BRING A FANTASY CRITTER TO LIFE

Matthieu Sarazin draws on a range of creative disciplines – both traditional and digital – to create his creature concept

- Matthieu Sarazin

This project tells the story of a small, winged creature – gentle yet strange – which holds the buried memories of a lonely house. Behind its smiling face lies a secret well kept, one that only the few tiny inhabitants still living in the house can truly see.

Creature design, for me, is by far one of the most creative parts of imaginative art. They can take any form, be good, dark or both, and it's exactly that duality that makes them feel so special.

Each creature is a mirror of our own contradictions: both fragile and alive at the same time. Every person, creature or living being hides a diverse collection of feelings and experiences that belong to them and them alone. When we try to bring something to life, I believe it's important to celebrate the beauty and depth of the world we live in.

In this workshop, I'll go through my creative process, starting with the 'terrifying' blank page, followed by sketch research, sculpting and finally setting the creature in motion through keyframes.

I'm not trying to be overly technical. Instead, I want to focus on what truly matters to me as an artist: the way of thinking. Technique comes through practice. A perfect line can exist, but it tells nothing without intention.

Think about the project

Art is a visual language, but defining its path with words helps us find a clear direction. It's often hard to know how to start the process of creation. You just have to dive in, scribble something, write down your intentions, and try to extract a part of yourself. The beginning of a project often starts with a scratch on a blank page.

Bring words into sketches