The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

ROUGH SKETCHES EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL FOR THE NIFFLER IN A BANK ENVIRONMENT AND DESCRIBING HIS CHARACTER:

1 Here is the Niffler travelling at bag level. He hasn’t yet finished with one thing when he sees the next object of desire. He’s quite distracted in that sense. The purse felt like a funny prop to show his absolute focus and interest as he wrestles to retrieve its contents. As the clasp gives way the money pops out and his heart skips a beat as the money shoots out ahead of him.

2 We thought an encounter with a dog would be funny as the Niffler is meeting a sort of equal. It also helps showcase that he has a clear choice in the face of certain danger. The dog can easily bite off his head but the pendant is very attractive. How far is the Niffler willing to go? He is then chased away by the dog and hides in someone’s bag, which is then picked up and carried away. I was interested in the idea that the Niffler travels around the bank, evading Newt by good fortune as the wizard struggles to capture him.

3 The Niffler’s unstoppable opportunism was inspired by the honey badger, extremely tenacious member of the weasel family that lives in South Africa. Honey badgers stop at nothing to accomplish their goals. They are incredibly resourceful and use other objects to help them get to a tough spot. In this sketch we explored the use of an umbrella to help the Niffler fulfill his need to reach the lady’s hat. We were trying to keep the use of props within the realm of animalistic behaviour and avoid anthropomorphism at all costs. Here we also explored the use of the tongue as a way of stealthily retrieving objects.

4 In this sketch we have the Niffler lying in wait behind a man’s jacket ready to snatch his pocket watch. Also we wondered if the Niffler might go unnoticed wrapped around a lady’s neck disguised as her scarf. All of my sketches in this book were a quick way to think about actions and gags that can be entertaining.

5 Further exploration of tongue use that was later dismissed. We were trying to imagine ways that the Niffler might move around the bank undetected. In this image we see the Niffler being unwittingly plunged into a janitor’s bucket with a mop. In this way he would have the good fortune of escaping Newt’s clutches by being wheeled across the bank. The handle of the mop is also a useful prop for climbing up to a higher level. PG

EARLY DESIGN FOR THE NIFFLER Up close and looking sneaky. RB

EARLY DESIGN FOR THE NIFFLER A beady eyed Niffler on a branch clasping coins. RB

EARLY DESIGN FOR THE NIFFLER The Niffler’s big, prehensile nose is ideal for sniffing out shiny objects. RB

EARLY DESIGN FOR THE NIFFLER A sly-looking version. RB

THE NIFFLER David Yates had seen some platypus footage and really liked the way they moved, so these concepts – sculpted 3D models with a little painting over them – are playing with the proportions of the Niffler’s features (nose, legs etc.) as well as the idea that its pouch was a large purse-like a tail. We also tried using small feathers instead of fur. PC

THE NIFFLER A very early attempt, sculpted in ZBrush. PC

A SERIES OF TUNNELS, WHICH IS THE NIFFLER’S LAIR This is very interesting to travel through, but not so interesting to look at from outside. So we thought it would be good to combine them with something much more colourful and exotic: the butterfly leaf tree. DP

THE NIFFLER ENVIRONMENT Car hood ornament, a gold watch, a brass tap: as long as it is shiny it is valuable to the Niffler. DP

THE NIFFLER ENVIRONMENT Evidence of the Niffler – like finding shiny objects in a magpie nest. DP

‘A LOOK AT THE NIFFLER STASHING GOLD IN HIS POUCH. THIS WAS MOSTLY EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIFFLER’S COAT, TRYING OUT DOWNY HAIR IN COMPARISON WITH A MORE FEATHERED LOOK.’

THE MURTLAP This is a photorealistic render I made for one of my sketches for the Murtlap. At this stage, the creature looks like a mix between an alligator, turtle and a rat. The idea behind the image was to explore its textural appearance in a proper lighting condition. AV

MURTLAP SKETCHES Here are three approaches to the Murtlap. I love the mouth idea on 1, it feels like this guy could eat anything, as rats are supposed to be able to do.

For 2, I used this black and white render as a starting point for the photorealistic render. Again, the profile view was a great approach to make me understand the volume of this creature and how it could move. The front legs make it more aquatic like.

Number 3 is another variation, with different back and front legs. I was trying to make the motion functional for this creature. Because it was crawling on the ground, it needed two strong back legs to help it move forward. AV

THE MURTLAP I only produced one of these Murtlaps: I suppose there’s not a lot of possibilities for a rat-like creature with a sea anemone on its back. PC

THE GRAPHORN ENCLOSURE This is the second environment that we visit after that of the Thunderbird. I wanted to immediately break any expectation the audience might have of what the ‘rules’ for the environments might be. The Thunderbird environment had an animated painted backing, the Graphorn environment floats in a star-studded black void. Similar visual ‘language’ of rough, worn planks and posts with sand and rocks keeps it all aesthetically consistent. I also liked the strangeness of a brightly lit landscape against a black sky. DP

THE GRAPHORN ENCLOSURE We wanted the Graphorns to be hidden at first – the sound of their hooves on the loose rocks would be the first sign of their existence. DP

THE GRAPHORN loved the description of the Graphorn in J.K. Rowling’s book and wanted to do it justice, but I also wanted it to be distinct from the Erumpent. In these sculpted 3D models I made it slimmer and more shapely, to avoid it looking too much like an Ibex; I then added the tentacle beard, which I thought it could use to catch termites or ants. PC

THE GRAPHORN Paul Catling created the original design for the Graphorn, which I personally think looked fantastic. I was then asked to redesign its head and neck, and flesh out its finer details overall. The biggest design change to the head was adding multiple horns.

