Environments are extremely important when it comes to both character and creature designs. In the case of characters: It tells something about that person, and the situation he or she is in. In the case of creatures it tells a lot about their behavior and nature.
When I just started drawing I had a lot of difficulties understanding the difference between ‘normal’ art and concept art. To me, concept art more often than not looked finished and polished or fully rendered. While at the same time some specific art styles looked unfinished to me, or as something I’d expect to be a concept.
I know that with me there are far more people that don’t understand what concept art really is. And the truth is: You can’t tell by just looking at it. There is just one key ingredient to be able to tell if it’s concept art or not: Was it meant to serve as a concept or not.
Creating a world for characters and creatures sounds easier than it is. Each habitat comes with its own challenges and abundances. This is the sole reason why there is so much variety of species these days, including animals (and humans), plants, and anything in-between. In turn, they change the environment, creating a delicate balance between demand and availability. Heathlands are usually fairly dry and sandy habitats that depend on animals for their existence.
We people are quite privileged with our ability to see color. Our sight is our main sense, unlike that of many animals. Color to us tends to be a matter of taste, but for animals color is a matter of life or death. So what can animals see? And what does color mean to them? And what do their colors and color patterns tell us about them? Come have a stroll with me for a glimpse at mother nature and what she can tell us about color and learn how to use color in your creature designs on the fly!
11 tips for creating your own creature design will help you in the right direction when you’re looking to become a creature designer, or want to broaden your expertise with creature design.
Learn about the importance of environment, behavior, anatomy, storytelling and more!
Natural environments are subject to weather, location, height, if water is nearby and what kind of water this is the neighboring environment, and so much more. These factors affect what plant species can grow in an area. And these, in their turn, affect what animals can live in that specific area. Taking all the other factors into account. Evolution is a way to make sure that species can keep surviving. It’s a process of elimination. If you can’t keep up with changes, or your new evolutionary trait is useless, it, or you, will likely die out.
