Week 17

Visual design

This week of the character project, as part of our anatomy crash course we were treated to a session on understanding drapery. As our characters will be clothed we should be able to render this with some realism otherwise it may appear that our character is nothing more but a Lego block. This lesson took me through a range of folds such as diamond, thrust and half lock. Admittedly I felt that my understanding of this session was quite lacking so as a result I decided to explore drapery in more detail via a Pinterest board as well as producing a double page spread on the subject in my sketchbook.

This I feel will come in handy in the future as I have a personal reference to refer to when trying to depict the different types of folds in the clothing of my eventual character. Moreover this should push my understanding of how drapery works over forms.  From my investigation I had learnt that what essentially creates a fold is a point of tension. This point is where all the creases and spirals originate from and develop the draped form.

Game production

In game production we further pushed the theme of drapery and got a chance to model drapery on a pre-modelled and pre rigged arm. During this session I experimented with different ways on modelling drapery such as chamfering edge loops and extruding them among other different methods. Eventually I decided that the most efficient way would be a produce a swift loop, extrude the edges and adjust the folds to make it appear as if gravity is affecting it. This way this should produce a somewhat effective yet low poly fold. In addition to this I learnt another method of creating efficient draper which doesn’t eat up the tri count. This would be to only model the folds with affect the silhouette and texture in the other smaller folds, communicating the look of drapery effectively whilst saving on Tris which I could use to model more details in the face.

My drapery attempt

Critical studies

This week in critical studies we were given the brief for our character project. We are tasked to produce a character which will fit within the village style guide constraints and also share a likeness to ourselves. This brief is something that excites me as characters has always been a passion of mine and I cannot wait get stuck in the concepting stage.

Lastly after the brief was set we took front and side orthographic shots of ourselves to use as reference of our characters.

Other work

Practicing composition using a dutch angle shot- I'm quite happy with the image
as it shows improvement in use of values however one part of the image im not so happy
about is how the kaiju sits in the image it seems out of proportion and the perspective seems off 

The image about was part of a personal project I wanted to explore. Taking old ideas
and compositions I had previously worked on and executing them with skill
that I have now acquired. The image on the left was a graphics project based around Flash Gordon.
The image was put together via paint overs and photobashes everything in the original was traced or photo edited
The image on the right is my attempt to draw and digitally paint this composition

The final result

This image was produced in the first few weeks of the course the image below is an iteration of the image above
which I produced this week. Thus continuing the idea of taking an old idea and using the skills I have acquired now to execute it stronger

The final result - note this is the first time I have made a painting straight from colour

week 16

This week we carried on with boot camp, preparing us for the upcoming character project.

Visual Design

In visual design we discussed the various proportions of the head and how to construct it. I have had previous experience with head anatomy and proportions, however capturing likeness has always been my weakest point. One thing that stuck to me this week, when discussing head proportions was the idea that jaw definition can determine the look of ones gender or perhaps create an androgynous look depending on the models other features.

This I feel will be very beneficial for future character projects as say if I want to design a female character I have more insight as to what an idealised woman may look like.

Moreover, during visual design our tutor taught us when drawing we should draw what we know first and then draw what we see. Hopefully with this mentality and the right balance I should be able to produce stronger images with given time.

Game Production

In game production, we learnt how to model our heads via box modelling. This task was given to us as we learnt from last week’s tasks that one way to model a low poly character would be to strip model it from the head, hence this week we needed to learn how to model this starting point using the tools we discussed in visual design the previous day. I found this task quite challenging as I do with all new 3d modelling tools and techniques however when I started thinking about how I would construct a head via 2d mediums such as pen or pencil the process started to become less intimidating and difficult. When modelling this head I thought of it as if I were modelling a planar head model. This proved to be handy as I could think about the model more in 3d although I do find some difficulty modelling lips. This is something I plan to practise in the future.

