More maya lamps!

I created two more lamps to better familiarize myself with the program, as well as for practice!
The first lamp (above) was created from a more minimalistic design. I used the basic form of the lamp as a way of practicing the creation of more symmetrical designs.

The second lamp (also above) was a more complex design! There are some obvious artifacts in the mesh that require some attending as well as an issue with the smoothness of the lampshade (which was being rather finicky!). Building off of these lamps, I may look into other more complex designs and try to replicate them within Maya! I also need to work on refining and preventing artifacts from appearing.   

3D Modeling - Maya Introduction - Primitive/Basic Shapes - Desk Light 1

Yesterday after being introduced to Maya, we were given our first task of modeling a desk lamp with the software; focusing on the more basic shapes used to create an object at first. Initially, I was rather overwhelmed by the software despite my experience (although little!) with zBrush.

Maya feels similar to zBrush but different in a multitude of ways. Some of the shortcuts are very similar as well as navigation and the depth you can take a model in, although rather than sculpting a model in a sketchy-experimental manner, you are left with the tools to play with and precisely create objects a polygon at a time.

In this initial stage I grasped a few basic techniques for modeling in Maya but focused more on the basic object manipulation in general. My first lamp (below) turned out as expected - very basic. Critique on my model is rather hard at this point as we have only one workshop on the software so far. I could bevel the edges of parts of the lamp, for a smoother finish.

From this initial lamp (2 hours of figuring the program out!) I was tasked to create a second lamp outside of the workshop.  This is a rough model I created in around 30 mins, which is a lot faster than the first lamp! As the focus was on basic shapes, that is what I focused on.

I will continue working on this model to increase the quality. The lampshade needs to be thinned out on the inside and better curvature should be added to the body of the light for a smoother transition in shape.

I do like the beveled edges I added to the base as it feels much less rigid and stiff, although they could be a little more rounded to enhance the appearance. 

Contextual Studies: Seven Stories examples.

Overcoming Evil - Earthbound

Within the game Earthbound, the protagonists are sent on a quest to overcome evil bent on the destruction of the world. This game could easily fit more of the story types, however I feel that it best suits overcoming evil due to its prevalence within the game.

Rags to Riches - GTA 4

In GTA 4, you play as an immigrant that comes to America with the hope of making it big. Going from barely being able to afford rent money to purchasing high-end cars and other vehicles. This is a good example of rags to riches, despite the game title being rather controversial around the topic and others.

The Quest - The Legend of Zelda

A very good and easy to see example. Every LoZ game is layed out in a very similar fashion; the hero, Link, sets out on a quest to rescue the princess Zelda and the city of Hyrule or in some cases, the world. The game follows the quest story very closely, and the character archetypes found also mimic this.

Voyage and Return - Metroid Prime 

The reason I picked Metroid Prime for this story type even though the game fits many others is due to the repetition within the trilogy. Samus Aran lands on a planet, voyages through multiple areas and returns to her ship at the end of the game. The games lack an obvious storyline, which allows the players to imagine and immerse themselves within the game world; exploring and creating their own adventures.

Comedy - Simpsons Hit and Run

The game is essentially a parody of the GTA series with humour one would expect from The Simpsons characters and franchise in general. The fact that the game is somewhat a parody easily allows it to fit into this category.

Tragidies - Fallout

The franchise as a whole revolves around the tragidies and effects of nuclear warfare, as the game places you in an environment and setting where you lose your former life/family/companions and venture out into the disastrous wasteland.

Rebirth - Skyrim

Although Skyrim could easily fit into any other category, I feel like the story as a whole fits much more tightly into this category. At the start of the game, you play a prisoner waiting to be executed. When Alduin appears, it is almost as if your character is "rebirth" and given a second chance where you ultimately end up saving Tamriel.

Self evaluation

Well, that was fun!