We approached this like a real animal. It had to move like a cat but be big and powerful like an elephant or rhino. It had to be intimidating at first glance but also endearing and nurturing with strong family bonds. Finally, it needed to have adapted its colour and skin type to fit into its desert environment.

A couple of concept paintings were done resulting in a new design that helped our 3D model and texturing department. RJ

THE GRAPHORN I wanted to illustrate the book’s description of the Graphorn having ‘an extremely aggressive nature’ by keeping its head low, permanently in ramming mode, its shoulders massive and unyielding yet with a slim, almost athletic rear end that can accelerate, cheetah-like, propelling its huge bulk and sharp horns towards its foe. PC

THE RUNESPOOR The Runespoor was supposed to be a regular-sized snake and everyone seemed fine with that until about mid-production when Christian Manz asked me to redesign it from scratch and to make it “fantastic” and “huge”. I had full creative licence and it was an honour for me to have the chance to contribute to the film as creature designer. ABR

‘THIS IMAGE WAS RESOLVING THE RUNESPOOR’S SKIN TEXTURES AND COLOUR, AS WELL AS HOW IT COULD LIVE AND CRAWL ON STALACTITES.’

THE BOWTRUCKLE This was my attempt to make the Bowtruckle cuter by using, rather randomly, the appearance of a seahorse. PC

THE BOWTRUCKLE A combination of beauty, strength and danger: that’s what I pursued when creating this concept. MK

THE BOWTRUCKLE I drew this version in anticipation of feedback from the art director. I tried to make it scary because the previous version was too appealing. MK

EARLY BOWTRUCKLE DESIGN His bark is worse than his bite… RB

IDEA FOR THE BOWTRUCKLE ENVIRONMENT I did this when I thought it might be more of a fairy tale forest. DP

THE BOWTRUCKLE ENVIRONMENT We come to this habitat just after the Occamy’s bamboo environment. I felt it would get lost if it was another forest so solved that by making this one much more sculptural and also to have it float and turn. The trees are like characters themselves. An earlier version was more bonsai in appearance until David Yates commented that ‘bonsai’ is too ‘ordinarily extraordinary’. DP

EARLY BOWTRUCKLE DESIGN This version looks more green and leafy. RB

EARLY BOWTRUCKLE DESIGN This is his attempt to blend in with a tree. RB

THE BOWTRUCKLE With this one, on the other hand, I took the insect side too far and it was rightly pointed out to me – who on Earth would want a gnarly insect man poking around inside your ears? PC

THE BOWTRUCKLE Here I used an insect as a base with a random mouse head to make its mantis-like body a little more friendly. No one was fooled. PC

THE BOWTRUCKLE This was well liked. I think it has a reasonable balance between twigs and insect. PC

THE BOWTRUCKLE This character was interesting for me, but unfortunately I spent a couple of hours on it. When I was asked to proceed with the next, I was not able to deeply explore it. MK

SERIES OF BOWTRUCKLE DESIGNS I worked with Martin Macrae on these creatures; using Pickett as a reference I did a series of silhouettes to get a feel for some different characters. Once we had those approved we took them in to a more photo-real finish where Martin did the majority of work to get them looking more realistic, using lots of sapling reference to get the surface texture right. DB

THE BOWTRUCKLE When trying to create something unique and never seen before, sometimes you have to try less obvious ideas before coming back to the fact that a ‘twig man’ should look like a man made out of twigs. PC

ONE OF THE FINAL DESIGNS FOR THE BOWTRUCKLE Many artists worked on this piece. Getting the character right was quite tricky. The Bowtruckle needed to be friendly but also a little formidable. MM

THE BOWTRUCKLE These designs were based on the work of another artist. They use the language of a silver birch tree to create the features and expressions of the face. The asymmetry makes it seem as if the creature grew organically from the tree rather than following a set plan like a human or other animal. BK

THE BOWTRUCKLE This one is based on a fallen leaf. I’ve always loved the way leaves curl in on themselves as they dry out becoming like insect shells. BK

THE BOWTRUCKLE In this concept I was playing around with leaf shapes for the body. I wanted the audience to see the leaf first and at second glance see the Bowtruckle, like camouflage. SR

THE BOWTRUCKLE More explorations of the Bowtruckle. PC

THE BOWTRUCKLE One of the many variations I did. It was a team effort to work on this creature. At this stage I was exploring a lot with eye variations in order to make this head believable. I took the idea of insect’s eyes to avoid anything too stylized. AV

