Overall very pleased with the outcome. After overcoming a lack of motivation and an excess of self-doubt and self-pressure I managed to produce work that I'm very happy with and explore a context that I'm interested in.
TO DO - write a balanced, in-depth and fair evaluation of my work in my own time in order to formally reflect on my practice.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Friday, 18 October 2013
Design - Leonard's Rocket Launcher
What we need before we start drawing
He reached down into the large
canvas bag by his feet and pulled out a long tube, which he handed to
Nobby.
'I do apologize about this,' he said, producing a smaller tube and handing it
to Colon. 'I had to do things in such a hurry, there really was no time to
finish it off properly, and frankly the materials are not very good–'
Colon looked at his tube. It was pointed at one end.
'This is a firework rocket,' he said. 'Look, it's s got "A riot of coloured balls
and stars" on it...'
'Yes, I do so apologize,' said the man, lifting a complex little arrangement
of wood and metal out of the bag. 'May I have the tube back, corporal?' He
took it and screwed the arrangement on to one end. 'Thank you... yes, I'm
afraid that without my lathe and, indeed, my forge, I really have had to make
do with what I could find lying around... Could I have the rocket back,
please? Thank you.'
'They don't go properly without a stick,' said Nobby.
'Oh, in fact they do,' said the man. 'Just not very accurately.'
He raised the tube to shoulder height and peered into a small wire grid.
'That seems about right,' he said.
'And they don't go along,' said Nobby. 'They just go up.
'A common misconception,' said Leonard of Quirm, turning to face them.
Colon could see the tip of the rocket in the depths of the tube, and had a
sudden image of stars and balls.
'Now, apparently you two have to step into this alley here and come with
me,' said Leonard. 'I'm very sorry about this, but his lordship has explained
to me at great length how the needs of society as a whole may have to
overrule the rights of a particular individual. Oh, and I've just remembered.
You have to put your hands up.'
The voice behind them said, 'Oh, dear, this won't do at all, will it... ? I can't
deny it, you were quite right, the accuracy would be quite unacceptable at
any reasonable range. Could you bear to stop a moment, please?'
They turned. Leonard was already dismantling the tube.
'If you could just hang on to this bit, corporal... and, sergeant, if you would
be so good as to hold this piece steady... some sort of fins should do it, Im
sure I had a suitable piece of wood somewhere
Leonard began to pat his pockets.
The watchmen realized that the man holding them up had paused to
redesign his weapon and had given it to them to hold while he looked for a
screwdriver. This was a thing that did not often happen.
Nobby silently took the rocket from Colon and pushed it into the tube.
'What's this bit here, mister?' he said.
Leonard glanced up briefly in between patting his pockets.
'Oh, that is the trigger,' he said. 'Which, as you can see, rubs against the
flint and–'
'Good.'
There was a short burst of flame and rather more black smoke.
'Oh, dear,' said Leonard.
The watchmen turned, like men dreading what they were about to see. The
rocket had shot the length of the alley and through the window of a house.
'Ah... putting "This Way Up" on the projectile would be an important
safety point to bear in mind for the new design.' said Leonard. 'Now,
where's that notebook... ?'
'I think we'd better leave,' said Colon, moving backwards. 'Very fast.'
Inside the house there was an explosion of stars and balls to delight young
and old but not the troll who had just opened the door.
Extracted info:
2. Pre-determining some goal posts:
What can we decide on as pre-set rules for the design before we start? Let us play the role of art-director. We want to create some solid walls to work within due to the small amount of time we have.
Trying to create something that looks
3. Brainstorming, research and reference images
a. Brainstorm:
Creating a sense of low accuracy
View collected reference images on Pinterest here: link
Images selected varied reasons. Sometimes for direct reference, other times to try to help generate ideas.
Making:
Colour tests
3D model created in order to setup camera, get accurate perspective, etc.
- Descriptions and info from text.
