Moar beasties

Why yes, I do quite enjoy creature design… 

Gamebook Adventures - Sultans of Rema artwork

Here's a batch of some of the illustrations for Tin Man Games title Sultans of Rema. If you love a bit of daring interactive fiction, check it out here

Sketchbook Beasties

I'm currently working on a big of client stuff at the moment, but here's a few monsters fresh from the sketchbook.

Scraphaven - In the beginning

Research - The stuff before the start
So I've decided to dedicate a considerable chunk of my own time to developing some of my own creative ideas. The one I'm going to focus on at the moment is Scraphaven. Think  of a scifi setting of adventure amongst the reclaimed hulks of decommissioned space ships in a water locked planet. 

When I'm doing conceptual work, particularly early on, it's all about the research. So often it's something that's skipped or the research is only about reworking the same tired ideas.And it shows. It tends to infuriate me, being a concept artist is all about being a conceptual thinker, being able to pitch interesting and varied ideas for the creative problem at hand. Being a strong designer as well as a skilled illustrator.

So Scraphaven began life as a thought experiment. One of the pieces that tends to be seen in every concept art portfolio is a scene of a crashed spaceship (Up there with 'dystopian future city' and 'scantily clad elf girl'). So I wondered how to make it interesting… 

When I research, I try to base it off real world examples. It seems to give more 'creative traction', rather than looking at other artist's work or existing media like film. I'll stockpile images like a crazed squirrel then set them up in contact sheets in InDesign or Bridge. It's so helpful to help nail the conceptual side down and act as an ongoing reference.

So where do you possibly start with a setting on a far flung planet filled with old space ships? Well, the first one that came to mind was the ship breakers in places like Mauritania and Bangladesh.  

The visuals of the vessels slowly being pulled apart, often with only the most basic tools, are awe inspiring. And also something about the size relationship between the huge ships and the tiny people around them. Having giant starships pulled apart, the choice parts looted and sold off and perhaps refurbished to serve as buildings sparked something I though might be interesting to pursue.

Next I started looking at some of the images I have of industrial or abandoned spaces in my reference folders. Some of the images in the contact sheet below give a wonderful sense of space, again with small figures giving a a looming scale.  

More industrialness 

One of the most fascinating places I have heard about is Hashima Island, better known as Battleship Island,(due to it's profile when seen from a distance). Once a coal mining site, the tiny island was one of the most densely populated places in the world. Closed down in 1974, people have recently begun to explore the crumbling industrial ruins of the place. It's good fodder for Scraphaven.

So that's my starting points. Plenty of great visuals to get the creative synapses firing. And also to begin asking questions - Who lives there? What do they do? What do they wear? What are the dwellings like? What do people eat? Are there other kinds of life there? 

Asking then answering those kinds of questions is one of the great joys of being a concept artist. 

Undead anglo saxon warriors - now with refreshing mint flavour

I've finally managed to tidy up a couple of older pieces I've had kicking around for a while. While the whole undead/zombie thing is more than played out, I've enjoyed the anglo saxon type creepy undead dudes and their underground crypt/hangout. Yes, anglo-saxon, not vikings, even though they do lok quite simlar. Because they didn't go for the whole tomb thing.

Girls, Girls, Girls

Random-ish doodling, a few ideas for female characters from a high fantasy bronze age setting that keeps bouncing around in my head.

More Adventurising

I'm now pretty close to the final designs for both characters. Now we are down to the all important issue. Hair!