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the-one-teapot · 11 months

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08.06 - “Smile”

#teart #kaijune #sea monster #creature creation #creature design #godzilla #eels #pacific rim #OCs #I know I used the colours before buuuuut…. come on they look so pretty for sea themes

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villiedoom · 1 month

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~ How I create my creatures and how difficult it is (looong post!)

I decided to make another post about "how I create my creatures" and "how difficult it is", so that I can link it if anyone else asks ~

Related posts:

How did you come up with these creatures? And how long have they been around?

How and how long ago did you come up with these creatures? Was it difficult to reproduce them in a 3D model or in a drawing?

Post about my worldbuilding

About dreams

My old and new 3D models

. First of all, I don't think I ever had the idea to create creatures, it rather happened naturally on its own and my imagination creates them unconsciously. For me it usually feels like they are alive and live independently of me, and just visit my mind sometimes, giving me the opportunity to see them, feel them, or learn a little about their story. Often they come to me in a dream or in a vision, like an insight or intuitive feeling. I just see them in my head - these can be clear images, or rather vague ones, more following a feeling than a visual image.

. All these "how to create a world" and "how to create a character" tutorials don't make sense to me. I don't know how to follow them and they don't work for me. I either get it on my own or I don’t.

. My creatures can have different versions, lives and interpretations, which also comes from the intuitiveness of my approach. I just see them that way. Because of this, I can't join Koties, Vaerafes and Varlafs into one species. They are connected and kindred, but they are not interchangeable, no matter how much I want them to be, although I sometimes worry that their similarity may confuse people who are not familiar with my lore.

. I don't create, I rather learn and express my knowledge and impression of my characters. Creating characters and stories for me is literally just me drawing fanart of these cool movies that my imagination shows me, leaving me deeply impressed. And I never know everything about them.

. Some of my characters are my imaginary friends, and some can be very personally related to me. They are my family, my guides, or are like my angels and demons. I don't believe in other worlds like I did when I was younger, and I'm not spiritual, but my characters are living persons for me.

. They just live with me and grow with me. My characters stay with me even when I don't want to see them anymore, and come back years later even if I wanted to forget them. At the same time, they may leave and connection may disappear, and I don’t know how it works. For me, it's just a natural part of my mind.

. I create for myself. My art is not a project, not content for the masses, and it was not intended to be fully revealed and explained to the public. I also never share my stories in detail, as I'm very sensitive about them. And despite the fact that my 3D models brought me and my creatures a lot of attention, I still greatly want (and need) to keep them personal and connected with me and my journey. I don't want to feel pressured to tell and explain everything.

. Drawing them, living with with them, loving them was and remains not always easy. There were moments when I was terribly despaired, when I hated them, when I associated them with fear and frustration only. I have a lot of pain, depression, anxiety and despair behind them. I sometimes feel like all that I invested in them may not be worth it, but I gave all my love, energy and life to them, despite everything, and there were moments when only they motivated me to live. I love them and I just can't give up on them <3

. Learning to draw them and create models wasn't easy either. Sometimes I felt that I would never learn. These are years of learning and growing, hundreds of drawings, sleepless nights, searches, visions and inspirations along with despair and analyzing all my drawings over and over again. New ideas and characters, and returns to old ideas and characters. Sudden realizations that I need to change something. Inspiration, obsession, anxiety... all of it.

. Many thousands of saved pictures and photos for reference, and a long search for a balance between heavily relying on photo references and anatomical models, and fantasizing about alternative anatomy which suits them better. I made really a lot of comparisons to real animals and a ton of analysis just for myself and my personal learning and use.

. I wonder about their anatomy and how it works, but if I have to choose between what feels right and what biologically makes sense, I will choose what feels right. What is more important to me is what I saw in my fantasy, what it means to me personally and how it resonates with me. Otherwise, I don’t see the point of fantasy to exist in the first place.

. Learning and searching a lot for years. Despite the fact that I am an intuitive-feeler, I sudy, think, search and analyze a lot. I usually just don't feel safe to share what happens behind the scenes, meaning all the sketches and concepts, but I made a lot of them.

These are some sketches. First image is concepts and models of Vaerafes and Koties from 2012-2013 to this day. Second image is the evolution of Moonhorses, which is smaller but is a good example.

