Final Poster / DevelopMent

Evaluation :

My general idea of my main character involved in the foreground of the poster was originally meant to be an android. I started of using an anime style of art to create and enhance different parts of Armor and body parts. But as i started to look at other artists work on youtube i discovered how to use Thumbnail drawings to create a starter object to improve on. I made my first thumbnail drawing, creating some tribal figures with staffs with i could then work from. I then decided to research into the Mecha Robot style of Concept art on youtube, and based my development on parts from many different pieces. I experimented alot with shading and toning and tryed to add as much detail as i could. My aim was to create a Realistic and Glowing style. I think to an extent i managed to create the realism well, but the glowing effects could of been improved on. The Main thing that i need to improve on is Detail, the drawings i did would of been so much better if i had used more Gradients and textures over the top. Adding more tone and using more Experimental brushes will also enhance the figure as a whole.

Below is the Development i have gone through to get to my final Poster.

Mecha Robot 1 :

Annotation : This was my first attempt at drawing a realistic 3D character. I thought in my head that i wanted to create some sort of floating robot, with bold striking features. I started with a rough rectangle shape and expanded from there. I tried to make it quite sketchy and textured but never got round to adding tone and shading. As i started it was looking quite 3D, but as i went on and added more spikes etc it began to become less 3D and look less realistic. Overall i think it was a good first attempt and Realism and 3D. To improve it i would of added toning, shading and added alot more detail to the arms and body. (All layers can be seen in PDF)

Mecha Robot 2 :

Annotation : This was my first attempt at trying to create the idea of one of my Foreground characters in a realistic way. I search the internet for Mecha Style robot design, and mixed what i had in my head, with some of the things i had seen. I started with a rough outline, just using basic shapes. I then defined the outline more with a black inking brush. Then i added a grey wash underneath the outline that i could work from with the toning. From there, i added light and dark tones. I imagined the light source to be at the top right of the scene, and i think most of the light reflections are accurate to that. I didnt finish the sketch fully as it was just a test for using light and shading. Overall i think it came out quite well, but it might of been better if i had added more depth and tried to make it less 2D looking. (All layers can be seen in PDF)

Robot - Warrior Thumbnails :

Annotation : After getting a feel for how to use shading and light from my Mecha Robot Sketch, i decided i would start from scratch with a more Markmaking / Organic Style. I started off with making rought scribbles with a black ink brush, that roughly resembled a form or stance. I then Highlighted the black scribbles with a white brush and light grey brush, to pick out certain features and give myself a better idea of what the figures were. I then started to enhance certain features such as shoulder-pads, knee-pads, the faces and the spears. This gave the figures a more realistic feel. Finally i added a touch of colour to see what colour tone would fit them best. I think these thumbnails turned out well for a first try, but maybe next time i could try vary the stances even more to improve the final outcome. (All layers can be seen in PDF)

Poster Robot :














Annotation : Now that i had tested and completed my Thumbnails, i chose the one directly in the middle, to work from and turn into my final character for the poster. I enlarged the thumbnail and used it as a rough guide of where the body parts and armor would go. From there, i finalised the outline changing small parts that i thought could be better (such as the spear position). I added small details as i went along and tryed to keep the 3D look about the character and stance. Once the outline was done, i then added a grey wash underneath, adding dark grey for the shadows and light grey for the lighted areas. I ended up with a 3-4 tone grey wash to work from. I then proceeded to add more highlights and shadows all over the figure to give even more realism. Then i had an idea of glowing eyes and joints, so i made a glow effect on each of them, using Red, yellow and white mixed together. Finally i added a shadow and a backdrop to make the Character "pop" more. I think this went very well as it was one of my first Realistic concept peices. I think the 3D effect was mostly maintained and the lighting turned out well. If i were to improve, i would try to add more angles, to improve the light and 3D effect of the figure. (All layers can be seen in PDF)

Final Poster :

