Recent Work

University is over, and now while deciding what to do with myself, I've been painting a few pictures. Here are a couple of them.

Video Done

Yesterday, i spent a couple of hours making a fly by video where the camera circles around my model. Using Aftereffects it was exported as a quiktime file, and today i am going to add in some music to the video. I was thinking Dead Mau5 - I Remember, as the tune seems to go rather well  with timing and sets quite a good, slightly dark mood to it as well. This shouldn't take me too long, and then its on to the 30 second showreel, and other bits and bobs.

Textured!

The model has been Uv'ed, textured and now put into a scene with some nice sky and sea. I only ended up using about four different colours and textures for the model in Maya, and once completed, I decided to make it look much more realistic by adding some surroundings, like the sky and sea. I think it makes a great difference! It's nearing the deadline now, but if I get the time, I had the idea to make up a simple character, in the style of the ones seen in my storyboard, and put him into this scene. The next definite step is to produce a fly through, using Maya, traveling and filming through this small part of my game, which shouldn't take too long.

UVing It Up

So the model was made, and obviously the next step i had to take care of was separating the model apart, and making each piece the same size, so that when textured, the model looks all good. Sally gave me a texture to help me out with this. Now, I'm at the stage of putting some colour into the scene.

Building In 3D

My story board is complete, and now I have decided to move on from 2D to a 3D environment, part of the surroundings that the player would come across if the game was invented. This term I made a decision to go with a 3D environment rather than my usual character option, to make a change, and because lately, I have been designing a lot more scenery. 

This model took me about three days to complete, but i enjoyed making it very much. I like the outcome, although i think the design of it makes it look like it should be featured in a racing game, which is not the case. Though, i could decide to have racing included in my game ...... So the next step is to texture the model, which i should also enjoy doing. My plan afterwards is to make a camera fly through of the model, so that the viewers can see how it would look playing the game. 

Here are a few images of what the model looks like. These pictures do not show the model complete yet

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A Post

Ok so basically, i haven't been doing any work other than focusing on my storyboard lately, it has not got much longer to go, so i'm looking very much forward to finsihing it off. Beneath are a few more pages...

Storyboard Time Again!

Ok......So i decided to scrap the storyboard that i had started last term and start over, using a different style. Putting the very simply created and colourless character into a realistic and not so cartoony environment, throughout the story. The story, to go alongside the game, features a random member of 'The Dreds' (the army that the player plays as in game), 'Pinch'. He was left behind on the planet Earth by his forgetful tribe and is left to wonder the planet alone. On his jouney, he discovers an interesting looking object, a boombox. It isn't long before this boombox comes to life, and joins Pinch on his journey. Later on Pinch finds that there are a whole load of evolved robotic organsims, created by mankind, that have also wiped out mankind. A whole army of boombox alikes are in control of Earth, and after spotting Pinch, they decide to try and hunt him down......and so on. Here's the first couple of pages, just to give an idea of the style the entire storyboard will probably be created in. 

Another Concept Piece

This is my third piece of concept art on environments. I decided to produce a dark, dingy and distant image to set the mood. As you can see, it differs from the rest, because the image doesn't contain any sign of life, making the picture have a certain lonely feeling about it. 

Logo.......or something?

Here's an image I've have recently made, just for the hell of learning and practice. As you can see it doesn't really explain much, and i didn't really want it to. Originally I had an idea for it being printed onto a t-shirt, or another piece of clothing, or maybe a tattoo (but I doubt that), and then I thought that possibly it could be introduced somewhere into my game, maybe as the game's logo, giving the image a few slight changes to make it feel and look more 'included'. Anyway here it is.......

A Couple Of Heads

To get a good solid idea of exactly what i want all of my tribe's characters to look like I have been sketching out some heads on Photoshop, of options. After finishing these heads off, there are some that I found I did not even have a vision of, and just putting pen to paper can bring new and pretty nice ideas onto the scene. Below are a few pages of ideas for the player's army's looks. After finding one to stick with, I may decide to take it on in Silo or Maya, and if not trying out a character, I will focus on producing a 3D landscape.

Landscpaes

This term i've started practicing a little on scenery, landscapes, getting the views and visions in my head down on paper (Photoshop). I've been practicing some more simple images of landscape view ideas i have recently had, that will be seen below. I've had a change of mind and am now focusing a lot on scenes, as i find that i enjoy it a lot, and it give me much more experience with programs like Photoshop, Painter, and so on.

The first image i produced was the tree in the field at nightfall. I enjoy this because it is simple but sets a decent atmosphere, letting the viewer almost feel what's going on in the image. The tree is the main focus in the picture, alone in the field, giving a lonely setting. 

The one below of the rain-forest, was the next one I decided to make. These two images are rather normal, real, not too out of the ordinary, because at the moment all I am doing is getting more used to the designs and programs, and the scenes below aren't as surreal as what i want the ideas of my game's scenes to look like. I decided to place an alien-formed pyramid object in the middle of the jungle, as the main focus. This object when seen seems quite out of the ordinary being placed in the surroundings that it has been put in. I have noticed that the style I have produced these images in, resemble that of many young children's story book, with the outcome of being quite realistic but not realistic enough. Perhaps with more time and practice I can get them looking more real.

Done and Done

Over the last week i have been getting all my work ready for hand in. I have been writing comments on all the work and research that i have done over the past few months of this project. I have just tried to finish the work to the best of my ability. I have changed all of the files i needed, to PDF format so that it is easier to read. I have writen up my evaluation and polished off everything else i needed to, such as any Photoshop pieces i had done beforehand. There were a few things i didn't complete that i would have preffered to get done, such as the comic strip i had been doing. Instead i had finished off eight pages of it explaining the beginning of the game's story, telling the viewer what happened and how the war began. All in all i think the project went rather well and am looking forward to starting the next part of the assignment.