THE MOONCALF PLANET This is made of a broken sphere held together with cables to bolster Newt’s not-quite-right magical construction. DP

SKETCHES OF MOONCALVES Drawing these was a way to become familiar with Paul’s concept, to try to understand the Mooncalf from the point of view of construction, motion and character. PG

THE MOONCALF PLANET Stuart was really keen to keep the ‘segmented orange’ feel – like Sydney Opera House – so there is a strong contrast between the rough, bumpy, eroded outer surface and the sharp, clean, sliced inner surface. DP

THE MOONCALF My second attempt at a Mooncalf, the first being more goat-like. It was described as having eyes on top of its head, which gives the notion that the Mooncalf had somehow evolved solely to stare at the moon, so I thought I’d strip away any features that didn’t fit that idea. PC

THE MOONCALF PLANET Newt’s magical powers enabled him to float the Mooncalf planetoid but not bring it back to earth. This is what the windlass is for – just enough mechanical ingenuity to help him out, but he is no Heath Robinson. The wooden ‘wave’ platform is inspired by early twentieth-century wooden rollercoasters. I wanted it to feel as if it had been partially created with the sweep of a wand then finished with hammers and nails. DP

THE MOONCALF The barn owl face didn’t make it with the Demiguise so I tried to shoehorn it into the Mooncalf design. Luckily people had already warmed to the earlier concept. PC

MOONCALF DUNG To design the droppings of any magical creature is a bizarre and exciting brief. We considered the characteristics and habits of the moon-worshipping miniature calves, and gave the droppings a size and texture we felt naturally befitted them, along with a distribution in the meadow which would give the planet a lived-in look. The ‘pats’ are created when the creatures come out at night and stare at the full moon, clustering their excretions in one area so as to protect the grass from becoming sour. Much like a cowpat, the surface is pitted and irregular, faintly resembling the craters of the moon. The silver dusted surface is a small clue to the superpower of the dung when used as a fertiliser on plants and vegetables. Hence Newt’s barrow full to the brim in this visual. MS

THE MOONCALF The Mooncalf is an adorable creature. Designing realistic facial features while preserving the cartoon proportions that gave the Mooncalf its endearing look was a fine balancing act. And I had the chance to work with my VFX supervisor Arnaud Brisebois on this image. SC

THE OBSCURUS HABITAT A frozen environment to contrast with the hot, dusty Erumpent habitat just next door. A good home for the Obscurus. This was painted over a frame from an animation that also showed how the mechanical moon opens and closes to show its quarter, half and full phases. DP

THE OBSCURUS This was a concept I was asked to do showing the Obscurus trapped in a box or tablet shape. Here, we see the face pushing through the surface. DB

ABANDONED ENVIRONMENT IDEA We were very keen to keep the environments slightly ‘arch’ and theatrical. They have a reality akin to the panoramic backings in the New York Natural History Museum, but instead of including elements to support the illusion of reality we looked for elements to hint at the un-reality. In this case the rocks and trees are quite ‘staged’: a little too perfectly placed.

This image also demonstrated an abandoned idea, which was to have the habitats appear as ‘ghosts’ in each world in turn, seen in their background. Newt’s shed existing where he needed it to be and Newt walking or jumping from one habitat to another. No need for a home base because home is where your shed is. DP

THE AQUARIUM In Newt’s upside-down world floats become weights, and nets keep water in but not very well. DP

THE AQUARIUM This was a quick and easy way to express how slightly ‘off’ and clunky Newt’s magic might be at times – he could have just built an aquarium but instead he magics the water in to a block; but it doesn’t quite work and some of the sea creatures float off. DP

THE ERUMPENT ENVIRONMENT The Erumpent environment backing is magical like the Thunderbird one, but made to look like it is painted on sheer muslin rather than canvas so it is translucent and allows the light to pour through the boards. DP

THE ERUMPENT ENVIRONMENT Inspired in part by the raptor cages in the original Jurassic Park – you know something dangerous is in there but you can’t quite make it out. DP

THE ERUMPENT ENVIRONMENT From this angle we can see what Newt can’t see (yet): the Erumpent has smashed out of the back of her habitat. DP

THE ERUMPENT ENVIRONMENT Evidence of the Erumpent’s escape – with giant bugs swarming in the shafts of light. DP

THE ERUMPENT IN ITS HABITAT Here I have placed Rob Bliss’s Erumpent sculpts into my creature habitat design. This is not strictly correct, as the large creatures would not share a habitat – the herbivores wouldn’t last very long if they did. DP

VERY EARLY ERUMPENT DESIGN I’m not sure why but I apparently thought it was the size of about twenty buses stacked on top of each other. RB

ANOTHER EARLY OVERSIZED ERUMPENT DESIGN/RB

ALTERNATIVE ERUMPENT DESIGN WITH A TOUCH OF COLOUR/RB

FEMALE ERUMPENT I was designing the Erumpent as a male for a while, then it was decided to make him a her. We fitted udders at first to make her gender distinct but in the end settled on teats. RB