As sort of an independent task to explore, we were tasked with modelling our own heads by first taking orthos of our heads and then tracing the topology for us to follow in the modelling stage. My experience of this task was quite difficult as my understanding of topology is quite limited. This meant I had to research examples of facial topology and try to dissect what it represents. From my research I started to notice similarities with the loops and the structure of facial muscles.

This allowed me to develop my topology orthos with some comfort, however as you can see in image below my first attempt at modelling on the left didn’t go so well. This was due two reasons: one being my front and side view topology didn’t line up meaning I may not have gotten my topology accurate and two my first attempt was modelled via strip modelling which we were not taught. I initially thought it would be nice to experiment this way, in addition to this I believed strip would help me achieve a stronger more accurate head as all I would have to do is follow the topology of the head. Strip modelling on the other hand made me get caught up with fine details instead of looking at the head as a whole and as a result caused this weird dipping texture around areas of the head.

First attempt - left
Second attempt - right
Third attempt - middle

To improve on this fault I modelled a low poly head (right) and a low poly model with some more details (middle) via box modelling allowing me to model with the big picture in mind. These methods were both less time consuming and produced stronger result. I have learnt that perhaps when modelling heads I should work from a box first and chisel in more details as I go along.

Critical studies

This week’s critical studies focused on how we may work in a team and the job roles needed for working within a team. In addition to this in the session we learnt about keeping our digital footprint clean as well as how to look up our digital footprint via the tool pupil which searches the internet for any records of you.

Other work - (work I produce in my free time)

 Below are various paintings that I have produced to get me in the mindset of drawing characters

Egg king in colour- Produced to develop last weeks pencil sketch and explore using colour digitally painting
 Happy with the use of colour however for some reason everything looks very blurry and lacks definition and form. Next time when producing a painting such as this I should block in more values to create more defined form

Silhouettes for Brainstorms redesign Darth vader challenge
I took inspiration from french nobleman dress sense as well as samurai armour
referencing the original design of vaders inspiration being samurai armour.
When desiging these silhouettes I should've had my research on the side allowing me easier access to reference
as well as giving me more opportunities to design a stronger  character

Final concept- drapery needs to be improved as well as how well the form reads
I need to learn how to manage my values better as things seem flat

Learning from previous paintings I decided to block in my tones to make my image sharper
in its end result as well as vary up my tones

Final image - getting better however there needs to be some more slight contrast

Quick character concept, concepting Ghanaian folk legend anansi spider
If I get more free time I would like to reiterate on this design more
The symbol on the character is that of the Ashanti tribe in Ghana to which I owe my heritage to  and thus I wanted this
character to really represent my parents tribe and Ghanaian culture hence making sure any reference I received
when coming up with this initial concept where only from Ghana and about Ghana

             

                                          

I have upoaded this image as it is a good example of where I have been going wrong with a lot
of my paintings.
A lot of the time I've been working with pure blacks and pure whites which is causing  some of my paintings to
become slightly fake and at times muddy. As a result of this I am now working on using more midtones to develop a better
sense of form in my paintings

Week 15

Visual Design

Happy new year everyone, new year means a new term and to kick-start this term off we have been introduced to the preparation of the village character project via a so called a crash course in anatomy. In visual design our tutor Mike Kelly ran us through the general proportions of the basic human body from normal to idealistic to fashion and finally heroic.

These teachings were based on Loomis' idea of how the body is composed. I have briefly studied these proportions before however this has always been a struggle of mine as I found it hard to understand and find differences in the body depending on which head size it is. I always found Loomis work as you can see above as a foundation to my knowledge yet I never fully understood what the artist was trying to illustrate. However, with Kelly's class via his live teaching which really dissected what Loomis was trying to say in his image above I started to gain a better understanding as to how the body is composed.

This boosted my confidence in attempting character especially due the information I received about the neck length being about the same height as the distance from the nose and the brow. The neck has always been something I've struggled with when it came to figure drawing and with this bit of information it pushed me to explore my own characters and not only this but explore human anatomy more in preparation for the upcoming village project. 

