WIP: Concept art for Human Warrior

In recent weeks I've taken an interest back in drawing with Photoshop. It's been useful for generating ideas for character modelling practice which I have been keen to develop. To get a better idea of how to put my ideas across I've been studying sketch-style concept pieces, trying to work out just how to get a more convincing design and image, especially when it comes to the face.

The left-hand face below is when I started earlier today. Rather dissatisfied with how flat it looked. I looked online to get some inspiration, coming across a rather nice sketchy look. Using this painting as a basis I took a very different approach to create what would become the face on the right-hand side. It started with just the face, blocking out large patches of shadow and filling in the gaps with detail such as eyes, mouth and wrinkles. I thought it came out so well I tried the technique on the hair and headband, resulting in a very different hairstyle (and face) when you compare the two side by side.

It's been surprising to figure our the difference comes from one afternoon of analysis.

There is still plenty to work on with the image. His lower body has only been blocked out. His sword-hand and the attached hilt are somewhat completed and his cloak only has some basic blocking to it. After that comes colour.

Fantasy World Map now with Cities

  It's been an interesting divergence lately to work on maps for fantastical locations. After my last posting I had two key ideas to make the map more authentic.

  The first was to create a more thematic-looking set of icons for the various locations. Instead of Ordinance Survey like set of icons I had the idea of shorthand visuals: One hut for hamlets, two for villages, three for towns, a mage's tower for an academy, castles, castle-towns and do on to better fit the more old-time mythical style of the rest of the map. The sits sit much more neatly than the original black marks, and I have a few brushes for future projects of a similar style.

  The second idea was partially inspired by how some fantasy maps embellish a representation of an important site. A recent example being the stand-out representation of Erebor on a map from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. On this map, that focus was given to the capitals: The port and temple of Kirstan, the royal citadel of KharKanas, the fortress-gates of Drongo and the marbled spires of Istri. While KharKanas is much larger compared to the others, I figure it justified as the Conglomerate Empire has a whole continent to itself.

The client was certainly happy with the end product and it has got me thinking about the environmental or architectural side of my creative ideas.

(WIP) A Fantasy World Map

One of the projects I've received lately is a world map for the setting of my brother's upcoming D&D campaign. Can't say I've done much of this sort of thing save for the occasional more science fiction like map, but it was good drawing practice all the same.

The current deal is for a map that can be printed on A3, so I'm working in a CYMK format at 300 DPI. It's pretty big. It could have been A2 but by the sound of where he's playing his game an A2-sized map might be too big for the table.

I wouldn't call this finished though. The world could do with roads connecting the various settlements and after some discussion with him I'm considering reworking the locations on the map to better fit the current graphics. Special thumbnails have been discussed representing the world's various capital cities or important locations and maybe the sea could do with something like waves.

Or sea serpents... The world doesn't stop at the edges of the map.

Character Modelling Experimentation

  When combined with Maya, the possibilities of Zbrush have been bonkers. I've been working fervently for a few weeks now on a character model that is taking shape to the point it is just about ready for rigging. I have lately been far more comfortable painting, texturing and drawing in 3D than I have in 2D, and I think it was mostly an issue of how to make light fall on a body.

  I have struck conversations with people online, in public and among friends about taking these skills as a custom design service. Modelled and rigged characters (player avatars initially, but also potentially monsters and bosses) offered alongside a storefront selling templates and props. Going in this direction I feel has been an enlightening experience in designing not just people, but also textures, objects and clothing. As well as various translatable tricks.

  One of the most interesting experiments was in a custom alpha for a 3D brush. I am unsure if I could have done it freehand, but using Photoshop was pretty interesting for creating a 'stamp' set upon a model. If nothing else, these past two weeks have been an interesting foray into advanced 3D modelling tricks.

Back to Basics with Digital Drawing

  I've been going back to basics lately with my drawing skills. I've had a nagging feeling for honestly quite a while that my colour depth palette has been rather muddy. I've noticed I get lost in getting the shade just right at the expense of how clear the composition is. So, back to basics; getting familiar with the essentials of blocking colour first before moving on to tackling light and shadow.

  After all, many projects are 20% crunch, 80% cruft. You want to get that 20% foundation right or the whole thing just doesn't work.