Annotation : Now that i had practised using light and shadow, made a thumbnail to work from and completed my character to a certain extent, i put it all together to form my Poster. I started off by adding a dark brown/red coloured background to the Character, with a scratchy texture on top. I then took inspiration from a city scape, to draw my futuristic city/river in the background. I also added some dark tones so it would blend in with the background well. Unfortunately i didnt completely finish the Background. Then i made the 3D text using Cinema4D, added it to the floor behind the Character, and brushed in a dark shadown behind each letter. I finished the poster off with a Black vignette to give a "Dark" and "Suspenceful" feeling. Overall i wanted the poster to have a dark feel to it and have a sense of Mystery. The character is meant to give you the feeling that he is there to protect his city, if people are to disturb it. I hopefully will be able to add more to it up until March, which will be in the form of more detail and toning to the cityscape, maybe adding in another character and also making the text fit the scene more. Nontheless, i think the poster has turned out well and gives the effect i wanted it to. (All layers can be seen in PDF)

Further Research

Video Game Concept Art Analysis

Samwise Didier

WarCraft - Dwarven Scout

 This piece caught my eye simply because of the dwarfs face. I love the way that he is staring straight into your eyes, i think that it gives a strong sense of realism, almost as if he could jump straight out at you. I also think the lighting that Didier has added to the beard on this dwarf is amazing, it gives it a really shimmery look. Not only the lighting on the beard, but generally all the lighting on the dwarfs robes, gun and shoulder pads gives him a "shining" look. I think this i because he resembles part of the Alliance (Good Guys), so Didier has tryed to add some sparkle to him to show power and goodness, that he is there to help.

I Particular like the style used on this piece because not only has Didier managed to give the dwarf a "Holy" look, but at the same time, a rustic look, giving real detail to the leather and robes that it is wearing.

 WarCraft - Tuskarr

When i first saw this, i instantly loved it. This is because my style is Shading, and creating depth without the use of colour. When i use colour i think it gives it a "Tacky" look, but keeping it black and white keeps it looking proffesional and stunning. Much the same as the Dwarf in the first picture, this Tuskarr has amazing lighting effects on its facial hair. I think Didier decided to light this differently because he has not made it look "Holy", instead he has tryed to make it look "Neutral" to represent that the Tuskarr is neither on the Good or Bad side of the Warcraft story. My favourite part of this piece has to be the tusks. I think the detail Didier has gone into to give the effect of them being engraved is amazing, i also think the pattern he added to them is very distinctive and instantly catches your eye.

WarCraft - Furbolg

In this piece, your eye is instantly drawn to the green cloak that the Furbolg is wearing, i think that is very effective because it gives a tribal value, telling you that a Furbolg will generally be in a pack, not on its own. Not only does the luminous green cloak give that away, but even more so does the staff it is holding. Wrapped around it you can see various charms and beads, giving you a clue that this particular Furbolg could be something similar to a witchdoctor. I think the final clue that it is a tribal character is the tribal marking on its shoulder pad, i think that Didier has made it obvious that the symbol on its shoulderpad belongs to some sort of tribe or group. Aside all of this, my favourite part of the piece is the Furbolgs face, i love how he was given depth to it, and made the wrinkles on its face look very distinct. 

Verdict

Overall i think that Didier style is very similar to how i would like mine to be. I love to go into extreme detail, add lots of shading and depth, but at the same time keep the character slightly cartoony, so that the features can be exaggerated. The only thing that i think my style will differ from Didier's, is that i prefer not to use alot of vibrant colours, and choose to stick to black and white whenever possible, whereas Didier seems to use colour in almost everything, with the odd black and white image every now and then.

All images from : http://www.sonsofthestorm.com/gallery.php?artist=samwise

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art?

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art?

The Purpose of Concept Art

The general purpose of concept art is that it creates a plan of an idea, the idea is made and the concept artist takes the idea and creates a plan. The importance of the plan being made is that, when it comes to creating the idea, character or scene using animation, the animator has something to work from. In other words, concept art forms the blueprints of an idea.

