Aliens

Reflecting on the nature of these aliens I have in mind I was originally drawing inspiration from the terrifying and fear-inspiring demons of the Diablo games, particularly Diablo III. They certainly look like they are from another world and carry the kind of aesthetic I have in mind, of having features evolved to kill. But I realised that even the titular character pictured has two arms, two legs, and very little difference in animation rigs besides a tail and how they are actually animated. Whilst I think animating the same rig differently would also be a good test and demonstration of my animation ability I think it would be better to have two different rigs altogether.

So I have been looking to other sources of inspiration and have found them in insects, as they have evolved so different and have such a diverse range of species, and I think basing an alien on an insect-like race makes sense and is already established in science fiction - I also looked at cave and deep sea creatures because we know so little about the creatures that live in those places that they still seem very alien to us.

This creature, a bobbit worm, is nothing short of freaky and I looked further into worm-like creatures.

I found another worm-like creature which also came across as being a very unusual, alien-like creature. Hagfish have elongated, eel-like bodies, and paddle-like tails. They have cartilaginous skulls (although the part surrounding the brain is composed primarily of a fibrous sheath) and tooth-like structures composed of keratin. Colors depend on the species, ranging from pink to blue-grey, and black or white spots may be present. Eyes are simple eyespots, not compound eyes that can resolve images. Hagfish have no true fins and have six or eight barbels around the mouth and a single nostril. Instead of vertically articulating jaws like Gnathostomata (vertebrates with jaws), they have a pair of horizontally moving structures with tooth-like projections for pulling off food. The mouth of the hagfish has two pairs of horny, comb-shaped teeth on a cartilaginous plate that protracts and retracts. These teeth are used to grasp food and draw it toward the pharynx.

They can also produce a slime as a defence of offensive mechanism. By now I'm quite set on the worm-like body and features.

But last but not least another one of my favourites I looked at was the siphonophore; a collection of many jelly-fish like creatures that are independent but act as one organism. I like the idea of many organisms acting as one and may keep this idea in mind, but I figure this may be quite hard to portray.