Some things just won't wait.

The flying rig was by far the trickiest thing to get right, the harness was redesigned three times and the wings more than half a dozen before it looked right.
The caterpillar on the other hand was surprisingly easy build. It turns out that there is not a whole lot to a caterpillar and I found a whole bunch of good reference pictures. Fellow 3d artists take note, google image search is your friend.

The swirly plants, as they've been called, were lifted from an older work

Also, in a shocking break from tradition, lighting and texturing were not the never ending nightmare they usually are.

Thanks to who showed me a much better way to light it.

Made in Maya
Rendered in Mental Ray
Post in Photoshop

1280x1024 version [link]

In progress shots [link]