May MOTM: Coral reef monster concept sketch + design commentary // sfw-ish

alright, time to talk about this coral reef guy. i had a kind of instant idea of what i wanted him to look like in terms of his anatomy and features. he has webbed hands and long webbed feet, for swimming. they make him a bit clumsy on land, though--which i personally think is oddly adorable. just imagine this scary sea monster waddling around on land on the webbed toes of his awkwardly long feetsies. but he's basically an ancient spirit type of creature with some magic up his sleeve, so he can shapeshift into a more human-like form if needed--if he feels like walking, for example. on that note he's amphibious, but he can't be away from the ocean too long (and much prefers saltwater to freshwater). 

he's an ambush predator--he stalks around the coral reefs, laying in wait until an unknowing prey gets close enough, and then pounces on it, biting into it with rows of sharp teeth or grabbing it with his claws. his neck, back, and tail are covered with plates and frills that mimic corals and move about in the same way underwater (but when he's on land they lay flat along his back, like chunks of seaweed). on top of that, he can change the colour and texture of his hide, much like an octopus or squid, so he's always excellently camouflaged. he can change his colours at will, but it can also sort of happen by itself in a number of situations--if he's in Hunting Mode, pissed off, startled, or aroused, for example--so it can act as a means of communications as well. he's like a monster-shaped mood ring lol. 

to be honest, i didn't originally plan for him to have this ability. when i first imagined a coral reef monster i thought of those dark red, stone-like coral pieces that people often make jewelry out of. however, when i googled for inspirational images, i remembered how insanely colourful and diverse coral reefs are. as i've mentioned before, i normally don't work with very bright or saturated colours. i often prefer a more muted, earthy, "natural" colour scheme. but in this case, bright and saturated colours would be perfectly natural--in fact they would make more than perfect sense for a creature that lives in a coral reef. so this was a good opportunity for me to choose colours i wouldn't normally work with and challenge myself in that department.

i proceeded to draw a sketch and started trying out different colour schemes (basically the six versions shown in this post), but with all the colours of a coral reef to choose from, i found it very difficult to settle on a single colour scheme. i liked a bunch of them, and all of a sudden realised that hey, what if he *can* do all of them? and this, of course, is why the concept sketches of him shown above and below look different from his colours in the finished painting and sketch. 

like already mentioned, i decided to turn him into a proper character and named him kaulana. he's basically the guardian creature/spirit of a coral reef, which is why i wanted him to have a regal sort of "crown" of coral-like horns. that's not to say he's an all-benevolent king categorically caring for all his subjects; you can't necessarily count on his protection just because you hang out in his reef. the reef is inhabited and frequented by mermaids and other sea creatures, who generally view kaulana with a mixture of respect and fear, because he punishes those who threaten his reef, and rewards those who respect it (whether they're other supernatural creatures or humans). he's not a stranger to devouring misbehaving mermaids, but then again, if you're a good egg he's also very likely to help you out if you're in danger or any other kind of pickle. he's there for you when you need it, as long as you behave--and if you don't, well. better start running.

// art + character © me.