MALE ERUMPENT Sexual dimorphism is the term for the physical differences between males and females of any species. Sometimes it is expressed in extreme ways. How could we have it occur in magical creatures so as to be humorous and entertaining? In this gag Jacob might ponder over a small and feeble looking beast. ‘What’s this one called?’ he might ask Newt. ‘Ah, that’s the male Erumpent.’ PG

MALE ERUMPENT Here is the Erumpent male, smaller than the female, pining for his mate. Small enough to be bossed around whilst still big enough to crush your house. RB

EARLY ERUMPENT SKETCH This was the first piece that I did for Fantastic Beasts. I was trying to get a sense of a big playful creature, with elements of a bull terrier dog, manatee and a beetle. DB

THE ERUMPENT Another approach. This one has more of a bulldog feel to him, I was testing the idea of a semi-transparent pouch on his back that would reveal the liquid it creates inside. DB

ALTERNATIVE ERUMPENT DESIGN So maybe these guys are so sad, they did not pass the audition. It happens… MK

EARLY ERUMPENT SKETCHES In these first sketches, I tried to avoid a strong resemblance to a rhinoceros, although it was not so easy, knowing that the horn is located right on the nose. MK

THE ERUMPENT A futher exploration of the Erumpent. DB

THE ERUMPENT This idea was heavily influenced by the African hippo. I love the texture of these creatures. I combined this with a more whimsical, spherical silhouette. DB

SKETCHES FOR THE HIPPO-INSPIRED ERUMPENT Again really trying to get a sense of character from the poses. DB

EARLY ERUMPENT SKETCHES These were great fun, just trying to a get a sense of how the Erumpent might move or interact with the film’s characters. DB

EARLY ERUMPENT SKETCH This shows how the Erumpent might inflate the liquid filled pouch on its back. DB

THE ERUMPENT Here I tried to make the Erumpent a little cuter, using the American bison shape, but the colour scheme was deemed too alien. PC

THE ERUMPENT With this one I again took the rough profile of an American bison and wildly exaggerated the chest. It made me giggle imagining it running – its tiny little front legs scurrying desperately, trying to keep up with the galloping rear legs. However, the lack of proper face gave it little personality. PC

THE ERUMPENT I thought this was fun for the Erumpent: a giant crab-rhino thing; but it’s supposed to be a creature we can feel sympathy for. PC

THE ERUMPENT I drew this image to show a dramatic moment at the zoo in Central Park. The Erumpent, which is on heat, is crashing against a wall, destroying everything in her path and threatening the small hippos around her. The dramatic action in the scene has been pushed by an intense lighting cutting through the frame and casting strong dark shadows, while the atmosphere has been enriched by dust and debris. Ultimately the aggressive pose of the Erumpent conveys the full dramatic power of the situation. FC

ERUMPENT SKETCH This time its horn is filled with its explosive glowing liquid. SR

THE ERUMPENT This creature combines the sturdy power of a rhinoceros with the ethereal strangeness of a jellyfish. BK

THE ERUMPENT I came on to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them during the middle of the design stage. A lot of the early ideas had been sketched out and Rob Bliss had laid a solid base for the Erumpent. This was an experiment with scent glands along her back. This would give the audience a visual cue that she was in heat. SR

SKETCH FOR THE NUNDU ENVIRONMENT This was for me to explore what I was going to explore, complete with a snail completing the world’s slowest loop-the-loop. DP

THE NUNDU ENVIRONMENT Stuart loved the concept that the Nundus and a snail-like beast existed so close to each other but that the Nundu would have no idea that these dark mysterious creatures are just beneath its feet. A metaphor for the Muggles and the wizarding world. Of course I pretended that was what I was going for. DP

THE NUNDU The Nundu is an exceptionally dangerous beast. For this version I looked at the hoods of medieval executioners and the bodies of hairless beasts. BK

THE NUNDU Another idea for the Nundu referenced spitting cobras and puffer fish and the way they expand when threatened. I tried to apply this behaviour to the creature’s lion-like mane. BK

THE NUNDU The Nundu is described has having breath that reeks of disease. I liked the idea that this contamination would spread throughout the body so the whole creature was covered in mould and fungi. BK

SKETCH FOR NUNDU HABITAT I liked the idea of the environment being stored like a theatre set with the trees and rocks obeying their local magical physics (i.e. they don’t fall off when stacked sideways). But I didn’t develop this idea beyond the sketch. DP

A NUNDU IN BOTH ITS NORMAL STATE AND ITS INFLATED ONE The main image was inspired by the puffer fish. SR

A LITTLE INSECT BIODOME THAT MIGHT FLOAT ABOUT RANDOMLY IN THE ENVIRONMENTS It was decided it might be a bit cruel. DP

EARLY BILLYWIG SKETCHES With these I wanted to explore as many body shape variations as I could. The profile view was a great starting point as I had the possibility to look for an iconic silhouette in order to build a strong signature look. Going in different directions would then give me a more creative result. AV

