Four Redone: Building a Better Base

  The last couple of weeks I have felt invigorated to return to developing my first proper story. Which so far has played out in the for mof a revision to the environments I had designed originally. With confidence I've found I am much more confident creating detailed models while also playing around with tricks to get the look just right. Right now the main work has been on the texturing for leather and some of the walls. Some of these kits were arranged to share textures for ease of rendering.

  It has also been a time for inspiration. Today came flooding with ideas on what the chambers such as the biolab could look like with a little bit of polish and planning. I had strong inspirations from 2001 A Space Odyssey with this approach, which could give a lot more character to Ceti Base's airlock and layout even if the design will also be staying mostly true to that 1960s and 1970s space aesthetic.

This time around I definitely plan to add a few more doors so the whole place doesn't feel like a series of tunnels. Maybe some furniture for the airlocks like spacesuit racks or some corridor furniture like trolleys or scattered cables. I'll look into that. For now the priority has been on a look for the rooms themselves.

I'm planning to keep at least some of the basic layouts.

Megacity Skyline and Structures

  Getting back into design I had the incentive to look at a few building ideas. Although for experimentation I might try something more...familiar. Artstation has a new challenge going on so I might try that, get some practice looking to the days of the Old West.

  It'll be far less monolithic than this weekend's drawing, far less colossal but as a period before the kind of construction we know today it's also an avenue for more characterful architecture.

Personal: Signing off an Old Design

  Circumstances on my end has calmed down a little, as March was a very busy and unexpected month. So as way of an unwinding I went back to an old favourite of mine. The way I keep drawing something similar suggests one of two things: Either I have run out of ideas for modifications, or I have hit upon a final design, long time coming this is true. But that means one part is out of the way for something potentially more fun and creative to explore:

Costumes!

  The other good sign is I've shown this pose to a few friends and they said it looked "noble," "majestic" and "regal" which is what I'm largely going for. With the icons out of the way, I can approach something more out-there or alien with a clear head and a confident approach now that one of the more major designs in my head feels settled. I need ot get my head out of this one design and into the more weird and wonderful world of other aliens and monsters .

It should be a more wild endeavour from here on out.

Major Project: Final Designs In Sight

  Today's priority was getting a final idea for what Four looks like I looked back on fighting fish and, entranced by the draping silk-like tails they had looked into giving something like that to Four. As can be seen, there are shades of dilophosaurus in some of the drawings which I want to avoid (this is mostly due to possessing similar frilled crests.) the main difference I think is Four's is a lot more swept back. It would give her an edge in swimming. I don't want ot go too overboard with the frills - these will likely be animated as ncloth materials in the animation (so lots and lots of flow!). Too many frills and she might lose her shape in the action. But I believe the most successful adult form is 78. 83 and 85 I believe were fairly successful bust shots.

  Perhaps she can retract these sails. We see this shape in its full glory during her escape. It makes perfect sense that she escapes from captivity when she is in her most impressive. She is at her most beautiful and David sees this. As well as this, I looked at the juvenile, which will be a much dumpier and less attractive look. While the adult is inspired by Asian fish, otters and ferrets, the juvenile was strongly inspired by naked mole rats and axolotls.

What is probably needed now is a final concept piece. I have plenty of thumbnail material, now would be an extremely good time to set to work on the final design.

Major Project: Progress on the Adult

  Following considerations, I considered the shapes Four's body could take. The start however was maybe a little slow. I put a lot of attention to Four's head, thinking of axolotls but after some thought I may have been going too directly. I feel it also started looking a little too like Colo Colo. I'm also considering avoiding horns, though the frills add a charming touch to Four's appeal.

  So I took a step back, looking at the two most successful colour thumbnails and building on them after the Maya workshop. There's still a lot of room for refinement however. I was looking at ferrets, otters, and Siamese fighting fish for possible features. The fighting fish direction I think brought back a lot of the sense of otherworldness to Four's design. Although utilising the fins is going to be an interesting prospect to consider.