. There will be mistakes, as well as wrong ways and ideas that will die or change. I'm an experimenter so I had really a lot of these. There is no perfect finish here, it is endless evolution and change. I know I will change Vaerafes in the future, and vice versa - I also know that some of my earlier ideas and characters can come back.

. I experiment and try different styles. It's very exciting for me to give different interpretations and visions of my characters. I believe art is a language and it's okay to know and use different ones. I may draw my creatures in different ways and in different styles, but their essence, idea and soul do not change. I rarely post them, but these experiments help me understand them better.

Another example of a stylization use - my Setow creature as a realistic model and in a stylized illustration. By the way, stylization is more canonical for Setow.

. It's sometimes very difficult to maintain a balance between my inner harmony, my inner knowlege, feeling, intuition and journey, and anxiety about other people's reactions, judgment, interest, interpretation and sometimes negativity, humiliation, misunderstanding and blame. I'm still looking for balance.

....

And in the end - all the attention I get sometimes overwhelms me and makes me feel lost, but I'm also really glad that my art and creatures create interest and there are so many people who like them! I'm grateful to you all and I hope that my journey can be inspiring for others too, for people who also like drawing and imagining their characters. I value genuine love for imagined and created worlds, and this love can come in many forms.

(It took me really a lot of courage to share this post and some of my sketches and concepts, but I hope you enjoy it! ^^' )

~ 💙

#text post #worldbuilding #original characters #original species #creature creation #personal

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frankenisms · 8 months

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just feeling a lil unwound lately

#frankenisms #my art #spooky #horror #halloween #spooky art #emo art #creature #creature creation #monster creation #pen drawing #pen doodles

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em-dash-press · 7 months

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6 Steps to Create Fictional Creatures

Your newest story idea might require more extensive creative skills when it comes to creatures in mythology. You can use mythic creatures from centuries past or make new fictional species specifically for your plot. Check out these steps to create fictional creatures that feel just as real as any other animal or being.

1. Brainstorm a Big List

There are so many mythical creatures to consider while planning your next story. Some beloved options include:

Dragons

Griffins

Centaurs

Hydras

Harpies

Create a list of every fictional creature that interests you. Make sure to check out various mythologies from global cultures to expand your possibilities.

If you want to make something entirely new, list creatures that inspire you. You can draw from various elements of their backgrounds to invent something new that resonates with readers.

2. Match Creature Characteristics to Your Plot

Picture The Hobbit. Smaug is a crucial part of that novel’s plot. He represents the negative impulse to hoard wealth beyond what you need. That message wouldn’t be represented if Smaug was a kelpie, which represents perfection.

Consider how your creature’s appearance, behavior, and abilities will serve your plot or theme. If they tie together in at least one way, your mythical creatures will feel integral to your story.

3. Draft Creature Backstories

Characters need backstories because real people always have history. You don’t necessarily need to make them extensive, but they’re worth building as you create incredible characters.

Fictional creatures work the same way. They need a history on some level unless your character is somehow creating them in real time during your story.

Give your character’s species an origin. They’ll need an individual history that includes things like where they live and what their motivations are. Does your creature only care about surviving? Do they have a family they want to protect? Is there a dream motivating their decisions or goals?

You may not need to create all of these details for well-known creatures like werewolves, but they do help when you’re making an individual character your readers will get to know.

It’s also helpful to decide how your creature interacts with other creatures or humans. Are they a predator or prey? Do they act aggressively or not? These answers not only inform who they are as an individual but also what roles they can play in your plot.

4. Work on Their Design

There are some great sites for visualizing human characters, like Backstage or Pinterest. AI-generated images aren’t your only option. However, it may feel more challenging to find a generator site for mythical creatures.

You can search for creature inspiration on places like Pinterest or look up your creature’s species at places like Generator Mix. Writers with bigger budgets could also pay an artist they follow on social media to draw what they visualize based on what you’ve already figured out about your creature.

You’ll want a visual reference point for things like your creature’s physical features (plus clothing and accessories, if they wear them). When you’re one year and 200 pages deep in a manuscript, you may forget tiny details like how your creature’s scales look or whether they have mismatched toe nail colors.

A reference picture also helps writers remember how their creature’s appearance may affect their characters. A zombie gnome might terrify one character while they garner sympathy from another character who loves gnomes.

