This is the first in a new series of posts concentrating on concept designs from yesteryear. This one is an early concept from the game Stormrise, released by Sega in 2009. It is an early interpretation of a Sai Warrior, the spiritual, mutant faction in Stormrise. I started by doing a pencil drawing of the character before bringing it into photoshop to paint up. What I find pleasing about his image is that it really pops out and gives a good sense of being three dimensional.
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The Concept Art of Nick Smith
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CGMA Environment Design 1 with James Paick – Week 4
This week we started to use colour. I’m afraid I only got three of the five images done this week. It seems to take me ages to get the image to a point where I feel like I’m liking it. Added to this is the fact that when I had to rush an image a couple of weeks ago just to fill out the assignment, the critique centered on the rushed image, rather than the two more finished pieces, thus covering a lot of things I might have attended to, had I given the image equal time. For this reason I have only submitted images that I have given fair attention to.
However, I did really enjoy this week’s assignments a lot more than weeks 1 to 3, which were a real chore, if I’m honest. I think this is because I started to use the lasso. I liked what I got out of it on the first image so much that by the third image I was using it for a lot of the image making, and doing very little actual painting. As you can probably tell, I’ve been looking at Robh Ruppel’s blog a lot recently.
There is a definite progression through the three images, the first being quite basic, while the last is comparatively rich. I’m learning a lot from the class, but what is becoming most apparent to me is less about the technique and skills, and more about my attitude towards environment design. When creating environments before I would get frustrated that the image wasn’t looking decent from a fairly early stage, and as a result I would get disheartened and this would put me off. Now I am forcing myself to get environments done and to a state where I’m happy with them, in the process learning that it takes time, but also proving to myself that I can do it.
Robh Ruppel
The fine work of one Mr Robh Ruppel has been brought to my attention during my Environment Design class, as mentioned in my last post.
He has a great sense of style, and his compositions and colour use are phenomenal. I’ve inserted a couple of examples below. Hit the link to see more on the blog. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. This stuff is a real inspiration, as you will see in my next Environment Design 1 update.
CGMA Environment Design 1 with James Paick – weeks 1, 2 & 3
Character art and design has always been my passion, as you might have guessed from the contents of this blog thus far. However, I have been well aware of a hole in my skill set in the shape of environment design for some time and recently I decided to do something about it. Getting a job as a concept artist is difficult enough, let alone if you just limit yourself solely to the character design side of it.
I’ve been a regular visitor and contributor to the cghub.com community (my gallery – ray.cghub.com) for quite a while now, and it was from here I learned of the Computer Graphics Master Academy, and the work of James Paick. He is a freelance concept artist working primarily in the games industry and has worked for such companies as Naughty Dog, NCsoft & EA, amongst others and he runs two classes on for CGMA. His personal website cane be found here.
Not kidding myself into thinking I knew more than I did about environment design, I wanted to start from the beginning and learn from the ground up, and so signed up for Environment Design 1. The class consists of a 1 – 1 1/2 hour video lecture in which Mr Paick creates a piece of environment concept art, talking the students through the techniques he uses and the thinking behind them. Students are then set a homework assignment to be completed before the week is out. Having submitted the homework, students are invited to a live Q & A session with Mr Paick, in which he critiques each students work and answers any questions for an hour.
Below are my homework assignments for the first three weeks. Week one concentrated on composition and value, with five images to be roughed out for homework. The focus of week two switched to lighting, with three images asked of us, while week 3 was concerned with bringing the standard up with regard to detail and finish. The brief was for one image that had outer space as its theme, with special concern given to scale.
While only three weeks into an eight week course, I am already learning useful techniques as well as a greater understanding of the environment design art from. Mr Paick is an excellent artist and teacher, who has an easy manner and makes for interesting listening, explaining succinctly and communicating with students in a very personable way.
I still find it a struggle to get the piece done in a timely fashion, always getting frustrated in the first half of the creative process until it starts to take shape in the second half. I do feel that I am making progress, however, and I am enjoying the challenge of taking on a facet of concept art that is somewhat foreign to me and pushing myself to meet the briefs in the time alloted.
