IMP

History

The flying monkeys of Africa are a rumored species that has intrigued cryptozoologists for years. Through the Middle Ages imps were described in Germanic folklore as small demons related to fairies who played pranks on humans. Beginning in the sixteenth century, Western explorers of Africa and South America heard rumors and stories of flying creatures, reminding them of small demons. Tales of the imp from indigenous jungle tribes spoke of a trickster demon who stole small objects from the villages. Similar to the medieval description of a mischievous demon, the winged primate and the demonic gremlin may have evolved parallel to one another.

Sightings of the imp became more frequent as expeditions traveled deeper into the African interior. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reports of the newly discovered great ape captured the public’s fascination. There has been great human interest in discovering the imp alive, but to this day, scientific evidence of the animal has remained elusive.

Winged Monkeys from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Artist’s Rendering of Imp Found in a 19th-Century Natural History Encyclopedia

Demonstration

IMP

1 Concept and Design Stage

A flying monkey involves a very intuitive design, and it is surprising that this morphology has not evolved in nature considering an ape’s ability to leap through trees searching for food and escaping predators. For this design I wanted to use the mythology of the demonic imp with bat wings as a jumping off point combined with the aesthetic of well documented animals such as the ape. Horns added to the demon imagery and the subtle use of tools suggest the intelligence of the creature.

2 Skeletal Frame Sketch

Using a variety of primates as reference such as monkeys and ring-tailed lemurs, I began roughing out the basic anatomical structure.

3 Detailed Pencil Sketch

Using your photo reference, build on top of the frame sketch to render the details of the imp in pencil.

4 Underpainting and Finishing Details

After importing the pencil sketch into the computer, re-size the drawing to compose the large wings. Block in broad color forms for the markings and coloration of the imp’s wings, tail and body, and the tree.

Imp in Profile