DRAW AN EPIC MYTHICAL BEAST

Cindy Avelino breaks down her workflow as she makes a twist on a legendary creature using animal inspirations

- Cindy Avelino

Wouldn't it be fun to figure out how a mythical creature like the Hydra would stand on just two legs?

My creative process always starts by writing down keywords for the character. This also helps me to ask questions about them. Are they good or bad? Who or what are they? What do they do? Simple answers to these kinds of questions help me on the pathway of creation.

For this Hydra, I wanted to create an evil entity that is unique to a fantasy world; a creature that is worshipped by the weaker ones, and a demanding being that likes to be treated like a god, or an evil ruler.

Next I start analysing real animals. Their shapes, movements and skin textures inspire me a lot! It's also important to practise your human and animal anatomies and gestures to help make your creatures and characters look believable.

After that, I'll progress through the thumbnail process, which consists of doing small, simple sketches to test all the ideas I have in mind. I think it's important to test the possibilities before rushing to finalise the first idea that comes into my head. I never know what unexpected and pleasant surprises can appear when I mix my studies and research.

You can use any software or tool you like to follow this tutorial, but I personally used Photoshop.

1 Inspiration in nature 

Before creating any character, I start studying animal or human gestures and body shapes. It helps me to understand their anatomy, how they move and so on. I aim to feel the movement lines (the red lines seen here) around their body when I'm doing the gesture sketches. I do these quickly and simply, I'm not worried about the details. I use just two layers: one for the lines and the other a flat colour.

2 Analyse the animal