Additionally in visual design to put our new knowledge to the test we analysed a few figures and broke them down via heads. The intention was to see how the artist has used this system to keep the proportions in check, as well as analysing how each part of the body may relate to each other and finally the actually visual reasoning behind the choice of heads.

From this exercise, I found that the higher amount of heads an artist uses the more powerful/stronger and sometimes intimidating a character can look depending on its context. The same goes for the opposite an artist may use less heads to deform a character making them look less desirable, weak and weedy or sometimes quite cute. As seen in the example of Mickey Mouse below.

One notices that unlike the character Mister Freeze's character which is about 8 heads Mickey Mouse is composed of only 3 heads to convey his cuteness and make him more approachable which fits in with his context and his audience of younger children who would be drawn to cute and approachable. Whereas, Mr Freeze's character is supposed to represent power and intimidation due to the nature of his villainous character hence the artist has made his proportions to 8 heads high and exaggerated his shoulder length to about 3.5 heads to make his shoulders more broader and really assert the power in the character.

Personal stuff - extension of visual design

Using my newfound knowledge of anatomy, I decided it would be best to put this to the test by concepting a character design for a personal project. I wanted to practise using the 7.5 heads system to get more accustomed to drawing more realistic human figures. However looking back, since this character is designed to be a heroic character I would design this character with the relative size of 8-9 heads tall according to Andrew Loomis' teachings to achieve the look of a powerful hero. 

One of my goals for this character was to test out what my tutor told me about neck length and see if this translates well when the neck is moving. For some reason in the image above, I found that there was something off about the neck and how it moves and its length in my drawing, and as a result, I decided to test Kelly's theory on neck length. I did this by measuring the distance of the eye to brow in many photos as well as one illustration (which looking back was not a wise decision as artists may exaggerate features subtly and therefore I am getting bad and inaccurate reference). I found that from this as you can see in the image below this measurement does not hold up quite right, especially when the neck is looking up.

However, I would propose another measurement instead of the chin to the top of the sternum being the same distance to the brow and the base of the nose since the chin may move up. I would propose thinking the skull/ head as a box and think about the back corner of the box as a measurement to use as you can see in the image below. I hope this measurement proves to be somewhat accurate, as this would help with my figures very well however, this is something I feel I would take with a pinch of salt.

Additionally the image above represents my attempts to study anatomy particularly, the facial planes as well as arm muscles anatomy to improve my figures as well as understanding how I could improve my rendering in portraiture. By drawing out these objects, this allows me  to work out how I could simplify this and remember these features as part of my visual tool kit.  Below are more examples of anatomical studies focusing on facial ones, which I believe will hopefully let me better understand how to create facial expressions and how the face contorts by studying what muscles move to create faces.

Using this information, I applied this knowledge to a few portraits I did of people when around Leicester. In visual design, we were tasked with taking pictures and recording visually interesting faces around Leicester. This was because as studying game artists we seem to limit our character designs as people around our age therefore to break the habit we were instructed to find older people who may serve as basis for our characters.

Life Drawing

In life drawing, we continued to record the figure via quick sketches some with continuous line and with our less dominant hand to get us to record the figure in a gestural way as well as think more about what I am recording down visually. In addition to this, we practiced more on measuring via the heads system. Using Kelly's information this aided my figure drawing during this session as I started to understand how exactly the model was built up.

Game production

In game production to prepare us for the upcoming village character project especially the modelling stage we were tasked with modelling a low poly woman via strip modelling. 

I've had some experience with strip modelling before, however this task really pushed me to experiment with the capabilities of it. In addition to this, during the task we were shown how to use the symmetry modifier. Using the modifier we were shown how one might go about modelling characters efficiently. 