THE FWOOPER This was probably the easiest concept I had to do. I just looked at J.K. Rowling’s drawing in the book and redrew it. I did add a bit of owl, though. PC

THE FWOOPER This is one of the characters that was approved before I started making sketches. MK

THE GLOW WORM The design of the Glow Worm required a lot of research and experiments. The challenge here was to create a believable insect anatomy while mimicking incandescent tungsten filaments found in standard light bulbs. SC

THE SHRIMP CREATURE The one was a lot of fun. I was asked to look at different types of transparent sea creatures to help capture some of its more grotesque otherworldly qualities. The tentacles were actually inspired by the bodies of hagfish which I thought where creepier somehow than traditional tentacles found on squid or octopuses. DB

THE SHRIMP CREATURE This version of the creature is a cross between a carpet mite and a shrimp. The ‘eye’ opens to reveal itself a rather nasty beak. BK

THE SHRIMP CREATURE I wanted this creature to have the heft and dangling limbs of a large toddler, while at the same time being rather disgusting. BK

THE SHRIMP CREATURE Though a spider’s speed and movements are usually rather scary I though they could also denote friendliness and enthusiasm. BK

DESIGN FOR THE DUNG BEETLE Finding the balance between a believable, fantastical insect and a relatable character was fun. SR

THE DUNG BEETLE Here I was trying to create a beetle that masquerades as a flower. The open version looks much more interesting. MK

THE DUNG BEETLE This beetle uses its mandibles like a pair of outside callipers to assess the size of its dung ball. BK

THE DUNG BEETLE This idea came from watching a dog trying to carry a large ball in its mouth and always dropping it. BK

THE DUNG BEETLE I liked the idea of giving its industrious qualities to something really big. BK

DOXY SKETCHES I was only able to work on the Doxy for two days, after which I took on another character. I really liked the idea of black fairies. MK

THE DOXY In this embodiment of the Doxy, I combined the overall colour of the gorilla and wings of black beetles. MK

THE DOXY In this version I also used the black fur and bluish iridescence of beetles. MK

AN EARLY DOXY DESIGN/RB

THE DOXY This Doxy’s ears can make it either sweet or scary. I liked the idea of a creature whose aggression was out of all proportion to its size and appearance. BK

EARLY SKETCHES FOR THE DOXY I decided to draw them as insects, so they could exist in Nature. I wanted to avoid any human limb-joints to get away from the idea of the fairy. AV

THE DOXY Here is a design where I tried to blend some characteristics of a tree frog with a moth. It was based on an early frog-like sketch that Ben Kovar had done and which I was asked to develop further. I loved the idea of the Doxy using its ears as wings: it added a nice bit of humour to the creature. SR

THE DIRICAWL These are various options for the Diricawl, a very cute bird, with a variety of colour. MK

THE DIRICAWL This design is based on a Dodo, its magical nature masked by its mundane appearance. BK

THE DIRICAWL Though not typical work for me, I really had fun coming up with different methods of extinction of this bird. MK

DIRICAWL SKETCHES The outline of the Diricawl, an ancient, extinct bird that resembles the Dodo. Despite this similarity I tried to make a slightly different version. MK

THE DIRICAWL I tried to use an interesting combination of colours here in order to avoid any resemblance to a bird in Alice in Wonderland. MK

THE SWOOPING EVIL Working on the Swooping Evil was a real joy. I remember thinking the description of the creature was fantastic. I was looking at various different butterfly species as I liked the idea of this juxtaposing with that terrifying animal-like skull! DB

THE SWOOPING EVIL IN COCOON FORM This was a more photo-real approach to the Swooping Evil.

At the time, I was looking at the early stage of insect pupae for reference as well as some plants and tree seeds. DB

SWOOPING EVIL HEAD STUDY After I got an overall feeling for the Swooping Evil I did this to really get a feeling for what the surface of its skin might feel like and how the skull fits under that strange organic hood. DB

SWOOPING EVIL MOTION STUDY This was a really quick study I did to get a feeling of how the Swooping Evil might open up after it is thrown in the air. DB

DEMIGUISE AND OCCAMY NESTS How do you show an ‘absent’ creature was a recurring challenge in this story. Two big challenges in this example, where the Demiguise nest hovers above the giant Occamy one, guarding it. This was inspired by something you might see in the Sculpture Park in Yorkshire. DP

ARTIFICIAL ‘SUN’ Newt moves this around the environment and it throws interesting shadows. DP

REJECTED CONCEPT FOR A CREATURE Although this was rejected, it was very interesting to combine plant and reptile. MK

THE DEMIGUISE NEST Stuart was worried that this might look too much like a piece of sixties furniture – the solution was to ask the props department to create the Demiguise nest purely by eye, without measuring anything, to make it more organic. The result was something reminiscent of mud wasps’ nests and paper-maché masks we made when we were kids.

