Concept Art de Animales Fantasticos

Chapter 01
Starting Base for Your Designs: Reference Library
Chapter 02
The Next Step Into Imaginary Creature Anatomy
Chapter 03
Design Process, Bone Structure & Skin Texture
Chapter 04
Head Design, Eyes and Construction of the Mouth
Chapter 05
Body Structure, Body Variations, Hands & Feet
Chapter 06
Colours, Patterns and Final Renderings
Chapter 01
reference library
Chapter 01 Creature concept Design
The Series
Over the course of this series what I’ll be
discussing is a huge array of information and
a breakdown in the construction of conceptual
design with regard to creatures. All areas of
creature design will be touched upon, providing
you with the necessary information to create
your own unique concepts from scratch. This
series is going to be set up not as a step-by-
step tutorial, but as a much more informative
guide into the philosophy behind the make-up of
an imaginary creature. Each lesson will touch
upon a specific important aspect in what makes
a great creature over just your average creature.
I’ll even provide a little advice on what to stay
away from, in order to steer clear of what makes
a creature a bad design or just dull in general. or what would be considered thinking “outside or even magical creatures (which are endless in
the box”. There really are no limits to what is the limitation of ideas).
Over the six chapters, you’ll gradually obtain a considered a conceptual creature, there are only
reference library stretching from the basics in distinctions between naturalistic designs (which Introduction
animal anatomy to much more complex ways of are generally more plausible designs based What we’re going to cover here are the basics
exploring what is actually possible and plausible, upon rules) and what would be considered alien for all creature design, discussing relative
anatomy to that of Mammals, Fish, Insects,
Dinosaurs, Vertebrates and Invertebrates. I’ll
be referencing some of the families of existing
animals as well as extinct species and the
relationship of varying sizes, from something so
small as an organism to that of a Sauropod or
Giant Whale, and how they all fit into designing
an imaginary creature. It’s important that we
understand how animals move, eat, breathe and
live and why they do these things each in their
own distinct manner.
The reason “why” is geared to the specific

breakdown of each species concerning its
size, bone structure and its diet. The diet of an
animal largely makes up the construction of its
www.2dartistmag.com page 4 Chapter 01

Creature concept Design Chapter 01
mouth and the reasons for other important parts as well as water-based species which all ranged reptiles and birds remain today. Skin type and
of its anatomy. In addition to these points, I’ll from predators to prey. blood temperature are two large characteristics
make some small references on how easy it can that link lizards and other similar reptiles back
be to change areas of what we easily identify Descendants of the largest of all land animals, to their dinosaur ancestors. Reptiles are
with or connect with as an earth based animal in lizards, still roam the earth today (Fig02 - Anole cold blooded, which means they rely on the
order to call it a “creature”. This will end Part 1 - Vertebrate - Reptile). They fall under their own temperature of their surroundings to either heat
and will set up the lesson for Part 2. phylum due to evolution and the vast differences or cool their body. If it’s cold, they will usually
in distinct orders of reptiles, ranging from turtles be very sluggish, which is why most reptiles will
A Relation to Real to snakes, lizards and crocodiles. Reptiles often “sun” themselves to warm their bodies up.
World Life Forms can be herbivores, carnivores, scavengers and
Something you can always use to your omnivores, as well. The similarities between Discussing Species
advantage when creating and designing a reptiles and dinosaurs are scaled skin types, There are literally millions of different species
concept is to gather resources and information the construction of their skeletons, tails, teeth, on earth alone. You can break these down into
from related subject matter that actually ear construction and eyes. Dinosaurs were what type of habitats they live in, such as water
exists. If you can relate a conceptual design to once just as distinct from species to species as based or land based, and then even separating
something in our world it will make a connection
to the viewer, and making a connection to an
outside party without explanation through the
use of words is the key objective. So when you
think of some great creatures you’ve seen in
games, movies or comics, try to figure out what
it is within that design that is capturing your
attention in terms of what it relates to, to you.
Can you think of an animal within this world that

you see somewhere in those designs? Even if
it’s not always apparent, which it doesn’t need
to be, all creature designs come from a mix and
match of existing biology. Whether it be the
biological make-up of a tiny flea or the structure
of a massive Sauropod (Fig01 - Brachiosaurus
- Vertebrate - Dinosaur), all creature designs are
made up of what an artist has researched and
studied in life and history.
The Brachiosaurus in Fig01 fits within the

quadruped category; it is a dinosaur from the
Genus Sauropod, a group of lizard-hipped
dinosaurs that were of the largest living land
animals in history. They were herbivores, which
means animals who feed on vegetation and
plants, not meat. They, along with all dinosaurs,
laid eggs, which makes them relatives of
reptiles as well as birds. Dinosaurs lived both
on land and in the water; they were herbivores,
omnivores, scavengers and carnivores. There
were bipeds, quadrupeds and winged dinosaurs,

those that fly and others than live below ground
or above ground in trees, for extended periods
of time. If you stick to land based animals, for
the moment, and study the biological design
of their bodies, they can range from limbless
animals like gastropods and annelids, to bipeds,
tetrapods, quadrupeds and arthropods. Most
bipedal animals without the inclusion of humans
consist of a very small number of species, such
as birds (Fig03) or extinct dinosaurs.
The Ostrich (Fig03 - Ostrich - Vertebrate - Bird)

is the largest living land bird which is bipedal;
they fall under the genus, Struthio. Though
they are the only living species of their family
and genus, they share the same order to that
of emus and kiwis, or other large flightless birds
(ratites), most of which are now extinct. Birds
can be carnivorous, herbivores and scavengers, There are a small number of biped mammals, but they are now vestigial just as some species
or omnivores. but for the most part mammals fall under the of birds, so they fall under the category of
quadruped and tetrapod group. Birds are tetrapods. In addition, arthropods make up
There are approximately nine-thousand species considered bipeds because they contain two a large range of species, including insects,
of bird, which range from flightless birds to actual legs, but they do in fact fall under the crustaceans, arachnids and myriapods. Once
migratory birds, and birds of prey and water tetrapod category because their wings count again, if you delve further into each class of
based species, which contain webbed feet and as four limbs, even though they are not used species you can take a look at crustaceans,
waterproof plumage. for walking. Snakes, as well, once had legs, which are considered by definition to be any
aquatic group of hard-shelled arthropods, like
crabs, lobster, shrimp and barnacles (Fig04).
Crabs (Fig04 - Ghost Crab - Invertebrate

- Crustacean) are arthropods which fall under
the category of crustaceans. They have 4
pairs of walking legs and 2 pinching limbs.
Arthropods generally fit within any species
containing 4 pairs of limbs or more, and fall
under the category of invertebrates. They are
characterised by segmented bodies, jointed
limbs and hard exoskeletons protecting their
inner organs. This species fits within the largest
phylum of all animals. Invertebrates make up
approximately 97% of the Earth’s entire species!
A Breakdown in
Taxonomy
In order to understand what is possible when
creating your own designs, you should equip
yourself with the knowledge and understanding

of the entire animal kingdom. You may even a backbone or spinal column). Most of the even seahorses! There are some exceptions
include flora such as trees, bushes, plants world’s species consist largely of invertebrates. to the cold-blooded character trait, concerning
and flowers, since they are living organisms, A Class consists of all animals that fall within certain species of shark, tuna or swordfish that
but creature designs will chiefly consist of the a specific design and are alike in more ways can raise their body temperature.
animal kingdom and flora would follow as a than one. The five most well-known classes of
separate category of reference. There is an vertebrates are mammals, birds, fish, reptiles An Order is the classification of animals more
organisation to all living things which includes and amphibians, followed by the invertebrates closely related in terms of varying families with
the Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, including insects, crustaceans and arachnids similar physical attributes. An example of this
Genus and Species. This kind of pyramid (Fig05). would be the order of Rodentia (Rodents),
breakdown was created by scientists and is including species such as Mice, Beaver, Rats,
known as taxonomy. It’s used as a way to Fish (Fig05 - Wolf Fish - Vertebrate - Fish) Squirrel, Moles and even Porcupine.
classify and categorise the different types of are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates covered
species so that you may trace their genetic in various types of scales. They range from The Family division of animals pertains to a
evolutionary roots back to their origins. fresh water to salt water and deep sea species. closer related group defined by similar physical
They are characterised by the fact that they traits in design, such as Felines, which would
The Kingdom consists of all living things that live in water through the use of gills, breathing include Lions, Tigers, Cheetah and even house
have a need to feed on organic matter. A oxygen through form of filtration. They are not cats. A genus would then break the family
Phylum consists of animals that share the considered biped or quadruped, nor are they down into categories of species with similar
same body plan which would be broken up tetrapods, but they use pairs of fins – if any – and common characteristics. An example of a
into divisions of vertebrates (animals with a and finned tails to move through the water. The genus would be “mice”, including all the varying
backbone) and invertebrates (animals without term ‘fish’ can stretch from sharks to rays and species of mice but not including species that fit