- Set CLEAR GOAL POSTS - decide some things as an art director before starting work as a designer.
- Brainstorming, research and reference images.
1. References from Jingo
He reached down into the large
canvas bag by his feet and pulled out a long tube, which he handed to
Nobby.
'I do apologize about this,' he said, producing a smaller tube and handing it
to Colon. 'I had to do things in such a hurry, there really was no time to
finish it off properly, and frankly the materials are not very good–'
Colon looked at his tube. It was pointed at one end.
'This is a firework rocket,' he said. 'Look, it's s got "A riot of coloured balls
and stars" on it...'
'Yes, I do so apologize,' said the man, lifting a complex little arrangement
of wood and metal out of the bag. 'May I have the tube back, corporal?' He
took it and screwed the arrangement on to one end. 'Thank you... yes, I'm
afraid that without my lathe and, indeed, my forge, I really have had to make
do with what I could find lying around... Could I have the rocket back,
please? Thank you.'
'They don't go properly without a stick,' said Nobby.
'Oh, in fact they do,' said the man. 'Just not very accurately.'
He raised the tube to shoulder height and peered into a small wire grid.
'That seems about right,' he said.
'And they don't go along,' said Nobby. 'They just go up.
'A common misconception,' said Leonard of Quirm, turning to face them.
Colon could see the tip of the rocket in the depths of the tube, and had a
sudden image of stars and balls.
'Now, apparently you two have to step into this alley here and come with
me,' said Leonard. 'I'm very sorry about this, but his lordship has explained
to me at great length how the needs of society as a whole may have to
overrule the rights of a particular individual. Oh, and I've just remembered.
You have to put your hands up.'
The voice behind them said, 'Oh, dear, this won't do at all, will it... ? I can't
deny it, you were quite right, the accuracy would be quite unacceptable at
any reasonable range. Could you bear to stop a moment, please?'
They turned. Leonard was already dismantling the tube.
'If you could just hang on to this bit, corporal... and, sergeant, if you would
be so good as to hold this piece steady... some sort of fins should do it, Im
sure I had a suitable piece of wood somewhere
Leonard began to pat his pockets.
The watchmen realized that the man holding them up had paused to
redesign his weapon and had given it to them to hold while he looked for a
screwdriver. This was a thing that did not often happen.
Nobby silently took the rocket from Colon and pushed it into the tube.
'What's this bit here, mister?' he said.
Leonard glanced up briefly in between patting his pockets.
'Oh, that is the trigger,' he said. 'Which, as you can see, rubs against the
flint and–'
'Good.'
There was a short burst of flame and rather more black smoke.
'Oh, dear,' said Leonard.
The watchmen turned, like men dreading what they were about to see. The
rocket had shot the length of the alley and through the window of a house.
'Ah... putting "This Way Up" on the projectile would be an important
safety point to bear in mind for the new design.' said Leonard. 'Now,
where's that notebook... ?'
'I think we'd better leave,' said Colon, moving backwards. 'Very fast.'
Inside the house there was an explosion of stars and balls to delight young
and old but not the troll who had just opened the door.
Extracted info:
- Two tubes - the launcher and the rocket
- Launcher tube - material unknown
- Rocket tube - pre-made, shop bought rocket, "A riot of coloured balls and stars"
- Inaccurate - no fins or stick to stabalise flight
- Complex arrangement of wood and metal screwed to one end = trigger device
- Trigger - rubs against flint which fires rocket
- Rocket may be put in upside-down necessitating a future addition of 'this way up'
- Rocket = not accurate, no fins or stick
- Small wire grid = aiming sight
2. Pre-determining some goal posts:
What can we decide on as pre-set rules for the design before we start? Let us play the role of art-director. We want to create some solid walls to work within due to the small amount of time we have.
