Inkblot Creature Development

Here is the inkblot I have decided to start developing into a creature. I wanted to try something simpler rather than jumping into the deep end with one of the more complex inkblots. The shape of this inkblot already gave me ideas and hints of Earth animals such as a cow and deer, so that would be a good starting point for referencing animal anatomy further down production. I want to keep the structure of my inkblots and really turn them into creatures rather than using them as inspiration, I really do see a creature in this inkblot and I want to bring it out.

To start, I created some line art of the lnkblot and added in detail such as the second pair of horns and some light shading to indicate the shape of the horn on the top of the head. I wasn’t too happy with this first attempt as I thought it looked visually very busy with the horns and the animal could eventually become top heavy, leading to problems designing the anatomy in the future; as well as functional design within its environment. I can believe there being problems trying to justify the need of two sets of horns on one head for survival.  There would also be problems with its sight as the horns and ears are blocking its vision from behind, and because of the positioning of the eyes - very similar to prey animals - it would have a blind spot directly in front of its face. Therefore I decided that this design was not going to work. 

My second attempt, a more simpler one, I really liked. It looks similar to animals here on Earth but with added fantasy with the huge ears and solid horn. The huge ears would give the animal excellent hearing as well as being able to use them as a fan to help cool them down. The ears are fully flexible, much like horses ears to allow this creature to see behind it by laying the hear flat against its head. 

I’m really excited to explore and develop this creature further and designing its world and what kind of animal it would be. My next task is to create quick charcoal sketches of the body to help lay down their foundations, then go into more detailed digital sketches and explore the animal further, both head and body.