within the same Order, as mentioned above like
rats. A rat, although similar in appearance to a
mouse, would fit within its own genus because
there are a certain amount of differences
from one rat to the next which would define a
species. A Species is the specific animal itself
of which there can be vast numbers of this
animal but they are, for the most part, identical
in every way and considered a group. So to
give you a quick breakdown of one specific
Phylum, I’ll provide you with the breakdown of
a Water Buffalo. It would fit under the Phylum:
Vertebrate, under the Class: Mammal, the
Order: Artiodactyla, the Family: Bovidae, it’s
Genus: Bubalus and then a specific species
of Buffalo, for example, would the Wild Asian Cold blooded vertebrates (Fig07 - Axolotl
Water Buffalo (Fig06). -Vertebrate - Amphibian) are characterised
Vertebrates and
by webbed appendages and digits, an
Invertebrates
When you’re looking for a starting point in
Water Buffalo (Fig06 - Water Buffalo - adapted second set of clear eyelids for
creature design, the main aspect that should
Vertebrate - Mammal) are quadruped mammals seeing underwater, and gills in some cases.
first be defined is what category it will fall
falling under the Bovid Family, which consists Amphibians range from frogs, to newts,
under. Will it have a backbone or will it be a
of Goat, Sheep, Gazelle, Bison and Antelope, salamanders, toads and caecilians. They
more free-roaming design with less limitations?
which are all hoofed mammals. They are are capable of living both below and above
Invertebrates allow for more possibilities
usually distinct from deer, moose and elk, due water with both swimming and terrestrial
because they – in reality – consist of numerous
to the distinction of unbranched horns. Water traits. Usually amphibians have moist skin
limbs, or in cases of aquatic invertebrates
Buffalo spend most of their time wallowing in and reproduce in, or near, bodies of water and
they open up the option to create some really
small bodies of water and feeding on vegetation, moist terrain through the laying of eggs. Some
alien or abstract-like designs. If you choose to
grass, leaves and so on. Although herbivores species, like the Axolotl, have adapted external
base your design around a Vertebrate, there
do not eat meat, they are still dangerous when gills which stay with them through adulthood for
are more rules to follow. You can take almost
threatened. Herbivorous mammals use large low oxygen based water streams. The larvae of
any example of a vertebrate animal and they
flat molars for grinding vegetation and rigid most amphibians are usually aquatic, spending
all contain a similar bone structure even if it’s
incisors used for shearing and stripping the the first portion of their lives under water
a biped or a quadruped. In reality, there are
vegetation (Fig07). breathing through the use of gills.
no true species of mammals or vertebrates
with more than four limbs. However, keep in
mind when conceptualising a design that you
do not have to limit yourself to this rule. If you
choose to provide your vertebrate creature
with six, eight or even twenty limbs, you just
need to account for the extra muscles and
bones included and how they will attach to the
biological structure underneath the skin (Fig08).
Insects (Fig08 - Cicada - Invertebrate - Insect)

are capable of so many forms, from flying
insects to underground dwelling insects to water
based insects. They contain multiple pairs

of limbs, segmented bodies, exoskeletons, and harvestmen. Spiders are capable of account all the different species and variations
stingers, antenna, pinchers and wings of all spinning webs and injecting poison through of muscles and bones between each class of
types. Insects can contain poisonous glands, large mandibles. The biggest distinction mammals alone, you’d be studying bones and
such as a honeybee or a giant centipede. between insects and arachnids is that insects muscles forever! You just need to understand
Insects are generally small but they usually work generally have 6, 3 or more than 6 pairs of the basic dominate portions of the skeleton,
in large colonies, making up for their size. They legs. Arachnids have 4 actual pairs of legs and how the muscles wrap around those areas, and
can be carnivorous as well as herbivores, and usually 2 adapted pairs for feeding, defence and how they bend during movement. You can take
some species of butterfly feed on nectar from sensory perception. Spiders feed by sucking a look at bipeds and quadrupeds or tetrapods
plants, pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dissolved the liquid out of their prey instead of feeding on and see that the most dominate bones are a
minerals in the ground, and even dung! They chunks of the body. They also contain multiple constant from one animal to the next, but they’re
make up the most diverse group of animals on sets of eyes, unlike most insects, and they do just slightly altered in size or where they are
earth with over a million species! (Fig09) not contain antenna or wings. placed. For example, if you look at the bone
structure of an extinct dinosaur, like a Sauropod,
Spiders (Fig09 - Spider - Invertebrate - Bones and Joints compared to a modern day animal, like a
Arachnid) are similar to insects; they contain You don’t need to be an expert, trust me; if you Giraffe, there are still a lot of similarities – and
numerous pairs of limbs – usually 4 pairs had to memorise or know the name of every even similarities from that to those in the human
of jointed legs. Mostly terrestrial, they are bone in the skeleton of an animal it would take a skeleton!
comprised of spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites very long time! Not only that, but if you take into

The most dominate portions of any skeleton The Skeleton of a Quadruped Mammal (Fig10): 19: Tuber Coxae
consist of the Skull (both the cranium and the 1: Skull 20: Ilium
mandible), Vertebrae (including the cervical, 2: Mandible 21: Tuber Ischii
thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and the caudal 3: Scapula 22: Patella
or coccyx), Scapula, Humerus, Sternum, 4: Humerus 23: Femur
Olecranon, Ulna, Carpus, Metacarpus, 5: Sternum 24: Tibia
Phalanges, Rib Cage, Pelvis, Femur, 6: Olecranon 25: Tuber Calcaneus
Patella, Tibia, Fibula, Calcaneus, Tarsus and 7: Ulna 26: Metatarsus
Metatarsus. These are essentially just the Skull, 8: Radius
Neck and Back Bones, Tail bone, Shoulder 9: Carpus Adjusting Existing
Blade, Arm, Elbow, Forearm, Knee, Wrist, 10: Metacarpus Anatomy with Plausible
Fingers, Ribs, Hipbone, Thigh, Leg and the 11: Phalanges Justifications
Ankle. The reason these areas are important 12: Rib Cage A starting point for testing the waters, in regard
is because they are used the most during any 13: Vertebrae to all the written and visual information provided,
type of movement, whether it be eating, walking, 14: Cervical would be to take the anatomy of any kind of
jumping, laying down or standing up. In short, if 15: Thoracic animal and manipulate it, if only slightly. One
you want your creature to move in a believable 16: Lumbar I’m going to use in order to demonstrate ways
way, learn how these joints and bones bend 17: Sacral to adjust anatomy, while keeping in mind the
during different poses (Fig10). 18: Caudal physical changes in its appearance, is a Water

Buffalo. I want to show you how you can taking away some of the weight in the stomach In order for it to feed after the additional length
change things like the length of the Cervical region. I also slightly adjusted the shoulder made to its legs, it was necessary to lengthen
(Neck) or the height of it’s Thoracic Curve on the hump or dorsal vertebrae portion near the upper the neck. Finally, for the tusks to make sense,
Vertebrae (Dorsal back bones in the lower neck back, while adding extended tufts of hair to the addition of heavier fur was added to portions
and upper back region). Some additions to the its mane in the neck, chest and back. Other of the coat so it can survive lower temperatures.
design, in the shape of its horns and perhaps areas that were changed included inverting the This can all be pushed further and played
a few adjustments to the Caudal (Tail) and the ears, removing the horns and extending the around with more, but this is where we’ll leave
Ulna (Forearm), Femur (Thigh) and Tibia (Leg mandible to be utilised as tusks for foraging off for now. Check back in for Chapter 02 for a
Bones) (Fig11 - Manipulated - Mammal - Water during snow seasons to find vegetation and continuation of Creature Design 101.
Buffalo). other food sources. These extended tusks are
also used during mating battles and defence Mike Corriero
I wanted to show you how adjusting various from predators. In addition to physical changes, For more from this artist visit:
appendages and characteristic features of some stripes and patterns were made to the fur. www.mikecorriero.com
an existing animal can create what would be These variations on the anatomy of the original Or contact:
considered a naturalistic creature. I lengthened Water Buffalo really make a big difference in the mikecorriero@gmail.com
both the neck, the forearm and hind leg while overall nature behind the habits of this creature.

Chapter 02
creature Anatomy
Creature Design
Process 101
a breakdown in the construction of conceptual Over the six chapters, you’ll gradually obtain a
design with regard to creatures. All areas of reference library stretching from the basics in
Taking the next step
creature design will be touched upon, providing animal anatomy to much more complex ways of
into Imaginary Creature
you with the necessary information to create exploring what is actually possible and plausible,
Anatomy
your own unique concepts from scratch. This or what would be considered thinking “outside
series is not going to be set up as a step-by-step the box”. There really are no limits to what is
Introduction
In Chapter 01 we discussed the Animal
tutorial, but as a much more informative guide considered a conceptual creature, there are only
Kingdom, the various types of animals, the
into the philosophy behind the make-up of an distinctions between naturalistic designs (which
families they fall under, and how they differ from
imaginary creature. Each lesson will touch upon are generally more plausible designs based
one another. I finished with a quick manipulation
a specific important aspect in what makes a upon rules) and what would be considered alien
to the anatomy of an existing Mammal to show
great creature. I’ll even provide a little advice as or even magical creatures (which are endless in
you how all creature design derives from the
to what to stay away from, in order to steer clear the limitation of ideas).
study of real-world life-forms.
of badly designed, or generally dull creatures.
In this lesson, we’ll be exploring how to create

naturalistic, imaginary creatures by drawing on
similar aspects of design and anatomy that exist
in real-world animals. A naturalistic approach
to creature design abides by certain rules to
coincide with that of true animal anatomy.
Naturalistic creatures are unique and original
designs but they stick to the traits of each
class type, be it mammal, bird, fish, reptile,
amphibian, insect, crustacean or arachnid.
This means that, although they are creatures,
they won’t be devils; they won’t be aliens or
completely fictional in body structure.
With an understanding of how animals within

our own world work, between the different types
of bone structures and body types, it will be
much easier to design something that doesn’t

exist. You can mix and match portions of animals, although it’s important to make sure that they
blend well together. You don’t want to just slap the head of a tiger onto the body of a fish, because
while mythology boasts gods and creatures like that, in reality it wouldn’t flow well. It is possible to
give a fish-like creature distinctive features that would resemble a tiger’s face, but you need to keep
in mind how the eyes work under water, how it breathes under water and why a fish contains scales,
not fur. So when you mix and match aspects of one animal with another, remember what is actually
plausible and what defines the class the creature falls under.
Classes of animals that share similarities in reproduction, such as laying eggs (Birds, Amphibians
and Reptiles, and as a sub-category: Insects, Crustaceans and Arachnids), will often share other
features too. The three classes of invertebrates are closely related in their biological designs,

