Illustrating the creature within

Mythological creature

The original piece is very detailed and decorative in nature. The other artist captured a lot of the texture details, but not much of the patterning. The way they drew the shape remained true to the original form.

I was interested in the floral pattern on the body of the creature. I also brought in elements that weren’t there – such as the pom-poms, extra teeth, and fuzzy eyebrows.

There was an exhibit on that showcased art and mythological creatures from the Luan Qing dynasty. Two of us ended up illustrating one of these figures from the same vantage point. Although they are semi-rough sketches, both of us ended up with very different results.

Another artist's interpretation of creature © IH

How two people see the same thing can vary quite drastically. Perception is how we interpret what we are looking at and experiencing. In the article Culture's influence on perception, culture and life experiences all play a role in how our brain interprets this information.

So when it comes to creating art, it's no surprise individual artists interpret the same thing quite differently. When I recently visited the Vancouver Art Gallery with my sketch group, that's exactly what happened.

My interpretation of mythological creature ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

This is how I develop a lot of my ideas for children’s illustration. They come from drawing an initial shape. Once I have realistically sketched the form, I stop referencing the original object. I start to look at the image to see if there are things I can accentuate to make it my own. Many times this involves exaggerating an element that I find amusing or interesting, or adding something new.

By doing so, I am able to understand the personality of the character so I can draw them in any situation or mood. If I get stuck - I start to reference other artists or technical drawing books. One of my all-time favorite reference books is The Animators Survival Kit by Richard Williams.

If you have further questions on my illustration process, feel free to connect with me online.