In the inky depths something wicked lurks. Saturday sculpting fun. Let's face it, there's not much else to do. It doesn't really help the creative process to just say "make something cool". So I try to set myself mini-briefs. I will make up a scenario, environment, and a vague backstory. With a more structured outline it is a lot easier to design with some structure. Sometimes this brief will be inspired by a book, sometimes a poem, film, even a piece of music. I also always work with some reference, not in a slavish way but I may have two or three creatures in mind, or even a piece of machinery. I try to find the iconic key to what I want early on, is it many spindley legs or a powerful jaw, does it have fins etc? On occasion I will see the germ of a creature in a wallpaper pattern or a knot of wood. I also think it is important to give them character, even a worm can have character.