Mixing references to create a new creature (Patreon)

Creating a realistic creature is difficult without references. The more unusual features you want to include, the more reference images you'll need. I wanted to draw something like a velociraptor, or some kind of feathered dinosaur. It's a pretty simple design, so I only used 3 references. Photo of a ram for the pose and perspective, a dragon head sculpture for the basic shape, and a photo of a cormorant for the coloration, natural colors, and lighting.

Hope you enjoy the video https://youtu.be/k6Iz_hYy6_8

I hope I'll come back to this someday to add some scales and other details so it looks more reptilian.