An example of the idea that concept design is about asking questions not necessarily answering them: I put books in to the Demiguise nest. Can he read? I was told ‘probably not’ – but maybe he likes picture books. DP

THE DEMIGUISE This image shows the Demiguise living in a wild and verdant forest. Here the creature is a mix between a hairy ape and a lemur. AV

THE DEMIGUISE This Demiguise was a reaction to David Yates remarking that earlier designs looked less interesting than actual Orangutans. It’s basically a monkey with a barn owl face, but I thought it worked probably a bit better than others did so I decided to ‘magic it up’ a bit. PC

THE DEMIGUISE This is the magical version. I imagined that its actual body was tiny, hidden in a mass of prehensile fur. Its limbs are made entirely from this fur so they could stretch out to reach distant branches as it swings gracefully through the forest. PC

ALTERNATIVE DESIGN OF THE DEMIGUISE Here we see it amongst the flowers in the department store. RB

EARLY LEAPING DEMIGUISE In this early concept I wanted to convey the sense of energy as the Demiguise leaps across the crockery department. RB

THE DEMIGUISE During the early stage of the design period, we were looking to the orangutan for a design lead on the appearance of the Demiguise, as we tried to combine the humanity of the ape with his simian agility. Here he is hanging off a lamppost. RB

ALTERNATIVE DEMIGUISE DESIGN In this design he is happily focused on a pretty butterfly. RB

ALTERNATIVE DEMIGUISE DESIGNS These are two further explorations of the Demiguise, of the full body and in close-up. RB

‘THIS WAS THE IMAGE THAT DIRECTOR DAVID YATES KEPT COMING BACK TO AGAIN AND AGAIN. THOUGH THE DETAILS OF THE DESIGN WERE NOT QUITE RIGHT, THE ATTITUDE AND MOOD WAS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTED. THIS HAPPENS A LOT IN CONCEPT DESIGN: A PARTICULAR IMAGE WILL SNAG IN THE DIRECTOR’S MIND FOR REASONS HARD TO PIN DOWN, SO YOU HAVE TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO IMAGES THEY COME BACK TO.’

FOUR ATTEMPTS AT A DEMIGUISE The first one I really liked (1), but unfortunately the director was less keen so I started doing other options. The second option (2) was closer to what the director had in mind, but still not ideal, so I moved on. Another (3), was more reminiscent of a sloth or lemur and was closer to the final image. Lastly, I did one with a fancy head (4). MK

THE FIRST SKETCHES OF THE DEMIGUISE Initially, I tried to make it more playful and perhaps overly humanized. In these cases, I tried to create a character more like a sloth. Once everyone was happy with this view of the Demiguise, I made a side and front view then transported him to the film noir-style scenes. MK

THE DEMIGUISE The Demiguise was my favourite character, possibly due to the fact that I worked the longest on it, and almost all my variants the director liked. This is the final approved version. MK

THE DEMIGUISE We were playing with the expressionistic ways of showing the Demiguise’s movement through space. The brief was to come up with a surrealistic tone to this scene. We looked at a lot of film noir, German expressionism and art deco fashion photography where the use of light and shadows is very inventive. We thought that this creature might be able to sneak around the department store via his shadow creating interesting elongating shapes. Perhaps his shadow would operate in contradiction to his own movements. PG

CONCEPT SEQUENCE OF THE DEMIGUISE Pablo asked me to do this to show how the Demiguise might move around using shadows, completely breaking the laws of physics as he goes. DB

EVOLUTION OF AN EARLIER SKETCH OF THE DEMIGUISE It was a tricky character to get right, with its long grey hair and wrinkly skin. The Demiguise could come across frail but it is more like a lemur, strong and dexterous when it needs to be. SR

IDEAS FOR THE CHRISTMAS WINDOW DISPLAY AT SQUIRES DEPARTMENT STORE/MS

DEMIGUISE SKETCH Here we were trying to steer away from a monkey yet maintain some sort of simian strength and agility in the upper body. We were looking for a character with the haunted qualities of Nosferatu or Bela Lugosi. A caring old beast with melancholic eyes that just wants to be left alone with the burden of his responsibilities. PG

THE DEMIGUISE TRANSFORMING INTO A CHAIR I was trying to get some personality into him. I thought he could be slightly mad or hyperactive, busy collecting things – even when in stealth mode, he can’t keep his head still as he searches for something else to pilfer. PC

THE DEMIGUISE A last attempt by me at the Demiguise when opinion was favouring another direction, so I threw in a bit of dog, a slice of cat, a lump of monkey – everything including the kitchen sink! PC

THE DEMIGUISE This was one of a few studies of the Demiguise, trying to get him looking old and wise. A lot of this came from referencing orangutans. AB

VERY EARLY OCCAMY DESIGNS Working in greyscale at this point. RB

THE OCCAMY ON TOP OF THE DEPARTMENT STORE WITH HER CHICKS Her colour was much more muted at this stage. RB

BABY OCCAMY For the baby Occamy we had to show an obvious resemblance to its mother regarding features and colours, but it also needed to look strange and clumsy as a newborn chick. This was a fun one to design and realize. MM

BABY OCCAMY For this scene we witness the hatching of a baby Occamy. Its shell needed to maintain the same iridescent quality as the feathers of a fully grown Occamy. MM

