The Multiverse Library

-Magister Alseth, Beasts Which Cannot Be https://shorturl.at/P6VMN

M-ovement: Don't move! Remain still and calm. O-bserve: Try to pay close attention to the creature's behavior. Where is it focusing its attention? What is it doing? T-ell: Immediately inform a local Cryptid chapter of your sighting so they can catalog the event and contact local emergency services. H-ome: Return to a safe location, and remain vigilant for the next 48 to 52 hours. There is a chance the Mothman's appearance relates to you specifically, and care should be taken to prevent harm to yourself, your loved ones, or your surroundings. Don't stop exploring, all you Cryptid catchers out there!

Today we're learning about the Chupacabra! 🐐🩸🦇 These mammalian predators are common throughout the southern United States and Central America! They are a great starting point for zoologists, photographers, and amateur Cryptid-watchers! Remember to pack plenty of water, to properly staunch any cuts while traveling through Chupacabra territory, and to respect the natural environment as you explore. 🥾⛺🧭

Don't you just want to squeeze that stingy boi like a giant stress toy?! I've been out of the action for the last few weeks because of an injury to my drawing hand, but happy to be back! Follow me on Instagram @TopherStoll for more weird art and general life stuff.

Another creature mashup 🐳🦗! Whale + Roach = Whoach! I'm often asked how to create compelling and unique creature designs based on real world animals. So here are my 🔥hot🔥 tips! • Draw inspiration from as many organisms as possible. I try to use a minimum of three (though I've broken the rule here obviously). This keeps any one feature from being too prominent in your final design. • Try to focus on indistinct aspects of your inspiration, like posture, or the shape of their spine/head/limbs. Usually I say "not to replicate any one body part completely" but again in this case I make some exceptions. Although the body shapes/silhouettes are thoroughly mixed into something that barely resembles any of the originals, the head is very distinctly half whale and half cockroach. While the tail is mostly whale with some insect like spines to break up the shape. • Choose a variety of organisms as your inspiration and don't be limited by biological class. Insects are an exceptional resource and just as valid as general biology to plunder for creative inspiration. • Have fun! The rules of biology are your playground, and you can disregard the limits of reality as you please. A good example is in the exaggeration of the limbs on this creature. It seems to have unarmored mammalian limbs, but there are six of them to evoke its insect inspiration. The carapace on the creature's back looks much more streamlined, symmetrical, larger, and more abstract than they do on real roaches. Adjusting features to create visual flair or reduce complexity is A-Okay! I did the same thing with the spines on its back and tail. Creature design is an excuse to explore and experiment. Don't hold back. That's all I got for now! Suggest 2-3 animals that you think would make a good combo, and I'll create a creature based on them.  And be sure to follow my work on Instagram!

Mimikyu was supposed to be ready for April Fools day, but hey, I'm a busy guy. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Suggest the next Pokémon you'd like to see dissected in the comments.   Follow me on Instagram @TopherStoll for more weird art and general life stuff.

Another creature combination!🔥 This one is 🦊 + 🦇 + 🐡 and looking good! When creating these I always encourage going across biological classes for interesting combos. Two mammals and a fish are more similar than I would typically prefer (they're all vertebrates), but this was suggested by one of my commenters and I thought it sounded fun 😁 As always, choosing three animals keeps any single feature from becoming too prominent in the final design. This particular creature is a little off from what I'd typically draw. Its original design lacked the upper wings, and just had four limbs lined with venomous quills. Buuuuuut... that happened to be too horizontal/rectangular to fit Instagram's dimension requirements. The wings solved that problem and gave the creature and otherworldly flair that I really like. Generally when combining creatures you don't want to add unnecessary complexity. So if I was submitting this professionally I would only have the webbed forelimbs. Leave a comment with a couple (2-4) animals you want to see combined next! If I like the suggestion I'll make an original creature 🐙 outta them! 

Organic Armor Concepts Aquatic-  Without fire to smelt metals 🔥this nautical society depends upon advanced bioengineering to accomplish great works of engineering and architecture. Arctic- Produced for extremely cold and high altitude environments. ❄ The suit exchanges outside air through a series of biological valves to warm and oxygenate it before filling the wearer's helmet. The earmuffs are there because they are cute.  Desert- The pale coloration reflects heat, while the open pink orifices collect moisture from the ambient air, siphoning it into a bladder-like reservoir to sustain the wearer. In the unlikely event of a suit breach, the tongue-like protrusions on the helmet's interior seal over the wearer's mouth, nose, and ears to provide temporary life support.  Follow me on Instagram for more! 

TMNT Anatomical Illustration Real turtle shells have two primary parts- an upper portion called the "carapace" and a bottom portion called the "plastron." The shell is comprised of many fused bones  covered with a layer of keratin (the same fibrous structural protein that comprises your fingernails). The shell is fused to the ribs and vertebrae and collarbones of the turtle. Considering this, it's difficult to imagine how a humanoid with a fused spine and collarbones could perform complex martial arts (like ninjutsu). I tried to consider these limitations during this illustration, extending the pectoral muscles partially towards the sternum where they anchor to the plastron. TMNTs probably don't have abdominal muscles (as they don't rely on them to protect/contain their viscera or maintain an erect posture). Instead, you can see the external obliques on the creature's side, along with the serratus anterior muscles. I envisioned these as providing enough strength and stability (when combined with the shell) to function in place of abdominals. The shell is partially open on the TMNT's side, exposing these muscles, and allowing a degree of flexibility. This piece is the winner of my last Patreon poll, and if you want to choose which character gets deconstructed next you can support my art for just a dollar a month!  Follow me on Instagram @TopherStoll for more weird anatomical work and creature design stuff. 

I often get asked how to create compelling creature designs based on real world animals. So here are my 🔥hot🔥 tips- 1.) Draw inspiration from as many organisms as possible. I always use a minimum of three. This keeps any one feature from being too prominent in your final design. 2.) Try to focus on indistinct aspects of your inspiration, like posture, or the shape of their spine/head/limbs. Don't replicate any part of the original animal's body completely.  3.) Choose a variety of organisms as your inspiration. A tiger and a lynx might seem like a cool combo, but your resulting neo-kitty might not stand out against other more inventive designs. 4.) Have fun! The rules of biology are your playground, and you can disregard the limits of reality as you please. A good example is in the mirroring of the fins on the second creature. Doubling limbs or other body parts to create visual flair or complexity is A-Okay! I did the same thing with the claws in the final frog-trex-crab, exaggerating the shape and symmetry of its claws. Creature design is an excuse to explore and experiment. Don't hold back. That's all I got for now! Suggest three animals that you think would make a good combo, and I'll try to create a creature based on them.  Follow me on Instagram for more monsters!!

Alien specimen illustration from an upcoming project. 

Overwatch Characters Deconstructed.  Instagram 

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