#nazrigart
I was blown away with the response I got from my first batch as well as on my Instagram so here are even more exploration of Biology-infuenced Merfolk, AKA even more of Kara’s neighbors.
Likewise, you can find out more about them on my instagram, as this is not just an exploration of jaw apparatuses, but also merfolk fashion.
Most merfolk clothing are based off of the creatures of the sea and some amphibious critters, from fishes to crocodiles and mammals (like the Elephant seal jacket of the lionfish!)
Woven kelp are another major clothing materials, with clams, pearls and mussels act as jewelry. Sometimes whole critters are used as both fashion and pets! Sharks likewise don’t need braces, so Mrs. Frilled Shark simply thought they were fashionable!
Mermay 2022: Biology Influenced Merfolk
Hey there folks! If you’ve been following my twitter and instagram, for this Mermay, my theme is to basically take inspiration from real life biology, and apply them to their design as merfolk… especially their wicked set of chompers. It got so popular on Insta, I even made backstories for their designs there xD.
You can read up more about their stories on my Insta, but the gist is this:Karais a Great White Shark mermaid, and she does her best to look out for her sister, a Lamprey. She lives in a town full of quirky characters, whose merfolk come from multiple kinds of fish and critters of the sea.
A warmup doodle heavily inspired by ecology, since tigers have been known to hunt bears, wolves, mugger crocodiles and whatnot.
So, imagine: A weretiger, whose entire job/instinct is to hunt other, equally and more formidable werebeasts.
He’d make either a good protag, or a good final boss.
It’s the first month of May! You know what that means? Mermay!
Cheating a bit, as I wanted to design a concept of a were-Anglerfish. The lady fish woman is, of course big and mighty… while the dudes act more like powerups than anything.
Being a massive history nerd, I LOVED it when Belos referred to himself as a Witch-hunter, because it makes complete sense since he’s from the 1600s. 1600s England/Colonies were also known as the age of Oliver Cromwell and Witch Hunts, and considering Cromwell’s attitudes toward the Irish and the sheer influence he had on politics and culture of the time, I have no doubt that Phillip idolized the guy.
…
Also watched Wolfwalkers recently.
Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone has a blessed Easter, which, by coincidences, also happens to be on the month of Ramadan AND Passover weekend!
Drew a doodle and short story inspired by this: In the waning days of the Crusader states, Maryam, an adventurous girl, finds some neat eggs, and is determined to know who it belongs to. Little does she know, the Knight across the street is the artist, as he was feeling homesick and wanted to bring a bit of Easter here in the desert. He’s kind of shocked, but it’s nice to know someone appreciates his work!
About to Introduce something I’ve been working on with my friends for a looooong while.
It’s a worldbuilding/book idea that I’ve been making, in a Universe where the gods are both real and tangible, where they walk alongside mortals, and govern massive amounts of territory in real-space. Mortals pray to the gods and empower them, and in-turn different Pantheons watch over them and protect, both from the various monsters of mythology… and against each other.
It’s a universe that explores how gods affect everything political, economic and biological, alongside the backdrop of civilizations rising from the backdrop of the ruins of a long-fallen galactic empire.
Currently contemplating making a sub-tumblr for this, but we’ll see!
Mary Anning, the mother of modern paleontology!
Happy Women’s History Month everyone!
The final batch of drawings for Mermay! Thank you all so, so much for the response. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this series to be so well liked and successful on somany of my social media platforms.
I felt like for the final batch, I wanted to explore how paleontologyinfluenced merfolk would look like, and how they influence ‘modern’ merfolk. (Prehistoric Planet probably influenced my decision haha)
These are the lads and lasses that help found the formation for merfolk culture, from first-of-the-firsts like the Anomalocaris and the Tiktaalik to true giants of the sea, like Shastasaurus, Livyatan and Megalodon. The Megalodon is Kara’s personal idol. (Kara’s the great white shark featured in all previous batches, here she’s teaching kids how cool history is!)
The most important figure here in Merfolk history is actually the Mosasaurus, AKA The Ocean Lord. He was a Barbarian King who hated landlubbers and was the sworn nemesis of “The Tyrant King”. He’s revered by modern Merfolk for his combination of strength, cunning, battle prowess and magnetic personality.
However, a tablet written during his time paints a different picture of the Ocean Lord: One of an arrogant, bloodthirsty ruler whose conquering ways and obsessive hatred of the landlubbers did more harm long term than anyone could have imagined.
A shout out to @miuzes , who motivated and helped me with tips all throughout the way. Another shout out @florence-is-gay/@legendary-disaster , who made fan art of Kara!. I’m STILL freaking out! Never would I expect I’d get fan art for this! :D
A bit sad Prehistoric Planet has ended, but I’m thankful to get a series like this now, as a grown up. It felt like blast from the past.
Also poor Carnotaurus
Not really a spoiler but y’all will understand the context when you watch it.
Again, thanks y’all for the support in my previous Mermay batches!
Part 1
Part 2
This week, I wanted to explore the various forms of sexual dimorphism in Merfolk, ALSO inspired by real life Biology! From the massive size of differences between male and female Blanket octopus and Angler fish to the almost non existent size difference in Oarfish and Beaked Whales!
It was also neat to explore various cultures from outside of Kara’s (The Great White from Part 1) town, for example the Narwhal and Salmon folk are northern adjacent nomadic tribes.
And unlike their IRL animals, even after pairing up or having kids, these Merfolk still get to live their lives (so the Salmon and Octopus folk get to live long lives here!)
