November MOTM: Withered flowers monster concept sketch + design commentary // sfw

so if you haven't already noticed i love drawing flowers, and i love incorporating flowers into my monster designs--whether they're wearing wreaths or other flower adornments, or actually have flowers and leaves growing on them. directly theming a monster design on flowers is right up my alley--especially withered flowers, since it turned out that that aspect was not only fun to draw but also made me gradually have some really neat ideas about the monster's personality and role. it is a good example of when a concept begins a a more or less random prompt, and then the worldbuilding happens based on that simple premise, as the initial idea keeps spawning more and more thoughts. 

when i picture 'withered flowers' i imagine the bouquets me and my mum and my grandma hung upside down to dry, or the flowers i used to press in books, or the wild flower bouquets i still pick every summer and that i keep on the windowsill until they have withered because i like the #aesthetic look of that as much as i like them fresh. it's not like i had to do any research or look for inspiration for this monster design; i didn't intend to base the monster on any real-life animal, i didn't even mean for the flowers to exactly correspond to any real-life plants. the design was completely up to my imagination, which felt very liberating.

their basic anatomy is that of a gangly and bony were-creature; nothing too innovative in and of itself, it's the 'superficial adornments' that seal the deal for this design. they have flowers sprouting from their sternum and around to their back, almost like a renaissance collar. there's some non-flower/non-plant bits in the mix of leaves and petals and twigs; the flowing strands of what looks like fabric, which are actually inspired by the type of elaborate pieces of cloth (the mantling) you see surrounding heraldic shields. the 'cape' that grows from their shoulders are the same, as is--presumably--the blinds that cover their eyes. clusters of flowers also grow at various places on their body; sometimes the leaves and petals fall off, and when they grown back they immediately wilt again.

they're organic, but they're not made of flesh; i'm not sure what their torso is made of, but their arms and legs fade into what looks like greying driftwood. to me, withered flowers and driftwood felt like a good combination because both are 'dead' and faded, yet they're not less than they once were--they're just pretty in a different way, after having wilted. this is also the reason for the blinds this monster wears--their eyes are dead and fogged over, but that's not to say they can't see anymore. they just don't use their eyes for it. 

their chest has a hint of the driftwood texture, too, as does their face/head. their muzzle is relatively thin, their mouth is full of sharp teeth, and as seen on the painting, they have a most interesting tongue which can split in three at the tip. i'm thinking that they're an omnivore, variously using their very carnivorous-looking teeth to rip into flesh (not least carrion) or using their very dexterous tongue to pick up plants, berries, and nuts, or to suck marrow out of bones, or honey out of hives.

i didn't colour the concept sketch this time, but i knew that i basically wanted to use the colours you'd find in withered flower bouquets and driftwood. their whole vibe and the colours are all inspired by things that are old, faded, yellowed, stained, smudged, weathered, and worn. the more i think about it, the more i feel like this monster symbolises beauty in 'decay.' as i'm writing i just had the idea that they live in a cottage or cave full of forgotten things that they have taken care of after others have discarded them--things that some people might view as broken, old, useless, and worthless... but that are the most beautiful treasures to this monster. old yellowed photographs, broken toys, cracked vases, shattered mirrors, faded books, bleached bones, stained jewellery, knocked-out teeth, and of course ... heaps of withered flowers. they are a guardian of the abandoned and forgotten, partly because they like the look of these items (they are a Collector™) but probably also because they like the memories and feelings attached to the objects even after they have been left behind by their original owners. to them, every wilted bouquet is a birthday, a betrothal, a burial, a wedding, a celebration, an apology, a grief, a hope, a love. perhaps they secretly take care of the precious memories of others because they have none of their own... (yet)? 

// art + character © me.