consisting of multiple body parts and exoskeletons. Birds, Reptiles and how animal anatomy works, it was not referenced from either of those
Amphibians also have similar body traits, so mixing and matching their animals. Its body construction consists of a hip bone and shoulder blade
limbs, skin textures and features is a good idea. In retrospect, it has that are more or less at equal height, a lengthy abdomen, and a short
already been mentioned that birds and reptiles are close in relation to neck with generally short legs. This, along with the spiked vertebrae on its
dinosaurs, as well as amphibians. So think of creature design just as you dorsal hump (01), are all designed for protection in a defensive form. The
would a step in evolution! spiked vertebrae protect the back of the neck from predators. The tufts of
fur on its forearms (02) help keep those thinner limbs warm, while also
Another class that shares reproductive traits are mammals, who carry their acting as a bit of a shock absorber and soft padding when it lays down.
young within the womb until they are a strong enough to enter the world. The tail, which very much resembles that of a horse (03) is there to help
There are exceptions of course, such as the kangaroo or Tasmanian balance during running and it also serves to cool the body down and fend
Devil, where the baby leaves the womb when they are no bigger than off annoying insects. It’s important to think about why you’re incorporating
your pinky. Some species of mammal, like rodents, keep their babies in something into your design, even if it’s simple decoration. Think about the
nest until their eyes are open and they start to grow fur on their pink skin. skin texture, the body height, the strength of the animal, where it stands
Usually larger mammals give birth to their young out in the open and the on the food chain, how it defends itself, how it reproduces etc.
young will be capable of walking and even running almost immediately.
This is also something I will go into more depth about in the later parts of
There are certain measures to be taken when thinking about the this series, so I’ll just cover the basic reasons behind the design of the
proportions of a creatures anatomy (Fig.01). I will go further into this in the face now (Fig.02). It’s very important that you think about the construction
later parts of this series, but I want to point out how they affect the overall of the mandible, how the jaw will manoeuvre, how the teeth, tusks or top
nature of a creature. In this design you’ll notice that the overall body and bottom portions of the muzzle will connect when opening and closing.
shape resembles something of a warthog or a miniature pony. Although (01) First and foremost, the teeth consist of incisors (which are at the front
every area of this design was conceived through the understanding of of the jaw), molars (which are at the back) and canines (which are usually

in between the two). Each type of tooth has its is a herbivore, they are used purely for defence server as a means of defense and male rivalry
own job for chewing, tearing, ripping, crunching - much like those of a Hippo. during mating season. (02) Large thin bat-like
or grinding food. (02) These much larger ears are very sensitive alerting the creature
pointed teeth are canines, though they could A quick glance and the viewer might identify of any nearby danger. (01) Similar to the first
be considered tusks. They are not visible in the this creature as some sort of pig, hog or even creature, the lower jaw has hollow pockets to fit
full body sketch because they are fitted into a a bat-like faced design (Fig.03). It has a stout slightly oversized canines that the creature used
hollowed section between the lower canines and little body; it’s short and bulky with hoofed toes to crush bone and tear flesh.
the extension of the mandible (04). By extending and a thick almost scaly hide. A much more
this portion of the lower jaw it gives the creature muscular body and longer legs in comparison in Fig.04 it shows the female version of the
a unique look but it is actually serving a to the body weight allows this fictional creature creature in Fig.03. As you can see, the female
purpose. (03) A third set of canines to be used to run much quicker than an actual pig. It has differs from the male in both large and subtle
more like tusks are positioned at the lower front a much shorter muzzle comprised of two sets ways. There are reasons for this, which I’ll
of the jaw and extend past the muzzle. All sets of horns, one which is still embedded beneath explain through the design choices that I’ve
of the large tusk-like incisors are meant to crush the skin causing small protrusions and the other made. One of the main differences is the size
bone and pierce flesh. Although as this creature much larger twisted horns (03). The larger horns of the horns, shape of the horns or even lack

thereof. Many male deer have antlers whereas weight and colour variations, can be seen in the or nostrils to breech the surface. (04) Although
the females do not, though the males will shed opposite sex of lions, deer, birds, pigs, goats, this creature resembles a frog or a crossbreed
their horns. The female face of this creature and elephants to name a few. between that and a newt, it has some modified
consist of much smaller horns (02) that are differences that set it apart from any known
only slightly curved and not as twisted as the An Amphibian based creature, which is also an amphibians. The longer, webbed legs allow
male’s larger horns. They are meant for defense egg-laying species (Fig. 05). They will usually for quick swimming and leaping but also serve
against predators, but not as rivalry fighting. The lay clusters of tiny soft eggs stuck together as a defensive kicking mechanism with the
female also lacks the secondary set of horns in clumps (01) until they hatch as tadpoles or addition of a spiked poisonous spur. It also has
and warty, larger nose of the male. Overall the larvae. (02) A large sack of loose skin under the a heavier, more sturdy jaw lined with rows of
female has a slimmer, less bumpy face and lower jaw and neck allows the creature to create sharp flesh-tearing teeth. (05) Similar to species
a thinner sleeker body. (01) In addition, the a distinctive vocal call which echoes through of newt, it has external gills as well as fish-like
females have a long tip at the end of each ear the night. This is their way of communicating gills (06). This makes it capable of surviving in
with a bulbous tip that heightens their senses. with others of its kind and for mating calls. (03) low oxygenated water pools as well as larger
There is a lack of hair atop the head and along The eyes are found at the top of the head not lakes and ponds. The frilled gills around the
the back and they have smaller canines. In at the sides like most mammals and birds. The neck region can be tightly closed and internal
short, it has more feminine features that are reason for this is because amphibians, and gills can allow the creature to breath air for
more appealing than the male’s. some reptiles like crocodiles or turtles, will rise long periods of time. This makes it possible
These differences, along with overall size, to the top of the water, only allowing their eyes for the creature to move from one location to
another if a pond becomes dry. (07) A pair of
fin-like appendages are found on the rear to
act as rudders and allow for quick maneuvering
underwater.
Heading on to the wonderful world of conceptual

insects (Fig. 06), we have a creature that
consist of an exoskeleton with multiple limbs
(03) and eyes. Creatures that resemblance
invertebrates can be much more decorative
in design without there having to be as much
reasoning behind your decisions. Spikes, bumps
and other imperfections in the exoskeleton can
serve many purposes, but may also just be
there for a unique design. (01) Generally for all
creature designing I’ll use something similar to
the sketching method of leaving your pen on the
paper and working the design out in one stroke.
Then there is always the method of laying
the design out in major shapes to later refine
them in detail. Whichever result works best, it’s
usually helpful to work out a clean line sketch
that can be changed easily. You’ll notice the
repositioning of the limbs on this creature from
the initial line work to the more refined sketch.
(02) This long thin tube contains a proboscis

much like that of a butterfly. It’s face is harmless
but that doesn’t mean the creature doesn’t have

other means of defence. (04) In the current state stinger until it is capable of reproducing another It creates a nest underground that is lightly
the sack is half full. membrane. If cornered the creature will continue covered with dirt and a poisonous species of
to face its rear toward any predator, lifting its plant (03) is placed nearby to ward off any
In Fig. 07 when the creature is startled, or stinger as a warning. herbivores that might trample the eggs.
feels threatened it will quickly disperse a fowl
and very powerful gas that fills the sack to a Striving for something between the Jurassic (04) Its three pronged beak can produce a
large bulbous shape (01). This thin membrane and the modern day birds and dinosaurs, this deadly wound acting more like downward facing
is capable of stretching to an enormous size creature contains elements of both with a few tusk or large canines. (05) It is also equipped
until it bursts and releases the noxious gases conceptual twists in its anatomy (Fig. 08). A with rear facing horns to defend and protect the
inside allowing the critter to quickly scurry off, large bipedal bird of prey, containing large back of its head and neck during attack. Adding
unharmed. talons on the ankles of its feet and a deadly yet another means of attack and defense, I’ve
fork pronged beak, this is a dangerous species. given it a tail reminiscent of a dinosaur or lizard
(02) In addition to this defence, once the sack (01) Like its ancestors and the inspiration for containing a split spike ended tip. (07) It also
has burst it is still equipped with a poisonous its design, it is an egg laying creature. (02) has two small, vestigial limbs much like a T-Rex.

These are used to help it up when its lying on its lower to the ground. (03) It’s nasal cavity is split relate to real-world animals, and also why there
side, if knocked down or sleeping, as well as for into three sets of nostrils each leading to distinct needs to be clear reasoning behind your design
clasping on to prey during attack. sets of lungs to conserve oxygen, allowing it to choices. Check back soon for the next portion of
breath in and out of one set while it stores air in this series, which will focus on walking, running
It’s clear that this species is based on a genetic the others. (04) A pair of long, thin antenna-like and skin texture diagrams.
lizard (Fig. 09), but there are additions that set appendages act as extra sensory limbs which
it apart from true reptiles or any existing lizard. are also flickered in a quick back and forth Mike Corriero
(01) It’s an egg laying breed, usually small motion to ward off predators and confuse them. For more from this artist visit:
soft-shelled eggs in groups of three to six which (05) Usually the most vulnerable parts of any www.MIKECORRIERO.com
are hidden in grass covered nest (02). Setting animal, the back is lined with an extremely tough Or contact:
it apart from modern day lizards, it has the scaled and spiked hump leading down to a mikecorriero@gmail.com
body structure of a mammal, with short nails or thick powerful tail. (06) To set the creature apart
hoofed-like toes split in sets of two and three from any reptile or dinosaur, it contains a pair of
toes. Longer legs are designed for an upright mammal-like ears for extra sensitive hearing.
running position, unlike the sideward motion I hope information in this part of the series has
and position of lizards legs, which are generally opened your eyes as to why it’s important to

