I have been working my way through Matt Hargenrader's project "Dwellers in the Dark Places". The underwater race of Quesh'tar were odd for me to work on. Their bodies are not exactly solid, and as such becomes a challenge to illustrate in black and white.
Each of the following Quesh'tar (in order from young to old) have different abilities and defenses. Check out "Dwellers in the Dark Places" when it comes out.
First we have the Quesh'tar Adult.
Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2015.
I started with this one. They are three legged and three armed beings, living most of their lives underwater. These are your average Quesh'tar, the workers, the breeders, the everyday inhabitants of their realm.
The Adults spawn buds on their bodies which fall off and become the young.
Next come the Quesh'tar Juveniles.
Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2015.
These young Quesh'tar have very little defenses, their carapace is not developed and they spend thier days eating and growing.
When the young get bigger, they molt and become one of two other varieties. Either the Quesh'tar Morphians, or the Abomination (a rare occurrence, during times of duress.)
Here is the Morphian, these are the warriors of the group, the middle young.
Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2015.
Heavily influenced by crabs and other underwater crustaceans I wanted to portray that these Quesh'tar were fighters, and defenders. However, they would not be the only Quesh'tar that could hold their own in battle.
When they age the crab-like claws drop off and they return to a more normal Quesh'tar Adult form as above.
This final illustration is the Quesh'tar Abomination.
Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Matt Hargenrader 2015.
With their massive hooked claws, and their snouts that spit black ink like substances into the faces of their enemy these things are formidable, violent and aggressive. They are rare, though as I stated earlier and only appear when other Quesh'tar are threatened.
For the backgrounds I tried to maintain a nautical feel, with sponges, lichens, ship wreck pieces, and other fauna of the ocean floor.
Thanks for looking, comments always welcome.
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