Mythical Monsters Site

[Peter Dobbin]

Hello

I wanted to put a project out there, that I've just finished:

http://mythical-monsters.com/

The Mythical Monster Map allows you to learn about the world’s astonishing looking Monsters which are linked to country customs and stories in legends.

The Monsters exhibit a variety of characteristics: from the strong but unintelligent Troll of Scandinavia to the benevolent and extremely powerful Azure Dragon of China to the beautiful, magical forest-dwelling woman Madremonte of Colombia. Behaviour varies from Monster to Monster: some are threatening, some are helpful to humans and some have magical powers. The body shape and colours and dynamic poses help to highlight the individual characteristics of each Monster.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Did you illustrate that?
Very good.

 

[Peter Dobbin]

Thank you!

- I did illustrate it, quite a few months of work on an off between jobs.
As a day job I'm a concept/storyboard artist

 

[Yithian]

Great-looking website.

You've missed the nine-tailed shape-shifting vixen from Korea.

 

[kamalktk]

The artwork is high quality, the editor needs to take another pass at things (for instance the Korean monster is shown with a map highlighting Indonesia, and some descriptions end mid sentence).

 

[Peter Dobbin]

Thanks Yithian

There's quite a lot of ones, that I would have loved to put on (The Kumiho, being one of them). If the world map sells well, I'd like to draw areas in more detail:

ie. A map just for Asia, another focusing on Europe, America, etc.

 

[Yithian]

Unusual depiction of a dokkaebi, too: they usually have a single horn growing from the top of the head, usually a club and sometimes a single leg.

Criticism aside, it all looks great, and if it encourages the young and the not-so-young to gain an interest in such subjects, I'm all in favour.

 

[Peter Dobbin]

The artwork is high quality, the editor needs to take another pass at things (for instance the Korean monster is shown with a map highlighting Indonesia, and some descriptions end mid sentence).

- Yes, thanks I realised I'd messed up with the Dokkaebi position
- I'll take a closer look at those descriptions, too.

 

[PeteByrdie]

Great-looking website.

You've missed the nine-tailed shape-shifting vixen from Korea.

I think I dated her for a while.

Beautiful work. You're very talented.
EDIT Is there a link somewhere for someone interested in buying the book?

 

[Peter Dobbin]

Thanks for all of the support, I really appreciate it!

I'm looking for a publisher for the book at the moment, if it all goes to plan and I am able to get a book out there, I'll re-post and let you know.

In the meantime, if you are able to buy a map or send it on to someone you might think is interested I would be very grateful.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Thank you!

- I did illustrate it, quite a few months of work on an off between jobs.
As a day job I'm a concept/storyboard artist

I see you've worked with Cambridge University Press. Years ago, I used to work in the CUP head office!

 

[Peter Dobbin]

Amazing! I worked on a couple of books called Superminds for CUP.

 

[Spudrick68]

I have shared your page on my Facebook page. I hope that it helps.

 

[Graylien]

I do like the overall style, but personally I prefer it when digital fantasy/sci fi art is created freehand, rather than developed from 3d models. (Which tends to make figures look like videogame characters.)

 

[poozler]

I really like your illustrations. If you need someone to edit/proofread the text, I'd be happy to do this at no charge. I have been an editor for over 25 years, most recently at Oxford University Press for 10 years.

 

[Peter Dobbin]

I really like your illustrations. If you need someone to edit/proofread the text, I'd be happy to do this at no charge. I have been an editor for over 25 years, most recently at Oxford University Press for 10 years.

Thanks, That would be a great help!
If you mail me on this address: [email protected] I can send you over some hi-res images, thank you!

 

[GerdaWordyer]

Fantastic artwork, and I like your choice of fonts very much--some of my fave combinations!

 

[amarok2005]

I hope you get it published, and I hope you create more mythical maps! Of course, you'll need a supply of monsters, so here's a strange thingummy to start you off:

The Nidagrisur

Folklorist William A. Craigie, in his 1896 book Scandinavian Folk-Lore, mentions this odd rolling spectre of the Faeroes:

"The Nidagrisur is little, thick and rounded, like a little child in swaddling clothes or a big ball of yarn, and of a dark reddish-brown colour. It is said to appear where new-born illegitimate children have been killed and buried, without receiving a name. It lies and rolls about before men's feet to lead them astray from the road, and if it gets between any one's legs, he will not see another year. In the field beside the village of Skali on Oestero stands a stone, called Loddasa-stone, and here a nidagrisur often lay before the feet of those who went that way in the dark, until once a man who was passing and was annoyed by it, grew angry and said 'Loddasi there,' upon which it buried itself in the earth beside the stone, and was never seen again, for now it had got a name."

Cragie adds that he in turn took this tale from the Faeroesk Anthologi (1891), ed. by V. U. Hammershaimb, v. I, p. 331. "Grisur is a 'grice' or young pig; the meaning of nida and the force of the exclamation 'hasin Loddasin!' are obscure."

 

[Yithian]

"Grisur is a 'grice' or young pig.

Interesting. I only just became aware of this now-extinct (real-life) creature. It finally went extinct in the Highlands of Scotland somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century, but in recent years a taxidermist was commissioned to create a reconstruction based on contemporary descriptions.

This, the final product, may be viewed in the Shetland Museum, Lerwick.

Source and details on the creature:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grice

 

[ramonmercado]

Interesting. I only just became aware of this now-extinct (real-life) creature. It finally went extinct in the Highlands of Scotland somewhere in the middle of the nineteenth century, but in recent years a taxidermist was commissioned to create a reconstruction based on contemporary descriptions.

This, the final product, may be viewed in the Shetland Museum, Lerwick.

View attachment 14612

Source and details on the creature:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grice

Hogmanday