Classic Monsters Conclusion

Ok, so I've spent the last couple of months taking various monsters from fiction and reinventing them. Now that that's done with, let's take a moment to talk about what I've learnt from this project.

If nothing else, I feel this project has more or less validated my Iconic Character Design Theory (Iconic Character = Number of Unique Characteristics, 1 around head + Limited Colour Palette) as the majority of the redesigns are still recognisable as the original 'monsters'. The exception, of course, was the Jabberwock, whose design is not totally defined in it's original source to begin with. In my defence, it's inclusion was suggested by Josh, whereas the others were chosen because their original designs fit the criteria. But, no use crying over spilt milk; the fact is I did a Jabberwock redesign and despite my grumblings it does have some traits from the original.

So, to summarise, the character traits of these monsters are as follows:-

Jabberwocky

Characteristics: 'Fiery' eyes (Head), large claws, whiskers/ hair tendrils (Head), wings/ wing-like sails

Colour: Variable (Jabberwocky colour isn't mentioned in source)

Cthulhu

Characteristics: Octopus/ Squid face (Head), wings, humanoid body

Colour: Green

Medusa

Characteristics: Snake hair (Head), snake lower body

Colour: Variable (Medusa doesn't really have a defined colour scheme)

Devil

Characteristics: Horns (Head), wings, pointed tail, trident, goat legs (optional)

Colour: Red

So... yeah, this project basically went as expected and proved I wasn't talking out of my arse.

The next project will be the final one and will focus on me using this Iconic Design Theory to design some original characters. Beyond that though.... I'm still working on the details. Watch this space.

Classic Monsters Design #2: Cthulhu

Took awhile to nail down a design, but I've now finished the redesign of Cthulhu.

The main goal with this redesign was to try and make this eldritch god-thing look more alien; most depictions of him tend to go for the typical 'green humanoid with a squid-head' look and I wanted as far a departure from this stereotype as possible.

 I started with basic sketches on paper, as always. Just simple outlines to base the design on, each based on some variation of the vague descriptions provided by the source material. I also took some inspiration from the appearances of various cephalopods (octopi, cuttlefish, squid, etc.) and the creature designs featured in the films of Guillermo del Toro

Once I had enough basic designs, I found there were two that I particularly liked, so I decided to develop them both (as you can see from the sketches above). This left me with finalised designs from a quadraped and a more squid-like Cthulhu; feeling that it reflected the Great Old One's nature more, I opted for the latter design.

And here we have the final design. Not really much to say about this one; after all, the design kind of speaks for itself. One thing to note, however is the wings; here, they are more like massive fish fins, which kind of fits Cthulhu's aquatic nature. I also used a few texture overlays with this one. Personally, I'm happy with the results.

Next up, Medusa the Gorgon

Classic Monsters Case Study #2: Cthulhu

"In his house at R'lyeh,

dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."

The most well-known of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft's creations, Cthulhu is one of the Great Old Ones, a group of powerful, primordial and malignant cosmic entities that are said to be present on Earth. Cthulhu himself lays dormant within an underwater city in the South Pacific called R'lyeh, where he waits to be awakened and let loose upon the world again. Despite his imprisonment, however, the elder god is apparently the source of constant anxiety for mankind at a subconscious level, and also the subject of worship by a number of human religions. 

The monstrosity makes his first appearance in Lovecraft's 1928 short story, The Call of Cthulhu, which details the discovery of the elder god's existence, encounters with a cult that worships him and finally the accidental release of Cthulhu himself at the story's climax. There are also several references made to the entity in later works of Lovecraft's so-called Cthulhu Mythos, many of which suggest vague links to other such entities. It is interesting to note, however, that while Cthulhu is certainly the most well-known of Lovecraft's fictional deities, he is not the most powerful; that honour goes to one of the Outer Gods, such as Azathoth, Nyarlathotep and Yog-Sothoth.

A sketch of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft in 1934

Cthulhu is consistently described as a mix between a giant human, an octopus, and a dragon. Typical depictions show an octopus-like head, and a vaguely humanoid body with large, rudimentary wings. Lovecraft himself describes the elder god as "A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind." Other references to the creature's appearance note that the  "thing cannot be described," but it is called "the green, sticky spawn of the stars", with "flabby claws" and an "awful squid-head with writhing feelers." The character that meets Cthulhu face-to-face also uses the phrase "a mountain walked or stumbled" when describing its movement, which gives a sense of scale to its size.

Yeah, I'm probably going to give this guy the 'Guillermo del Toro' treatment