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.

Devil Redesign mk II

Ok, my final project not going particularly smoothly at the moment, so I found some time to go back and redo my Devil redesign in the meantime. Behold the fruits of my labour:-

As you can see, I kept the legs, tail, arms and the pose, but altered the chest, head and the wings.  The head and horns are based on some of my earlier sketches (you can see those on the previous post), while the wings are inspired by the Angel of Death from Hellboy II. The end results a lot less artsy-fartsy than the previous one and personally I think it turned out a lot better as a result.

That about covers it really. Hopefully I'll have some newer work to show with my next post.

Classic Monsters Design #4: The Devil

Ok, I'll admit, I've been a bit lax with the posting over the past few weeks. Honestly, I should have had this one up back then, but I had a major essay to write and hand-in and then I didn't have my laptop over the Easter holidays... Long story short, I've had a lot of distraction. Now that's out of the way, let's talk about Satan...

I've swapped the massive A3 pages for a sketchbook I had lying around (figured I should use it for something). As far as the design itself goes, I quickly identified the traits of a 'classic' devil as the horns, wings, forked tail and trident (the goat legs, I found, did work well with this combination, but were strictly optional) so I set about trying to present these characteristics in a unique way. You can see the various ideas I had below:-

Early development sketches. Here I was trying to nail down the foundation of the redesign

Further development sketches. These focused on finalising the design

Looking at the finished product... I'll admit, I will probably go back and revise this one. The halo horns and light wings seemed a good idea during the development, but looking them here, it's clear they don't quite work. It's also pretty clear that the abdominal area needs a bit of an overhaul. I am pleased with how the 'magma' legs turned out though, and if nothing else, it's an interesting take on the Devil.

That's it for the Classic Monsters project. Next post will be the summation.

Classic Monsters Case Study #4: The Devil

“Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.” 

― John Milton, Paradise Lost

The last of the 'Classic Monsters' is one we are all familiar with. Originating from the texts of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam and their respective derivatives), the Devil is the personification of evil, the ruler of Hell and the mortal enemy of God. He is known by several names, including Lucifer, Sammael and Iblis, but he is commonly referred to as Satan (a Hebrew word  meaning 'adversary' or 'accuser').

He is widely believed to have once been the highest and most beautiful of God's angels. However, he grew vain and prideful and began to believe he was better than his creator, causing him to lead a rebellion to usurp God. Ultimately, he was defeated and cast out of Heaven and imprisoned in Hell, where he plots to subvert and corrupt God's creation in revenge. There are some different versions of this tale: some versions state the reason he rebelled was that he refused to bow down to humanity, who he saw as flawed and unworthy, while Islam portrays him as a Jinn rather than an angel. 

Surprisingly, the idea of the Devil as the embodiment of evil didn't actually originate from the Hebrew Bible; though the name 'Satan' does turn up a few times in the Old and New Testaments, it is never stated to be the same being, with the name being used more as a title than an individual, and the character is depicted more as a trickster than an antagonist. The closest the Bible comes to depicting the archetypal Devil is through the dragon or serpent who appears in the Book of Revelation, but again the original text never outright identifies this beast as Satan. More recent interpretations, such as the King James Bible, retcon this by claiming these and other events are all really the Devil himself, but these versions all come about after the archetypal Devil had been established.

The Devil as we know him actually came into being during the Middle Ages, perhaps as an attempt to vilify the deities of pre-existing pagan religions as Christianity spread throughout Europe. This was done by portraying these pagan gods as alter-egos or familiars of Satan, which likely influenced the classic image of the Devil. It was also this period that the moniker of 'Lucifer' is supposed to have first appeared; a romanisation of the Hebrew word 'heylel', it means 'shining one' or 'morning star'.

The Devil has made several appearances in popular culture, and as a result he has been given a wide variety of design. Some give him a human disguise with some clue that gives away his true identity (usually the colour of his clothes or eyes), while others base his appearance on his status as a fallen angel. For the most part, however, he is classically depicted as a horned demon, usually with a trident, wings and goat legs. As mentioned before, this design seems to have originated from old pagan deities, many of whom were horned and had goat-like features. His trademark colours seem to be either red or black.

Engraving of Satan trapped in Hell by Gustave Dore, inspired by Dante's Inferno

One notable exception is the Satan that appears in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy; imprisoned in the lowest circle of Hell, this version of the Devil is described as a colossal, feral beast with three faces and six wings, trapped waist-deep in his own frozen tears. In an interesting subversion, this Satan is not depicted as the ruler of Hell, but instead as it's first prisoner. He is also presented as mindless, stripped of his former beauty and completely impotent, unable to do anything but beat his wings in a vain attempt to escape, which is a complete contrast with how he usually appears.

For my design, I'm going to try to stick close to the 'classic' Devil, as he is the more instantly recognisable of Satan's various incarnations and his design fits my 'iconic character' criteria better than the others. I may, however, add elements of the other versions. Aside from that, who knows what I'll come up with?