Griffins are notorious for this with their bird talons on the front legs and lion paws on the back. You take pieces of animals and graft them onto each other with stitches.
The most common creature design technique is something I call Splicing. No photos needed at this stage because I’ve eaten them all. Here’s some guys I drew after I finished studying. This is going to be yet another visit to Splice vs. Now what we’re here for: Design.Ĭreature Design Masterpost || Splice Vs Blend This is IDEAL because you won’t be slowed down by anatomy. Now that you’re weapon is loaded with reference, you’ll be able to design freehand without copying a photo. Make sure you are tracing mass and bones, not outlines.
Remember: you can trace photos as part of study! This is helpful for correcting proportions and anatomy. I even did a separate page where I studied the structure of their manes, since I wanted that in my griffin design. Practice most on the creature you’re having the hardest time with. Look up things like hunting, fighting, walking, running, landing, etc to get action reference. Use action poses to practice! Even though they’re more challenging, they will infuse your final result with action as well. Keep it simple and undetailed, only drawing the essence of the photo, rather than exact position and proportion. Get your reference, and start practicing. I’m only going to tackle Lion + Eagle today for simplicity, but you can use this advice to combine two, three, or dozens of animals including horses. Being specific helps you observe detail more accurately, and it already puts you one step ahead of generic designs. I searched specifically for African Lion and Gold Eagle. Your first step in reference gathering is to be specific. Fill the chamber with reference unless you want to play roulette. If the final result is your target, and you see your drawing arm as a gun taking aim, then references are your bullets. It’s like juicing up for a very tasty dream by consuming your favorite genre, characters, settings, etc and hoping your subconscious combines them.
How to draw horses || How I practice anatomy || Gesture drawing Draw everything individually, from multiple angles.