Creature Design: But why monsters?

What do you think of when you hear the word “monster”?

Maybe you picture Dr. Frankenstein’s tragic creature, maybe King Kong or Godzilla. Maybe you think of the natural monsters that roamed this earth, or those that still do; dinosaurs, sharks, Grizzly bears. Or perhaps even human monsters, those that commit atrocities against their own species, the worst of humankind. Well, to me, this is a question I have pondered for almost 50 years. What IS a monster? What makes them frightening, or whimsical, or even funny? How do I create this symbol of all of our fears in a convincing and realistic way? And why is everyone so fascinated with monsters, creatures, aliens, beasts, and boogeymen?

My name is Jordu Schell, and I want to take you on a journey with me. A journey into the realm of imagination and wonder, fear and fantasy. A journey into the world of MONSTERS.

The love affair with monsters for me began at a very early age when I watched old horror movies on the UHF channels in the early 1970’s. There seemed to be a never-ending parade of these films to watch as a young boy, and I became fascinated with the concept of creating my own monsters. When I discovered plasticine (a very soft oil-based clay), I was entranced; I could now make my own little toy creatures in three dimensions!

This hasn’t changed. I still love monsters to this day, and I absolutely love creating them. I have worked for over thirty-five years in the film, television, and video game industries, and have come up with characters and creatures for many memorable films, such as, “Avatar”, “Men in Black”, “Babylon 5”, “Alien: Resurrection” and many more. But especially, I like sharing my passion with others. This is where I want to begin our journey together in this Domestika course.

I will give you all of my knowledge on how to create your own creature, character, monster—-whatever you want—-and give you the tools to do it. Links to references, inspiration folders, materials, and videos, a complete demonstration of the techniques I use, as well as tips and tricks to give your sculpted creation that special something that will make it stand out.
As a start to this journey, I invite you to download one of the special resources of the course “Tips on Sculpture” which I consider the most important aspect - the form - and how to improve your skills in this craft by observing nature.

The boundaries are only the boundaries of your imagination.
And that is what makes this course so exciting; you are not constrained by any limitations in your piece. You will discover along the way why monsters are such a fascinating and enduring subject in popular culture and why so many people are involved in this profession. You will find your own artistic voice perhaps, and create things of unimaginable beauty, wonder, or terror.

But best of all, you will find a love of sculpture you may not have realized you even had.

This magical medium continues to inspire new artists every day, and the sheer number of creators who are using their greatest gift—their imagination—is growing all the time.

You can be among them with my course "Creature Design and Sculpture for Film"; a journey into the phantasms of your mind that will surprise, amaze and endear you to this fearsome subject matter.

And it will answer the question: This is why monsters!