Gryphons

Here are some basics on the wonderful beasties known as Gryphons, Griffons, or Gryffons. Gryphons are creatures of myth, a cross between a raptor and a large cat. For specific "breeds" of gryphon, get photo refrences of the bird and the cat that you would like to cross. Please check out the wing and claw tutorials for the other body parts.

Aren't they adorable. Gryphons can come in many shapes and sizes. Because they are creatures of myth, there is no "right" way to do them. However most gryphons will have a raptor head, with ears/eartufts, and a sharp beak.

There are many different shapes of beak. Please note that there are 3 parts to each beak; The lower Jaw, the upper jaw, and the nostril area. You can use an eagle, hawk, falcon, crow, or owl beak and each will still have the same basic parts.

Please note that the beak will always go BACK into the face (left). Sticking it right onto the face (right) looks awkward. Always take your beak back into the head so your gyphon can open it's beak.

Ears can be done many different ways. They can be simple featherd tufts, or the ears of a draconic or feline creature. Ears can pivot, or remain stationary.

The ears would probably go just behind the eyes near the back of the skull. This is just a guess, since the creatures aren't real and I have nothing to compare to, but I find that putting them in this location looks best.

Last, but not least, a full picture of a gryphon. The front claws are usually those of a bird of prey, while the back are usually the paws of a cat. You can do a double tail (feathers and cat-tail) or one or the other. I hope that this tutorial was helpful in some way.