I will be using this section of my blog to post inspiring imagery that has fueled my path on the M.A.
Terryl Whitlatch
After discovering the world of Terryl Whitlatch and her amazing creature designs only a few days ago i have been blown away by the idea of creature design. As i have said on my home page my M.A direction appears to have taken a new turn. Below i have included only a few of the amazing images her book, Animals Real and Imagined has to offer.
The two images above are only one example of the many animal skeletal and muscular structures studied by Terryl Whitlatch. As she majored in Vertebrate Zoology and Anatomy she has a very thorough understanding of how animals of all kinds are made up. If you have seen my Home page on this blog you will see that i had already started to do this myself, this encouraging me further that i am going down the right path! Studying this myself i know it will improve my creature designs in the future.
Tracker Orthographics
The above three images clearly demonstrate the importance of knowing how an animal is built up. From this knowledge she has applied that information enabling her to create her own Imaginary Creature. Although this creature has been completely made up from Terryls amazing imagination, looking at the creature doesn't look odd or out of place, in fact it actually looks as though this creature could exist!
Thinking of and creating an imaginary creature is just the start, thing about how that creature moves and behaves in an environment creates a successful creature design.
The three images above are also Terryls. They clearly tell us that the study of animals and creatures are of vital importance in the development of creature design. By studying animals alive today i can use them as inspiration for my own creature design, and being able to study how they move and behave through Zoo visits, TV Documentaries and imagery from both artists, designers and photographers, this builds up a basic foundation in my mind for creature design.
The image above titled; The Marine Mare, clearly demonstrates the progression of animal study to creature design. I already have a basic knowledge of how an animal is made up but i want to improve on this knowledge before progressing on to my own creature design.
The Two images above are clearly made up of recognisable animals that exist today. The top image titled; The Questing Beast, to myself appears to have the head and neck of a Cobra, the body's colour and pattern of a Leopard, whilst the actual anatomy of its body appears to be a Deer or Antelope, and the long balancing tail of a Cheetah, and from head down the spine to the tail appears to have the long feathery hair of a Bird.
The Second image titled; The Moo Monster, Appears to be a cross between a Cow, Buffalo and a Ankylosaurus, a type of dinosaur from the end of the Cretaceous Period.
This leading on to my next point about Terryls work, she has not only studied animals and creatures of today and their anatomy, but also creatures long gone... Dinosaurs!
I personally have had a fascination with dinosaurs since a very young age, in fact i believe they where the first things a started to draw! So also studying creatures of the past can also contribute to the creature designs in my future.
Above Two Images : Terryl Whitlatch (2010). Animals Real and Imagined. Culver City, California: Designstudio Press. p35, p 142.
The above two images clearly show the creation of of creatures with inspiration from both the past and mythical. The top image titled; Rhino-Dino Dragon is made up of... you guessed it! A Rhinoceros with its bulky muscular body and protruding horn-like spikes along its skull and spine, and a Dinosaur/Dragon with its long reptile like tail, scaly looking skin and of course... its dragon wings mounted fabulously on its back. Definitely one of my personal favourites.
The image below the Rhino-Dino Dragon is titled; The Behemoth, which as its name suggests is some form of Mammoth, but this one has a long dinosaur like tail and it almost looks like some form of tree or giant rock, suggesting that this creature uses its appearance to camouflage itself in its environment, again another important factor to consider when designing creatures!
10th October 2011
Yesterday paid a visit to the Natural History Museum in Manchester as it was one i didn't get round to at the end of last weeks visit to Manchester. I was excited to visit this museum as i knew their would be a vast amount of inspiration i could gather from their. Below i have included some inspirational imagery of skeletons and stuffed animals. All of which are helpful on my Creature Design quest.
Above is a photograph taken of the skull and lower jaw of a horse
Above a photograph of the lower jaw of an Indian Elephant.
Below six photographs of the skeleton of a Asian Elephant. Turn around and close up images.
Looking closely at the above images of the Asian Elephant you can see its bone structure is made up of huge solid bones, for example its leg and joint bones are huge in order to support this animals weight. This also suggests that the elephant wasn't built for speed or agility, an important factor to consider when i create my own creatures.
Below are the inspirational images of a Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton, this creature would have been truly fascinating to see in real life, i was taken back by just how big they are standing next to it. An amazing creature...
The structure of this amazing creature i know is going to inspire many of my creature designs, as its general features such as its head, tail and claws are common features of mythical creatures such as dragons, i feel i will be able to push this further to create dinosaur inspired creatures of my own.
Below are the inspirational images of a Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton, this creature would have been truly fascinating to see in real life, i was taken back by just how big they are standing next to it. An amazing creature...
The structure of this amazing creature i know is going to inspire many of my creature designs, as its general features such as its head, tail and claws are common features of mythical creatures such as dragons, i feel i will be able to push this further to create dinosaur inspired creatures of my own.
18th November 2011
Another creature designer i feel has inspired the way i design is Bobby Chiu. I first discovered his work whilst reading through the August 2011 edition of ImagineFX where he discusses a piece and talks through his creative processes.
"as with all fictional animals the biggest obstacle your creature must overcome is the viewers disbelief."
This i saw as a challenge!
As i have mentioned before in my previous research the study of animals anatomy plays a vital role in making a creature believable to the viewer. Knowing where bones show clearly on a creatures skin and where its muscles would sit play a major role in the creation of a new creature.
12th February 2012
Norman J. Schureman
A friend introduced me to the work of Norman J. Schureman via a link to his book on the Blurb Store which i have recently ordered and can't wait to get my hands on! The images available on the book preview opened me up to the idea of creating my design concepts using brown paper.
I find the images seem to have more life with this coloured paper background. I will be practicing and using this technique in my own design processes. I love the idea of being able to use both light and dark pencil markings creating light and shadow, to produce designs with a feeling of depth.
20th February 2012
Bowness on Windermere Visit
I spent this weekend in Bowness gathering both inspirtaion and ideas for my future. As i explained in my 'Close Encouters' post on the Home page, i have had ties to Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit from a very young age and seized the opportunity to visit the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction finding and rediscovering the characters and their friends.
Above: Me at the Beatrix Potter Attraction
The above images are photographs of some of the characters in the Attraction, including Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle Duck. I like how Beatrix made these characters adopt a friendly warming nature, with their cute designs and also how adding the clothing can help children and even adults relate them to human figures and role modles, for example Peter Rabbit has a Blue Jacket on, simple but helps the reader see him as a young boy as blue is typical of a new born baby boy. Mrs Tiggie Winkle looks like a nanny, a cuddly character with her pinny and hat and Jemima Puddle Duck seems to adopt the mothering appearance, with her bonnet and shawl, she almost looks ready to visit the market for her weekly groceries.
I believe the addition of clothing to these characters will help children see them as role modles, helping them relate further with a character.
April 2012
Street Artist Roa
Although some of these images below may appear dark i love the line work and detailing. I also like the idea of revealing both skeleton and muscle beneath the skin layer, this was something i was considering doing as part of my show to help display my knowledge of natural history i have obtained so far on the Ma course.
May 2012
James Gurney
Above: Technique using Maquettes i am very eager to try, i did do something similar back in College and would love to revisit it. (Images- ImagineFX June 2012).
