ZBrush as a Character Design Tool - ZBrush Creature Design: Creating Dynamic Concept Imagery for Film and Games - page 34

ation to inform their designs of creatures, characters, and costumes. These basic lessons of art and design
apply to everything from the simplest shape to the most complex creature design. In the end, we are always
just moving shapes and color to influence the perceptions and feelings of the viewer. Collect examples of
strong, easily read graphic design to add to your reference folder. Just the act of learning to recognize good
abstract design is valuable. It's even better to analyze why you respond to some designs over others. This
helps you determine what makes a particular layout appealing.
Design Statements and Features
A design statement is an element of the design that can be considered key, or part of what makes that
particular design unique. The term is sometimes interchangeable with design feature . You want to make
sure every design has at least one statement. You can have multiple statements, but if you get too many,
you end up with elements fighting each other. Determine the design statement in your favorite characters.
Frankenstein's monster's flat head is a statement; Predator's mandibles and dreadlocks are statements.
By these examples you can see how it is important to pick out elements and make them features that will
make the design special rather than just decorate it.
Anatomical Considerations
When working up a creature, I consider the physiology and biology in terms of its natural world counter-
parts. A powerful carnivore, for example, will tend to have large, crushing masseter muscles in the jaw. Fig-
ure 1-33 shows the substantial surface area given over to the jaw muscles of a carnivore.
This physiological detail is important because we subconsciously pick up on those shapes and cues. By
creating a character with large, powerful jaw muscles, we tell the viewer that the character or creature is
strong and potentially dangerous. This is because we are cued into those kinds of subtle details when we
observe other animals, including people.
Look at the highly developed masseter muscles on a muscular male ( Figure 1-34 ) . These are a result of
intensive training of the neck and shoulders as well as low body fat. Typically, a strong jawline is partially
created by pronounced masseter muscles: this tends to denote strength.
Figure 1-33: This skull shows the large surface area given over to the jaw muscles of a carnivore.