  This new approach I feel has also given me a chance to back away from relying on dark lines to delineate shape. The pictures I have been drawing lately have been moderately popular on Reddit which is good for exposure. I'm getting plenty of feedback and starting plenty of conversations about what I've been working on. It could be some time before I'm back to full-shade digital painting like I've been doing before: I'm taking this one step at a time, so when I am ready to start adding shade again I am definitely ready.

  Moving away from the same old character subject, I've experimented with map design using Adobe Illustrator. I've found it and PDFs amazing for condensing enormous images into something I can easily send to clients. When I tried buildign something like this on Photoshop, it would slow my computer down as the images, plus layers, might be over a gigabyte in size. Which my computer did not like.

  But it was mostly fun to try map-making, which I have found to be an amazing way to build a setting as they say you can tell a lot about a place by reading into how the local inhabitants drew their maps.

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: Monsters Misfits and Serpents

  I promised myself I'd try something a little more alien and out there and for the most part I think I'm on the right track.some of these still have that dinosaur DNA but others (my particular favourites of this being 3, 5 and 9) are more bizarre, more something unknown.

  I believe there is enough character in each of these to tell a story for each one. What they are like to speak with, what their tastes are, maybe even what they consider to be artful or in good taste. I've grown to like turning rough shapes into creatures, a few of these I had a clear picture in mind but others started off quite vague and abstract. 9 I believe was quite random to begin with and some unexpected things came out of 5's outline.

At a pinch, it is possible that all or most of these could exist within the same universe, perhaps under the same banner.

Crest Design Experiments

  Taking a minor break from writing I was sorely tempted to go back into logo design. What I had in mind was a bit more elaborate than a typical brand logo and more of a crest or insignia for a nation. You have to start with the basics, which in this case was the core element. For this insignia the core would be the arms of a galaxy, representing the nation's dominance or an assertion of supremacy.

  I went though a few revisions, settling on something less angular and blocky. The other core were the four great vassals of the nation, which would be represented by how they are bound to the galaxy in the centre - the core and the home realm. The gem at the top felt less cliche than two heads looking in opposite directions, and helped to congeal some of the other elements.

  This was all based on a drawing I had worked on ages ago that was supposed to be a coat of arms. I never really went back to it. This insignia could perhaps be depicted everywhere - against starships, on offical forms and declarations, letters, tanks, aircraft, pretty much something that could be stenciled or easily applied.

Personal: A few Posing Designs

  While I may be going back to an old subject, I've been thinking lately on using my ideas. To build a lifestyle. The one thing I was told on thinking of such a direction was whether or not there was a market. I intend to use these images to look for that market. While dragons are perhaps a rather saturated direction, preliminary research always intrigued me that dragons and armour had almost two constants beyond the "anthro" communities, which unlike my ideas used human torsos and human spines:

• Armour featured scale patterns, scallops and thorns, reminiscent of Gothic plate amour
• Reptiles of any kind are frequently draped in all kinds of Mesoamerican motifs and designs

Some of it could be explained in how scales can sometimes (especially on much larger reptiles) be depicted as an armour of its own.But the Mesoamerican connection for any reptiles always confused me as to why this was the principle.

  I believe i could go further with these, I will be doing research in the coming days on whether there is a market for this kind of thing.

  It can't be all boyhood fantasies, one thing I'm aiming for with my research is variety, something to build off of. So it's not just warriors and swords and all that, what other avenues could be explored?

Four: Texture Rework Phase One

  Some time was taken today building texture work for Four as well as creating a displacement map to simulate the texture. The greatest focus today was on her fins which graphically speaking required a complete rework. I based the design on butterfly wings, the intention of numerous patterns on such are to intimidate any larger predators but can also be used to attract a mate.

Her head fins are about done, and lay the foundation for how the tail fins work, the techniques I used ot create the textures on the head fins can easily be used to colour the tail fins.

Some work was also done on Thursday too refine the juvenile's animations to make her jump to the floor and her approach towards the incubator more animated.

Four: Art Of Draft Page

I have started animating (more will some), basics but mindful of time I looked into creating a first draft master spread for the Art Of document.

The idea I have had discussed is that the Art Of resembles a dossier, a document on Four herself and the research on her, so I went with the idea of going for something that looked somewhat official. The stress David feels as the story progresses would manifest in this document as more hastily-constructed pages with more post-it notes, tilted images to reflect the pressure he is under.

