Very initial designs started off being very cute and basic, inspired by my previous research but as I started to look for inspiration for more creative character designs my area of research grew, and my monsters matured a little..
Ive enjoyed Tony DiTerlizzi's work for a very long time and ever since I bought 'The Spiderwick Field-guide to fantastic world around you' Ive wanted to create something similar, or at least along those lines.
The book is a fantasy bestiary that explains the creatures that feature within the Spiderwick series of books (and also a film) and includes beautiful illustrations of fantasy creatures and beings along with in depth descriptions of their behavior and things like that. The book is fantastic in every way and DiTerlizzi's illustrations make it what it is.
He has a wonderful style that bring these otherworldly creatures to life, the Expression in their faces and the detail is lovely. He uses alot of watercolour in his work, coupled with sketchy line work that adds texture and form to the illustrations. The subtle tones of the watercolour make the sense almost dreamlike and allow for alot a detail to show through from the pencil lines and mark making underneath.
Some of the illustrations with the Spiderwick Field-guide are vignette like and some take up a whole page, incorporating simple but lush backdrops that make the monsters feel at home. The few images show the kind of thing that can be seen within the book.
His work is much more detailed than the kinds of things in my earlier research and I don't think I want to go into this much depth with my illustrations (I dont even think I could) but its gives a good idea of how monsters and the like aren't just for young children, and with enough detail and character, they can appeal to a wide audience.
I hope to capture some of the life that he injects into his work and give them same level of care over my character designs and the way I render them. My designs are and will be more stylized and less life like than these because my work tends to lean towards a cute style suited for children's illustrations but it dosen't mean the monsters will be any less expressive and interesting as these... I hope anyway!
