Also ich finde es sind gute Sketche von den Kreaturen. Gutes Design bei beiden. :)

I have to study too. -_-

I absolutely *love* your critters! I especially like the guy with the really awesome head-crest (I think I've seen them in your work before but I can't for the life of me remember what they're called...) Both of them look really feasible anatomically, and they have the feeling like they could have evolved on our planet with just the right circumstances.

One question: what does the snarley-guy do with his fangs? He's obviously a predator, but the only animals I can think of with large fangs in the back are certain kinds of vipers. I imagine that with such big fangs in the back of his skull he might have a difficult time getting his mouth around a large-prey item; the teeth might be for display, though.... Hmmm.... That's what I like about looking at art from a different person's head-world: it makes me feel like a biologist studying a brand-new specie!

Whenever I have problems keeping the proportions and scale of my critters the same (which is all the time *coughcough*) I try to make a 3D study to draw from until my brain gets used to the simple shapes they're constructed from. Sometimes I do it in Super Sculpey when I have some lying around, but here recently I've gotten very attached to the free program Sculptris. Have you ever tried going that route?

That's a Sickleback bull. :) --> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5792934/

Actually I was wondering if the Braktaroid makes any sense with those teeth, especially as they are placed rather far in the back and seem to get longer and longer the more often I draw them. Their position would make them useless or neglectable for killing purposes, so I think they might be for display, like tusks of boars. That seems to be the by far most meaningful explanation anyway. XD They probably kill their prey mainly by grabbing it and dragging it under water where they drown it. Braktaroids aren`t huge per se, but they are among the largest swamp predators, so they have enough prey that is small enough to be cought even with the protruding teeth. Everything else... yeah, I very much see them dragging it into the murky depths.

I absolutely suck in anything 3D related. >_< I tried to make a bust of Bloodi ones and it looked like Donald Duck. XD I have a really hard time imagening something in all three dimensions. :/ I think I have sculptris lying around, but I must admit I never tried it so far. I can be incredibly impatient when it comes to new media.

*looks at the picture and reads the description* Ohhhh! These guys are awesome! I like how they can signal to prospective mates with the colors of their crests; it reminds me of a few theories I've heard concerning triceratops/torosaurus. They live in the same world as Bloodhounds, right? Do Sicklebacks get used as mounts, or are they better suited to being used for meat or other food sources? Something tells me that riding one of these guys with such a big crest might be difficult.

Braktaroids being ambush predators and drowning their prey makes a lot more sense than trying to use their fangs to make puncture-wounds. I definitely wouldn't want to be caught in a swamp with one, that's for sure! Something tells me they're well-camouflaged, fast, and sneaky; a deadly combination!

I personally think Sculptris is fun and intuitive, but then again I love sculpting XD Have you ever tried sketching on graph-paper so you can make a bunch of turn-around sketches and have them perfectly measured?

(Also, thanks for responding to my questions! It's very awesome to be able to talk to such a talented and well-practiced artist about the critters living in their head :3 )

That's where I got the idea from. :D

Yes, they among th larges "bovines" on Ileyeah, but due to their temper and poor sight alone they are rather unfit for riding mounts. They were used in war times though. They were usually carrying heavy shield spheres and were sent ahead as chargers, stomping everything into the ground that crossed their path. Bloodhound do not keep any kind of creature for their meat. They hunt weak individuals in the wild, basically still fulfilling their duty as a population controll and health police. Also that way they appreciate their steak more. XD Simply speaking. To them it's somehow twisted to raise and nurture a creature only to kill it. Domestic Sickelbacks are usually kept to help with hard labour, although Hounds never try to exploit the animal in question. Once tamed they are less agressive and cows will allow to be milked etc.

*shakes head* No, never. It would probably make things easier to keep an eyes on measures and proportions. I am still way too intuitive when it comes to art and it shows in my flaws. *g*

Are you kidding? When it comes to my headworld I won't stop yapping, once people ask me something about it. xDDD

Haha! If I saw a Sickleback running at me full-charge in battle I'd definitely turn-tail and get out of there!

