Top British Concept Artist Peter Dobbin has come up with a nifty way to keep track of those things that might be lurking under your bed – by putting them on a gorgeous Mythical Monster Map.
The Mythical Monster Map allows you to learn about the world’s astonishing-looking Monsters, which are linked to country customs and stories in legends, from the strong but unintelligent Troll of Scandinavia to the benevolent and extremely powerful Azure Dragon of China; to the beautiful, magical forest-dwelling woman Madremonte of Colombia.
The Monster Map has a description of each Monster’s country of origin and of their characteristics and each creature’s description is clearly labelled with a matching silhouette to correspond with the colour illustration on the map itself.
The background Map provides the country and cultural context for each of the Monsters and is available in a number of sizes: A0, A1 and A2. The large format map can be bought as a print, a laminated version or a framed picture.
Promotional art for the Mythical Monsters Map project.
Mythical Map creator Peter Dobbin has been working for 18 years as a Concept Artist, mainly in the computer games industry. Regular clients have including Sony, Microsoft and Electronic Arts. He’s also spent time as an illustrator on projects with the British Council and Cambridge University Press. He’s also been able to use his skills in producing material for film, television and children’s books.
As a Concept Artist, Peter has used his knowledge and skills in character design to make sure each Mythological Monster has its own strong visual identity, the Monsters all shown in distinctive dynamic pose, representing their individual personality types. The Şüräle of Russia, for example, who tickles people to death leans forward with bony fingers. Shōjō of Japan who is a sea spirit with a fondness for alcohol leans backwards with a bottle of Sake in one hand.
European Mythical Monsters
“Mythological monsters teach us a great deal about different cultures and societies in different countries,” Peter, who lives in East London, says. “The characters of the monsters reflect the beliefs, suspicions and perceptions held by people in the past. The Monsters were an expression of their fears and hopes and also linked communities to the supernatural world. The Monsters have provided the material for story-telling by generations of people, about another world beyond the human one.”
The project has been well received by young and old alike, and Peter hopes to follow it up with a Mythical Monsters book and Battle Card game.
“We are always looking for something different and the Mythical Monsters Map is just that, enthuses Alan Smith, Managing Director at Global Mapping. “We read about these characters in fantasy literature and they exist in our imagination with a vague idea of where they come from. Now, this map brings them to life with wonderful illustrations.”
“I liked the pretty ones that look like princess such as Maria Makiling and Madremonte, but my favourite is the evil baby Toyol,” says young fan Iris Taylor from Melbourne, Australia. “I didn’t realise there were some many different monsters around the world.”
Quite apart from some great art, Peter has made sure that all of the text descriptions give the reader a real insight into the monsters’ background and behaviour and their cultural context. Well worth checking out, I think.
• Check out the map and future projects at http://mythical-monsters.com
All art © Peter Dobbin
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration Fundraising Auction, “Airborne”, takes flight 
Lancashire Artist of the Year challenge returns, for landscape artists 
“Robinson Crusoe” artwork by John Worsley offered in upcoming auction 
Remembering Robert E. McGinnis