When modelling this character I was supposed to follow the topology of the orthographic however, at the time I did not know this therefore I modelled this with my own insight.

As you can see in the image above the topology of my character isn't quite right. It doesn't loop around and it's not quite smooth. This would cause problems if I were to rig or animate my character as the topology would not be clean enough and would become deformed. From this experience, I have learnt that perhaps it would be best if I were to investigate achieving clean topology on organic models in the future.

Critical studies

During critical studies, we were given a talk on how we can move forward and prepare for the second term. I will explore what we have learnt and my goals for the future in the next blog post.

Other work

Developed character concept based on the one above - Drag queen pirate - legs could be improved as the models pose seems uncomfortable. In addition to this the image shows my process working from silhouette blocking in basic values and shapes and then painting on top of it.

Personal project - egg king based off of king louis xvii and king louis xvi - subject to be digitally painted hopefully when I can find free time - this should hopefully test how one may balance their values in a composition making each element readable

Character concept for a stylised monk warrior as well as just general practice with human figures

20 MIN digi sketch

Quick digital painting of monk character - If I have some spare time perhaps I will go back to this and iterate more on the costume and look of the character

Critical studies - week 15

This week in critical studies we were welcomed back to the course and we discussed how we are going to prepare for second term as well as how we react to written feedback.

When discussing how we react to written feedback these were the options we were given. Below the options are my results from the survey.

1.       I look first at the mark or grade I’ve received

Answer – This is exactly what I do

2.       I’m influenced a lot by the mark or grade I receive when I look at the feedback

Answer - This is exactly what I do

3.       If the mark is better than I expected, I analyse the feedback carefully to work out why my mark was better

Answer – This is exactly what I do

4.       I If the mark is worse than I expected, I analyse the feedback carefully to work out why my mark wasn’t so good

Answer - This is exactly what I do

5.       If I don’t my lecturer very much, I don’t take much notice of the feedback

Answer – This is not what I do

6.       I take careful note of positive comments, and find out what earned them, so I can use this feedback to make future work better

      Answer –This is sometimes what I do

7.       I get upset by critical comments, and sometimes feel bad about such feedback.

Answer –This is sometimes what I do

8.       I take careful note of the causes of critical comments, and  work out how exactly I can avoid these sorts of criticism in the future

Answer –This is sometimes what I do

9.       I  make systematic comparisons between feedback comments I receive from different lecturers, and work out which are general trends regarding my

Answer –This is sometimes what I do

10.   I  share the feedback comments I receive with fellow students, and learn more about the comments they received on their work

Answer – This is exactly what I do

11.   I file my marked work carefully, so that I can return to the feedback comments later and reflect on them

Answer – This is not what I do

12.   I  make an action plan based on the  feedback I’ve received and keep this hand to use in future work

Answer – This is not what I do

In addition to this we made a table plotting out our strengths and weakness’ as well as what we are going to do to improve ourselves

Visual design

Strengths: I feel as if I have seen a lot of improvement recently in skill and I also actively seek crit

Areas for improvement: Understanding the fundamentals (colour and light, anatomy and perspective)

Cause for concern/worries: My fear of failure

Actions: Practise more often in my free time

Barriers: Time management

Game production

Strengths: I understand 3ds Max interface and thus I feel as if I have a solid tool set to work from when modelling

Areas for improvement: Understanding topology as well as unwrapping and modelling more organic forms such as people

Cause for concern/worries: My skill in 3d – I’m worried I may fail game production and have to retake first year

Actions: Talk to the game production staff about my skill and research topology in more detail

Barriers: Time management

Critical Studies

Strengths: The visual look of my blog

Areas for improvement: How my blog is written

-          Needs more analysis

-          Needs to cover all 3 areas of the course

Cause for concern/worries:  I tend to put off doing these posts and then do them last minute

Actions:  I will try to get in the habit of writing a post in chunks over the week to create one large post

Barriers: Overcome my fear of failure