Chapter 03
bone structure and skin texture
Introduction
In this portion of the series I’m going to discuss
and give some insight into a quick design
process for producing a group of thumbnail
sketches and refining one of them. Next we’ll
move on to a quick discussion on weight
distribution and how the size of an animal or
its design structure affects how its body plan
is laid out. I’ll go more in depth about skeletal
structure but this time focusing on a fictional
creature and taking that to a final design,
leading up to discussions about texture. You’ll
see two final designs and be given information
about the texture choices and how both
chapters 01 and 02 have led up to producing
designs of this nature thus far.
01: Thumbnails
With the knowledge you’ve obtained about
animal anatomy, animal classes and bone
structures, you can pay more attention to
proportions and design elements at this
thumbnail stage than worrying about how
precise the drawing is. I’ve quickly roughed out
eight sketches without a lot of thought given
to each. More time was spent on varying their
body structures and the overall choices made
to mix and match varying species without really
producing any similarity to a known animal
(Fig.01).
These were conceived quickly just laying lines

have been a good thing, maybe an extra limb
down, throwing around shapes and erasing
appeared that I wasn’t necessarily planning on,
02: A quick process you can fool around
portions while adding or removing parts I liked. with for creature design is a front on view that
or the plausibility of it moving how I might have
I was pushing the proportions and length of is simply a mirrored effect, very much like
thought would be different – this is sometimes
limbs and body parts on these to see where this the bottom right creature in the list of eight
how more interesting designs develop!
process would take me. If I messed up it might thumbnails. Just draw one half of a creature, or

even abstract shapes, and duplicate it. Once
you’ve flipped and connected the two sides
you’ve got a symmetrical front view that only
took a few seconds or minutes. It doesn’t
necessarily have to read clearly to another
viewer at this point, but it might spark an idea
in your head that could lead to something
very interesting. Once the two portions are
connected you can even squash it, stretch it and
draw on top to make it more asymmetrical.
03: Defined
Taking one of the previous thumbnails that I
liked I’ve just begun refining edges, rendering
out some parts and adding a bit of texture. It
resembles an insect but not one specific species
that comes to mind. This is a combined mixture
of my knowledge and memory of insects I’ve
come across in life, seen in movies, or viewed
pictures of in books. It has a small resemblance
of a cicada in the face, but unlike most insects it
has more than one set of eyes which would put
it somewhere in the class of arachnid; however
it only has three pairs of legs, two of which are
for walking. So you can see how this creature
can resemble an insect, but it doesn’t contain
the specific traits that insects or arachnids are
made up of. It’s a type of hybrid which could be
taken much further in exploration of its mouth
and eating habits, as well as its walking cycle Once you have a design that is more defined, you look at nature, you’ll notice the smaller
(Fig.02). try working out the concept from a couple other an animal or insect is, the less gravity and its
angles, taking into consideration the width weight affect the construction of its body type,
04: Conceptualizing a design and coming up from a front view and how the limbs will bend. mostly in the leg region. Something small like a
with something that works and is interesting to Explore it further by producing a few drawings bird can have a much larger body compared to
look at comes through the process of a phase with its mouth open, or it performing some sort the thickness and length of its legs. You’ll find
of redesign and refining variations of what of action. These don’t have to be detailed but birds that have very long necks and a thick rib
should be kept and what could be changed. they will help you understand what is working cage but their legs are long and thin. Birds in
Try producing a set of thumbnails of a similar and what is not. Scratch the useless parts and particular can have such a design because their
design, each with a few distinct changes. Take take a look at some references, or produce bones are full of hollow cavities and very light,
the one that appeals to you the most, which some additional concepts fixing the problem and their legs are capable of handling the vast
is more easy to see at a small scale. If it’s areas. difference in proportions. Lizards, especially
interesting and works at a small thumbnail sized smaller types, will usually have shorter legs
scale it will most likely work at a larger scale, 05: Weight Distribution that aren’t very thick or large compared to the
too. It’s the overall silhouette that is important and Size size of their overall body. This is because, in
in this case – the easily identifiable shape or The size of a creature needs to factor in a lot general, they don’t have a massive amount
outline. of rules, in regards to how its weight is handled of weight pushing down on the legs and their
and how it is distributed and supported. When bodies are constructed so they aren’t resting

all of their weight on the feet and ankles at any very gracefully; they are restricted to how they
rate. Insects, arachnids and crustaceans are a can lay down, how fast they can stand up, how
completely different aspect of weight distribution they run and how flexible their bones are.
because they have stronger body types; the
muscles and organs are on the inside and the - As mentioned, insects and other related
skeleton is on the outside, not to mention the creatures in the arthropod phylum are a
multiple pairs of legs (Fig.03). completely different subject altogether when
it comes to weight distribution. The most
- A very large creature, something similar to important thing to remember is that they contain
an elephant for example, needs to take into multiple sets of legs so the body can be vastly
account how the massive body and large different in size compared to the thickness
bones will be held up. The larger a creature is of one individual leg. The body can be the
in height and overall body size in a real world size of a soccer ball and the legs could be the
environment, pressured down by gravity, the thickness of a human thumb. This is because
more likely it will have less of a gap between its the weight is spread out and distributed to two,
legs. So the length of the body in general would three, four or more pairs of strong, exoskeleton
tend to be shorter with larger, thicker, strong- legs, built much like a hollow but strong bone.
boned legs and wide, stump-like feet. This So even if the creature you’re designing is quite
helps stabilise the weight of the creature on four large, if it has similarities to an arthropod, the
large legs, taking short strides when walking, body can be much larger than the legs.
usually not allowing the animal to run and long backbone. If a creature does have a
certainly not allowing it to jump or have all four - Concerning something like a crocodile which lengthy torso and backbone it’s sure to have
legs off the ground at the same time. Now, in a can grow to an enormous size, when you a much slimmer and lighter body like that of a
fictional world, a creature could be constructed design something that has a longer backbone cheetah or greyhound, both built for speed and
however you want, still taking into consideration or a very lengthy body, it’s most likely to have containing very flexible vertebrae.
the rules stated. But, If you were to give it shorter legs that are positioned at the sides of
stronger legs or perhaps a smaller torso and the body. They are positioned at the side and 06: Classes Combined
lighter bones, it could run fast and jump and not underneath the animal like some mammals, Fictional anatomy always needs to abide by the
all that. It’s just more plausible to think of because it spreads the weight out also allowing fact that it is constructed of inner organs, bones,
these things in terms of real world animals. them to rest the body on the ground and not an exoskeleton and other important body parts
The largest land mammals we have, such as on the legs. The same can be seen in most that aren’t always visible on the outside but
giraffes, hippos and elephants, do not move real world mammals or reptiles that have a are important. Just as an example, I’ve taken

two different classes of animals and combined creature so the bones of the legs were to be The neck was designed to be very thick and
the body structures of their bones to create a thick and strong. Keeping in mind the weight muscular while also giving it a large stomach
fictional creature. The only reference I had was distribution rule, I kept its leg length from the and a thick plated tail. These are things you
the knowledge of the previously drawn cow forearms to the hind legs at a rather short can’t quite discern from just looking at bones,
skeleton and the drawings I did of the pictured distance, even though the length of the legs not unless you’re some type of specialist in
water buffalo and the anole lizard (Fig.04). from hip and shoulder aren’t quite that short. that field. So you have to use what you know
of animals in our world based on size, class
In order to create a believable fictional creature 07: Colour and Skin and existing skeletal anatomy to construct the
from skeleton to fully rendered colour and skin Texture muscle and skin (Fig.06).
texture, it’s sometimes very helpful to base Having used my conceptual skeleton design
the bones off of what you know (Fig.05). The I’ve outlined a rough silhouette to fit the type Now the texture and extra little elements, like
design of this fictional skeleton is based off of of creature I’m constructing here. It’s going the thin rear fin-like anatomy, are things that
the head of an iguana, although modified in to largely resemble a dinosaur because of the are completely up to you as far as a creature
various ways of length, thickness and bony iguana-like skull and the tail design. You always concept goes. Just because it has a head
spikes on the skull. The body is modified need to understand that the actual muscles and and body structure that resembles reptiles and
slightly from that of a cow and given the addition shape of a creature will be based off of how its dinosaurs doesn’t necessarily mean it has to
of a dinosaur-like tail, while the vertebrae were bones are constructed, but there will be portions have the same skin texture! Just for simplicity’s
modified to fit the new back structure of my added that don’t read visually from bone to skin. sake though, I’m going to go with the reptilian
creature and its tail design. The legs were a The muscles define the thickness of legs, neck, scaled rough skin look. Something that is
combination of mammal and dinosaur, though tail and overall body shape, giving off a different important when applying any type of texture
I largely kept in mind this was a rather big feel than just looking at its skeletal system. is to remember it’s a texture, not a pattern,

meaning there should be flaws and variations in work rough sketches out and refine and polish the structure of the creature in terms of what
the size of the texture and perhaps some gaps them until they come out like the large reptilian parts are made up of what type of material.
in-between. creature concept, but there are other times Whether it be a hard surface, a soft surface,
when a nice clean line drawing can move the a shiny surface or something more rough, the
Notice how the scaled texture changes in size process along much quicker. It’s at a rather low imperfections to textures is key to making them
from the head to the neck to the rear thigh. opacity but what I tend to do if the creature is in more believable. I’ve seen plenty of people
The head contains much smaller scales than a static pose like this, is to lay down some cross produce what appears to be more repetitive
the larger portion of the body parts. Colour, lines to establish the centre of the creature and patterns that just don’t really occur in nature.
although not very varied in this design, should a perspective ground plane grid to lay down Even something like a fish that has rows of
also follow the same rule of being varied in the legs so that they are all touching base. It scales all facing the same direction changes in
hues and value. This is aside from lighting and doesn’t always need to be perfect with the the size of the scales as they reach larger parts
shadows but just in general, lighter or darker spacing of each pair of legs, but this is a similar of the fish, from head to the mid section and the
colours and complimentary colours such as red but simple setup to that of vehicle design. It just tail. This insect-like creature contains elements
and green. The more saturated bony segments helps establish a starting point and keep the of birds, beetles and even a bit of crustaceans,
on the top of the skull follow from a deep red perspective of the creature closer to what might so the textures vary throughout (Fig.08).
down to the eye socket, from the nasal cavity be correct (Fig.07).
to the underside of the neck, from the belly and 10: Texture Chart
leading to the back of the tail which again turns 09: Colour and Skin Now for a little extra in-depth discussion about
to a deeper red. It provides a nice flow from the Texture: Part Two textures in general, and textures used on these
front to the back in terms of the colour scheme. I’ve taken my line work and quickly laid down a two final designs. I mentioned it before but I’ll
base colour which is usually close to the darkest say it again because it’s an important aspect
08: Line Work value I’ll be using for such a piece. This helps of design when you choose to go with one
Just to give you a clear presentation of this to just lay down your colours and your highlights texture over another. It lets you know more
design I left it in its line format. I’ll sometimes wherever necessary. The next step is to identify about where this creature fits within our animal

