Here's a few bits of sketching work.
Despite really really not liking digi painting, I have forced myself to try get better. I've had mixed results but I think I'm getting better.
Here is some of my digi work so far this year.
Monday, 11 February 2013
Highlights of 2D so far
Thought I should post some of the highlights of my Visual Design work from Year 2 so far. What little there is of it. Found myself falling behind in 2D more than usual due to larger 3D projects than I'm used to which have been eating my time.
Here's a few bits of sketching work.
Despite really really not liking digi painting, I have forced myself to try get better. I've had mixed results but I think I'm getting better.
Here is some of my digi work so far this year.
War of the worlds!
Here's a few bits of sketching work.
Despite really really not liking digi painting, I have forced myself to try get better. I've had mixed results but I think I'm getting better.
Here is some of my digi work so far this year.
Personal Bits
I've managed to fit in some personal stuff over the Xmas break. Mostly been drawing or digi - drawing but I've been trying to experiment with digi-painting and colouring somewhat, hasn't always gone very well but I need to start somewhere I guess.
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to learn anatomy better. Its something I have wanted to do for quite a while. Also tried to get some life drawing done too.
I've been drawing some other things too, less about learning anatomy but trying to learn some new techniques using colour or mark making or just because I thought it would be kool to do.
I enjoyed drawing a lot more over Xmas because I could do more drawings of the things I found interesting and in the style that I like. I think every time I do a digi paint I get a little bit better.
I often don't think I've come very far as an artist, but looking at some of the things I have done over Xmas I know I couldn't of done them 2 years ago. So I guess I'm getting somewhere. Even if its nowhere fast.
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to learn anatomy better. Its something I have wanted to do for quite a while. Also tried to get some life drawing done too.
I often don't think I've come very far as an artist, but looking at some of the things I have done over Xmas I know I couldn't of done them 2 years ago. So I guess I'm getting somewhere. Even if its nowhere fast.
Task 16: Elements of game design, part seven: level design
I've never really considered what level design is about until now. I'm guessing its largely focused on environmental work and design, which isn't something I'm interested in or good at. I'll do my best to get my head around it though.
Lets start with the purpose of level design and their goals. Level design is needed for two main reasons, providing players with a goal and providing players with enjoyable play experience. Good level design will produce quality gameplay, provide an immersive experience, and sometimes, especially in story-based games, to advance the storyline. A poorly designed level without thought will stand out as badly done and feel awkward to play, detracting from the gaming experience.
Who is a level designer? A level designer is a game designer who creates environments and scenarios using a level editor and other tools. They work on levels from pre-production to completion during various stages of the games overall progress. Game programmers usually make the level editors and design tools for the level designers so they don't need to modify or use the game's code.
It is the level designers job to layout a level, aiming for consistency, clear layout and playability ready for game artists to then produce concepts over block outs or texture artwork. Many level designers have skills as both a visual artist and game designers, which helps them to imagine what the level may look like and produce compelling work.
Level design itself can be quite complicated. Each level in a modern game typically starts with concept art, sketches, renderings, and physical models. Once completed, these concepts transform into extensive documentation, environment modelling, and the placing of game specific entities, usually with the aid of a level editor.
There are various steps involved in laying out a map and these steps vary depending on what game genre the level is for.
General steps include:
Good level design and planning is important, levels aren't just thrown together, they are carefully planned and evaluated and its an integral part of a game being enjoyable and believable.
Hopefully this new insight will help with the group project which has just started.
 |
| Level flow design |
Who is a level designer? A level designer is a game designer who creates environments and scenarios using a level editor and other tools. They work on levels from pre-production to completion during various stages of the games overall progress. Game programmers usually make the level editors and design tools for the level designers so they don't need to modify or use the game's code.
 |
| Blocking out simple layouts |
It is the level designers job to layout a level, aiming for consistency, clear layout and playability ready for game artists to then produce concepts over block outs or texture artwork. Many level designers have skills as both a visual artist and game designers, which helps them to imagine what the level may look like and produce compelling work.
Level design itself can be quite complicated. Each level in a modern game typically starts with concept art, sketches, renderings, and physical models. Once completed, these concepts transform into extensive documentation, environment modelling, and the placing of game specific entities, usually with the aid of a level editor.
 |
| Indicating where in a level things will happen |
There are various steps involved in laying out a map and these steps vary depending on what game genre the level is for.