Bloodhound culture sound very interesting indeed. It seems to me that their culture is probably less of a burden on their environment, and they are probably more like "top-apex predators" if they only hunt weak or sickly animals. It sounds like they treat even their beasts of burden with the highest of respect, which I like :D When they go hunting do they say "prayers" or ask a request of the "spirit" of the animal they are hunting to kill it (like some native cultures here on Earth)? Ha, I guess first I should ask if Bloodhounds even have a concept of religion or spirituality.

Hmmm... I wonder what Sickleback milk would taste like? XD

Sometimes as artists we just gotta do art the way it's most comfortable for us; so maybe sketching your animals out of your head in as many different poses as you can imagine is the best way to go :D

They do try to live in symbiosis with their planet. Not to such an extreme as shown in Avatar, I guess, but close. Tere are of course always exceptions to the rules, but Bloodhounds see their homeworld as a living entity, something with a sould and a will. In their past Hounds were acting more accordingly to their name. They were waging a terrible war against their "cousins" and it ended with the planet being deeply scarred and a huge part of each population eliminated. The Hounds learned from this experience and tried to change their way. As for beasts of burden... Bloodhounds are a highly developed culture. They have concquered space and all that jazz, but they shy away from machines, especially artificial intelligence. Organic matter is fine, but robots and such? They don't feel comfortable around them so they still use methods that seem old fashioned and often make them appear less developed to other civilizations (which they have come to see as a benefit). I had once seen a short scene from one of the Dinoptopia movies where somebody explained that the herbivore dinos were proud of their strenght and thus shared it willingly with the humans, who in return took care of them in their own way. I liked this concept and I imagine it to be something like this on Ileyeah as well. I try hard not to display them as saints, though. XD They are just... different.

Religion... maybe. Spirituality, definately. Hounds don't really believe in a deity as such, but they believe that their homeworld is a living entity, but one that lies dormant, so to say. The three moons surrounding it though are the core of Bloodhound mysticysm and spirituality. They have names, personalities and are often adressed in something you might call prayers.

Eh, somehow I can't imagine it to be very tasty. XD It's probably somewhat bitter. *laughs* But maybe that would make it a great base for medicine.

I don't know... my headworld is my legacy. The only thing (next to art in general) of value I feel like I can offer the world. The only thing really distinguishing me from others, which is probably why it is so important to me.

Bloodhounds are definitely different from humans, but I definitely *like* the differences you describe in the Bloodhounds: I also like that you've given them historical experience to base their beliefs on. Makes me wish humans would be a little bit more like Bloodhounds and see the things we're doing to ourselves and our own home-world! But the Bloodhounds have obviously made mistakes and learned from them, that's very interesting and makes for a very good story ;3

Three moons, huh? I'd love to hear (or, I suppose, read :3) some Bloodhound mythology involving three moons. How does having three moons affect their planet, Ileyeah? Do they have some really awesome tides along the coasts?

Chatting with you a little, I can definitely see why you feel like your headworld is your legacy. I can tell how much love, attention, and time you've paid to it and it makes me feel like I'm talking to you about a place you've actually been to, not just one that resides in your head. I hope that as you post more artwork involving Ileyeah, the Bloodhounds, and the awesome critters they live with I can view them, enjoy them, and maybe even talk to you about them a little bit more :D

There is on old text I had written down about the story of "Three Brothers" as the moons are commonly called. It's not entirely up to date anymore, but if you`re interested you might try to give it a shot. :)

http://bloodhound-omega.deviantart......leyah-24956015

In general I have an entire folder on DA in which I collect most of my Bloodhound-related stuff. Again, most of the texts need updating, but this is the only place that has a collection in written form at all. ... Yet... X3

http://bloodhound-omega.deviantart......gallery/369145

Your creatures have inspired me since I found you on ArtSpots... Seeing your whole realm of creatures really helped me take one of my main creatures seriously and get a plan for him

That is wonderful! Our head-babies need to be tended and cared for!

Oh most certainly xD