I really enjoyed working on each of the assigned tasks we were given and I feel like I am improving much more as an artist. Over the 3 tasks we were set I am starting to see much more confidence within my work and practice as a whole - this is evident in my 2nd and 3rd task as I became more expressive with my mark makings and focused less on over rendering a final piece. I also think that I am becoming much more efficient and organized with how I progress through a task, brainstorm ideas and create digital paintings. I feel like I have learned and got a hang of the process behind character and environmental concept design now and I want to improve on that foundation.

If I were to do any of the projects again, I would definitely be much more experimental and use all resources available to me. The jump and experimentation with 3D during the 3rd task also made me realize this. I also noticed I can get too caught up in an idea that I generated early, instead of investigating and pushing the designs further. This I would also correct, if I were to repeat the tasks. Time management was also an issue for me; too many times I would find myself bummed down by a piece of work only to procrastinate for too long over the thought of failure which is something that I need to

I was happy overall with the skills I have developed over these short weeks and I have taken a liking to 3D modeling as well. I am also becoming much more interested in the processes behind the creation of concept art, which may lead me into more experimentation and diversify my future work.

Lifedrawing

Here is some work from my first two sessions of life drawing that I attended. The images below were from relatively short studies (around 10-15 mins each) that focused on rendering the light and leaving the midtone of the paper for the main skin tones of the model.

I incorporated some graphite into one of the studies to allow for darker tones and some minor contrast around areas of intense light. I found these studies quite difficult, as it forces you to look for the plains of flesh that are brighter and render the body "backwards" instead of the usual rendering of shadow and detail.

These were my first set of sketches from the life model. We were given various amounts of time than decreased after every 4 we completed. For the last 4 I had only 30 seconds each. For my first time in life drawing, I don't think I did too bad, although my studies are a little large. I also need to work on stopping going over my lines repeatedly.

These sketches are from my second life drawing session and I feel like I have improved already in comparison to the previous weeks work. The inclusion of minor shading within the sketch really allows the drawing to pop out and look much more 3D than a standard sketch. I'm really enjoying life drawing so far, I can't wait for my next sessions and to see how far I can get.

Final concept piece

Here is my final concept piece. My main idea for the piece was to show the genie emerging from the tinderbox. As the story also dictates that the tinderbox was found in some form of underground cavern, i opted for a background that indicates this abandoned atmosphere whilst not looking too out of place with my selected time era. I also wanted to incorporate dynamic lighting in the image and I ended up with 3 different sources in total, with some evidence of bounced light and other effects.

In retrospect I feel like the image might be too dark, however, on the other hand it creates much more atmosphere with this contrast. I also intentionally made the character brighter than the lighting would render it, as to make the genie pop out from the background moreso.

All in all, I am happy with the outcome of my final image. Although I would have loved to spend much longer on the image and render it to the best of my ability, time was an issue. Maybe in my spare time..!

Tinderbox: Character sheet

This is my character sheet showing various movements and effects that the genie has. My first idea was to have a faceless genie, with a vortex Esq mouth that would generate items when commanded. I changed to a face to allow for recognition between the number of strikes/buttons/etc that the "tinderbox" has. Another benifit of having a zbrush model is that it helps when posing and sketching the character in various positions, as well as speeding up the process!

Tinderbox: Model sheet

So here it is. The model sheet for my final design! I created the model in zbrush similarly to my previous design and I painted it the model using the software as well. I did not include much tonal variety as my plan was to incorporate the model into my final image and I feel like it will be much easier for me to vary tone by hand, especially in a dynamic view.

Onto the character sheet!

Tinderbox: Extra iterations

Some extra iterations looking at alternate colour palettes and some accessories I could include in my designs. I like the second colour palette purely due to the gradient between ghastly lighter colours and much more solid and warmer tones. For the accessories, I think they might be a little too much and may take away the simplicity from my designs.

The model used in the accessory iterations is my favourite right now, I think i'll develop the model.

Tinderbox: zbrush iterations!

zBrush iterations! I tried playing around with various clothing (although I still have a way to go for rendering at that level!) I particularly like E, F and G as I feel they hold the most potential for an interesting design.