General steps include:
- Laying out the large-scale features of the map, such as hills, cities, rooms, tunnels, etc., for players and enemies to move around.
- Determining environmental conditions and "ground rules" such as day/night, weather, scoring systems, allowable weapons or gameplay types, time limits, and starting resources.
- Specifying certain regions where certain gameplay activities or behaviours occur, such as resource harvesting, base building, water travelling, etc.;
- Specifying non-static parts of a level, such as doors, keys and buttons with associated mechanisms.
- Specifying locations of various entities, such as player units, enemies, monster spawn points, ladders, coins, resource nodes, weapons, save points etc.;
- Specifying the start and exit locations for one or more players;
- Adding aesthetic details such as level-specific graphic textures, sounds, animation, lighting and music;
- Introducing scripted event locations, where certain actions by the player can trigger specified changes;
Good level design and planning is important, levels aren't just thrown together, they are carefully planned and evaluated and its an integral part of a game being enjoyable and believable.
Hopefully this new insight will help with the group project which has just started.
Elements of game design, part five: planning and concepting
Concept art is something I have always been interested in, over the last few years especially. I have collected a library of concept art books and art books in general. If a game is released with a concept art book, I probably own it. I enjoy looking at concept art work for games, characters, environments etc but all that awesome can also depress me.
As much as I enjoy concept art, I think I have got the idea of it wrong. Most of the concept art we all see is very polished, finished, impressive work by some of the best concept artists in the game industry, this is depressing. My idea of concepts is ideas, rough sketch's, quick paintovers, just lose pretty rubbish art that helps get an idea across that other people can visualise. So when concept art becomes this polished stunning artwork, it makes me feel that is what I have to produce as a concept as well. With so much amazing input I find it hard to break away from all that and just do what I'm capable of.
It seems unlikely that concept artists would be producing such finished pieces of work at the concept stage when all you're doing is idea generation. Or they are just that awesome its easy for them, which is also depressing.
It would be nice to see the real concepting going on. The first ideas, planning and experimenting with the brief before everything is decided on. This would give an insight into how the game was made, how people think and work together and what artwork really helps shape the look and feel of a game and gets people inspired into working on it. It would hopeful be less depressing and more inspiring.
It would be nice if the idea everyone has about concept art was reset, it wouldn't just be stunning digipaints that fill the internet, but much more basic ideas and sketch's that help give you ideas, rather than depressing thoughts of not being good enough.
Planning, something which I am rubbish at. I make plans then don't stick to them, which seems to be what a lot of people and games companies do. But plans can change. There are often things that get in the way of plans, like me breaking my thumb during the summer. Game companies will start with a plan, of what they want to make, when they want it done and how much it will cost but things get in the way and plans change, games are often released much later than their original release date, or in some cases not at all. Some reasons for these problems might well be the lack of good planning in the first place, meaning things never get done and the game is never finished.
Despite all the things that can go wrong planning is vital, without planning nothing would get done in the first place. Randomly doing things would be pointless if there wasn't a plan to follow with an outcome. Game companies set up teams, objectives, limitations and deadlines. They plan everything out, even if they don't know what the end result might be exactly, they still need a basic plan, even if it ends up changing down the line.
 |
| Guild Wars Concepts = Horribly awesome |
As much as I enjoy concept art, I think I have got the idea of it wrong. Most of the concept art we all see is very polished, finished, impressive work by some of the best concept artists in the game industry, this is depressing. My idea of concepts is ideas, rough sketch's, quick paintovers, just lose pretty rubbish art that helps get an idea across that other people can visualise. So when concept art becomes this polished stunning artwork, it makes me feel that is what I have to produce as a concept as well. With so much amazing input I find it hard to break away from all that and just do what I'm capable of.
 |
| Dark Siders Concepts = Depressingly awesome |
It seems unlikely that concept artists would be producing such finished pieces of work at the concept stage when all you're doing is idea generation. Or they are just that awesome its easy for them, which is also depressing.