Trying to create something that looks
- inaccurate
- hand made without a sense of polish
- cobbled together from 'what I could find lying around'
- metal and wood construction, brass or copper sheets, rough cut wood
- Functional, no unnecessary decoration or apparent deliberate aesthetic considerations
- rocket - cheap looking, faded and colourful, old english lettering, very long fuse that gets locked into trigger (to make plausible the fact that it can fire the rocket when put in backwards)
Creating a more complex paragraph description using some of the self-decided aspects above:
Leonard has been instructed by Lord Vetinari to leave the boathouse and the Going-Under-The-Water-Safely-Device to find Colon and Nobbs. Leonard must get them return to the boathouse by any means necessary. Vetinari instructs Leonard to hold-them-up using a weapon. Leonard then sets about quickly putting together a rocket launcher from whatever material he can find lying around.
3. Brainstorming, research and reference images
Creating a sense of low accuracy
- remove physical design features that give accuracy - fins, aerodynamic shape, stick
- shorter, stumpier shape - less accurate
- breaking up the straight streamlined shape with other forms
Creating a sense of home made, un-polished weapon
- home made fireworks, potato guns, etc
- simplistic construction - few parts, few joins, etc - quick and simple
- or more complex construction - made out of a lot of small bits of scrap
- indications of material's previous uses - stickers, stamps, signs, paint, things affixed to, etc, or recognisable shapes from other objects
- what would be near a boathouse that could have parts scavenged from?
- boat parts, rigging, port-hole rings, iron bands masts
- fishing lines, reels, nets, fish hooks,
- the river would pick up any trash from anywhere in Ankh Morpork
- so tin cans, brass instruments, shop signs, cart wheels, chimneys, metal pipes/plumbing (period accurate?)
b. Technical research:
Looked at a range of pages to get ideas for reference images, including the following links:
c. Reference images:
View collected reference images on Pinterest here: link
Images selected varied reasons. Sometimes for direct reference, other times to try to help generate ideas.
- form reference of the real-world objects this fictional object alludes to (bazookas, RPGs etc)
- historical examples of projectile weapons and their functioning (handgonne, etc)
- real-world home-made potato-guns (high power handheld cannons)
- general visual design reference of real-world firework rockets of varying shapes and levels of intricacy
- visual design reference of home-made firework rockets - blunt-nosed and very inaccurate-looking
- examples from Fallout 3 (video game) of imaginative weapon designs featuring amalgamation of other utility objects
- visual reference of examples of firework packaging - that low-quality print look
Making:
Colour tests
3D model created in order to setup camera, get accurate perspective, etc.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Personal Development - Change of direction, simplifying project
Spoke with Rebecca and after some thinking I decided that a science fiction translation of a fantasy novel is too difficult a task for a junior concept artist.
It would be a more appropriate solo project for a junior Concept Artist to do a more or less direct translation of the book Jingo.
It would be a more appropriate solo project for a junior Concept Artist to do a more or less direct translation of the book Jingo.
Research (design theory, drawing skills) - Matt Kohr's CtrlPaint.com videos
Been having a really hard time dealing with my anxiety surrounding this semester.
Hard to find a starting point for my Discworld redesign. What process should I use? Etc.
Talks about the three steps of drawing something.
Using 3D rendering to simulate light and set up photorealistic light/colour experiments. Also looking at other people's renders.
Material/surface studies - VRAY material samples that have been rendered out to realistically simulate different surfaces, from copper to alligator skin.
Using reference in character designs. Doing a real-world profession (scuba diver) using real world reference imagery. "These sort of exercises or jobs help you build your visual library for costuming and improve your ability to generate sci-fi and fantasy characters"
Taking fashion references from The Sartorialist fashion website and drawing them using gesture, angular block in and contour drawing.
Taking real-world visual information into our visual library for use in our fantasy or sci-fi drawings and designs.
Focusing studies on what we're not good at.
Lots of time wasted searching for references! So the 'Drawing Script' at lovecastle.org/draw is a great resource for giving you images and even setting time limits on how long the image is displayed for.