Comic Time

Ok. So. I have done a few pages to my comic for my game idea. it is basically a story board to make understanding my game a little easier, explaining the beginning of the species and how the wars of Sixteen Suns had started. I have used a more simple cartoony technique for the images in this comic strip a lot like the comic i created in the second year, but maybe with a tad more detail included. 

The Joker

The comic i'm doing isn't your typical comic-like looking page layout. I'm just creating one page for each image. I have been working at the comic and so far have done eight or so images for it. I have researched into what the usuall comic would more likely look like, obviously not that i don't already know, just to get a little more of an idea how its set. I have a book called 'The Joker' which is a comic book that i bought off of a Forbidden Planet website. Its a hardback book and i recommend it to anyone who likes a good comic once in a while. Based on the story of the Joker's life and what antics he and his fellow thugs get up to. One reason i like it is because it is auite graphic, another because of the way its drawn out, and another as it has a good story. Im not usually a great comic reader, and i'll be honest, thats the only comic book, apart from a kinda comic strip in the Halo graphic novel, i own (that i know of) but i have read quite a few comic books before and they're always quite enjoyable. This one stood out also for the reason that i (like a ridiculous amount of others after seeing Batman The Dark Knight) love the Joker's character.

Inspiration

There have been so many inspirations for me over this term to do what work i have done, from books of Free Running by Sebastien Foucan and 'The Body', to games such as Little Big Planet and Gears Of War. But there are so many more artists, books, games and films that have helped me where all of my work is concerned. But the main artist that inspires me would have to be Banksy, as i love his styles. The way his work looks and what it means is suprises me at how good it is and i generally love looking at new pieces when they come along. I own a book of Banksy's, probably his most known and recognised one, which i bought a while ago now, and always like to sit down and read through. I have been trying to think up a way of including a similar style of his work into my game in some stage, maybe like in a situation where the player's base is being stomped on by a large evil monster of some sort, the graphics of the game could turn into that of Banksy's and the screen could turn black and white, or something like that. i will have to sit down and think it all over, but it would be a shame to leave out one of my biggest inspirations of all time. I have recently attempted top stencil myself as well, not on walls but on cardboard boxes at my home, and i need practice. Below are some Banksy images that i think a great.

Another Piece Of Concept

Here is another Photoshop piece i have done today. I have concentrated more on showing the Dred's colours and character in this image, rather than where the other images i have done on Photoshop are in different styles. This is a picture of the idea in my head that i have for the species in the player's army in my game to look. 

Sketchy Sketchy Sketchy

What does today bring me workwise? Hmmmmm. Well, i've started the day off by scanning all of my sketchwork into the Mac and have arranged all of the folders to put different things of different categories in, like Sketchwork, Concept Art, and Research, and so on. I am going to Nigel Potter's Photoshop lesson today at 14:00 which will be good, so im looking forward to that.

Plan B

Ok... So today's plan of going and learning more about all the Photoshop stuff went to pot, as it ended just before i got to the class. So time for Plan B. I am now working on ways of presenting my work for when it comes down to it. I have tried out, in my opinion, a more clean looking way of presenting it all, as you can see just below. The other style i had in mind was of including characters in the image, that i would creatre on Photoshop and drop onto the page in front of everything else. Characters that could hold up images i want to show for example and do other things on the page. I like both ideas, but it depends on what i get done in the little time we have left that will decide on which style to use, the clean version would take less time in all. 

Photoshop Time

Today  i plan to achieve a finished Photoshoped concept art piece. Nigel Potter is having a couple of days of teaching students from our class more about Photoshop. I have scanned in an image i drew in my sketch book of an in game species, which i am taking in to show Nigel, and hopefully get some decent feedback and advice on how to colour it and make it look nice. So with any luck i'll be going to sleep tonight  knowing i've done atleast one relatively nice piece of work today. 

Concept And Onwards

After creating everything research and review wise that i need, i will move onto creating the concept work focusing more on the character aspect of the game rather than gameplay or environment. From that i will soon move onto focusing on the Presentation. I have a certain style down for the way i am to present my work, and will be including a lot of characters in each of the pages, trying to do something more original or different at least. And from the presentation i have planned to travel onto the comic strip i talked about a few blogs down the page, also trying to get done the less important things in the project. 

Keeping Up To Date

Today i have achieved most of the research i intended to get out of the way and done with all together. My plan of action now is to move onto a little more of the concept art work using programs such as Photoshop and so on. I have already created some maybe a little more rough concept work on Photoshop showing a few of my character ideas, that can be seen below. I intend to do more of these and take more time on them, showing images of characters, and making them more clear to the viewers, using much more colour and a little more detail. Lately i have been researching and writing lots of game, film, book, and other reviews. Researching on stuff like Transformers (2007), Halo, Gears Of War, Pikmin, Spore, Batman The Dark Knight, Populous, Stranger's Wrath, Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus, Sebastien Foucan, The Body, and much more. I have used a certain similar layout for each page showing images and giving information about each subject, as you will see just below this blog.

Fighting Onwards

My Mac has broken....again! I have lost a little work here and there but hopefully i can redo it without any problems. Still getting all of the research out of the way with at the moment, focusing on Games such as Gears Of War II, Populous, Abe's Oddysee, Stranger's Wrath, and books such as Graffiti Planet and The Art Of Slinkachu. I've also been banging out some sketchbook pages of drawings of character and environment ideas over the Christmas Holidays and now. So this is what i will be doing from here on as well as creating a Comic, Presentation, and some more stuff.