It would be nice to see the real concepting going on. The first ideas, planning and experimenting with the brief before everything is decided on. This would give an insight into how the game was made, how people think and work together and what artwork really helps shape the look and feel of a game and gets people inspired into working on it. It would hopeful be less depressing and more inspiring.
 |
| Some Bioshock concepts = interesting, not depressing! |
It would be nice if the idea everyone has about concept art was reset, it wouldn't just be stunning digipaints that fill the internet, but much more basic ideas and sketch's that help give you ideas, rather than depressing thoughts of not being good enough.
 |
| Basic concepts, interesting and creative. |
Planning, something which I am rubbish at. I make plans then don't stick to them, which seems to be what a lot of people and games companies do. But plans can change. There are often things that get in the way of plans, like me breaking my thumb during the summer. Game companies will start with a plan, of what they want to make, when they want it done and how much it will cost but things get in the way and plans change, games are often released much later than their original release date, or in some cases not at all. Some reasons for these problems might well be the lack of good planning in the first place, meaning things never get done and the game is never finished.
 |
| What my daily plan consists mostly of. |
Despite all the things that can go wrong planning is vital, without planning nothing would get done in the first place. Randomly doing things would be pointless if there wasn't a plan to follow with an outcome. Game companies set up teams, objectives, limitations and deadlines. They plan everything out, even if they don't know what the end result might be exactly, they still need a basic plan, even if it ends up changing down the line.
Elements of game design, part six: visual composition
Composition is something I have never really understood, I get that having a certain layout or focus in a photograph of piece of art is important and can effect how appealing the piece is overall. But I don't understand how or why that works, or what the actual method is. I've heard of the rule of thirds and the golden ratio but have never looked into it and tried to properly understand what they mean. I don't understand composition fully, so I don't use it in my work to full effect and this probably has a negative effect on my work. I haven't really looked into composition before but if it helps my work then now is probably a good time to start. Here is what I learnt:
Composition is like an art form in itself. The idea of composition comes from way back in the Renaissance, with the guidelines used to create photographs today established centuries before the first camera was even invented. So the idea of composition and what makes an appealing image isn't new.
Composition is basically the balance of everything in a photograph or piece of artwork. As humans we like symmetry and look for patterns or appealing layouts which make us like something.
The rule of thirds and the golden mean are two of the most well known methods of setting up composition in a piece. Both methods provide a means to capture the background in the photo as well a creating a compelling piece that guides the eye of the viewer.
With the rule of thirds you divide the frame into three parts, then place the main parts of the image on the green dots.
The golden mean works in the same way, you draw a line from corner to corner of the frame. Then draw a line from the opposite corners to the line. The subjects of the image should lie at the intersection of these two lines. This technique was developed in ancient Greece and has become less well known over time.
These rules are the basic building blocks of composition. The aim is to create a visually compelling image that captures the attention of the viewer. The rule of thirds and the golden mean aim to create a composition that leads the eye of the viewer around and tells a story behind the photograph.
These are the main rules of using composition, but there are other elements that will enhance a piece of work if used correctly. These include;
Finding a Clear Centre of Interest
Find something that captures your eye and interest. Try to avoid distracting objects or shadows.
Fill the Frame Get the subject into the frame so there is no doubt what the photo is all about.
Present a Clear Message Try to avoid anything that would distracts from the main subject.
Compose Boldly Look for repetition or patterns, diagonals, contrasting colours and shapes. They all help to make an interesting image.
Create Depth Put objects in front and behind your subject but a little out of focus. This isolates the subject and helps bring focus to it.
Light and Dark Use light and dark carefully, light tones advance while dark tones retreat. Most people look at the lighter portions of an image first.
Shapes
Vertical and horizontal are bad, diagonal is good. Psychologists say that instincts honed back our caveman days are responsible for that. Diagonal images are visually more interesting that vertical and horizontal.
Framing This is the use of elements in the foreground to frame the object in focus.
Lines Vertical lines emphasise power, strength, and height.
Horizontal lines express stability and width.
Diagonal lines express dynamic energy.
Curving lines express sensuality.
I found this website very useful in learning about composition - http://photoinf.com/
Composition is like an art form in itself. The idea of composition comes from way back in the Renaissance, with the guidelines used to create photographs today established centuries before the first camera was even invented. So the idea of composition and what makes an appealing image isn't new.
 |
| Rule of thirds photography |
Composition is basically the balance of everything in a photograph or piece of artwork. As humans we like symmetry and look for patterns or appealing layouts which make us like something.
The rule of thirds and the golden mean are two of the most well known methods of setting up composition in a piece. Both methods provide a means to capture the background in the photo as well a creating a compelling piece that guides the eye of the viewer.
With the rule of thirds you divide the frame into three parts, then place the main parts of the image on the green dots.
