Stepping Out Of The Comfort Zone: CGHub Challenge WIP

Every now and then it's good to step out of your comfort zone when working as an artist. It helps to keep our work fresh but also forces us to continue to grow.

I've always loved science illustrations and biological studies of different species of creatures, yet when it comes time to creating art it isn't something that I regularly try to do. Sure, now and again I will sketch things like this but I've never really tried to render one out.

So I am going to try to make a fantasy creature called the Durosni, a current CGHub Challenge for Creature Planet. Specs have been given in consideration of the creature including environment, what it ought to look like, size, ect. From there I looked at some prehistoric creatures and started sketching, and once I came up with an Idea that I liked I started to do my process and coloring work.

This is all very rough at the moment, and I am working in Adobe Photoshop directly, comparing my hand drawn sketch in my sketchbook to what I am doing digitally. This is supposed to be an insect like creature that has probably recently evolved wings for flight, though they are also areal creatures that can fly I need to be able to demonstrate that. Insects have delicate wings, and since this species is supposed to live in the cold I had opted to give it bird wings at first. But in my sketches I changed over to bat like wings instead.

My reason for this was that the creature is supposed to by asymmetrical and there was also a note that it would be vertical rather than horizontal. With that information I figured that perhaps it would use it's near claw like appendages and prehensile like 'tail' to climb up tress or rocks. From there it would launch itself into the air....more evolved forms might be able to sustain flight for longer. I also liked this idea because if my creature hangs upside down like a bat it might look like a pod if it had it's wings wrapped around itself, to act as camouflage perhaps, the help it ambush it's prey.

One thing that has been a bit of a challenge is that it is also supposed to be able to ram opponents or perhaps even prey. I figured that perhaps it would hod it's front appendages stiffly before it like a deer would use it's antlers. I didn't want to make anything too bulky, which might limit it's ability to fly.

Anyways, a lot of thought had been put into this so far and I started late with the deadline being the first of June, and it is currently the 30th of May. So I'll see if I can get this one done in a day or so.