I think these iterations worked rather well. I will definitely be using zbrush for this purpose in the future!

Tinderbox: zBrush model!

From my genie silhouettes, I created a zbrush model based on the first design from the liquify tests as I felt it was much more simplified and portrayed a genie much more recognizably than the others. I also played with colour, I found the traditional persian tan/orange to be interesting in combination with a spectral green colour which shows both "halves" of the character.

I actually like how this model turned out, however, the design feels a little too simplistic. I think I will try iterating the model in zbrush to create some new stuff~! 

Tinderbox: More silhouettes, different character.

I created more silhouettes based on the character of a genie from my previous batch. I used the liquify tool to play around and warp the silhouettes, creating brand new designs in the process. I think the liquify tool really helped me to push my idea more and to create designs that I initially had not considered. I also dig the way my designs are becoming more organic and varied. 

Tinderbox: Iterations

Here are some iterations based on my initial silhouettes. I was mainly trying to get a grasp as to what the character could look like in terms of clothing, accessories and weapons. After finishing these images, I feel quite disappointed with the direction of the character. I think I am trying to force my designs onto the silhouettes instead of being more free with them.

I'm going to take the project in a slightly different direction and work on a different character. Maybe I could create some form of Genie that represents the 3 dogs within the story?

Tinderbox: Silhouettes

These are my initial silhouettes for my project based on the short story, "Tinderbox". I was also given the time period of Persian Empire to design my character alongside. I chose to design a character based on the Soldier found within the story. I trialled a few different methods for silhouette creation and I found the more textural silhouettes and the alchemy silhouettes to be the most effective.

Timekeeping: Final concept piece

Here is my final concept piece for the "timekeeping" task. I opted for a somewhat low angle perspective of my monumental device, trying to focus on presenting the scale of the object as large as I could without it filling the entirety of the canvas. I also decided that the landscape for the piece must be supportive of the structure and somewhat strong in itself. As environments are not my strong point, this was a challenge for me.

I used various textured brushes of varying sizes to create a more expressive looking landscape, as refining the area too much would detract the focus on the object and focal points in general.

Timekeeping: Final design + Model sheets

After manipulating the alchemy silhouette I began developing a few that I thought were decent. I tried to mix up my colour schemes without being too drastic with changes. I ultimately thought that the 6th and 7th design were the best ones for this sheet.

I went ahead after the development and iteration of the silhouettes and made a model sheet for both designs that I liked to see which variation I felt worked better in a "3D space" and had more values to consider. In the end I opted for the first design!

Below is the model sheet but with additional 3/4 views. Yay!

Timekeeping: Developing alchemy silhouette!

Similarly to the insect project, I went back to my silhouettes after feeling like my first developed timepiece was rather lackluster. I went to my Alchemy silhouettes as they offered me a range of more mechanical and angular forms to play with. I picked my favourite and then manipulated the shape to create various iterations of the original!

Timekeeping: Silhouette development

From my initial silhouettes, I chose one that I felt was easily recognizable and held some potential. I created iterations by duplicating the silhouette and combining the various shapes to create something new. I also played with colour, I didn't want to create anything too ambitious at this stage, just broad areas of colour.

I enjoyed the top right iteration the most on this page, due to the idea of creating a timekeeping device that was monumental and technologically contrasting with its environment. To follow through with this, I will iterate and develop some alchemy silhouettes as they typically follow a more mechanical aesthetic.

Timekeeping: Alchemy Silhouettes

Here are some more silhouettes that I created using Alchemy. For these silhouettes I opted to focus more on a "mechanical" range of shapes that look interesting rather than operational. I played with a few of Alchemy's settings to create these silhouettes, as I wanted the majority of them to just be black.

Timekeeping: Silhouettes!

For my second task I have to design a timepiece of some sort using a similar process to what I used during the creation and development of my insect.

timepiece |ˈtīmˌpēs|

noun

an instrument, such as a clock or watch, for measuring time.