These rules are the basic building blocks of composition. The aim is to create a visually compelling image that captures the attention of the viewer. The rule of thirds and the golden mean aim to create a composition that leads the eye of the viewer around and tells a story behind the photograph.
 |
| Golden Mean photography |
These are the main rules of using composition, but there are other elements that will enhance a piece of work if used correctly. These include;
Finding a Clear Centre of Interest
Find something that captures your eye and interest. Try to avoid distracting objects or shadows.
Fill the Frame Get the subject into the frame so there is no doubt what the photo is all about.
Present a Clear Message Try to avoid anything that would distracts from the main subject.
Compose Boldly Look for repetition or patterns, diagonals, contrasting colours and shapes. They all help to make an interesting image.
Create Depth Put objects in front and behind your subject but a little out of focus. This isolates the subject and helps bring focus to it.
Light and Dark Use light and dark carefully, light tones advance while dark tones retreat. Most people look at the lighter portions of an image first.
Shapes
 |
| Framing with shapes |
Framing This is the use of elements in the foreground to frame the object in focus.
Lines Vertical lines emphasise power, strength, and height.
Horizontal lines express stability and width.
Diagonal lines express dynamic energy.
Curving lines express sensuality.
I found this website very useful in learning about composition - http://photoinf.com/
Bits of 3D
Trash
The first 3D work I have done in months, I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I was worried I had completely forgot how to use the program and was going to have to learn it all over again. Trash is also pretty dull. I managed to get into modelling pretty quickly, but it wasn't that difficult modelling rubbish to be honest.
I used the project to try get my own style into my work. I focused more on the textures and putting my art style into it, rather than the modelling and textures on the rubbish.
I enjoyed the project more because I could put my graffiti into it, which i digipainted just for this project. I think this affected my mark though, I got good marks for my textures but my modelling and other textures suffered because I spent too much time on my own bits. In future I will need to find a better balance.
Building
I didn't enjoy this project. I had several ideas to begin with but thought referencing was going to be a big problem. I decided to do a building that I thought was interesting and cool, the ghost busters building in New York. I was able to use street view and reference from stills of the films to get the general idea of the building and how it looks but it still wasn't easy to make it. We don't have any buildings in the UK that really look like New York fire houses.
I found modelling difficult, the building is actually quite plain with not much detail. With a large tri budget I found it hard to find the places to put the detail into. This meant I had some very dense areas of tris and others with very little.
I found the textures quite difficult to get right aswell, I had to use bits of other references images that I have gathered over the past year to help make the texture sheets.
I think my building is a good representation of the Ghost Busters building and several people managed to recognise it, which is good. I tried to stick to the reference I had, but this made it look quite empty and plain especially compared to the other buildings. I'm not sure how well it fits with the other buildings, I could of picked a better building to do, but I like the Ghost Busters.
So oh well.
The first 3D work I have done in months, I wasn't looking forward to it at all. I was worried I had completely forgot how to use the program and was going to have to learn it all over again. Trash is also pretty dull. I managed to get into modelling pretty quickly, but it wasn't that difficult modelling rubbish to be honest.
I used the project to try get my own style into my work. I focused more on the textures and putting my art style into it, rather than the modelling and textures on the rubbish.
I enjoyed the project more because I could put my graffiti into it, which i digipainted just for this project. I think this affected my mark though, I got good marks for my textures but my modelling and other textures suffered because I spent too much time on my own bits. In future I will need to find a better balance.
Building
I didn't enjoy this project. I had several ideas to begin with but thought referencing was going to be a big problem. I decided to do a building that I thought was interesting and cool, the ghost busters building in New York. I was able to use street view and reference from stills of the films to get the general idea of the building and how it looks but it still wasn't easy to make it. We don't have any buildings in the UK that really look like New York fire houses.
I found modelling difficult, the building is actually quite plain with not much detail. With a large tri budget I found it hard to find the places to put the detail into. This meant I had some very dense areas of tris and others with very little.
I found the textures quite difficult to get right aswell, I had to use bits of other references images that I have gathered over the past year to help make the texture sheets.
I think my building is a good representation of the Ghost Busters building and several people managed to recognise it, which is good. I tried to stick to the reference I had, but this made it look quite empty and plain especially compared to the other buildings. I'm not sure how well it fits with the other buildings, I could of picked a better building to do, but I like the Ghost Busters.
So oh well.
So year 2 huh
Its February, a few months into the 2nd year of the course and I have managed to get no blogs done. Awesome. I now have to cram them in like crazy so I don't get a massive FAIL stamped on my face, and I hate writing. I didn't post any blogs but I apparently drafted a few which might help speed things up abit.
