Process of Creature Design
Process of Creature Design
Creature design visual language guidelines and three different classes and hierarchy; air, ground and water.
Water
Imbalance and tension
Proportion are off
Spiky shapes
Triangle shapes
Much more primal "underworld"
Unpredictable
Pointing downwards
Bottom of the food chain or perhaps are very aggressive and provocative
This creature is quite new to the planet and new to the environment. It has disrupted the ecosystem and has been quite destructive. It's eating everything that it can fit into its mouth. The smaller prey creatures still have to find a way to evolve to this creature and are therefore shrinking in numbers.
This creature has a big mouth, which also symbolizes greed.
It lives in rocky seabed terrain, during the day it likes to hide from other predators that hunt there, but during the night is comes out to hunt. It uses it's bioluminescence to attract the prey creatures. It has a lot of spikes, long things along its body and has grippers that it uses to hold onto rocks. It's not fast, but it doesn't need speed as the prey creatures it hunts are also not fast.
Greedy, aggressive, solitary
This creature is quite flowy, but it still has some similarities to other creatures on this planet, it has some frills with some spikes along its body. It needs it's eyesight to spot bioluminescence, which it uses to communicate with the others. It lives either alone or in small groups, and has a brighter colors to scare away other predators, but not the predator mentioned above. It hasn't got the speed to get away from this predator, so this prey species is declining in numbers.
It still has to find a way to evolve to the new predator in the area, this is why there is a unbalance under water.
Unaware, cautious but also curious, adaptable
Air
Upward movement
Flowy lines, beauty, ornament like features
Sophisticated, calm and collected
Pointing upwards
Top of the food chain or perhaps not as many enemies
This creature is quite big and spends most of its time in the air. It uses several air sacks on its body to stay afloat, it can inflate and deflate these air sacks at will. With fin like frills and extenders on the side of it's body it moves forward and can steer itself through the air. It it very moveable and flows through the air. It does need to land on trees or high rocks every now and then, so it has grabbers which it can use to hold onto things. It does need high to launch itself back into the air, so when it lands on the ground it can't get back up again.
This creature hunts both land prey creatures. It uses it hooks / grabbers to try and catch the prey and lift them up into the air.
Territorial, aggressive, moveable
These creatures are the planet's pollinators, however they are not aware of this. When they land on fungi like trees / plants with flowers to feed, these plants spray pollen all over and the pollen sticks to their fur and tail. Which they spread when they move to other plants or their nest.
They collect liquid / food in sacks on the end of their tail, which they then take to their nest, a bit like ants.
They have 3 pairs of wings, and air sacks that they can inflate to help them stay airborne when their sacks are full with food.
Elegant, compassion, active
Ground
Strength and stability
Cooperation
Groups
Creatures connecting
Long legs
Small, quick on their feet.
They have antennas that can measure light intensity. So they can sense if they're shadows above them which alerts them of imminent danger like sky predators.
They have no protection, as in no armor so they need the protection of the bigger land creatures. They take shelter underneath the big creatures. They are a snack for flying predators.
To warn the others they flash different colors to communicate.
The liquid that the big land creature eats only gets produced by the help of these guys. They help this creature by spraying enzymes on the plant so that the plant starts producing liquids which the bigger creature is then able to eat.
Innocent, unaware, playful
Eats fungi, needs something to get into tree holes / crevices to get it out. This can be an intricate mouth part, slender grabbers like octopus arms or even a long tongue or an extra set of arms / grabbers.
Big, slender, long legs. Can navigate rocky areas. Their eyes stand out to the side so they have a big overview of everything.
Shield on the back for protection. It has hooved toes to help navigate rough terrain. It has something on the head to protect itself and fend off predators if necessary.
They can maybe even work together as a group to connect their shield and stand together to create a bigger platform to shield the smaller land creatures.
Attentive, social to herd, cautious towards humans and can be aggressive if provoked.