At the end of this course I hope to discover whether it is my inexperience in the environment design field, and the difficulties that the unfamiliarity that comes with it present, that has put me off it in the past, or that it is simply a case of not finding it appealing to me as an artist.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Batman
This week’s OzComics.com challenge was Batman. How could I pass up this opportunity?
I started sketching in the old drawing pad, searching for a look that I liked. Having come up with this angular design I then set upon the task of designing my version of the Batmobile and could think of no better car to base it on than the classic over the top ’80s supercar, the Lamborghini Countach. Being a rather angular shape already, it leant itself well to the ride of choice for this particular Dark Knight.
Drive was not the movie that I though of aping at first. I did toy with the idea of doing a version of the Beverly Hills Cop cover with Batman sat casually on the bonnet of his motor. I was halfway through this one and on the brink of redesigning when the whole Drive thing sprang to mind, which was a relief. Having spent a lot of time on the Star Wars cover I was quite keen to keep this one to a more manageable timeframe. And because Drive is a cracking movie.
Speed Trap
Part of the Wideguys lineup, I initially wanted to do a cop car conversion of the 2009 Dodge Challenger. This was one of the American muscle car re-imaginings I really liked from a few years ago, other examples of which are the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
From there I developed the idea of it being part of a speed trap scene, and that it would be cool to have the cop a female, so that I could use her long hair to accentuate the draft created by the unseen perpetrator speeding by. The criminal in question was originally going to appear to the right, having gone round a bend left and driving off into the distance. Ultimately I preferred the idea that you don’t see him, just his wake.
This image was created by drawing and inking the car and the cop separately with a pen and pad, then scanning and comping them in Photoshop. The dust cloud effect was created using the Colour Halftone filter.
Star Wars Cover update
Just posting to say that unfortunately I didn’t win the Star Wars Cover challenge on OzComics.com. It was a great challenge to enter and I was very pleased with my effort, as well as the kind words from the judge, Dark Horse writer Tom Taylor. Here’s what he had to say:-
—– From Tom —–
There is nothing between some of these. There are about five or six entries that could easily grace the cover of a Star Wars book.
However, I have to give it to Sacha Bryning as I’m a writer and, for me, as well as being very accomplished, that one tells the best story. Sacha Bryning Link
I’m not going to do a second and third as any of the ones I’m mentioning could easily be the winner.
The two ‘Also could have won” – Nick Smith’s great entry, probably the best composition seen in this week’s entries. The perspective is brilliant and the subtle trail of smoke leading the eye from Darth’s severed hand past Luke up to the Emperor is very clever. Nick Smith Link
And the next ‘could have won” has to go to Porkins (by Dean Rankine). I like funny and this narrowly, narrowly, beat out Exogorth’s lonely in space. Dean Rankine Link
Have to acknowledge the brilliant work of Wade Gregory Clarke, Jan Filippelli, Dane Madgwick and… this too hard.
Well done everyone!
—–
Dani
A portrait done as a commission for a friend. It took about four hours using coloured pencil and black PITT pen. The original photograph was a nice composition, which always helps.
Paris je t’aime
A piece drawn for a friend’s wedding present. It was created using coloured pencil, black PITT pen and a dab of gouache paint. Everyone loves pin-up girls, but I’ve never seen one dressed as a mime. This was partly inspired by the work of comic covers artist Adam Hughes. Check his work out at justsayah.com
Star Wars Cover
This week’s challenge on OzComics was to do a cover for a Star Wars comic complete with title, publisher details and contributors. There are so many iconic scenes from the series, especially the original trilogy, but I chose the moment Luke beats Darth Vader to the ground and severs his hand.
With this image I tried to capture the power that Luke now has over Vader, but also Luke’s shock at the realisation of what has just happened, finished off with the sinister Emperor looking on.
The image has come out well. I’m especially fond of the composition. The background is a bit simplistic but it serves its purpose. The judge of the competition is a writer for Dark Horse comics called Tom Taylor. Fingers crossed he likes it. The entries are pretty strong this week. Wish me luck!
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