficult to get your head round but others you can really discover new interesting shapes which lead to things you probably wouldn't have initially thought to do. The above image was the result of about half an hours worth of messing around, using the mirror effect is great for producing front facing images, you really get the impression you are looking directly into the eyes of this beast.
This creature appears to be a form of insect with a bird like head and aquatic tail, and was simply inspired by shapes i created. I also really like the roughness of this programme, the use of line is random but yet you can still recognise basic outlines of form.

Below i have included the stages of this creatures creation, from initial shape to adding colour.

The further images below are more experimentation's i did prior to the above.

Robotic Structure

Dragonfly

Pig faced Monster!

Excising Creature Redesign

Whilst i have been reviewing creatures from Star Wars (see SM2 Research) i have so far discovered that these creatures seem well designed considering the creatures purpose before design, looking at animals today that successfully fulfil that purpose and looking to them for inspiration.

I have so far found little to fault with what i have reviewed, but i did see an opportunity to slightly redesign the Dewback, as i spotted a few things i believed could improve the functionality of its design. If you read my review you will discover that my main issues with the Dewback where its feet and a visibly successful way of storing necessary life giving fluids needed to survive in its desert environment.

Below i have drawn and redesigned the Dewback slightly, with notes explaining the changes i have made.

Step 1 Analysing Existing Creatures...

My first step for this semester is to look into existing creatures and workout if they are actually an accurate well thought through design.

With this in mind i didn't know where to start as there are hundreds of films and games with creatures of all kinds but finding a solid starting point was the hard part... So i began sifting through my hard drive of inspirational images when i stumbled across Star Wars.

I have started analysing some of the creatures created for these legendary films and discovering just how well or badly they are designed. To see these reviews please see my SM2 Research section of this blog.

Whilst doing this i have also been continuing sketching in my sketch book whatever creature i dream up at the time :p including a Pelican Eel inspired mammal, a Black Scorpion Fish inspired reptile and a Horn bill inspired Dinosaur :)

I have also discovered during many Spider Diagrams that FUNCTION and PURPOSE seem to be the main focus of this semester so far...

Semester 2 :D

After a long deserved Christmas Break it is FINALLY time to get stuck in again!

This Semester i plan to take my creature design further by continuing on with my crazy creations but to select some and work on them in more detail. Considering their life cycles, how they look as a baby through to adulthood, how they survive, eat, sleep, and also considering gender and their differences in appearance if any.

Whilst doing this i will be researching existing creatures in both films and games and acting as a Critique. I will pull apart some of the creatures you may be familiar with which look great on the big screen but when its design as a creature is taken into consideration you will be left with a different view...

"Yeah... But does it actually work?"

I aim to look into why these creatures don't work, what is it about their design that when actually put into a real life situation they would fail. I will also use my knowledge of anatomy to further back my argument.
As i said in my  First Semester i want to create believable creatures that could actually work as a design and not just a concept and further my knowledge of creature design.

I aim to prove that my creatures are not just pretty drawings on a page, but a well thought through design and that i have considered exactly what that creatures purpose is and how it survives in its world.
Along the way i will continue developing Traditional and Digital Art skills and will possibly touch on my 3D skills in Maya. But for now all of the above is my plan of action!