The world's best creature designers and concept artists provide a groundbreaking and unique insight into their creative processes and practices.

"Designing a captivating creature simply for it to exist against a white background and going no further is a purely academic exercise. Designing a creature that can survive in a world, interact with its own and other species, and go on to make an impact, is designing with intent. This is the end goal of creature design and what you will witness in this latest book from industry expert Terryl Whitlatch. With decades of experience in the entertainment industry, developing creatures for Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace and Beowulf, among other films, Whitlatch offers an abundance of valuable advice throughout the Principles of Creature Design. For Whitlatch, there's not limit to what can be imagined with an open mind, though the journey may not always be an easy one. It's what she calls "Chasing the unicorn." We will surely enjoy joining her on her journey, filled with creatures so vivid, whimsical, and elaborate that we will wish -- or wonder -- if they are real."--Back cover.

Zero in on the most cutting-edge trend in creature design for film and games: ZBrush! ZBrush allows you to develop a creature for film and games in realistic, 3D format. With this book, you will learn how to create a unique creature from start to finish and search for and repair any foreseeable problems. Clear instructions guide you through using Photoshop in combination with ZBrush to finely render a creature so you can see how it will appear on screen. Experienced ZBrush author and designer Scott Spencer shows you how to start with your concept in ZBrush as a preliminary digital model and then further refine it in Photoshop in order to fabricate a hyperrealistic image. Guides you through artistic concepts to visualize your creature Walks you through the process of conceptualizing a creature in ZBrush Details techniques for using Photoshop to refine your design Encourages you to use ZBrush as a sculpting and designing tool and then use Photoshop as a painting and finishing tool ZBrush Creature Design helps you bring your creature concepts to life.

What is creature design? We all have a notion--mostly consisting of evocative images of otherworldly beings galloping, swimming, flying, and often attacking the hero of an epic film or story. But what makes a creature believable? In the follow-up to her bestseller, Animals Real and Imagined: The Fantasy of What Is and What Might Be, world-renowned artist Terryl Whitlatch reveals the secret behind believable creature design: anatomy. How anatomy applies practically to the natural history and story is the prime cornerstone on which successful creature design hangs, whether the creature is real or imaginary. Studying, understanding, drawing, and applying accurate anatomy to an imaginary creature will make viewers suspend their disbelief to welcome a new vision into their worlds. We invite you to immerse yourself in the intricate workings of numerous animal anatomies--and the beauty they possess--in the Science of Creature Design: Understanding Animal Anatomy. Whitlatch's delightful and charismatic illustrations will inform and thrill readers with every turn of the page. She shares valuable techniques reaped from years working for Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Feature Animation, and on such films as Jumanji, Brother Bear, and The Polar Express. In addition, Whitlatch exemplifies an endless love for real animals that continues to inspire her fantastic imaginary creatures, which have captivated audiences around the world.

When artists and designers explore or create a fictional setting, the milieu must be completely fleshed out, explained, and designed. In this book, comic and gaming art veteran Mark A. Nelson explores and demonstrates his methods for fashioning visually stunning, believable environments for fantasy creatures and characters. Scores of images and step-by-step examples illustrate how variation and experimentation lead to fresh, original designs for otherworldly beings, their environments, and their stories. Nelson discusses how to find ideas and borrow from history to add the strength of realism to a fantasy world. In describing the best ways to establish a habitat, he offers specifics about climate, terrain, flora, and wildlife. He shares insights into founding societies in terms of their means of survival, manner of warfare, spiritual practices, style of dress, and levels of technology. All visual creatives who work with imaginative material — illustrators, comic artists, and writers — will take a lively interest in this source of inspiration and practical knowledge. "In sixteen breezy-yet-surprisingly-concise chapters he covers everything from visual problem solving to spirituality to warfare to transportation, not with the idea of giving the reader lessons to copy by rote but rather as prompts to develop their own original concepts. If I were suggesting three books every budding artist should have at their fingertips they would be Figure Drawing for All It's Worth by Andrew Loomis, Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist by James Gurney, and, most definitely, Mark's Fantasy World-Building." — Muddy Colors

"There is no end to the diverse and unique creatures that Terryl Whitlatch creates for us with her solid knowledge of anatomy and boundless imagination. Especially intriguing are the hundreds of anatomical notes that are dispersed among her sketches, educating and enlightening us to the foundation of living bodies and their mechanics."--The publisher.

Delve deep into a magical world of Kev Walker, and learn how to draw 30 fascinating, beautiful and curious creatures that wander through it. A renowned comic book artist and illustrator, Kev Walker will help you master the art of sketching and illustrating a collection of marvellous beasts through his how-to-art exercises, accompanied by his fascinating advice and the techniques used by professionals like himself. From elementals that stalk you at night or the beasts that lurk beneath the water to the sand creatures that wander the lonely deserts of North Africa, there is a whole world of terrifyingly beautiful monsters to learn of and inspire you. Find stunning finished illustrations along with exciting ideas, hints, and practical lessons on how to recreate the monster yourself, including suggestions for adding movement and texture. From there, morph this precious-looking book into your very own sketchbook-journal and record and design your own fierce creations on the interactive pages inside. Stick and paste inspiring photographs and drawings onto the pages, work little sketches onto the plain sheets, and paint the amazing minute details that appear on your own beast's form - this will be your personal and ultimate notebook journaling your dark adventures. With dozens of imaginative illustrations to inspire, discover this captivating bestiary now and create your own inky keepsake of these legendary creatures to treasure and share.

Learn to draw mythical and fantasy beasts with 3dtotal Publishing's essential compendium of 30 different fantasy creatures.

Sketching from the Imagination: Monsters & Creatures showcases sketches and insights by fifty artists from the field of creature design.

How-to guidebook for making your own plush toys.