kingdom, if at all, and whether it’s cold-blooded, warm-blooded and what
its habitat is like. If you choose to provide your creature with a thick,
heavy coat of long fur then it’s probably obvious that this creature would
live in a cold, snowy environment. Perhaps it lives in an extremely hot
environment and the thick coat of fur protects it from the heat of the sun?
Maybe it contains some way of cooling itself down internally while the fur
fends off the sun rays (Fig.09).
Usually, if you choose to provide your creature with scales like I did then it
tells you it’s a cold-blooded animal that may or may not fit within the reptile
class. It could also fit in the fish class or hell, who knows, maybe they
are a rough-plated exoskeleton and it’s some form of arthropod? It’s up
to you to decide what would fit with the design of your creature best. (01)
You can see here that, although this isn’t a texture, it would more likely some areas, and changing the shape or direction of other scales, like the
be an appendage or extra element to the anatomy, like horns; however a pointed portions. (03) For the overall body, the scales vary in shape and
bumpy texture like this can serve as a thick form of lizard skin or a spiked size as they spread from nose to tail and those different shapes increase
hide for the creature. (02) In keeping with the imperfections, this helps to in size on larger, more bulbous parts of the anatomy like the neck,
pop out a few scales or bumps by increasing the shadow and highlight in stomach and thigh. These scales aren’t highly defined but flow more

smoothly on the same level across the body. skin can be comprised of a few imperfections a microscopic point of view, are filled with colour
(04) In addition to flat-based scales, the neck and bumps, and the use of wrinkled strokes to and shiny highlights.
just got a light treatment of darker scales which define flaps of overlapped skin. (08) Areas that
served more as a spotted pattern scattered here are made up of a harder surface material, like Chapter 04 will take an in-depth design look
and there. an exoskeleton, create a bit of a shine, like the at conceptual heads and how mouths are
crustacean claws. The same goes for spikes constructed!
(05) Moving on to some textures from the or horns; if you darken the tips and lighten the
winged insect creature, the wings are an colour as it reaches the point of origin, you can Mike Corriero
overlapping texture of colour break up and slight then lay a stripe of white for highlight. The white For more from this artist visit:
feathered strokes creating a pattern as well. (06) highlight gives off the effect that the material or www.mikecorriero.com
Small, tough hairs are often found on insects texture of the body part is shiny, which usually Or contact:
which can also serve to define the surface happens when something is either wet or very mikecorriero@gmail.com
texture of an area, whether they be sparse in smooth and hard, like the exoskeleton of an
layout or closer together. (07) Smooth, softer insect’s back. Most beetles, when looked at from

Chapter 04
head design, eyes,
construction of mouth
Introduction
The head of a creature or an animal is the most
complex portion of the overall concept. The
head is very important because it contains the
essential elements that the creature needs
to survive, show emotion and it also builds
character. Some of the most vital organs, such
as eyes, ears, the nose and mouth, make up the
head of a creature. It’s through the manipulation
and plausible construction of these elements
that you give life to an interesting design.
The eyes alone can tell you so much about a
creature, so I’ll be discussing that in part, along
with the construction of the mouth; what makes
up the mouth, how the teeth are generally
situated, plus a few quick instructions on how
colour and the shape of elements can change
the overall appearance of a creature, whether it
be good or evil in nature.
01: Warming Up
A simple way to effectively produce some warm-up sketches without
wracking your brain too hard is to use the mirrored effect of a front view.
There isn’t a lot of preliminary thought put into these designs and half
the time I don’t know what will come of them until the flipped copy is
connected and then refined. It’s possible that you can sometimes find a
great design this way, and if not you’ll at least learn a few things. This is
really just a warm-up and a way to open up your mind to new possibilities
and ways of designing. You’ll notice how the heads from 01 to 06 are
comprised of designs with and without ears, variations of eyes and
teeth, as well as varied types of nostrils. Number 05 shows me a strong
silhouette and an interesting layout in proportions and concept. Though
it’s a quick mirrored design, with a few modifications and more work it
could turn out to be the gem of the bunch (Fig.01)!

02: Wrinkled and
Overlapping Skin
Just as there are people of different statures,
weights and shapes, there are animals with
the same differences (very muscular to very
obese and fatty). In both main sketches you’ll
notice loose flaps of skin and a lack of visibility
in the bone structure. We’ve gone over bone
structures and how the skin and textures
applied are laid over that part of anatomy. We
have also seen how the bones on a muscular
creature similar to a dinosaur or lizard creates
shapes that show up even in the skinned
version. So then, what guidelines do we follow
for creatures that don’t fall within this category?
Though there are animals and creatures out

there, like people, where one species may
have a visible rib cage and another may not.
One great example of an existing animal is
the hippo, which is a very large, obese animal
that is comprised of fatty tissue and skin flaps.
The head however is strong and muscular and bite or pierce flesh, but if the animal is engaged or omnivores and are generally only meant for
shows the bone structure very well. Then there in an attack they can lower the head and thrust protection. They are also used for digging up
are animals like a rhino which are heavy but upwards. They also help protect the back of the food sources, male rivalry and marking territory
also very muscular. They have very thick skin head from any threatening attacks as the tusks on trees by debarking and scraping them. This
that appears to break up into plates but are rear outwards and backwards, making it hard to is also a way of grinding down the tusks. There
actually flaps of skin overlapped. So consider reach vital organs without entering dangerous are carnivores with very large canines, such as
this when designing your creature; understand territory. Incorporating a mouth element like lions and tigers ,but so long as the tooth is not
how a flap of skin overlapping another creates this is tricky and it’s something to be considered protruding out of the mouth it’s considered a
a crease. There can be very fatty creatures or when thinking about feeding habits, movement canine (Fig.04).
thin creatures with loose, sagging skin, or even and how the mouth opens and closes. Things
creatures that contain partial skulls and part can’t always just “look pretty” if they prevent the Elephants have the largest tusks, which are
invertebrate-like elements of design. So long as design from working the way it was intended to actually the second pair of incisors on the upper
you stick with the shapes in perspective you’ll in a three-dimensional world (Fig.03). part of the jaw. It’s important that, when adding
find the structure without the use of the bones. a tooth like a tusk, you think about how the
I’ll be going into this more in-depth in the next 04: Side view of the animal will be capable of eating. It’s obvious
portion of the series (Fig.02). Inner Mouth that elephants’ tusks are so large that without a
As you can see, the mouth alone is a very trunk they could not feed in a normal manner.
03: Tusked creatures complex part of a creature. This again is why So unless you include some extra appendage
and Carnivores the head of a creature is so important; the allowing the food to be fed into the mouth, make
This sketch is a little bit of both; it contains mouth is made up of many various organs, sure the tusk does not block the front of the
tusks which, as you’ll notice in the closed mouth types of teeth, tissue and muscles. In this mouth or cross over the front of the mouth. It
position, act as a defence, rearing backwards particular creature concept there are two very might look cool and sometimes that’s fine, but it
and almost acting as a pair of horns. They pose large teeth (incisors), known as tusks (06). wouldn’t be very plausible or functional.
no threat when the creature uses its mouth to Tusks are more commonly found in herbivores

(01) This does not have to be the case but similar to a dinosaur or a reptile with scaled skin (05) The gums, as you can see, create a seal
usually the front teeth of most animals found in or thicker skin, this flap is separate from the around the root of the teeth, helping keep them
between the larger canines are much smaller. outside tougher skin texture. It is a muscle that in place. If you take a look at the inside of
It’s typically that there are around four smaller helps keep the upper and lower jaw connected your own mouth, and pull down your lower lip,
teeth, two slightly larger pairs on either side, and as well. you’ll notice how the shapes of your teeth show
then space in between the much larger canines. through the gums, following down to the roots.
This space is so the bottom canines can fit (03) The tongue can come in various shapes, You’ll also notice that, with the opening of the
comfortably once the mouth is closed, without lengths and colours. This concept just happens mouth, the skin at the bridge of the nose, below
conflicting with the other teeth. This doesn’t to have a forked tongue which helps pick up a the lower lip and the underside of the neck as
always have to be the case since in some scent in the wind or other extra senses. This is well as the back of the neck, the skin folds and
animals, like a shark, there are just rows upon because the creature has very small and poor bunches up during this movement.
rows of sharp teeth which usually overlap the eye sight.
others by a larger extending lower or upper jaw. 05: Herbivore with its
(04) Central sharp incisors, similar to a shark or Jaw Closed
(02) Creatures that have a similar skin type to dinosaur, this creature’s mouth is comprised of There are quite a few things a mammal contains
mammals, or are similar to a human, have a a large amount of sharp teeth, unlike herbivores around its mouth that a reptile doesn’t. This
flap of skin, such as the inside of the cheek, that which have a more distinguished set of teeth, again, as mentioned, follows over into creature
allows the mouth to stretch and remain covered each used for different purposes. design since we’re basing all our knowledge
by this area when closed. In other creatures, on real world animals, even when we get into

much more unique and otherworldly concepts that may not resemble
anything we know. Mammals have lips (04) which help with the intake of
food; a soft tactile organ that is flexible and capable of movement in some
animals. The soft organ covers the bridge of the mouth and the teeth; it
also allows for speech and unique sounds and mating or communicative
calls (Fig.05).
(01) The cheek bones in a lot of animals are very visible, much more so
in some than others. In creatures you can really push the cheek bones
around to give your creature a creative look. They surrounds the ocular
cavity or the eye socket (06). The eye socket contains muscles and
tissue that holds the eyeball in place, and it’s the large cavity opening in
the skull where the eyes would be placed. You do not need to include
a nasal cavity or nostrils (05) in your creature design, but you can also
add multiple cavities in this area to provide a more interesting nose. The
additional pairs could each be used for separate purposes. Leading up
towards the forehead from the nostrils is the bridge of the nose (02). The
bridge of the nose is an extension of the nasal cavity which leads back
down into the mouth, which allows a creature to intake air through the
mouth or nose and breath out or vice versa. (03) This is a prehensile
split upper lip, to help with easy grasping of foliage, twigs and other food
sources.
06: Front View of the Opened Mouth