Now onto the silhouettes!

Here are my first batch of silhouettes where I mainly explored interesting shapes and forms rather than functionality. Compared to my silhouettes I created for my insect task, I feel like these are much more varied and creative! This may be a product of practicing, which I should keep up! Before developing my silhouettes I will create some more. Perhaps on alchemy! 

Insect final concept piece

Final concept piece~

Here was my initial sketch. I followed various lines and focal points found within a typical thirds composition. For the image itself I knew I wanted to play with perspective a little to give a more intimidating appearance to the insect. I also placed the "camera" lower to add to this effect as well.

I also wanted to include some form of prey item so I decided on a cricket. This helps give the insect scale as it is relative to an actual insect. The addition of a prey item also indicates the hostility and insectivorous nature of the insect. The reasoning behind me choosing not to have the insect killed but to have it flee was to emphasize the insects lack of vision rather than its incompetence at hunting.

From the sketch I layered various greens and yellows to get an idea for the lighting and environment as a whole by using large and varied brushes. As environments are not my strong point, I tried to create something simple that supported the design of the creature rather than looking realistic or innovative. While painting at this stage, I decided that I wanted my insect to be revealed by the light, as if it lay in wait.

As I worked on this stage of the image, I switched back and fourth between the creature and the background as I wanted to leave some of the background colourations in the insect to stop it from feeling like it was separate from it. I began laying down basic tones and colours on my insect focusing on light and shadow. I used a variety of brushes for this stage, mainly ones with textured edges and sharp brushes for finer painting. I wanted the image to look very green in the hope that the claws of the insect would contrast, but not too much. For the background I decided on painting mushrooms due to the mushroom shaped head of the insect, adding a little camouflage.

After finishing most of the tonal work on the insect, I began to add detail and highlights with finer and more controlled brushes. I also began adding shadows to the different sections of the insect to indicate the direction of light. I also added the proboscis and membranes in the mouth and other goodies.

More detail work! I started bringing the piece together by refining areas of detail, painting up the cricket and rendering more shadowed areas. I also worked on the environment a little more, although I am still not too happy with it. 

For this stage I added a multiply layer and began refining the insect even more focusing purely on light this time. I added motion blur to the cricket to give a sense of motion (obviously). I did try adding blur to the left claw of the insect, although it looked very out of place and bland.. More work on the background and details!

Here is the final image. I added more indications of light and some particle effects here and there. I added some texture to the background to give it a bit more life. I also played around with the levels to pack more punch into the lights and midtones. I can't say i'm too pleased with the final image, some aspects feel rushed and others feel very bland and not thought out... I do enjoy areas of the insect that rendered pretty well though.

From this painting though, I will definitely be doing some environmental studies and such to help me in the future. I still have a lot to learn about digital painting and I am still relatively new to it, but that shouldn't phase me.

Iconic/important characters from 1970 - 2016

1970~

During the 1970's, many video games lacked any real "characters" such as the ones found in todays games. Some games however have recognizable assets, enemies or icons that could be referred to as the characters of their time. Many examples include the aliens from Space Invaders and even the paddles from Pong, despite their simplicity.

1980~

In this decade, game characters became much more prevalent in games and narrative became more of a driving point for the industry. In my opinion, quite a few characters are iconic during this decade for varying reasons. Donkey Kong introduced us to characters (Donkey Kong, Pauline and Jump-man) in a similar fashion to the 1970's, without any "true" narrative to the game itself other than simple backstory. The Legend of Zelda was also quite a revelation for its time, especially within the RPG genre. Whereas Ms. Pacman and Metroid introduced the first real female protagonists within a video game. 

For me it would have to be Ms. Pacman and Samus for this decade as I believe the usage of female protagonists had broadened game developers views of narrative and the structure of games. No longer did games have to follow the cliché of a male protagonist saving a female damsel from a villain. 

