ILTN3012 - Negotiated Project

Suiko Koryaku, (1836) Koga Toan The Kappa of Japanese folklore are human-like water imp creatures that are said to have the same height as a child and are very proficient in sumo wrestling. They were also said to haunt inhabit rivers, ponds and lakes, and were also responsible for drowning horses and children. In supernatural mythology, they are categorised as one of many yokai spirits and are essentially a amphibious hybrid of human and turtle with webbed feet.  The Kappa in modern illustrated media Kappas are often illustrated as being a anthropomorphed fusion of a human and a turtle, having a shell on its back and a beak. Many companies or artists who illustrate the mythical creature often make a human-like, and sometimes cartoonistic impression of the kappa. Yokai Watch Faux Kappa, Yokai Watch. [Animated Series]   Level-5. Level-5 takes a cartoonistic approach tailored towards that of anime and manga audiences. The kappa is simplified to its basic...

Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, Heesung NAM The Minotaur is an iconic Greek myth which involves a creature possessing the body of a man, and head and tail of a bull. The Minotaur's origin was the result offspring between Queen Pasiphae and the bull that King Minos had kept possession of. It was also known to have lived within a giant labyrinth. The Minotaur within games: Many games interpret the Greek myth of the Minotaur in different ways, often adapting elements of fantasy that is derived from other concepts or narratives of the game while staying faithful to the original aesthetic from the ancient myth. Blade and Soul Naryu Labyrinth Minotaur, Blade and Soul.  [Video Game], NCSOFT. NCSOFT's take on the Minotaur adopts a sci-fi fantasy element to adhere to the stage setting that takes after Roman/Greek architecture with an emphasis on technology. The Minotaur presented in Blade and Soul is recognisable, albeit the upper half of the bull is amplified twofo...

In deciding the title for the project, I decided solely to focus on mythological creatures. With this, I have shifted the focus of the project on investigating how creatures in mythology are represented in video games and other illustrated media. Having looked at folklore, mainly concerning Japanese and Greek eras, the mythological creatures presented within said eras are the subject that I would like to investigate further, as many illustrations and graphical media have given their interpretation on illustrating the creatures in question. Delving into character design is one of my main interests, so looking into different routes to illustrate a mythical topic will be a likely subject to undertake because of the origin stories and the supposed nature they assume in myths. The research I undertake will not necessarily be limited to the aforementioned regions, as I am aiming to focus on human hybrid creatures within folklore and mythology. Many game designers have taken several of th...

I have made the decision to focus on studying the origins of mythical creatures of the world and how they are perceived and adapted for use in several different illustrated media, including those of games and animated illustrated series. This  touches on several different regions of folklore and mythology including that of eastern legends in Japan and China, as well as the historical Greek mythology. The end goal is rather vague, but should be the result of a roster of fictional creatures that originate from popular mythical tales in the world. Some immediate creatures that I have considered include the Minotaur, from ancient Greece, the kappa which originates from Japan. Regularly occuring creatures within pop-culture such as different variations of dragons may also be a subjects that I will touch on later in the project. Resources: Matsumoto S. and Keene D. (No Date), Japanese Mythology.  Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Japanese-mythology Accessed 12 Octo...

Some possible initial titles for the negotiated project include: Investigating mythical beasts through video games and illustrated media Exploring psychological and emotional aspects through character design Investigating an introverted lifestyle through illustration Investigating how to illustrate nightmares through folklore Exploring how colours are used to illustrate and communicate different environments It is in my interest to delve into psychological studies as well as emotional studies, the first of the options is a strong topic to research further, tackling various aspects of human mental psychology. Exploring subjects that involve intangible objects or figures is also of my interest, but I also need to consider the approach to investigating the subject matter when deciding on a definitive topic. As the topic of mental psychology is already allocated to another module, studying folklore is the likely decision for which this particular project will be based on. ...