Missile Mouse Monster Designs

[agent44]

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to come up with a space monster design for Missile Mouse. These are pages from my sketchbook showing the evolution of the beast from “A” in the first image to “X” on the last image. I want the monster to be alien and sluggish, but I feel like all of these skew a little too the goofy side of the spectrum. I feel like it needs to look like a more formidable opponent. Maybe I’ll change my mind, but for now I’m not quite satisfied. I’ll post another batch of designs when I get closer to the design I want.

[thedeafguy]

they're a bit generic, almost as we've seen them elsewhere. Any way you can revise them and make them stand out from the norm? Make them unique?

Great designs and craftmanship but...in terms of characterization, I'd say that I've seen them before, and you see one, you've seen them all.

[agent44]

Yeah I was sort of feeling that too. Perhaps that's the reason for my dissatisfaction. Still, a little generic is fine with me as the thing gets killed off pretty quick in my story.

[Tony]

Ha ha ha, "G" is hilarious.

What about playing with the scale? Or is that something that's relatively defined? You know, add more, smaller teeth and more, smaller eyes?

Plus, generic isn't BAD - sometimes it's necessary so people can recognize it! And the context in the story will add to the uniqueness.

I quite like "T", too.

[agent44]

Here’s the last batch of sketches for this monster. As you can see for a little while there I toyed with giving him legs, but they just didn’t seem to fit with what the monster will be doing in the story. “A” and “B” felt a little too serious, and “F” was a little too obscene. So I settled on “G.” It’s a more refined version of where I was going with “X” in the previous batch. I would have loved to have spent another week on this guy’s design, but I have a schedule to keep in order to finish this story on time.

[Og]

I think you can psych yourself out trying to do Something Original (TM). I think any one of these monsters would be fine, once it's in the story and functioning. It's funny, I don't think people analyze your designs once the story is in full swing. They're thinking about the story, and that's how you want it anyway, I think. (I'm talking to myself here a bit, too, Jake - I'm having similar problems with my female lead in Moon Town, where NOTHING seems good enough to be that character. Everything seems like it's been done to death).

That said, I do think you've settled on the best of the batch in G, for what it's worth, but they all seemed good to me.

Just for my info, you say you're on a schedule. Is this for the next edition of Flight Explorer, or... what?

[campy22]

I'm with OG on this one.
I recognize these immediately
as being monsters from classic stories, or inspired by them, but it's really what they'll do, how they'll move and their personality that will give them their uniqueness. Like Chuck Jones would say, it's not about making a funny drawing, it's about making it do some funny things. Same with your designs that, by the way, are strong.

OH...and, Og... I actually think you were getting to some niceplaces with your woman design!
(^_^)

[agent44]

Thanks guys. I do get hung up on design, but that's only because it's one of my favorite parts of the process. I sometimes think I string it out a little longer than necessary just because of that.

Just for my info, you say you're on a schedule. Is this for the next edition of Flight Explorer, or... what?

I'm finally buckling down and drawing my own graphic novel.

[bannister]

Haha, cool monsters ! A bit Michel Gagné-esque, I like them !

[fizzgig]

cool stuff!

[Tony]

Okay, I don't know what's up with everyone else. I think they look original. The only thing I have to say is that I prefer the toothy-sphincter kind of mouth over the Predator-style mouth.

[Honolulu Dogfight]

These are all great, but I'm partial to the quadruped designs. And the hairy looking ones at that.
Great stuff.
-G