Aaron's Art Tips - 13 Grounding Your Creature Designs In Reality

I this episode of Aaron's Art Tips Aaron will take you through his thinking in creating some of the creatures he's designed in the past. It all starts with research and looking at how some of the various creatures here on Earth have evolved the traits that they have. You can then apply that research to your own designs and create something that is believable.

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About Aaron Blaise:
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Aaron Blaise is an animation feature film director and wildlife artist.

For 21 years Aaron worked with Disney helping to create some of the greatest animated films ever made. During that time he worked as an animator or supervising animator on "The Rescuers Down Under", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Lion King", "Pocahontas", "Mulan" and more.

In 2003 he was co-director of "Brother Bear" for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

[RaghunathRajaram]

That Rhinostrich is unreal! Pun intended. Aaron you are truly an inspiration. It's a pity it took me this long to find your channel, but better late than never. Thank you so much for all these amazing videos. I've learnt more over one weekend than I have in the last few years put together.

[miker]

Hi Aaron, thanks a lot for doing the Art Tips series, I just watched them all and they are so inspiring, educational and amazing! Thank you!

I have a few suggestion for future episodes, I'm an animator myself so these are mostly on animation,

- Squash and Stretch, how it applies to facial animation as well as the whole body with regard to different parts (i.e. flexible and solid)
- Appeal, what are some of the guidelines to follow to get an appealing facial expression in animation, an appealing body pose or appealing shapes in general
- Opposing Force in animation, I read about this in Walt Stanchfield old class notes but I couldn't quite grasp the idea
- Exaggeration in animation, how to exaggerate a pose or expression and how far to push it.

thanks again :)

[UnderTowed]

I watched you draw a weird lion / zerba thing and now i can't stop watching your videos. Recently picked up drawing and purchased a wacom intuos draw after watching you. Very inspiring Aaron. Love it!

[mentallyderangeddoggirl]

The rhinostrich is very cool, but you went on about how it had stripes to blend in, but then it has a bright red and blue head when it's in Africa (I assume because of the animals you based it off). I just feel like it wouldn't blend in very well when it has a skittle for it's head.

But the talk about evolution was very cool, and how it had vestigial-like arms that weren't quite useless yet, and weren't fully gone.

[Angela-ouwb]

I absolutely love your explanations and how interested you are in your own work. I think that you would be an awesome art teacher.

[Kimi_A]

This was absolutely wonderful! Thank you! I am possibly starting on my first job as an animator soon and your tips are invaluable! Please keep them coming! 

[dougieladd]

This is great ! Reminds me of the demo you did for the Adobe Max Session 2014. Would love you to do more demos like that. That was truly inspiring in a practical way too. Thanks Aaron!

[Cearts]

Amazing art and an amazing source of inspiration, thank you Aaron

[MattDragovits]

Great lesson as always, but I'm even more impressed by those characters. I absolutely love the impish character with the raven. These should be available as prints. They would look great in a kids room. (or an adult like myself who refuses to grown up)

[Mary-gzqw]

Not only does it ground you in reality, but it also keeps you from floundering, with no real sense of direction. Good advice :)

[steliosstanis]

This is Rhinostrich it's like centaur and dinosaur!!! VERY COOL
👍😉👍😉👍😉👍

[SugarBlitzUK]

absolutely amazing, as always Aaron. Thanks! :-)

[MattDragovits]

BTW, it's funny you mentioned the pose drawing spark book. I ordered that months ago during his campaign!

[hobbsmakescomics]

Hey Aaron, these are great videos. I wondering if you have made any videos on cat anatomy, or drawing cats. what I am really having issues with is paws, and various poses of them. Anyway, thanks for what you do.

[JakeCollinge]

Hi Aaron, really love how believable your creations were and the highly polished rendering.

I have one question - the lighting in your final creature, the rhino/dino/ostrich, has a very magical feeling as if the light source is not natural.  Any thoughts to add to this?  He seems fairly ambiently lit and the light feels cold so it doesn't feel like sunlight.  Cool light of another world?   Beautiful range of color

[cynicg]

I bought the pdf of the sparkbook a month ago, it's interesting :D

[kitziz]

Hi Aaron, your tips are great and you gave me a lot of inspiration!
I was wondering if it is fine for you if I'll ask you a favor: i really have some coloring issues in the last few weeks with my project - and i hope you can give us a tip for coloring a scene, and balancing the colors saturation and light

Thanks again - you're doing a great job!

[nicholashughes]

Interesting creature design, be blessed, saved and all in Jesus shalom

[rage]

I make a 3 step process first a bone structure than muscler format than put skin on

[justinvanliew]

Your enthusiasm is just incredible. I love the way you put so much thought into things and really take time to study and enjoy creation and all of Gods many creatures thriving in it. Did you ever stop to think that Evolution (macro not micro) is somewhat of a "uninformed" (for lack of a better word) perception? Isn't it obvious that creative talent (far beyond anything we as humans could truly replicate, though we can enjoy and reflect it in many ways ways, as you are demonstrating) was involved in the development of each creature on the planet? Doesn't it seem far more reasonable to suggest a creator versus random chance coupled with natural demand? Just food for thought. I personally strive to serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who describes creation in some detail in His word and it makes me love it all the more. I can see his handiwork and appreciate it. You have a similar joy in observation and use it to "fuel" your work. Consider it as a careful design...