Here we are with another diagram of the inside of a creatures mouth. This
one is a bit more detailed concerning a herbivore’s mouth construction
and the teeth. (01) The gums are again visible and showing the teeth
as they continue to the roots. It’s important to remember this because, if
you were just to draw or paint the gums as one big, flat panel of tissue,
it wouldn’t be quite correct. It depends on what you’re going for, but in
terms of a more natural look the gums have a connected column type
effect curving to the shape of the teeth. (02) I decided for this creature
I wanted one large incisor that is split but connected towards the root.
This is a large gnawing tooth used to strip bark, sheer hard fruit and food
sources, or tear foliage off branches. The other thing to remember about
creatures and animals is their teeth will not be a pure white. More often
than not they will be a stained yellow from blood or enamel build up;
creatures do not brush their teeth like a human, and a lot of species will
grow multiple pairs as they wear out or have a need to gnaw and grind
down their teeth that continue to grow in size.
(03) Molars are unique to many different species of animal so they can
appear in many different shapes and sizes, as well as the amount and
spacing. The most complicated teeth are used for grinding food into
smaller bits, in order to make swallowing easier. They are located at
the back of the jaw and grind the food in a side to side jaw motion. The

molars are generally wider and flat with ridges.
(04) Taste buds found on the top of the tongue
are little mushroom-shaped bumps used to
distinguish the taste and other information of a
food source. This helps a creature determine if
the food is bitter, bad, poisonous or edible. (05)
Here are a set of small rear canines, which are
usually found closer to the front of the mouth
but this is a conceptual design. (06) Here’s a
secondary set of canines, located in the usual
placement towards the front of the mouth.
Canines are found in herbivores, mammals and
people, and are used for tearing tougher parts of
meat or vegetation. (07) This is a gap between
the prehensile lip split, showing the gums of the
large connected incisor.
speech along with the lips; it serves the purpose a common set of four small incisors for sharp
(08) The inner muscle of the cheek, connecting of tasting favours; it’s capable of manipulating sheering of various food sources, not meant for
the upper and lower jaw, is stretched out at and moving the food around to be chewed grinding like the molars. (12) Finally, here’s the
this position of the mouth opened wide. (09) and swallowed. (10) An empty space of gum large lower lip, capable of a flexible amount of
The tongue is a muscular organ used for a lot in between the canines allows for the larger movement (Fig.06).
of different purposes: it enables the ability of upper incisors to fit comfortably. (11) Here’s
07: The Pupil design of
the Eye
The eyes of a creature can be varied in the
form and shape of its extension, as well as
the shape of the eyelids and outer lining of the
eyes. However, focusing purely on the actual
pupil and iris of the eye there are thousands
of possibilities which will drastically affect the
nature and appearance of your creature. The
eyes contain so much personality and mood that
it’s an important decision in design.
(01) This is a generic pupil shape, as seen in

many humans and other mammals. A perfectly
round iris and round pupil. (02) A horizontal
pupil can really provide a strange look, often
found in mammals like a goat, or amphibians
like frogs. This type of pupil provides a type
of alien look, but also a more docile type of
creature. (03) What is unusual about this type
of eye is the black sclera. This can be seen
in animals like horses and lizards. Providing
your creature with a black sclera can give it a
horrifying appearance because it hides real
emotion, unable to see the pupil. (04) Quite

the opposite, an eye design containing no iris behaviour and character of a design. In Fig.08 (Fig.09) Taking the exact same concept and
and a very small pupil can also produce an we identify the creature as being evil through more or less removing all of the things pointed
eerie effect, usually something you might see a list of elements. An eye containing only the out that give off an evil vibe will quickly change
in a zombie-like creature. (05) Here’s a typical white sclera portion without a pupil instantly the first impression of the creature’s nature. I’ve
reptilian eye, usually found in snakes and some takes away any kind of emotion, be it good removed the long, pointed horn and extended
lizards or frogs – a small vertical slit pupil which or bad in nature. In adding to the creature’s the side of its skull into two downward spiralling
can provide another type of evil-looking design devilish features, a large pointy horn signifies horns with a soft, round edge. I covered the
that feels uneasy or unnatural. (06) Just to that it’s also dangerous. Adding sharp points teeth and filled in the skeletal structure of its
show you how you can take the pupil in any and shapes throughout a design will usually give muzzle, and changed the overall colours to a
direction you like, I split the iris up into three it an evil appearance, especially when paired more dull greenish-blue, and soft blue eyes.
separate points, all connected by a randomly- with a glossy, glazed-over eye. Included in The eyes were positioned at a slight upward
shaped iris. the pointy shape reference, by showing teeth tilt, which lessens the angry expression. All
protrude past the lips or lining of the mouth, or in all, it completely changes the creature from
(07) Eyes are made up of a few simple parts, showing a skeletal-like structure, the creature what appeared as a form of demon to a docile
at least the only ones you really need to know. will appear more menacing. Lastly, the colour harmless creature (Fig.08 and Fig.09).
There is the black portion, called the pupil, can also instinctively communicate something
which regulates the amount of light entering that is good or bad. We, by nature, identify Mike Corriero
the eye. The brighter the light surrounding the something that is red with spikes or horns as a For more from this artist visit:
pupil, the smaller it will get because the eye demon, and something that is blue and fuzzy as www.mikecorriero.com
doesn’t need to strain itself as much to see. “cute”. Or contact:
With less light, the larger the pupil becomes mikecorriero@gmail.com
in order to take in as much light as possible.
This is why when you enter a dark room after
coming from outside it takes a few minutes for
your eyes to adjust. Your pupil is adjusting
and taking in more light which, after a short
period, will settle and allow you to see more
easily. Then there is the iris which can come
in many shapes, patterns and colours. The
iris contracts and opens the pupil. Soft tissue
found around the edges and corner of the eye
are ciliary muscles holding the eyeball in place
within the eye socket. The sclera is the fibrous
membrane, and often white portion of the eye
that can also be black in colouration, along with
the cornea form the external covering of the
eyeball (Fig.07).
08: Menacing and

Docile Head Design
Features
The nature of a creature, whether it be good or
evil, can be told through key design features.
The eyes, as we just discussed, can give you
a lot of insight into whether the creature is
meant to appear horrifying or harmless. Other
things, such as shapes, can also describe the

Chapter 05
body structure, body variations,
hands + feet
Created In:
Photoshop
Introduction:
The focal point of this workshop will be on
the variation between body types and body
structures. Each design can be categorized into
their own distinct body structure, each with their
its own sub-category in which the creature can
own unique skeleton and muscle design. I’ll be
01: Thumbnail
contain a similar body type but the structure may
discussing the ideas behind a group of concepts
Silhouettes.
differ from one to the next. An example of this in A silhouette can tell you a lot about a unique
I created, mainly situated around the body and
real life would be Apes, Monkey’s and Gorillas. body design. If the design in a small silhouette
some discussion about hands and feet.
They all follow a similar body plan but each have scale doesn’t seem very appealing or interesting
and overall just seems bland and flat it might
not work out so well as a finalized concept.
You can see in some of the designs especially
with the inclusion of the line work that a few of
these have really stepped far away from any
ordinary animal body type. In the final portion of
this series, I’ll be discussing and showing you
designs that step out of the box similar to a few
of these thumbnails. However for now the more
important aspect is to study the body and what
you can do to play around with putting your
knowledge of anatomy and conceptual shapes
together. (Fig.01)
02: Low Backed

Creatures.
These type of creatures tend not to be capable
of running fast because the lower back and
short legs do not allow for a long stride. (Fig.02)
A body plan similar to a hyena, the lowered
www.3dcreativemag.com page 36 Chapter 05

back and short thin hind legs are contrasted with

stronger front arms and a horn covered skull.
Its back is constructed of large bone plates to
prevent rear attacks. This type of body, where
the front shoulders are higher in proportion to
the hind legs gives the animal the appearance of
a strong upper body and forward attack motion.
Though considering it would be incapable of
running at high speeds it may be more of a
scavenger around the size of a modern day dog.
Now taking the same body plan with the lowered

back, you can create a much larger, stronger
creature still applying to the same rules as the
first design. It would be massive in size, much
like an elephant so it would have no real need
to run. It’s heavier body is held up by larger flat
stump-like feet and it’s armed with a menacing

horn. The extended neck and humped back that the weight of those horns and its head need
stabilize it’s height allowing it to feed on tree to be counter balanced by a stronger neck,
04: Obese Creatures.
( Fig.06 and Fig.07) You’ll notice in both these
tops and other sources of vegetation. This massive shoulder and hip bone and short strong
concepts that creating an obese creature that
shows you two examples of one body type and legs to distribute the weight. (Fig.04)
is both wide in girth and surrounded by body
the varying body structures that can come out of
fat overall restricts the design to shorter legs.
it. (Fig. 03) Following the same body type but with a
You could provide it with longer legs but then
different structure is a smaller scavenger. It’s
03: Lowered Heads and similar to a dogs body structure containing
it may not seem as obese as it would seem
Shoulder Blades. thin shorter legs. It doesn’t really contain any

