This project was created from a prompt to create a monster with a backstory.

My monster’s name is Timothy. He lives with his family in a cave next to pastures of sheep in Ireland, but he is on his very first family vacation at the beach. Timothy is young, timid, and a little bit nervous about all of the sea creatures around him (like the starfish that latched onto him while he was in the water!). Timothy has a coat of furry hair to keep him warm during the foggy weather where he lives, so the beach was a big surprise. Timothy’s main job while he’s at home is taking care of the herd while the shepherds are sleeping, which his horns come in handy for; and he blends into the sheep because of his coat, so they don’t get frightened by him!

I used a set of watercolor brushes for this project, which was inspired by several children's book illustrations from my years as a child. I also used the bright, complimentary colors of orange and blue, mixed with the neutral color of the sand to lend to the continuity and visual interest of the piece.

I took a lot of textural reference from pieces like "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, as seen below