Jessica Greenslade Creature Art & Design

I started getting interested in creating monsters and unique creatures a few years ago when I began developing a love for horror and monster movies. Seeing everything that went into making these creatures greatly inspired me to make my own. I started sketching out vague ideas of fantastical creatures that primarily consisted of human-animal hybrids, like “scary” mermen and “scary” spider men. I was generally happy with the outcomes, but I yearned for something more interesting.

 

I wanted to create things that no one had really seen before. I also aimed to show certain commonalities with each creature, making them seem like they could all belong in their own separate world. To begin showing a sense of unity among them, I began making monsters with multiple eyes, usually three or four. Generally basing the shapes of these creatures around already existing animals, I continued to develop them in other ways, and in turn developed my own style as an artist.

 

I started to grow attached to these strange beasts, revealing them in my prints and paintings in addition to my drawings, and began making up certain characteristics and basic facts on different species. These thoughts then started translating into my work. I began introducing viewers to each creature as a unique and detailed specimen by making my drawings into diagrams, complete with diets, inserted drawings of certain features, habitats, and even breeding facts. This subject matter has challenged me creatively on a level that I had not previously met and has brought me much joy in seeing these unique figures transform and progress.