just big in general. Then you would need to
adjust the length of the neck as well to cover
Armed with a massive set of horns and a threatening attack element aside from its teeth,
its eating habits. So you can see both of these
strong beaked mouth this heavy tough skinned though with such a weak body they wouldn’t do
creatures have short thick legs and short necks.
creature doesn’t need to run from predators. Its much good taking down a larger animal. This
In (Fig.07) I wanted to show you a front view
lowered head allows it to charge making good type of creature may hunt down smaller prey
so you got an idea of the girth of the creature.
use of those horns and it makes it easy for the but may also scavenge for food from long dead
In (Fig.06) you can see some fresh scars on
animal to graze on grass and other ground carcasses staining its head red from blood..
the creature from an attack. Between the touch
vegetation. It does have a defensive element I usually provide animals of this type that are
hide of its skin and the thick layer of blubber
attached to the rear ankles. The eyes and ears small in size and weak in the body with a form of
it can withstand such attacks with little harm
are conveniently located atop the head where protection such as the multiple spikes and horns
done. Both creatures contain elements to harm
the vision isn’t obstructed by the horns. If you coming from the skull and back. (Fig.05)
a predator such as the Horns and Tusk found on
decide to design something like this, understand

each. In (Fig.06) Notice how the body is broken

up into segments of skin flaps overlaying key
body parts.
05: Long Necked

Designs.
(Fig.08 and Fig.09) There are various ways to
go about designing a creature with a long neck.
These two happen to be quadruped mammals,
so in thinking about the neck types I’ve got
images of giraffe and extinct dinosaurs going
through my head as well as llama and camel.
In (Fig.08) the approach here was for a large
creature grounded by a more sturdy wider body.
It has a thick hunched over neck protected by
protruding vertebrae. Its legs though thin to
a degree fit the low back design which helps
support the weight. In (Fig.09) this is a slimmed
down version of a long necked creature with a
more streamline body and much more flexible

neck. It’s neck is thinner but capable of bending
backward and its overall body design is built
more for speed. You can generally judge the
size of a creature of estimate the size it should
be based on the design of the body and bones.
06: Water
Invertebrate.
An invertebrate that lives in the water can take
many shapes. It’s practically the same as a no
gravity environment and you can just design
ways for it to hover, glide, float and swim
through the water. The design I have here is
similar to an octopus in the fact that it contains
8 tentacle appendages, a large head which also
serves as the stomach and a hard toothed beak.
Of course in this conceptual concept variations
take it away from your generic octopus but you

can see the similarities that were used as a
base for the design. The thing with invertebrates
is they have more freedom in the design, the
proportions and overall if it lives in the water it
can take thousands of shapes and forms not
capable of moving on land. (Fig.10)
07: Biped creature.

This form of creature can often head toward
something humanoid it all depends on the body
parts you choose to include and the type of
posture. In (Fig.11) you’ll notice a conceptual
bird-like creature on the left. It has two legs
a neck, a head and vestigial wings. What is
stopping it from appearing humanoid is the lack
of an upright torso and human arms. On the
right, the taller of the two creatures, you can
see that I’ve given this one a humanoid torso

with abs and a human-like rib cage, providing
the creature with a more upright stance. It’s not
quite humanoid because of the lack of arms,
instead I chose to give it featherless wings and
steered clear of a head that resembles anything
but a human. The design of the legs also help
stay away from a more humanoid appearance.
This shows you two variations though with a
similar color scheme on two bird-like bipedal
designs. (Fig.11)
08: Serpentine Body

A serpent can be many mythical creatures
especially geared toward the dragon family
between basilisk, dragons, drakes and then
sand worms from “Dune” or the creatures from
the movie “ Tremors”. Often you need to figure
out a unique way this creature may move. A
serpent of any type can contain vestigial limbs,
which may serve not purpose at all or may be
vital to the movement of such a design. If it lives
underground similar to a worm maybe small
thick hairs, small fingerless limbs or tiny claw-

like bristle help thrust it forward through the soil.
The design I created follows more closely to a
basilisk of which contains a serpents body but
a more dragon-like head construction with large
canines and a massive plated head. The body
should never really be perfectly flat or round
because it’s made up of a magnitude of muscles
that contract and detract as it moves. Even an
earth worm doesn’t have a slick perfectly round
body. (Fig.12)
09: Original
Invertebrate designs.
What these three concepts have in common
other than being invertebrates is that they do
not follow a specific body plan found in nature.
They each break a rule by including traits that
come from various Orders or Phylum. (Fig.13)
Very closely at first glance resembles something
of a plant. It has what appears to be a spinal
column but is actually a segmented exoskeleton
grounded by numerous flexible little limbs. The
large bulbous head contains all the vital sensory

appendages and vital organs, stomach, heart,
eyes, nostrils, mouth etc. This concept is unique
in the fact that it can’t be classified as any kind
of existing Order or Phylum other than it being
an invertebrate. (Fig.13, Fig.14 and Fig.15)
The same goes for (Fig.14) which resembles

something of a lobster but with additional design
elements it quickly fails to fall under the category
of crustacean or insect. It’s an invertebrate that
lives under water but it’s something in between
a fish, insect and crustacean which are all quite
different. The visible fish-like gills and fins are
not found in crustaceans or insects. It’s overall
body structure is unlike that of any existing
species. It also contains a jaw with actual teeth
unlike any crustacean or invertebrate but it does
have large piercing pinchers. Setting it apart
from most crustaceans as well are the multiple
sets of eyes, the external skin covered nostrils
and the furry back. This is how easily you can
create your own species of creature and you
can just as simply place the upper body and
head on to a mammal-like body containing 3

pairs of legs and a lengthy abdomen.
Containing qualities of an insect and resembling

something of a praying mantis this design jumps
past classification due to modified skin texture.
It’s more closely related to the arachnid Order
although it lacks four sets of legs. Instead it’s
only a quadruped with two feeding appendages
and two sets of eyes. The noticeable addition
of a furry body and lack of segmented joints
steps away from all we know of arachnids and
most true insects. Its body is actually a variation
of skin and bone with portions of exoskeleton
make-up. (Fig.15)
10: Feet, Hands and

appendages.
As I mentioned the head is a very complex part
of creature design but don’t forget to put just
as much thought into the body as well. An area
where people tend to get lost in design are the

feet and hands of a conceptual creature. They nails, hooves split into two large nails or one Check in next time for the conclusion to this
should be just as important as any other part full hoof. The length of the fingers and length series where I’ll be going into full detail with
of the design. There are so many variations of of the palm can be defined however you wish, finalized rendered designs. Discussion in depth
existing animal feet and hands that you could the finger nails can be sharp like talons, dull about color and patterns of creature designs
easily change just a few things about them and like human nails or sticky like suction cups. as well as providing some step by step shots of
you’ll easily find an interesting idea to match that Breaking the appendages and hands down into the concepts in progress. We’ll be wrapping up
of your creatures body and head. It’s important invertebrate inspired designs can take things everything that was talked about and learned in
that all these aspects flow and feel natural just even further. They could be similar to the claws chapters 01 through 05.
as they do in real life. You’ve got webbed feet, of a crab, or smaller pinchers. They could end
feathered wings, wings connected by flaps of in a singular spiked tip or split into multiple small
skin, two fingers, three fingers, four and five. hard spikes. You can take the knowledge of Mike Corriero
You can create a hand with eight digits if you everything far and wide and just modify them, For more from this artist visit
like so long as you can make it work. (Fig.16) mix and match them and create something www.MIKECORRIERO.com
completely new. Just put your knowledge to use or contact
There are feet consisting of individual toes, or and have fun playing around with idea. mikecorriero@gmail.com
connected by three separate small hooves or

Chapter 06
colours, patterns and
final rendings
THE SERIES
a break down in the construction of conceptual
design in regard to creatures. All areas of
creature design will be touched upon, providing
you with the necessary information to create
your own unique concepts from scratch. This
series is going to be set up not as a step by step
tutorial, but as a much more informative guide
into the philosophy behind the make-up of an
imaginary creature. Each lesson will touch upon
a specific important aspect in what makes a
great creature over just your average creature.
I’ll even provide a little advice on what to stay
away from, in order to steer clear of what makes
a creature a bad design or dull in general. Over
this six series lesson you’ll gradually obtain a
reference library stretching from the basics in
animal anatomy to much more complex ways of
exploring what is actually possible and plausible
or what would be considered thinking “outside step by step shots on the finalization of two indication of what direction you want to head in.
the box”. There really are no limits to what is fully colored, rendered and detailed creatures. It doesn’t have to be detailed but if you want to
considered a conceptual creature, there are only These creatures will have been put together by use the basic shape, just keep the lines clean.
distinctions between naturalistic designs (which using all the tools we discussed from chapters You can first draw out the shapes in pencil if you
are generally more plausible designs based 01 to 05. This final part of the series will wrap like and then use a pigment liner pen to outline
upon rules) and what would be considered alien up everything you learned and show you the actual shapes you want to keep. Rendering
or even magical creatures (which are endless in how to put it to use and what you can do with a concept can bring out the form of the design
the limitation of ideas). the information that has been provided. The and it can tell you more about how the design
Chapter 02 of 06 direction you take your concepts in is up to you might work, but color and patterns can bring that
from here on out. idea to a whole new level. (Fig. 01)
Introduction
This is the final portion of the series where I’ll Thumbnail and Rough Colors and Patterns
be discussing how color and patterns affect the Values You’ll notice here how a few design aspects
aspect of design and the original idea behind Starting off with a small thumbnail with some were changed or added but overall the concept
the concept. I’ll also be showing you a few simple line work can give you the basic overall is the same. The only major difference between

