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)