THE GOLDEN VERSION OF THE SILVER OCCAMY EGG, WHICH WAS NEVER MADE In the process of designing the silver egg we explored more rounded, smaller, patterned and enamel finishes to try to evoke the script’s description of a valuable yet soft silver shell. A palm-sized, duck-egg shape was opted for, with a weathered burnished finish to help give the otherwise precise man-made material a more organic feel. MS

OCCAMY SKETCHES I did these early on, trying to mix serpentine qualities with that of a bird. DB

THE OCCAMY In the story this creature has Asian roots, so I was trying to see how it might look like in its natural environment. JJ

A SERIES OF QUICK COLOUR STUDIES FOR THE OCCAMY I did these on top of my 3D models, to see how we might utilize the idea of having a bird with vibrant colours. Still having some American eagle patterns, I was trying to introduce something that would create a nice contrast such as a bright green iridescence (1). Exploring an idea of mixing in some snake patterns and shapes. The cobra was a main reference for this one (3). One idea was to have her wings attached to the legs, which I thought could create an interesting visual when she flies (5). JJ

THE OCCAMY The Occamy is all about illusion. I liked the idea of the wings being translucent, like stained glass windows, and the creature just a dark shape between them. BK

THE OCCAMY IN FLIGHT I was mainly involved in the early stages of the Occamy’s development. My task was to experiment with an idea of having multiple wings and the flight mechanics of this creature. The main challenge was to make her elegant both in flight and on the ground, so I was playing with an idea of using wings as legs as she walks on the ground. This is one of those projects where starting with a very rough 3D gestural sculpture is the best way to sell the idea because you get a better sense of how this creature looks and moves. JJ

DIFFERENT FORMS FOR THE OCCAMY’S HEAD At one point she had a very regal head like a bird of prey. Her character and motion was very much driven by this, but when Frank the Thunderbird was written into the script and we started designing him there was an instant similarity between the characters. These sketches were an attempt to explore alternative forms that would still honour the character that had come out of the design of the Occamy’s motion and attitude in the scene. PG

EARLY FRAMES THAT STORYBOARD THE OCCAMY SEQUENCE (1) The Demiguise leads Newt and the gang upstairs to the loft space in the department store. (2) The Demiguise enters the loft space. (3) It moves away from camera into the foreboding loft space. (4) The shot continues – as the Demiguise moves away, heads bob up into shot in the foreground. (5) Reverse angle: As the Demiguise moves past camera and out of shot the camera pushes in to reveal Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob at the loft entrance. (6) The shot continues – we push in to see their reaction. (7) In the same shot we see Newt and Tina enter shot and walk slowly and quietly toward the Demiguise. (8) Reverse angle past the Demiguise as we see Newt and the others getting closer. We can see the contents of the Demiguise’s handbag as it is emptied in the foreground of shot. (9) Angle on Newt as he steps into a pool of light. (10) Angle on Tina, Queenie and Jacob as they look about at their surroundings. (11) High angle as Newt steps into the light. Camera drifts down and we discover that it is in fact a P.O.V. from the Occamy. (12) The shot continues as the camera drops down on to Newt and the Demiguise. (13) P.O.V. up into the dark loft space. (14–15) The Occamy emerges out of the darkness. (16) Angle on shocked faces of Tina, Queenie and Jacob. (17) Occamy descends to face Newt and Demiguise. (18) Camera tracks round to show a tender moment between Demiguise and Occamy! JC

CHARACTER SKETCHES If I start storyboarding a project before it has been cast I always do character sketches. This is a shorthand that gives me a point of reference, especially at the beginning, and helps me to keep continuity amongst the characters. I usually do a single pass at this as I believe that if your brain comes up with it first it should be able to remember it. I was quite pleased with the Tina and Graves sketches (third & seventh from left). GA

THE OCCAMY This version has slightly wilder plumage, definitely more bird than serpent. I was trying to convey the roiling movement I had in my head, a kind of ceaseless coiling. ABRO

THE OCCAMY A different scale, and rather more serpent and less bird than before. ABRO

EARLY OCCAMY DESIGN IN DIAGRAM FORM/RB

A FIRST ATTEMPT AT THE OCCAMY I think this was a really difficult challenge, a winged and feathered serpent, but it had the right feeling: proud, haughty and exotic. ABRO

THE OCCAMY This was a collaborative work. Using concept art supplied by Boswell Production, and reference gathered by supervisors Tim Burke and Ferran Domenech, I painted over a render generated at MPC. SM

THE OCCAMY This was a hard creature to get right, She had to look elegant and mysterious, but also needed to show a strong maternal side when threatened. To show her in a threatened state we wanted the Occamy’s feathers to have an animated iridescent quality, so for inspiration we looked to birds such as the peacock for their feathers. We also looked at cuttlefish and chameleons for their changing skin patterns. MM

OCCAMY HEAD STUDY For this I used, as reference, reptiles and the head crest of the secretary bird. DB

THE FIRST COLOUR STUDY OF THE OCCAMY After the initial round of sketches, I was looking at some tropical birds but also the humble kingfisher. DB

SKETCH OF THE THUNDERBIRD ENVIRONMENT I did this to collect my thoughts on this environment. Definitely not one for an art book but I’m including it because it shows where a lot of the more elaborate images start. Concept design at its purest! DP

IDEA FOR THE THUNDERBIRD Here we used the multi-wing idea with the more regal look of an eagle and much less serpentine. DB

3D DIGITAL SKETCH OF THE THUNDERBIRD Working in 3D really helped me work out the placement of the wings. SR

THE WILD WEST ENVIRONMENT This image (and the animation that went with it) summed up the design philosophy that we developed with Stuart for Newt’s case.