Four: Smithston Wessex Logos

Deciding on the font and logo image there was a slight thought. The central sphere is quite large and quite dominating so to offset the emptiness something was suggested as a 'spot' to draw the eye.

1

2

3

  While I was provided with a five-point start, I wondered about a four-point star. Which I choose (either 1 or 3), a more straightly-arranged star feels more appropriate. I have also considered shorthand formats featuring the company's initials. 

4                                                                                                                       5

Major Project: Grub and Juvenile Orthographic Layouts

  Some of today was spent on the Orthographic drawings for Four's juvenile state. This one is a little more detailed than the previous one as in its juvenile state Four is quite dumpy and rounded compared to what she grows into later in the story. This is the stage that she begins to start looking cute and endearing. It is the moment this one opens her eyes for the first time that David is struck with awe over her beauty.

  The grub itself in retrospect isn't that complicated. But I believe working out it rough shape is still worthwhile as the grub's form is indicative of the shape Four will take on when she develops within the cocoon. cocoon is simple enough that an orthographic drawing is not needed. The grub curls up inside so its shape is determined by this u-shape. Similar would be the case for the tuber as well.

Major Project: Adult Form Orthographic Template

  With the concepts given the sign-off I moved on to creating orthographic templates to use as measurements for building Four in Maya. There are a few places where the orthographic layout makes Four look thinner than the concept (below) but it was at the orthographic stage where I think I've nailed the feet. I also considered adding ribbon-like tendrils, which would flow and sway with the head. In the wild these could be used to detect air particles, much like the whiskers of numerous mammals, as she lacks nostrils on the front of her snout. If these don't turn out to be worthwhile, then they could easily be left out in theory.

  I looked at otters to see how their feet were built for both land and water. And while Four's feet might be a bit shorter than a typical otter's, looking at the two images I find that what I came up with as a bottom-up view has closely matched the feet that came out in the concept design.

Major Project: Four Solid Concept

  Looking to catch up after a couple of slow days I set myself the task of drawing up a final concept piece for Four herself. In hindsight I could have drawn her at different angles but the addition of a few expression poses (1-7) I figure help a lot as I considered she could communicate her mood using her fins, much in the same way dogs, cats, rabbits and horses will direct their ears to indicate attention or mood. A little flexibility could be useful in these instances as they'd allow for a much more living performance when on the screen. All that remains are understanding the colour of her fins (as the colour pattern, while attractive is mostly a placeholder) but more importantly I need orthographic drawings. The colour and pattern of her fins can come in-between modeling. Especially since by January my aim is to have a fully developed set. for filmmaking

  Regarding which, I now have my three primary voices. They still need a little processing so they will come in a later post.

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)

Artstream 20/08/2016: Minotaur

  Over August I felt I needed to do a little brushing-up on my painting skills. As painting is a skill one has to practice to maintain, not just to develop, I keep feeling like I'm not painting enough. This Minotaur was a half-finished development from a previous streaming session that I ended the stream on half-finished. So my decision was to go back and see if I could finish it, or at least improve it. The current result I'd rate as decent, I think I am getting a better handle on of light patterns, brushes and adding a creature into the background. I still have a ways to go but it's an improvement; with every picture it feels like I am getting a better grasp of digital painting.

Artstream 15/07/2016: A Touch of Magic

  I feel I am getting a little faster at painting, that or the picture above is still relatively simple. Which took just under two hours. I felt this session was so brief I decided on a second picture, which admittedly isn't completed yet, but I feel the Minotaur I had in mind (below) is off to a good start despite only spending about 45 minutes on him. There's still a lot to do with him however.

  I considered making two separate videos, one for each picture, my current formula might be more suited to the time-lapses being compressions of my streaming nights.

Stream Saturday 02/07/2016: Horror Creature Design

  It's time I started considering what I'm going to do for my third year of university. With that in mind I decided to dive back a little into creature design. Originally I wanted this thing to have an angler-fish-like head, something reminiscent of Colo Colo. But as the stream progressed the monster became a little more bat-like in form.

  A secondary reason for this piece is to practice on some dynamic lighting as well as refresh my memory on bounced light. There are three point lights in this scene, each illuminating the creature from a different direction. Although on reflection maybe the light shining off the creature's rear-end is a little too spread out. Or it might not be, his hip looks quite close to the light.

As usual, I created an accompanying time-lapse of its construction. The thing I kept thinking while working was that the more I work on the layers, the better it will turn out.