5. Add Magic (or Not)

Will your creature have magical abilities? Why or why not? The answers to these questions point out their purpose in your plot. Maybe they make magical abilities become useless in their presence.

If your creature gets to use magic, remember to answer the most essential questions for creating a magic system, like:

What does the magic help your character do?

What can’t the magic do?

What are some external or internal limits for the magic users?

Is there a cost to using this magic?

What’s the most important reason your character or creature uses their magic?

6. Assign a Motivation

Even if your mythical creature is only running around in the dark by themselves, they’ll have some kind of motivation. That could be things like:

Finding their next meal

Discovering shelter

Tracking down their enemy

Looking for their offspring

Defending their territory

Seeking their purpose

Chasing a dream

Your creature may need a more purpose-led motivation if they play a key part in your plot. They could also just need to eat, which causes the mayhem necessary to move your plot along.

If you can’t think of a motivation, ask yourself if this creature is necessary in your story. Sometimes we get lost making creatures or characters because it’s fun, not because they’re essential to our plot.

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No matter what you want to write, these tips should help you create the mythical creatures your story needs. How in-depth your planning goes is up to you. There’s no required amount of planning for any character. You can always add details to their outline or character profile along the way.

#character creation #creatures #mythical creatures #fantasy creatures #creature creation #writeblr #writing advice #writing tips #writers of tumblr #creative writing #writing #writing inspiration #writing community #writing resources #writing help #creature design #monster #creature

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littleevil0ne1 · 7 months

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✨️🖤LITTLE SHADOW COMPILATION🖤✨️

All art is available on Teepublic as stickers and more!! ✨️✨️ Link below 👇

TEEPUBLIC LINK

https://www.teepublic.com/user/littleevil0ne?utm_source=designer&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=8HCqVr2Ifss

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sagan-4 · 4 months

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New contributors can post their first species without waiting for submissions to open for everyone else. Join Sagan 4 today.

Homepage | Forum | Discord

#sagan 4 #speculative evolution #spec evo #creature design #worldbuilding #alien species #creature concept #original species #xenobiology #alien creature #spore #adapt #thrive #creature creator #creature creation

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queerlilchinchin · 3 days

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Create a Creature With Me!

Let's make a creature together! First, let's vote what their skin covering is.

#tumblr polls #for fun #creature creation

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i-am-worm · 11 months

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Inktober 52 2023 - Week 24 - ‘Power’

I’ve been sorting through my old art work and unfinished drawings that's been in storage for years, and I found I haven’t drawn what I called my ‘binary hounds’ for a long while. Basically a verity of cyborg dogs. So I dug out a bunch of old sketches I had started many years ago and decided to re-draw or finally give them some ink.

It felt real good to revisit these ideas.

#hound #dog #power #energy #cybernetics #biomechanoid #robot #cyborg #binary hounds #creature #creature creation #inktober #inktober 52 #power off #power on

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lorare-art · 4 days

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Mlp inspired creature design fueled by my arachnophobia 🕷️🕸️🔥

Which version do you like better, 1 or 2? 💚

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amalgamationillustration · 3 months

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Finished design for the Eastern Serix, which I made using the Fundamentals Of Creature Design book. I really recommend picking it up if you want to really challenge yourself on really researching and having several passes at creating fictional creatures and really thinking about how and where it would live, feed, walk/swim/fly, breed, sleep. Really useful stuff to practice and full of great examples and references.

I wanted a tree dwelling hunter, so i tried to combine traits from a Fossa, Emerald Tree Boa, and a created gecko, I also threw in some inspiration from lemurs and frilled lizards.

The Eastern Serix is nocturnal and hunts mice and small birds, it uses its long, bristly tail to suspend its body from branches and releases when it wants to drop onto unsuspecting prey below. It then wraps its tail around them and the bristly fur stands on end and sticks into the prey, holding in place like thousands of tiny needles. It is then able to unhinge its jaw and swallow prey whole. The striped fur along its neck can be extended to form a frill to scare off predators.

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starsofeldritch · 2 months

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First up we have a baby ahnshen! I recently adjusted the spelling from “Ansheen” to “Ahnshen”, and finally decided on their coloring! Shen calves, but specifically ahnshen calves, are covered in mottled striping, a holdover from their time in the wild when they would hide among the red flowers. This particular calf is just beginning to grow in their venomous spines!

