Creature design is a relatively small, bur flourishing field. Up to roughly 20 years ago, you needed a giant library to be able to make effective designs, and information on the subject was very hard to get. That is different now in the age of the internet. We have all the information at our fingertips. But too much choice can be overwhelming too. So how do you effectively gather resources for your creature designs?
You see them everywhere! They were a thing long before Inktober and still are a thing today. In fact: There are so many channels providing art prompts that artists can make their day jobs out of it! If only it would pay, right… The reason it’s such a ‘thing’ is that it works. It works very well even. And its does for many reasons. So what are prompts, why are they so effective, and where can you find them?
When you work on a design, you will want to spend your time communicating something that makes sense. This could be an iconic bulky warrior or a design for a creature that’s not what it seems like. Either way: You won’t be doing something random as that’s just a waste of your time. Understanding what shapes communicate is one of the most basic skills you need to have, especially when it comes to creature designs.
Evolutionarily seen, animals are subject to their environment. There are only a few species that can build their environment around them, like humans, and arguably apes. But even so, we had to climb the evolutionary ladder to get where we are at now. And all that time we were subject to our environment. We even are now to this day in our own artificial environments. It’s no different for surreal creatures. so let us dive into the importance of environments in your creature design!