the five images are the patterns and color
choices. There are various ways to adding color
and reasons behind the choices. In areas that
are joints for example that are often kneeled
on or used frequently, the skin will appear pink
or red from blood pressure. This depends on
if your creature has red blood and the texture
or thickness of the skin, whether it be thin or
not. Other areas you may make red would be
portions of the concept that are dangerous.
Bright colors can warn other creatures of
danger, warding off predators and making them
aware that the species is poisonous or deadly.
Color can also give off a presence of character
in nature just as a creature may be harmful,
harmless or somewhere in between. Some
creatures utilize color and patterns to blend in
and camouflage their bodies while others make
themselves completely visible with almost neon-
like colors. These uses of color both serve to
protect the species from harm.
You can modify the usual and make a

dangerous horrifying creature a baby blue with
fuzzy soft fur and it can still appear deadly
and scary or you could produce sharp pointed
angles and shapes with a dark menacing red
coloration. In the end it’s up to you, but usually
certain colors identify more easily with the
general audience. That being that light and cool
colors are good in nature and dark, black and
warm colors are often related to devilish or evil
prior thought, which can later be redefined and
creatures. White can be a neutral color in this Rough Thumbnail shaped to make more sense. Some times I’ll
discussion since it can often mean purity or Sketch lay down a few grid or perspective lines so the
death. The start of a design can some times come
sketch doesn’t just float in space and other
easy or it may take some effort and playing
times it may not be necessary to do so. (Fig 03)
Color can also be a way of breaking up the body around with before the concept you’re after
of a creature through a series of stripes, spots, reveals itself. You’ll notice this sketch isn’t like
or circular patterns. It can separate body parts the previous creature thumbnail which was slick
such as legs and other limbs so that the overall and clean line work. This one is more sketchy
shape is not easily identifiable or so that it may and made up of multiple overlapping lines.
fool the viewer into thinking it’s something it’s You get a sense for feeling out the design,
not. Color is also used to mimic the coloration drawing the head, torso, and limbs separately
of other creatures that are harmful whereas and overlapped so things make more sense
the mimic is harmless, just another form of and line up. Keeping it rough can some times
protection. (Fig. 02) help interesting little ideas pop out without any

Redefined Sketch
I’ve enlarged the rough version and lowered
the opacity so that I can keep to the same
proportions and dominate shapes I previously
sketched out. At this point I’m just putting
the knowledge of some animal anatomy and
skeletal structures to make more sense of the
rough line work. Defining this sketch is helpful
as it will serve as the base to the final rendition.
(Fig. 04)
Base Color
Setting the sketch layer to Multiply you can
easily select the negative space, invert it and
then fill in a dark neutral color to begin painting
on top of. I try to keep the color somewhere
around a medium to dark brown or grey,
something that is not too saturated and easy
to lay color and highlights on top of. You can of pattern. In this base color you can notice how These are areas where the blood vessels show
see here that even below the sketch I started the areas around the mouth, the eyes, chest, through or joints are often used, bent and thin
working out some of the main colors and a bit elbows and arm pit are a warmer pink/red. skinned. Overall I’m keeping the base colors
close to the mid value range before applying any
real light source. The light source can change
what happens to the colors and shapes so we’ll
work on that next. (Fig. 05)
Color Palette
This color table will more or less define the final
result of the creatures color scheme. It consist
of cool and warm hues starting from the darkest
to lightest values. There is enough color here
to mix and match and blend colors to get the
desired result I’m looking for while the range
of hues aren’t all that different. They primarily
consist of blue/purple, orange/red, and yellow/
white. Those hues would be broken up into
shadows, local color and highlights.
The saturation of a color will not affect the value.
So if you take a hue and change the saturation
from dull to full strength it’s not going to affect
the outcome of how light or dark that value is.
Saturated colors are more often used in areas of
warmth or transition of light. Light itself doesn’t
necessarily turn out very saturated it’s more
washed out with the use of whites and yellows
to create a lighter value. White is the lightest

value there is but if you try increasing the
saturation it will only lead to yellow which can
actually darken the highlighted value in terms of
black and white. Though in terms of light it will
appear warmer and lighter. (Fig. 06)
Final Color Rendition

Once the design of the creature is laid out
and the base color is defined, the next step
is to start working out the light source and
strengthening the forms. The form of the
creature is determined by how you lay down
the light and dark values of your color scheme
in order to explain to the viewer visually how
thick a body part is or how the shape folds.
Painting in the direction of the form, providing
wrinkles, imperfections in the skin, variations
and changes in the local skin color and texture
will read successfully to the viewer and it will
strengthen the overall design. Patterns can help
reveal the shape of the forms in the direction
they are lain over the muscles and limbs or
wrinkles.
The posture and pose of the creature I’ve

design along with the shapes and sharp nails,
teeth and spikes suggest the predatory nature
of its character. The design of the mouth with
the inclusion of beetle-like pinchers also suggest
that it’s a carnivore and equipped with deadly
instruments meant for ripping flesh and killing
its prey. Though the design does consist of a
slightly humanoid chest and rib cage the hand
designs and quadruped lower body separate
it far from a humanoid concept. A final key
perspective grid because it’s almost set on on once I begin to render on top of the multiply
element for presentation is to keep in mind that
a forward flat ground level view. If there are layer.
the lightest and most saturated portions of the
any flaws they should be fixed easily and can
design are going to be the focal points of the
image. These areas will draw the most attention.
be detected later down the road once lighting Cooler Color Pallette
begins. (Fig 09) A flat mid tone hue helps I’ve kept the color pallette I plan on using for this
(Fig. 07)
visualize the silhouette and determine how to design set primarily to blues because although
break up the light and shadows. In order to spot the creature is bipedal and contains additional
Biped Thumbnail and any flaws I’ve made in the small thumbnail, I’ve vestigial wing-like appendages for attack it
Rough Base Sketch reversed the sketch which will make it easy to resembles an elephant in some small ways.
Once again, taking a rough thumbnail I’ve
notice any perspective issues with the anatomy People often identify elephants with the color
modified it and added or taken away important
and proportions. I noticed that the head is a blue and grey/blue but I’ll be throwing in a mix
parts that I felt would fit best for the final
little off so I’ll keep that in mind and fix it later of reds and some soft light yellow. By mixing a
concept. This design didn’t warrant any real

very light blue and a white/yellow it will give my

design a colorful grey for the highlights. (Fig 10)
Base Color Blue

Once again, laying in the base colors which will
start off as a mid-toned blue and red applied to
areas of the design meant for harming prey or
protecting against predators as well as joints
and sensory appendages. Reasons for working
from dark to light and not the other way around
is it’s easier to define a shape by applying a
highlight especially when working on a light
or white background. If I were to paint this
same creature on a dark environment I would
potentially lighten the base colors first and
during the highlight phase I would lay in darker
shadows as well. (Fig. 11)
Final Color Rendition

For this concept I’ve decided the addition of a
pattern would add too much confusion to the
well defined shapes. Instead I kept the skin to
a simple texture and wrinkled in areas. If you
take a look you’ll notice I fixed the top of the
skull where the perspective was off from the
previous base color image. I started laying down
highlights of a soft blue and highlighting areas
of the limbs where light would create a shiny
streak following the shape of the form. Again, I key areas of interest, the areas falling in shadow bumpy skin on the skull, shoulder and wrinkled
increased the strength of the saturation of the will lack detail whereas the highlighted portions elbow joint on the vestigial wing. Unlike the
more sensitive and thinner skinned areas of the will contain finer elements to draw the viewer previous creature final, this concept focuses on
concept. One other important aspect of focal in. These elements would include the wrinkles cooler tones as the highlighted portions and the
points is that usually to attract attention to the under the neck/trunk region, the texture of the shadows fading to a darker red or purple. When

you’re done with a concept, just take a final look the series that you learned something about
and question how the creature would move, creature design.
how it would live and whether the bone structure
underneath seems plausible and correct. Mike Corriero
(Fig. 12) For more from this artist visit:
www.mikecorriero.com
That’s all, I really hope you all enjoyed this Or contact:
series or if you joined in at any portion of mikecorriero@gmail.com

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Introduction
The Matte Painting eBook is a 39-page guide showing you, over
5 parts, the basics of Matte Painting, whilst also giving some
more advanced techniques in the final chapter. We asked industry
professional, Tiberius Viris to take an interesting photograph
and to create an easy-to-follow set of tutorials about how to add
varying conditions to this – or any other – scene.
This eBook is aimed at beginners, as well as those who already

have some experience with matte painting – advanced knowledge
of Photoshop is required in both cases. If you are not familiar with
adjustment layers, layer masks or channels (RGB), you should
read about these topics prior to starting this tutorial.
Chapter 1: Day to Night Chapter 2: Sunshine to Snow Chapter 3: Storm Chapter 4: Fire and Smoke Chapter 5: Tips and Tricks

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Chapter 01

Starting Base for Your Designs: Reference Library

The reason “why” is geared to the specific

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Can you think of an animal within this world that

The Brachiosaurus in Fig01 fits within the

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The Ostrich (Fig03 - Ostrich - Vertebrate - Bird)

Crabs (Fig04 - Ghost Crab - Invertebrate

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Insects (Fig08 - Cicada - Invertebrate - Insect)

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In this lesson, we’ll be exploring how to create

With an understanding of how animals within

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Heading on to the wonderful world of conceptual

(02) This long thin tube contains a proboscis

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These were conceived quickly just laying lines

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Though there are animals and creatures out

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06: Front View of the Opened Mouth

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(01) This is a generic pupil shape, as seen in

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08: Menacing and

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02: Low Backed

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back and short thin hind legs are contrasted with

Now taking the same body plan with the lowered

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Shoulder Blades. thin shorter legs. It doesn’t really contain any

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each. In (Fig.06) Notice how the body is broken

05: Long Necked

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07: Biped creature.

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08: Serpentine Body

thick hairs, small fingerless limbs or tiny claw-

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The same goes for (Fig.14) which resembles

head on to a mammal-like body containing 3