Behind the Scenes: Micro Concept Design (Patreon)

You've already seen the initial sketch of the micro. Now here is the rest of the process. You will find that Bad Parrot's past work with wildlife and other factors had a big inspiration in the creation of this dragon.Not only was the sketch sent to Jia Hao, but we also sent him a variety of reference photos from real life animations. The Micro's body and feet are inspired by a Western Grey Squirrel, one of Bad Parrot's favorite patients at the rehabilitation center she worked. The wings and feathered tail are referenced from a Sun Conure which is the species of parrot Steve (BP's pet bird) is. The under side of his prehensile tail is inspired by gecko feet.Then Hao sent us his first draft of the Micro concept model. At this point we wanted to give him a flat footed resting pose and have him use his tip toes when walking, so we reangled the foot and leg. We also gave him teeth inspired by Raccoon. As previously stated, we decided a beak would make him look too much like a griffon and at this point re-sculpted the face with inspiration from small raptor species. We also tweaked the teeth some more here.Now that the rough design is set, Bad Parrot sketched a pose for the Micro to take in his concept picture as well as made a quick size comparison of how big the Micro would be when standing next to an Acid Spitter (he comes up to the knee).Hao sent a small preview and we did some more tweaks on the model. At first we were thinking of lengthening the tail, but decided to keep it on the shorter side since the suction cup effect of the gecko like feet would allow him to grasp bigger eggs without fully wrapping his tail around them.We also chose what the eggs should look like. We decided on an egg inspired by that of a crow. For the Micro's concept coloration, we used a male American Kestrel for pattern and color inspiration. This was a nod to the species ambassador falcon Bad Parrot worked with at the rehabilitation center.We also had Hao make an alterative "Steve Skin" special for BP which will be a rare unlockable skin that can not be achieved through breeding.And thus, the Micro dragon was created. Please note that the model will be perfected further when it is time to add him to the game.