How it is Done

Concept art can vary in detail, usually a piece of concept art will have a few versions made before it, gradually getting more detailed until the final masterpiece is made. Sometimes a piece is made quickly and only sketched as a guideline to give the person with the idea a view of what it would look like. Not only is concept art sketched, but can also be done on a computer using programs such as Photoshop, and sometimes they are even sketched, then finished on a computer. Computers are used to do concept art because of the ability to undo and the large amount of colours and shades and different techniques that can be used to make it easier and quicker to produce a piece of art.

Where it is used

Concept art is usually used in Film and Games, but can be used in other media. Its usually used in Film and Games for designing characters, creatures and scenery. It is usually used the most in fantasy films and games such as Lord of the Rings. This is because the artist has more creativity and its the quickest way for a person with an idea to see it for themselves.

Examples of Concept Artists
-John Howe
John Howe is a Canadian Concept Artist who has done work for a wide range of films and other selected Media. He has done art for movies such as, "Beowulf", "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and a few others, but the one i am mainly interested in is the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. Howe, alongside Alan Lee, worked as chief conceptual designers for the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, designing many of the landscapes, creatures and characters. Not only did he do Art for the films, but he also did art for the "Lord of the Rings" Board game. - ( Small Inspiration from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Howe_%28illustrator%29 )

The particular section of his Art for the films that interests me most, is the Creature and Character designs. I am most interested in them because of the amount of detail and imagination that went into making them the stunning pieces of Art they turned out to be.

Example 1 : "Moria Orc"

Image From : http://www.john-howe.com/portfolio/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=66&page=3

This is probably my favourite piece of Art that John Howe has ever done. What draws me to this sketch in particular, is the vivid and slightly Gothic, sharp shapes that are used to make the image of the Armor on the Moria orc. The Shading really helps give depth to the sketch, and gives it a more Sinister look. The helmet and shield i would guess, are based from early Armor used by Knights, this is because of the visor and Rectangular shape of the shield. He has taken that design and made them more compact and added spikes, to give the idea that the Moria Orcs are not only part of the, "Evil" side in the story, but a Creature that is dangerous and should be avoided.

 -Ben Procter
Ben Procter is a Concept Artist who has done work for many films including "Avatar", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "The Matrix Reloaded" and many more, also he has done alot of work for many Music videos, Commercials, Television shows and Video games such as "Need for Speed : Underground" and "Medal of Honor : Frontline". So he has alot of experiences doing art for many different types of Media, and many different skills in each one. - ( Some Info taken from : http://www.gnomonschool.com/programs/entertainment-design/advisory_board/ben_procter.html?KeepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=380&width=600 )

The film that i am going to focus on the most is "Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen". He was lead robot illustrator on not only "Transformers : Revenge of the Fallen", but also on the first Transformers film back in 2007. He was Responsible for the Concept design and the Final Rendering of many of the Robots involved in the film such as, The Matrix of Leadership, The Doctor and The Twins, plus a few more which featured in the film. - ( Some Info taken from : http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Ben_Procter )

Example 2 : "The Doctor"

Image From : http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772

I chose this image out of the few i could of picked from the site, because of the amount of detail that is included. Much like the first example i gave, alot of detail and lighting skills were used, but this example is majorly different. This was Designed using a computer, giving the advantage of using different lighting skills and being able to zoom in etc to gain the ability to add a lot more detail, some things which even might not be noticed, but still add to the magnificentness of the piece of art. Not only is it more detailed because of the ability to add better lighting and zoom in to add detail, but because it was made on a computer, Ben Procter would of also had the ability to easily undo something he had done wrong and wanted to change, this gives him the ability to keep changing it until it is perfection, whereas with John Howe's sketch, it is much harder, therefor a much more abstract concept. I think that Procter has done a great job in making "The Doctor" look real. My favourite feature would probably be the eyes, simply because of the different shades of red and orange, making it look like they are almost Burning.

Conclusion

After analysing both artists and their work, i think that id prefer my style to resemble John Howe's rather than Ben Procter's, simply because i love how abstract it is, and that it isnt "too" perfect, leaving the designers and viewer some imagining to do.

Activity 1 - What is the purpose of concept art - by Josh Keogh