Major Project: Four is the Priority

  Nulla dies sine linea was what I was telling myself this time last year. After a discussion with Phil on the current direction, I feel confident at present that a lot of the prepatory work for the environment and the story is done. The script is ready, the world has been crystallised. What remains now is the beast in question. I had the chance to do a bit of drawing after the discussion but my evening was busy as I soon found myself off to London for the night.

  So to uphold my personal promise, H took the chance to use my sketchbook on the train with the drawings above. Phil and I discussed that a touch of axolotl could be investigated. Dumpy body, alien features and a thick tails, it seemed useful. While on the train I sort of realised that giving the tail some kind of sail may restrict its movement. So I played with a vertical and a horizontal arrangement. As well as sails, I considered the sails could form a prong, and that maybe instead of big bulges of fat, the larva could have its eyes covered in a thin membrane (which on reflection may look creepy but this larva's adapted burrowing though soil, it'll need to protect its eyes somehow). Experiments, ideas, it was a better use of my time than waiting an hour or browsing the internet while I sat on the train.

  With the larva's body, I'm inclined towards the fatty consistency of 29 and 31. It seems more in line with the overall idea for the body than the direct segmentation of 28 and 30. The page above however is currently a work in progress. The intention is to create an orthographic sheet for the two grub/larva phases and the cocoon phase.

Major Project: Back Into The Thumbnails

  Recovering well, I endeavored ot get back to work, having missed half a week's worth of progress. I believe I am getting closer to a final shape for Four. I attempted more refined shapes but continued with a few experimental designs (as much as I like the head of 39, the neck seems just wrong). What I am leaning towards is the otter-like body shape as I'm excited at the challenge of animating such an agile creature. Adding colour using a vivid light filter I think really brings these creatures out. 38, 41 and 43 I think came out really well (though 41 might be a different direction to where I could go)

  As well as Four I looked into some further exploration for the key rooms. I was planning ot explore colour with these as well but that could be something for tomorrow barring other tasks.

  These black and white thumbnails are starting to seem a little on the drab side but it is all experimentation. I was mostly inspired after discovering an Iamag page displaying 70 environment concept art pieces from Zootopia. Some being polished and others being quite flat (looking at it the flat-colours are primarily for depth of field), but it was inspiration nonetheless.

  Though I also want to train myself to increase my output, spend less time on the tiny details that just eat up time which is largely why these might look a little less polished than the last images.

Major Project: Developing Ceti 821

  I've been nursing a minor cold lately which I believe has slowed me down a little. When I got around to work, my focus was on the base, now that Four has come along quite nicely. I looked back on the various themes I had collected, the main thing I wanted to take away when designign the three primary rooms was that each one had to feel distinct. Each room required its own atmosphere, its own feel. The biolab (2) and office (4) are empty mainly because I wanted to pace myself and not get bogged down in the detail.

  I also want each room to feel part of a greater whole: Sterile and mechanical for the biolab, comfortable and oozing importance for the adminsitrator's office, and familiar for David's room (I realised today and yesterday that as a senior scientist, David's quarters on the station would be more luxurious than the small "bed and a desk" rooms I was drawing initially. Given David's personality however, at least at the animation's beginning it would still be quite a stark and aescetic home. There would be little clutter with everything organised, which would become less so as the story moves on.

  To help understand what I need to build, I looked into creating an inventory list. Most of it is small props; pens, mugs, sheets of paper with some larger props like chairs and tables.

Biolab

• Test tubes
• Computers
• X-ray photographs
• MRI photographs
• Centrifuge
• Pens
• Experiment reports
• Computers
• Stools
• Tables
• Coffee mugs 

Dormitory

• Desk 
• Table
• Computer terminal
• Phone
• Pens
• Rug?
• Coffee mug
• Photograph

Office

• Executive desk
• Executive chair
• Office chairs
• Pens
• Computer terminals
• Rug
• Computer banks?
• Financial reports
• Mug?