This is the blog I drafted ages ago about coming back to uni and starting the second year, in September. I'm glad it doesn't say much about 'keeping up with blogs and meeting all deadlines' because in hindsight I would of looked like a knob to post that now.
Well the summer break is over and now it's back to work. Summer went faster then I would of liked and I got nothing done that I wanted to. I took a few weeks to myself at the start to relax and destress, but once I had done that I was then busy sorting out getting married and all that comes with it. By the time it was over and all our friends and family had gone it was August and just before our last friend left I broke my right thumb. Breaking my thumb was a massive waste of time for me I, I had a huge cast that prevented me doing everything that involves your hands. I lost 8 weeks of time when I was about to start doing some of the things I had wanted to do over the summer, by the time I got my cast off there was just over 2 weeks left before going back. I managed to do a fair bit of drawing in that time, doing timed drawings and doing as much as I could to get the movement back in my thumb.
Theres some things I really wanted to learn over summer that I haven't had chance to, like Zbrush mainly. I have wanted to practise and get to grips with that program for a while now but have struggled to find the time to get it in, and I haven't looked at it at all over the summer. I'm hoping that I'll have chance to do something with Zbrush in year 2 and it might help my 3D work get better.
I also wanted to practise digi-painting more over summer but my cast has stopped me being able to do that. I'm not a big fan of digital drawing/painting I prefer traditional methods much more, but I'm still planning of putting some time into improving at digi work.
So now that the 2nd year is here what do I want from this year, I still don't really know. I'm just gonna have to go with it, until I get to the point where I know what I'm doing or want to do. While all the normal uni work is going on I am making time to do the kinda things I want to do, like life drawing and anatomy and then I'm gonna go from there. When I feel I know the human body enough I can move onto the next thing and build from it.
I'm kind of hoping I have more time in the second year to practise the things I want to and work in the ways/styles that I like most. I'd like to have more freedom to work on ideas that I have and do them in a style that means more to me.
Its very late, but that was my blog for the start of year 2.
Its February, a few months into the 2nd year of the course and I have managed to get no blogs done. Awesome. I now have to cram them in like crazy so I don't get a massive FAIL stamped on my face, and I hate writing. I didn't post any blogs but I apparently drafted a few which might help speed things up abit.
This is the blog I drafted ages ago about coming back to uni and starting the second year, in September. I'm glad it doesn't say much about 'keeping up with blogs and meeting all deadlines' because in hindsight I would of looked like a knob to post that now.
Well the summer break is over and now it's back to work. Summer went faster then I would of liked and I got nothing done that I wanted to. I took a few weeks to myself at the start to relax and destress, but once I had done that I was then busy sorting out getting married and all that comes with it. By the time it was over and all our friends and family had gone it was August and just before our last friend left I broke my right thumb. Breaking my thumb was a massive waste of time for me I, I had a huge cast that prevented me doing everything that involves your hands. I lost 8 weeks of time when I was about to start doing some of the things I had wanted to do over the summer, by the time I got my cast off there was just over 2 weeks left before going back. I managed to do a fair bit of drawing in that time, doing timed drawings and doing as much as I could to get the movement back in my thumb.
 |
| It was like this, seriously...for a thumb. |
Theres some things I really wanted to learn over summer that I haven't had chance to, like Zbrush mainly. I have wanted to practise and get to grips with that program for a while now but have struggled to find the time to get it in, and I haven't looked at it at all over the summer. I'm hoping that I'll have chance to do something with Zbrush in year 2 and it might help my 3D work get better.
I also wanted to practise digi-painting more over summer but my cast has stopped me being able to do that. I'm not a big fan of digital drawing/painting I prefer traditional methods much more, but I'm still planning of putting some time into improving at digi work.
So now that the 2nd year is here what do I want from this year, I still don't really know. I'm just gonna have to go with it, until I get to the point where I know what I'm doing or want to do. While all the normal uni work is going on I am making time to do the kinda things I want to do, like life drawing and anatomy and then I'm gonna go from there. When I feel I know the human body enough I can move onto the next thing and build from it.
 |
| Its all about building things up. |
I'm kind of hoping I have more time in the second year to practise the things I want to and work in the ways/styles that I like most. I'd like to have more freedom to work on ideas that I have and do them in a style that means more to me.
Its very late, but that was my blog for the start of year 2.
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