Creature Field Guide

Creatures of Upper Ramiçae

My concept art book follows the findings of a young zoologist studying the behaviors and characteristics of the peryton species in Upper Ramiçae. On their journey through the continent, they will encounter many other obstacles and creatures in their world. My hope is for my audience to embody themselves as the zoologist and immerse themselves in the magical and dangerous world.

The book is in the working stage and the pages shown here may change as the concepts and world develops.

This creature design project all started with a simple Instagram challenge prompt. The prompt? “Hybrid Animals” through Character Design Challenge, and while I didn’t win the challenge, it began a spiral of concepts which lead to this art book project.

Perytons are mythical creatures. There are a multitude of different interpretations, but the general consensus is they are flying deer. After many different designs and concepts, I came up with the creature below.

Concept Artwork

Concepts for different peryton species in Upper Ramiçae can be found in the slideshow below.

It started with a mourning dove and a mule deer. Early designs and studies show my process in developing the creature. After creating my “Mourning Peryton,” I thought to expand the species using the main deer in North America. When creating these Perytons, I use birds that can be found in the same environment as their hybrid counterparts. Another consideration was bird species that fit the aesthetic of the deer.