Major Project: A Bit More Base Design

  I looked at more base designs. I went back to my concepts and looked at the city featured in the film Logan's Run. Using the primary shapes that the city features, I looked into possible alternative layouts. The reason I am so focused on the exterior is to get an idea of the shapes that will determine the interior rooms. I might go with an arched layout for the biolab and the corridors, as these are large structures that will take up a sizable part of the base. Curved corners on the various squares was a popular design element of the late 60s and the 1970s. Colour-wise

In terms of base design my next task is looking into room layouts and working out the arrangement of props. In terms of colour palette, many sets are white with bands of bold colour such as orange, red or green. Colour banding could provide some advantage as certain installations colour-code their different departments for easy navigation.

Major Project: Third Time Is The Charm

  Confident after some initial drawings (below) I tried refining some ideas, going into more outlandish designs that could come from the puffy juvenile form I'm keeping with. I kind of like the amphibian forms - they relate to the swampy environment, they're somewhat bizarre and it's a form that could develop from the pudgy mass Four emerges from its cocoon as. They could also have some translucency to them (something I might need to practice drawing) to add that alien feel. I think I've hit the start of something that I could explore further.

These below were from a previous post today but I'm including them for context. 9-21 were I think when I started getting into my stride with this.

  Additionally, for the base I have taken to examining the original television show Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, which was broadcast in 1967. It's not 1970s but there are possible signs of the trends that would mark the 1970s within the show. It's more mature and serious than it's predecessor Thunderbirds, for one.

@Phil: Major Project: Reworking Four

  After some consideration that I need to be more experimental with Four's design. I studied some of the techniques of Feng Zhu and a few more bizarre creatures to get some inspiration. I feel that creatures 7 and 13 are my strongest designs but they could definitely do with a lot of work.

  I tried further to develop some more ideas but these don't feel as strong as the previous designs. 16 and 21 might be an exception though 16 veers into genericism. 19 may work as it is a bit more outlandish and less Earth-like though it is a rather drastic change from other designs, which could be good or bad.

Major Project: Early Base Thumbnails

  With the design of Four underway I decided to turn to the other key element - the base in which much of the story would take place in. To get an idea I kept to items rather than diving in and drawing rooms - chairs, tables, desks, computers, then moving on to doors and corridors.

  I was inspired by Moonbase designs of the 1970s and one inspiration that cropped up was Space 1999, A British science fiction show about a research station on the moon. Near to the end of the sketching session I came to a realisation about the moonbase shots I was looking at: They were all very clean. But they all felt a little too clean for a base that was supposed to away from Earth (the plot mentions a nuclear explosion sent the moon out into deep space); there was no clutter, no wear-and-tear, no panels kept loose for convenience, it was like the very white base was scrubbed and cleaned daily despite an omnipresence of huge panel lights.that dominated all the walls and the lack of regular supplies from Earth (The USS Voyager at least turned its cargohold into a greenhouse).

  One of the things that will occur early in the story is the viewer will receive a guided tour of the base, which could be when we see the showroom-clean version. But the base that we see throughout the story has a bit more of a lived-in look. Clutter, post-it notes, coffee stains, mugs, loose pens, whatever I can think of to give it a sense that people have stuff and that this place is their (at the very least temporary) home.

Major Project: Further Ideas for Adult Form

  After a minor course correction I investigated forms for the adult and in some instances juvenile Four. For this, I looked at sphinx cats, naked mole rats and babies. I'd like to keep the mouth, inspired by the hydrothermal worm, because I think it makes the creature look a bit more alien, and could influence the reveal of the eyes. As before it opens its eyes it'll be puffy, pink, generally unsettling just moments before David realises it has a beauty to it.