1990~

During the 1990's, I believe that the most important character of this decade was Mario, specifically because of the game Super Mario 64. I feel like this game started and signified the transition between 2D pixel based games and the usage of 3d polygons. Many games followed suit after this release during the popularity and peak of Super Mario 64.

2000~

For the 2000's I feel like Master Chief from Halo is regarded as one of the most important characters from that era. Without Halo the Xbox would have failed in sales and popularity and today's games may be much different, with Sony and Nintendo dominating the market. Halo's FPS multiplayer was also quite an innovation from its time; sparking the competitive scene for the genre that we see today.

2010~

It was hard to decide on a character for this current decade, as more and more games are being produced and more characters created. With the recent boom to the indie scene, game characters such as Shovel Knight and Steve (Minecraft) should be more deserving of this section as of now.

Caillois and play forms.

Here are the five games that I admire the most in various ways organized onto a table in the categories I feel like they fill.

The Metroid Prime trilogy to me is my all-time favourite series of games. I feel like it fits the mimicry category due to the player taking the position of a main character, with set history, lore and their own morals. The player effectively takes on the "roll" of the protagonist and has a set narrative to abide by. However, the emphasis on the exploration element and non-linear progression leads to some very immersive experiences that leads you through alien worlds, which is why I also placed Metroid in the ilinx section also.

Maybe it is my own misunderstanding of the category "ilinx", but I feel like a good amount of games could be considered for this slot as in my opinion immersion can alter your perception. Whether it be time in the real world, or accidentally applying in game knowledge to real world scenarios, wouldn't this class as ilinx?

Nonetheless I continue. I placed Earthbound in the Alea, mimicry and ilinx for similar reasons. The "chance" elements seem very prevalent within the RPG genre as RNG damage systems and such can alter every playthrough of the game, even in small amounts. I believe this can add up through the "butterfly" effect, changing playthroughs in forms such as enemy encounters, experience gains and loot drops. By playing a game with these mechanics, aren't you surrendering to destiny and the will of the game? As an RPG by nature, you play a protagonist; taking their appearance, gestures and voice. (Unless the game in question allows for character creation such as fallout and skyrim, although the story remains unchanged and is independent of the protagonist).
I placed it in ilinx not because of immersion but because of the ways the game portrays real world problems and cultures in a skewed and quirky perspective towards the player. For example, one chapter of the game has you battle against members of a cult whose clothing mirrors that of the Ku Klux Klan albeit blue and with the intent of painting everything blue.

Halo and DOOM share the same reasoning for its placements as Metroid. Although due to the competitive multiplayer experiences found in halo, where ranks display a players experience and in some instances skill, players can be sorted into various groups according to who is "better" and "worse" at the game.

Runescape is a MMORPG in a similar vein to World of Warcraft. I feel like Runescape is primarily a competitive game but not for the basic PVP elements as expected. The games lifespan primarily consists of grinding levels to reach an inevitable cap (which can take MONTHS to reach, by the way) while slaying monsters and completing quests. The skill cap system rewards players with cosmetic items to "flaunt their gains" alongside regularly updated leaderboards for almost every aspect of the game - providing a lot of competitive gameplay, without player interaction.

Light~

"Piazza D Italia" - Giorgio de Chirico

 This painting by Chirico relies on lighting to bring the whole piece together. There seems to be little dynamic occlusion in this image; Chirico has kept the intensity of the shadows rather consistent and sharp, which gives the effect that the light source is closer than it probably is intended to be. There is little bounced light as well and in a similar fashion is kept consistent and sharp. This creates a feeling of abstraction and surrealism due to the flat colours.

"Soft Construction With Boiled Beans" - Salvador Dali

The painting above by Dali follows a similar direction to Chirico's, albeit much more realistically. Bounced light is used in various parts of the painting to render some of the surrealistic flesh, however, as the shadows are sharp in this image also, I feel like it is less intentional. Some sub surface scattering is evident here, mainly around the areas of warm tone on the flesh.  Dynamic occlusion is also much more prevalent in this painting.