Following feedback about an earlier design that it was ‘too epic’, I was wondering how to put these often giant and magisterial creatures in environments that are cramped and modest. Rob Bliss nailed it by pointing out that if Newt is not so preoccupied with the level of sophistication of the habitats then use that fact and make that be what the design is about. Once we realized that Newt is more concerned with keeping the beasts happy than demonstrating his wizarding power then we could think about what is the least he could do to provide a happy home for them so he could get on with what he really wants to do: take care of the creatures.

We also considered what would be around at that time to inspire him. We looked at nineteenth-century Wild West shows with beautifully painted backdrops that were often carelessly hung. Also fairground shows of the period that were very rudimentary – rough-hewn boards nailed together. The extra magic was that the ‘painted’ backing was animated (referencing the well-established ‘living paintings’ that we see in the Harry Potter stories). With this animation playing out over a backing that is torn and weathered, the artifice is obvious to the audience. (If it was too ‘clean’ then it would read as a landscape, not a painting of a landscape.)

The idea was that the creature inside its environment perceives the world receding to the distant horizon, it believes it is ‘home’ (but might suspect it is not) – not ideal, but good enough to keep them comfortable while in Newt’s care. DP

THE THUNDERBIRD In this version I am trying to resolve how those four pairs of wings could all fold together against the body. Also, adding textures from real birds on top of a ZBrush model would convey a more believable creature: lighting conditions are always important. AV

THUNDERBIRD SKETCHES/DB

THUNDERBIRD SKETCH/PG

THE THUNDERBIRD This is a painting of the Thunderbird I did which is moving away from the golden eagle colour scheme and toward a more graphic black and white. SR

THE THUNDERBIRD Depending on the situation and environment, the Thunderbird revealed emotion through changes in surface detail. I explored these various states by composing detailed head studies of the Thunderbird. The primary look of the character was a base of white with subtle hints of gold running through the racines of the feathers, expanding into the cells of the interlocking barbules. KT

THE THUNDERBIRD This creature had to feel majestic and iconic to make it stand out from existing large birds we’re used to seeing. Adding extra wings was of course something that distinguished its silhouette, but we wanted to add something else to make it more fantastical.

The idea was in the name of the creature. This image depicts its thunderous state, reflecting stormy clouds, darkening the feathers as it releases its energy. MM

THE THUNDERBIRD IN FLIGHT This concept was created to show the full effect of the Thunderbird in flight, as it flies through the sky it generates a ferocious thunderstorm from its large wings. DB

THE THUNDERBIRD PRODUCING A STORM As a magical creature, the Thunderbird is supposed to produce storms out of those four pairs of wings. This image is the idea that lightning could come out of the tips of the wings and give birth to a storm. AV

THE THUNDERBIRD IN FLIGHT This series of different flying mode views from the same ZBrush model shows how the four pairs of wings could potentially open up. Here the tail was similar to birds of paradise, really delicate. This is why I love ZBrush: you can deliver so many different views in order to sell an idea. AV

THE THUNDERBIRD CLOSE UP Looking at adding detail variation to the structure of the individual feathers, as well as the groom around the eye and brow of the Thunderbird, I worked up orthographic studies for the 3D and CFX teams to reference. The idea of a ‘bracken’ feather was introduced to add another layer of detail sitting below the main groom, partially revealed through a traditional feather layout. TR

THE THUNDERBIRD The purpose of this image was to illustrate the nobility of the character, even in a restful pose. I painted over a base mesh render from Laurence Priest, adding an overall groom of neutral feathers and hints of colour around the beak and eye area. KT

THE THUNDERBIRD IN FLIGHT The same as the previous ZBrush sculpt, but the tail is thicker here with longer feathers that could fit more to a bird with that type of body shape and character. AV

‘AMONGST THE VARIOUS FANTASTIC BEASTS WITHIN NEWT’S CASE IS THE MAJESTIC THUNDERBIRD. I EXPLORED THE IDEA OF AN ORNATE CELL STRUCTURE WITHIN THE FEATHERS OF THE THUNDERBIRD, VISIBLE WHEN THE CHARACTER WAS BACK-LIT. I REFERENCED THE ETHEREAL QUALITIES OF VARIOUS STAINED-GLASS STRUCTURES, SUCH AS THE ABSTRACT DESIGN WORK OF THE ARTIST JOHN PIPER.’