  I might switch out some features as I don't want this to look too much like a rat. I might tweak the ears so they could be embedded on the side of the head. From discussion, this creature will get less saggy as it matures and grows into its skin

  I used image referencing to try and paint what Four's skin could look like. It's rough but I plan to do more refined concepts later which hopefully should properly convey the creature's appearance in regards to whether it's cute or grotesque. This sort of drawing also makes it easier to show if it's translucent or not.

  After discussing with Phil there could be a beauty to the creature. The above sketches focus on movement because that's where I think this stage of the creature will come to life the most. This creature evolved in a marshy environment, it would likely be a hunter that could bound off trees or sprint through hills. This might be contrary to its previous forms which are a lot more bulky and cumbersone. But one thing that Phil and I discussed was that this creature had to be built as a survivor. Four is established as a hunter as in its grub state it eats moss and small insects. So in its adult form it could have evolved to hunt something larger, which requires it to be a bit more of an ace than the flabby thing that would emerge from the cocoon.

Major Project: Bug Thumbnails

  Today's been mostly about my bug. I had this though after discovering a scanning electron microscope (SEM) photograph of a hydrothermal worm. These seep-sea worms are tiny, the size of bacterium but the thing that intrigued me most was they had jaws and teeth. So I wondered, to add to the chill factor, if Four could have this kind of mouth, that opens to reveal another mouth.

Figure 1: A hydrothermal worm (Crassous)

  Beyond this, I want to refine the adult form so I can get a good sense of the larval form. I'm leaning towards the blobby slugs Ginger and Fred from Splice as inspiration for when Four first emerges from the soil.

Figure 2: Perhaps the definition of ugly-cute (That Was A Bit Mental, 2015)

Image References

• Figure 1: Crassouls, P., unknown [A Hydrothermal worm]; Crassouls 3 PhC-C; available at https://www.fei.com/uploadedImages/FEISite/Content/Image_Gallery/Images/IM_20100225_Crassous_3_PhC-C_lg.jpg (last accessed 3rd October 2016)
• Figure 2: That Was A Bit Mental, 2015; [Perhaps the definition of ugly-cute]; Splice Pic 6; available at https://thatwasabitmental.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/splice-pic-6.jpg (last accessed 3rd October 2016)

Major Project: Creature Design Ideas

  I've had a look into some possible creature designs. Phil and I have spoken that this creature could be from swamps or marshes. One creature that came to mind looking at pictures of micro-animals was the mosquito. Which fits the brief of something horrid and something that could fit the marshy biome that the moss grows. Thumbnail 15 shows three possible stages of maturity based on a diagram of how a wasp pupa becomes an adult, where it seems to 'grow' into the adult shape from your typical grub.

  One key thing I might include: This creature is intelligent, and needs to open the door. Because it is much larger than your standard insect, normal insect feet might not provide enough support. So I've looked into perhaps giving it digits to help spread the weight and as a tool for communication.

Major Project: More Logos More Creature Heads

  I got drawing more logos but I feel like I'm honing in on an idea. I was drawn to the W-X combinations like 29 and 37, but also the iconography of 25. I think I can make the W-X combo distinct. I tried playing around with alternatives all the while thinking of how other companies manage it. While the common theme is it's simple and straightforward, designs themselves vary wildly from monograms (Volkswagon,Uber, Virgin, AOL, First Great Western) to iconic (Monsanto, Lloyd's, Birdseye) to abstract (Amtrak,, Ubisoft, Legendary Pictures, Mercedes-Benz). Abstract icons are interesting as there is imagery in their logos. Maybe Smithston-Wessex could simply be something like "Wessex Frontiers" or "Wessex Frontier Interests".

