199 (124+75) | 7 | 97
The aim of the project was to research and visualize one mythological creature of each country, to show their variety and uniqueness.
124 original characters, 75 of their adaptations, 6 maps of the continents and, finally, the map of the whole World of Cryptids – all accomplished in 97 days.
'My mission was to illustrate these characters as well as the maps, supplementing them with a decorative typeface. The work that lasted over 13 weeks was a great challenge to all the team. I had the most amazing opportunity to improve my character design skills and find an appropriate graphic expression that would combine all the elements in one style.
Big thanks to the agency NeoMam Studios and the client SavingSpot.
I am also very grateful to Povilas Daknys, the art director of NeoMam, who invited me to join this project.'
(Laimutė Varkalaitė, the illustrator of the project)
The Process
The project was developed in several steps:
The research.
Finding out what mythical creatures live in every country of the world.
The result of the research.
Systemizing the research material and finding out which one of the creatures is most representative of a particular country.
The creative process.
Stylizing the characters and finalizing their presentation in the following sequence: 1. a quick sketch of the character; 2. a line drawing; 3. drawing filled with tones ; 4. an illustration covered in colors.
The result.
125 original characters and 74 adaptations (overall 199 cards), 7 maps and a set of decorative letters, which was used for the first letters in cards and maps.
Essential Features of the Graphic Style:
The linear drawing of the characters is based on a logical construction:
the lines meet each other and lead the eyes along the silhouette;
Characters look like small sculptures. Such an impression is conveyed by a combination of geometric forms, the graphic features of academic drawing, and by rendering the characteristics of certain materials, such as, iron and gypsum;
Each cryptid resembles a sign and can be well identified in small size;
All characters conclude a unified set of cryptids.
All the maps and characters
THE MAP OF THE WORLD
NORTH AMERICA
The map, creatures and adaptations of some of them
The creatures
The adaptations
A closer look at some of the cryptids
SOUTH AMERICA
The map, creatures
The creatures
A closer look at some of the cryptids
EUROPE
The map, creatures and adaptations of some of them
The creatures
The adaptations
A closer look at some of the cryptids
MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA
The map, creatures and adaptations of some of them
The creatures
The adaptations
A closer look at some of the cryptids
REST OF ASIA & OCEANIA
The map, creatures and adaptations of some of them
The creatures
The adaptations
A closer look at some of the cryptids
AFRICA
The map, creatures and adaptations of some of them
The creatures
The adaptations
A closer look at some of the cryptids
A SET OF DECORATIVE LETTERS
The Experience
'Thanks to this project, I found out so much about the world of cryptids. The confidence and patience of the team helped me achieve a lot in the new graphic style. During this period my artistic skills in the field of character design improved even more using Adobe Photoshop Sketch and Adobe Photoshop softwares, also iPad Pro and Wacom Intuos Pro tools. It was a great pleasure to get to know each character and to depict it.
That was an absolutely amazing project!
Thanks a lot to everyone with whom had an honor to collaborate on this exclusive project!
I am sincerely grateful to Kęstutis Ežerskis, prof. Libertas Klimka and my dear friend Aistė Jankūnė.
Great thanks to those, who have already discovered this project in SavingSpot blog or some other place on the web and have posted their comments or shared it.
Projects like this are a unique opportunity to increase your knowledge, improve your skills and discover something amazing that would serve as an inspiration for the future.'
Sincerely, Laimutė Varkalaitė, the illustrator of the project.
More about the project you can read in the client's Savingspot blog:
https://www.cashnetusa.com/blog/every-countrys-most-famous-mythical-creature/