Next up is a Yuamcinarrind stallion! This is a run of the mill Meridian band cinarrind, likely grumpy about his ranchers trying to braid his tail like they did his mustache and beard.

And finally a meme from Axxila of a screaming haih’pohave, also called the axxilan ringtail! Aurebesh translation in the alt text.

#star wars #axxila #worldbuilding #creature creation

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the-one-teapot · 11 months

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11.06 - “Robot”

#teart #kaijune #sea monster #art #creature design #creature creation #pacific rim #kaiju #jaeger #robot #mech #kinda had fun with this one #not fully happy with the big robot but eh it was inspired by Cherno :]#kinda like the wyrm though!!

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crypticallylies · 4 months

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i keep getting possessed by the inescapable urge to draw beasts? this is the second time now .... i think it will keep happening

#animal design #creature design #animal hybrid #digital art #art #creature creation #crys creature art #crys art

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amphiptere-art · 8 months

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This is me. . .

And I love it.

Everyone has their sona's. These are mine.

You might be asking I thought you only had your dragon sona. And as of now yes. "AmphiptereArt" is my current sona. But I once went by Cheedon. And once dragon horse. There's been various other names. Like dead ice dragon or zombie in tin foil, but the ones listed previous were the ones I connected with most.

Dragon horse was the first. Made them when I was very young. I loved what every little girl loved. Horses, and of course as I started to grow I fell in love with dragons. Therefore dragon horse was born. A simple concept, for a simple time of art, but one I kept for years. It wasn't until I got into Junior high that they faded and retired.

Then there was cheedon. Oh I loved him so. So many years where he was me. Another hybrid animal of a cheetah and a smilodon. But one that had heart. Mystical dragonwings of freedom followed him. Art was no longer a childish endearment. It was a pride.

He is where the yearly re-draws started. The one I used to celebrate with. He gave me hope. Spreading his wings as I indulged myself in art just for the fun of it. Because I could. Because I wanted to. There was no deadline. There was the one to impress. I was drawing for me. And I still hold him as the king of pencil and paper.

And then there was my dragon sona. AmphiptereArt. I had to start work. I had to make sure my life ended up somewhere. This little dragon was drawn in the margins. A returning idea that kept coming back. Finally given form after so many years. Created as an ambassador for a digital age.

They are me after years of art. A dragon made of every little piece of my creations that I enjoyed. Made out of the colors I favored the most. Made after the dragon creatures I created and shaped. But they are left small. Crushed by the weight of what an adult has to do. Stuck as I force myself to evolve. To gain a reputation so hopefully my hobby can become a job.

Life has been unfair of recent. Tight, crushing, wanting, waiting.

This doodle was just supposed to just be showing off the different heights of my sona's. I did it because I got hurt and decided to do something "simple". . But in recent times this has been the most fun drawing I have done.

What was supposed to be a simple mindless doodle made me so happy that I kept going. I kept adding and adding. This thing wasn't supposed to have colors. Or details, or shading. But this felt so right I couldn't stop.

I love blue moon. I love the daycare attendant's. I love FNAF, but if in order to get out of this stupor I have to draw creatures I will. I need to feel happy. I need to feel pride for more than just finishing a project. I need to feel pride for just doing something fun. Because I could. Because I wanted to.

I will still be answering asks. Perhaps doing a calming sams doodle once in a while. But I got to make a creature. I have one in my mind already. I hope you guys don't mind a small break.

If you're curious this is the heights of all my sona's. And yes I'm around 5'4. It was a convenient image.

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o-nik · 7 months

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I forgot to post this yesterday but HERE YOU GO @nita7777

POCKET ZSUBLI😈 nyehehehe

#I want to have a tag dedicated to Zsubli and Pimpi contet but idk what it should be #idk lets just #Zsubli and Pimpi #digital artist #digital art #creechur #creature creation #creature character #creature drawing #silly little creature #alien character #alien oc #original creature #original character #original content #cute character #Zsubli posting #oc posting #my art

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littleevil0ne1 · 8 months

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Felis Umbra Bestiary Pages!! tl;dr version- they're magic shadow mischief kitties

Text version on Kofi! 👇

#bestiary #felis umbra #little shadow #littleevil0ne #shadow monster #shadow #artists on tumblr #digital art #art #digital painting #illustrators on tumblr #illustration #ttrpg #ttrpg art #creature creation #creature art #creature #cute monster

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