TYTO SCORPIUS | Hard-shelled Terror of the Canyons

Originally a project for my fundamentals art class, I decided to take it to the next level. The original goal was to design a fantastical creature based off of 5 animals. Rather than stick with the classic griffin-type creature, I decided I wanted to challenge myself to make a cohesive animal with the given material: Barn owl, Scorpion, Elk, Cheetah, and Bat.

I ended up omitting parts of the design that were necessary for the assignment but unecessary for the vision I had in mind in the end product for this showcase.

DESIGN PROCESS

I used to own a scorpion, so I was really excited to design this guy. I opted to make the tail useful in 2 ways: as a weapon, and as a rudder which is why it fans out at the end. These guys started out as alpine creatures, but I decided rocky canyons fit them better. I love how freaky owl feet are, so I had to ass zygodactyl back feet. I was inspired by the way bats hold their ways and integrated that into my design, as well as the way they hang upside down.

The rhinoceros beetle horn was a must. Although it started as an elk horn, the beetle horn was the obvious choice since it meshed better with the exoskeleton design. I also manipulated the front mandibles/pedipalps in order to give the side-profile of the animal a more "barn owl" look.