World-Building - Environment

Over the past few days I have been exploring the setting of my world through a method I read about a few years ago (and no longer remember the artist responsible), where a landscape canvas would be divided into a grid and then you were to loosely draw behind it to create areas of interest within a few of the boxes. The best of the thumbnail images could then be taken into a further design stage and developed. Wherever the base idea came from, it was an interesting exercise and definitely one I will do again.

The world features abandoned military guns and tunnels, as well as swamped ground similar to mangrove forests. The main creatures are crocodiles, birds (primarily fishers like herons and ospreys), fish, and even deer, monkeys and cats, so the creatures I design will probably incorporate some elements from these.

The first two tests were cautious, and focused too much on major points of interest.

I removed colour as it felt distracting from the overall composition.

The above was a quick test for whether I wanted a town/civilisation within the world.

I became more bold with different texture brushes (mainly Jama Jurabaev's).

Added colour on a multiply layer. Experimented with positioning of creatures for later illustrations.

Once I had done a page or two of thumbnails I picked a favourite section and used it as a base for a larger work of concept art. I used the exercise to become more familiar with brushes and also to experiment with quick concepts and not linger over the details.

My apex creature would be something that ruled air, land and sea; currently the idea is a serpentine dragon, shown breaching the river surface.

Another idea is a baboon-type creature, with human-like arms for fishing and climbing. The background is an abandoned base.

Another monkey/baboon type mammal with chameleon-like feet. Fisher.

I like the idea of deer walking on water.

An old track, a rusted jeep, and a panther.

Baboon/cat. Experimented with a creepier feel to the environment.

[literature]
I also began reading the book "Dracopedia The Bestiary: An Artist's Guide to Creating Mythical Creatures" (William O'Connor, 2013). He chose creatures from various cultures to cover each letter of the alphabet, and then designed them as though they had existed on Earth.

- "By understanding the animals that exist in the real world, we artists can use the science of morphology [biology term - study of forms of animals and plants] to relate the form and function of animals to the design of the creatures that exist in our imaginations."

- "Using the historical artistic reference of bestiaries and ancient art, we can begin to reverse-engineer the creatures of legend into realistic and believable animals using morphology."

Essentially, understanding why creatures have evolved as they have (i.e. a predator having claws and fangs for hunting) aids creature design, as it means that no superfluous or unfitting parts would be added to a creature, just what it would need to believably exist in whatever environment it is designed for.

Additionally I learnt about a few interesting creatures I had never heard of before, including the Shedu (a winged lion) and the Buraq (a winged bull) from Persian mythology. I hope to look into more unusual mythical creatures over the following days, too.

[contextual]
Another point of research I encountered was the Lore Podcast, read by Aaron Manhke. He researches into places of interest with supernatural links; the best of the episodes I have currently listened to was about asylums, and why they are one of the best settings for horror media. Their links to frontal lobotomies (done without anesthetic and with an icepick to the corner of the eye) give the idea of human monsters, which are often more unsettling than creatures. He also spoke of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and elves, and I will continue listening to future episodes as something he mentions might be inspiring.