  As suggested by Phil, I spent the afternoon watching Splice. I thought it was going ot be a standard Alien-esque haunted house film due to the marketing angle (the back of the jewel case for instance has such lines as "an uncontrollable mistake that's about to break loose and rip their world apart into tiny pieces"). But it wasn't, and chimed with my story much more closely than I expected. I might have taken inspiration as the creature in it started off quite alien, but over the course of the film developed into something much more human. Its almost a shame the creature developed the way it did as earlier instances such as its baby phase and the first creatures shown - the latter of which were practically blobby translucent slugs - were much more bizarre. But I can understand why it developed the way that it did, as the story had tones that related to parenthood and growing up.

  The themes were there, and I find myself likely to take inspiration away that will help a lot on this project to sell a convincing creature design.

Major Project: Initial Creature Design

  Today was my first minor project tutorial and the general gist was that while the script is getting there, it is coming up time to consider my world and my creature. While I had some early sketches, there was an issue that they all had some regality to them. Which is the opposite kind of response to the creature that I am after, as it is supposed to be only the scientist that admires it.

 Extending from the larval form, I looked into creatures like the Tardigrade or water bear. One of a number of micro-animals; creatures so small they can only be seen with a powerful microscope but this is to their benefit - they look incredibly alien and grotesque. As along with standard insect elements, the bodies of these creatures often feature large prominent hairs. The use of micro-animals also allows me to better explore any development of the grub phase as the grub elements can echo in the juvenile phase. I might be able to assemble a creature using bits of various micro-creatures, as they tend to be quite compact.

Smithston Wessex Logo Experiments

  This morning one thing cycled though my mind: I started wondering about a logo for Smithston-Wessex (Theme-wise I suppose it makes some sense the art-of document looks a bit like a corporate brochure or report document. So this logo would appear on the corners of pages.

  There is a lot of experimentation with the W because David works more specifically for Wessex Biowonders. But I wonder if a renaming is in order as there's perhaps too much of a Weyland-Yutani vibe from the branding (1, 7 and 12 especially). Though I may keep the horizon line.

Breaking Out and Settling In

  With some of the workload at Butch Auntie lifted, I found I had a little time to tweak Colo Colo - I figured if I was going to specialise in CG modeling I'd need practice. The UVs still need a little more work but other than I have considered that the model is just about ready to take into Mudbox for texturing and normal mapping. The only areas that still need tweaking are the toes and the inside of the mouth.

While working on the UVs I gave the crotch a little tweak to smooth hings out where the thigh meets the hip. However this retion I am concerned might be a little stretched.

  During a break at lunchtime, I decided I'd see if I could add to my sketching ability .However by the time I was done with 2 I realised I might be in a rut drawing the same musculature and body types over and over. 3 was an attempt at an unconventional creature that I tried with 7-10, where I would draw a random set of lines and decipher a being from them. I feel like 8 and 10 were the most successful as they're less human-like than 7 and 9. Though I did like the way 9's lower half came out. This could be a technique I could practice further in future sketching sessions.

Major Project: Crystallising the Creature

  Butch Auntie has kept me busy, and helped me brush up on my modeling and animation skills. But I've had to balance that with considerations over what I'm going to be doing for the coming year. I feel confident with the scientist and will look into script drafts before returning to university. While out I still felt deeply inspired by the London Aquaruium and ended up considering the creature to be some kind of aquatic creature. However I may be getting ahead of myself

  This made me realise I need to consider the environment this base is going to be in, the planet this creature will come from. Is it barrren? Is it lush? Is it full of alien flora? Is it cold? Is it hot? These questions would help determine what the creature may look like as it has to fit the world it comes from. And that led on to question if the research station would be in orbit or an outpost on the planet (where we might be able to see outside). The decision of ground or orbit will also influence the interior. It could be like the space base in Ridley Scott's The Martian with polytunnels and a prefab assembly. It could be like the inside of the International Space Station. These will help build what the lab could look like inside but I've kept to suggestions and decided to avoid the iPod feel. I am however tempted to include overhead pipes, which gives the environment a slight industrial feel.

  Working out a script might help considerably in understanding the world. Both the one the creature comes from and the one the scientist makes his livelihood in.