Character designs from nature pt. 2.

The story is slowly maturing, which is good because I really dislike rushing a narrative. I find when I start writing with guns a'blazin the story is rather short-lived, my fingers just can't keep up with my imagination. So what I've decided to do is s-l-o-w my imagination down in a way that allows me to nurture character and plot development.

3. Oven bird.

Anyway, here are two other character designs based on creatures in nature. The first is the tiny oven-bird, an unassuming bird at first glance, but quite intricate with its overall shape, breast design and beautiful song. This character is similar and serves a very important role in the story. In the story, they are actually aids in storytelling, and oddly enough have kinship with the Coddle Squid HERE.




4. Fen Wasp.

Don't ask me why I chose to make hummingbirds nasty, but in my story they can't be trusted because they'll want to kill you. Yeah, and I love hummingbirds, so I'm not quite sure what I was thinking. Perhaps I wanted to come up with a character that appears really beautiful but is deceptively dangerous, hence the fen wasp: a medium dog size literal mash-up of a wasp/hummingbird. I'll offer more details when I write character and creature profiles.

Character designs from nature - pt. 1.

I've always been so impressed by creatures that seem altogether different, here are two creatures I'm using as the foundation for the Skywheel storyline.

1. Frilled Shark.

Because the first part of the story is a flood narrative, there has to be an underwater being, and the oldest known shark on earth is perhaps the best inspiration for it. Just think of this one as being much larger, by about three football fields in length, with glowing eyes. Also, think of Jonah. In the story it is known as the Sea Wurm. Its quite awful that these ancient fish are dying off, as many of them are turning up far from their deep sea habitat.



2. Neon Rainbow Jellyfish.

Also in keeping with the flood narrative, I went to this amazing jellyfish for inspiration. In the story, a select few members of the tribe are deep sea divers that harvest the iridescent ink from these creatures, they're about the size of a family van. I call them Coddle Squid, next to the Frilled Shark, they are the oldest creatures on the planet Adona, and like the Sea Wurm, they are sentient, or at least their ink is...

A Journey Round my Skull

http://ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.com/

I find myself returning to this blog time and time again. I love the attention the author gives to literature and art that might otherwise fade to obscurity. The art and the author's essays are quite rich and the archives are worth looking through. Enjoy!