So in The Tempest, these strange creatures come out of the woods. I took that literally and I have some creatures who are more stick based and ones who come from the water. Here are some early ideas.
I've been focusing on the character of Ariel. Men have played the character, women have played the character. In the play Ariel is a tree, a person and a harpy. All of this to me suggests shapeshifting and the gender of the role being different depending on the production supports that in my eyes. Well, I have yet to design Ariel as a woman but here are a few sketches of Ariel as male, a harpy and a child. I like the idea of Ariel appearing as a child. I think it's creepy.