‘Explorer’s Guide To Mysterious Cryptid Animals of the World,’ on Kickstarter

It’s fun to imagine, “what if?” What if all the fantastic creatures we commonly refer to as cryptids — Bigfoot, lake monsters, the chupacabra, the Mothman — were real animals? What would they look like, how would they function?

Illustrator and graphic designer Vlad Stankovic believes they are real, and he’s already produced two books and numerous art prints depicting many of the “classics” in his own beautiful but realistic style. Although we might disagree on whether or not cryptids actually exist, AIPT was struck enough by his artwork that we had to reach out through email to talk a little bit about his newest book currently on Kickstarter, The Explorer’s Guide To Mysterious Cryptid Animals of the World, which takes a look at some of the more obscure and unknown legends.

AIPT: Tell us a little about your background. How did you become interested in cryptid creatures?

Vlad Stankovic: I was always fascinated by myths and legends, and growing up, I believed that cryptids, such as the Yeti, Loch Ness Monster, Kraken, were just that – mythical beings and figments of imagination. But then as I got older, and went deeper into the subject matter by watching documentaries and reading books, I realised that many of those creatures are not legends, myths or metaphors at all, and that they apparently really do exist. It was quite a thrilling and eye-opening moment that inspired me to start making cryptid illustrations and, later on, picture books.

AIPT: What kinds of cryptids can we expect to see in The Explorer’s Guide to Mysterious Cryptid Animals?

VS: It’s a collection of creatures that a casual fan of cryptozoology may not be familiar with. So, you can expect to see cryptids that share characteristics with their famous relatives, like the Almasty, a large hairy hominid of [the] Caucasian mountains, or Nahuelito – a Nessie-type aquatic creature of Argentina. Many of them are known in their respective regions, but are not as nearly talked about and “mainstream”…

Some of them are animals that are thought to have gone extinct a long time ago, yet there are still sightings, albeit very rare, by people who were at the right place and time to catch a glimpse of them. And then there are a few cryptids that are pretty “popular,” and were included simply because I enjoy drawing them (Jackalope, Thunderbird).

AIPT: What’s your approach to conceptualizing these things? Do you try to stick to what’s biologically possible, or just let the imagination run?

VS: It’s both, actually. Although, for this particular book, I wanted to create these animals and cryptids in a style of classical, natural history science books, so that they look very “biologically possible,” even though they may not be.

AIPT: If you had to pick one cryptid to be real, which would it be?

VS: That’s a great question … Well, anyone who is a believer or a follower of the topic knows that the Bigfoot and all of the other cryptid hairy hominids are already out there. Then there are other, less-sighted creatures that in my opinion are also real, and could be various prehistoric animals that managed to survive …

With that said, I would love for the Jackalope to be real! It looks so majestic, and it is said that their milk is a cure for numerous ailments, so along [with] it potentially being a great pet, it would be very beneficial for humankind, too. Though I can only imagine the controversy and complications surrounding it, so it would probably be best for them to remain a mysterious cryptid.

AIPT: What’s next? Could there be a fourth volume to come?

VS: Each cryptozoology book I did so far is different in layout, tone, and style of the artworks, with so many cryptids covered and illustrated. Still, I would love to do more books as there are so many cryptids out there that I haven’t done, so it would be fun to keep expanding the series. But for the next project, I’d like to venture more into fantasy and folklore-based creatures. Actually, there’s already a draft of the book in my mind, I just have to find the time, put pencil to paper, and start sketching.

You can still reserve your copy of The Explorer’s Guide To Mysterious Cryptid Animals of the World, along with a bunch of FREE surprises, until 10:30 pm eastern time on Tuesday!