Creature Design: Arachnomorph Headshot

Continuing on from our previous creature design tutorial featuring the Arachnomorph Alpha, we’ll be getting up close and personal with this creepy critter as we zoom in and create a highly detailed rendition of his head.

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If you missed the previous creature design tutorial where we created the full body concept for the Arachnomorph Alpha – you can watch it here: Comic Book Creature Design: Arachnomorph Alpha

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Oftentimes, a complex creature concept will be made up of a multitude of components that require attention to detail in order to capture the full scope of their design. This was especially the case for the Arachnomorph’s head since it was a major focal point of the character that incorporated a lot of tiny details which were simply too fine to articulate from a distance.  

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After you’ve produced the initial illustration for your creature design, you’ll want to explore it further and get to know the various elements that make it up more intimately. That involves multiple studies which focus in on the individual pieces that make up its composition. The aim here is to articulate each to a definitive level of refinement that captures the complete essence of your character.

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In regards to the Arachnomorph Alpha’s head shot, this involved highlighting some of the finer details that gave his skin, hair, and attire a tactile quality through the rendering of textures and materials. So I had to consider what kind of materials would be present throughout the design, how they would feel and what they would be made of in order to render them correctly.

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Although this tutorial is focused more on creature design, we’ll still be drawing the Arachnomorph concept in a comic art style. So all the same rules apply here as they would any other piece of comic art. I’ll be using line weights to capture a sharp, appealing line for the defining contours of the character, and using cross hatches to render in various tones for the shading.

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No matter what medium or style I’m working with, what remains consistent are the fundamental drawing principles I use to construct my illustrations from the ground up. As you’ll see, we’ll be starting this drawing out with a very rough, rudimentary structure to establish the correct proportions, shape and the placement of the facial features.

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In order to shade the drawing effectively I’ll be constantly considering where the key light source is in the scene. This will help me to determine exactly where the shadows and darkest tones should occur.

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I hope you take away a ton of insight from this demonstration. Thanks for watching, and if you enjoyed the video be sure to pass it along to your artist friends. They’ll probably find it just as useful and thank you for getting them onto it. 

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Until next time, keep on practicing and keep on creating!
-Clayton

 

Software Used: Manga Studio

 

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