Monster Monday- February 9, 2015

The Minotaurs of Orbis live in the grass lands spending most of their time slowly traveling across the plains during the day and resting in a group at night.Their groups can be huge, causing stampedes destroy the land and anyone that stands in their way. They track deer herds to feed the group and will steal cows from near by farms. With a burst of speed, they attack their prey dragging it back to the group for meals. When desperate for food they have been known to kill with in the group for food, but that hasn't been recorded since the First Age when a drought dried up the wet lands and farmers to lose their crops.  When faced against a minotaur, it's often recommended to not engage in battle, other minotaurs will be nearby unseen resting in the grass and will kill a deemed threat.

Monster Monday- May 19, 2014

This week's monster is a Minotaur. I've drawn minotaurs in the past but wanted to have a more unique looking design with long ape like arms. When it rests, it lays it's hands down on the ground similar to a gorilla. This design is one of the creatures of Fable Wood, which I have two stories on their first draft. Minotaurs will play a role in a few of the short stories and are helpful builders because of their strength.

Monster Monday- June 24, 2013

Two weeks ago I started my summer job here at the beach and today has been the start of my first full week of work. But that didn't stop me from spending my free time working on my real work illustration.

The Minotaur was the first monster to be drawn and inked on bristol. It pretty much looks like the drawing I showed last week with a few adjustments. 

Heres the inks over a texture i created using different types of paper and adjusting some of the elements in photoshop.

The tarasque was next. The tail was changed to be more of a weapon then in a drawing that I posted a few weeks ago. 

The illustration on textured paper. I plan on adding information about each monster with the illustration, but I need to write it and get some help with placement and such.

Remember to pick up 'Against the Slave Lords' Dungeons and Dragons book on sale now with my illustration in the gallery in the back of the book.

Monster Monday- June 17, 2013

Sorry for posting so late at night, the past week has been a little crazy starting my new job. I got horrible sun burn making it difficult to draw over the weekend. Then I spent the day overhauling the third floor to make what little space I have work. 

Here's more of a fleshed out sketch of the Cockatrice. So far taking the Cockatrice has been one of the easier creatures to design since I had a clear concept of what I wanted from the beginning of the project. Still a few details to work out but getting close to starting the ink drawing of this guy.

The Minotaur's design is done. I flipped the idea of a bull face with a face with some human like features and a body that is heavily inspired by bulls and other cattle. When I do the final drawing, the Minotaur is going to have wider stance since he is a bulky creature and more of a hunch.

After being disappointed with the design I created for the Behemoth, I went back in with new reference. With a cattle inspired body, horns of a giant goat, and legs similar by an elephant, and a rhino horn, the Behemoth is more of what I originally thought.

Stay tuned tomorrow, got some awesome news to share!

Monster Monday- June 10, 2013

More sketches I've created for the Legendary Monster project. I was in an art funk for a while last week but finally sketched my way out of it...today. The project is going to be split into chunks so I can scatter the work in their different phases.

Last week I posted ideas I created in my sketchbook for the Hippocamp. Here's more of a refined idea. The animals I used as inspiration were: horse, seal, fish, and a seahorse.

The Minotaur is another creature for the project. Minotaurs are typically depicted as a bull head on a human body with hoof feet. The face has human characteristics with more of a bull nose and large jaw, it keeps it away from looking like a typical human proportions. I wanted the minotaur to feel strong with a bulky body and large arms. So far I think the design is heading in a good direction.

This is the Behemoth. Though the idea I wanted to get across wasn't realized in this drawing, I decided to post it anyway because sometimes things don't work. I was aiming for a hulking monster with a horn. This drawing looses the large sense of scale I wanted, I think I am going to give him more of an rhino body and add some of the other ideas I had in my sketchbook.

After I feel comfortable with the design of the creature, I draw a bunch of poses till I get one that feels right. Some of the poses may seem obvious to the creatures I've revealed so far, but others will be discussed next week.