How To Create A Creature Of Your Own

We bring you this Creepy Creatures workshop with Seaerra Miller author AND illustrator of the hilarious, Mason Mooney: Paranormal Investigator. Seaerra sat down to tell you all about how she created the creepy world of Grimbrook and all the characters and creatures that inhabit it and and how to create creepy creatures of your very own in this video and the handy walkthrough below.

Hey Everyone!

I'm here to walk you through designing your very own creepy creature that lives in the highly strange and mysterious town of Grimbrook, the setting of Mason Mooney Paranormal Investigator.

Mason Mooney might not be the most famous Paranormal investigator in Grimbrook, or the best, or the second best, but he's certainly committed to investigating every weird creature that lives in his home town.

Recently there have been reports of strange happenings at the old bridge outside of town and it's up to you to decide just what's going on. Design a creepy creature of your own and make up a spooky legend to go with it!

Start with a piece of scrap paper and let yourself draw whatever you want! You can draw a strange animal like a rabbit with three eyes, or something totally bonkers like a walking seashell. When you have a design you like then you can move on to doing a more finished drawing on your final piece of paper. Here is a sheet you can download where I've drawn the bridge for you but if you have a different setting in mind feel free to draw that too.

Sometimes it's easier to write your story after you have a drawing. You can ask yourself what in the world would a giant walking Sea Shell would be doing in Grimbrook or why would a rabbit have three eyes? Is the third eye used for seeing into a plane of existence that us boring old humans can't sense? It's totally okay if you already have a story in mind. If you do, you can just go ahead and design your creature. There are no rules here!

Sometimes it's helpful to think about the setting too. Does this bridge have something to do with your story? What time of year is it? The more questions you ask yourself, the richer your story will be!

Don't be afraid to give your creature some personality! Is it crazy for frog eggs? Does it secretly sneak into the disco club on Saturday nights to dance away the stress of constantly having to stay hidden? Does it dream of being a pop star but the only sound it can make is a terrible ear -piercing screech?

No story or creature is too strange or mysterious to exist in Grimbrook. Let your imagination run wild and have fun!

If you'd like to have a go at drawing along with Seaerra, you can download drawing and colouring sheets here.

In case you haven't had a peek at it yet, here's a glimpse inside the brilliant Mason Mooney: Paranormal Investigator and you can buy a copy of your own here or you can ask your local bookshop to order it for you!