Note: lovecastle.org seems to no longer exist. This website offers a similar service: artists.pixelovely.com
Visual tangents or the intersection of edges with other edges. When an edge just touches another edge, the depth becomes confused. Tower of Pisa, etc.
We also don't want to draw attention to the presence of the picture plane (that is, to the fact that it's a picture). Keep away from objects intersecting with the corners of the composition.
Obviously use subjectively - if we want to draw attention to the point where two edges or a line and a corner are touching (either physically or despite depth) for symbolic or narrative purposes then we are allowed to do this.
A very design-focused video. Matt talks about how he revisited a painting and realised that the design could use some work. The rear overhang as seen in the above thumbnail, as well as the somewhat complicated face (in terms of general form) needed some work.
The back: He wasn't sure what the overhang at the back was accomplishing. He wanted a more continuous silhouette and wanted to de-emphasise the back of the vehicle.
The front: A bunch of different plates at different angles - it was noisy. A lot going on. Removed a lot of plates, simplified. More angular, sharper. Seems to be a way of making the face fit more conherently with the rest of the form to create a more coherent character. We see the front of vehicles as faces. Headlights, windows, whole front area is where we get a large sense of the vehicle's character from. Character intended here: angular and tough. So angular shapes.
Usefulness of fresh eyes later on - last couple of percent of work made it a really strong design, made possible by fresh eyes.
"You can know about technique and be a great renderer but still make bad design choices - and the end result is that it doesn't look as strong as it could".
Some more general notes on design processes and iterations:
From the Conceptart.org thread called 'Game Art - Advice from Someone in The Industry'
A member called Hiddnfox who had at the time of posting (in 2007) been in the video game industry as a UI artist for 3 months as an intern posted the following:
Hard to find a starting point for my Discworld redesign. What process should I use? Etc.
Doing some research to get a clearer image regarding how I can approach the initial stage of this project as well as to reestablish my motivation and general sense of stability.
Looking at a range of Matt Kohr's video tutorials.
Talks about the three steps of drawing something.
- Reference images/reference sheet from photos and also other artists' sketches and paintings
- Contextual/real world understanding of where the object exists
- Practice which forces us to look closely at the real forms and details sans our mental symbols
Sometimes it's not absolute realism but just believability created through use of relevant real-world shapes and details.
Using 3D rendering to simulate light and set up photorealistic light/colour experiments. Also looking at other people's renders.
Material/surface studies - VRAY material samples that have been rendered out to realistically simulate different surfaces, from copper to alligator skin.
Using reference in character designs. Doing a real-world profession (scuba diver) using real world reference imagery. "These sort of exercises or jobs help you build your visual library for costuming and improve your ability to generate sci-fi and fantasy characters"
Taking fashion references from The Sartorialist fashion website and drawing them using gesture, angular block in and contour drawing.
Taking real-world visual information into our visual library for use in our fantasy or sci-fi drawings and designs.
Focusing studies on what we're not good at.
Lots of time wasted searching for references! So the 'Drawing Script' at lovecastle.org/draw is a great resource for giving you images and even setting time limits on how long the image is displayed for.
Note: lovecastle.org seems to no longer exist. This website offers a similar service: artists.pixelovely.com
Visual tangents or the intersection of edges with other edges. When an edge just touches another edge, the depth becomes confused. Tower of Pisa, etc.
We also don't want to draw attention to the presence of the picture plane (that is, to the fact that it's a picture). Keep away from objects intersecting with the corners of the composition.
Obviously use subjectively - if we want to draw attention to the point where two edges or a line and a corner are touching (either physically or despite depth) for symbolic or narrative purposes then we are allowed to do this.
A very design-focused video. Matt talks about how he revisited a painting and realised that the design could use some work. The rear overhang as seen in the above thumbnail, as well as the somewhat complicated face (in terms of general form) needed some work.
The back: He wasn't sure what the overhang at the back was accomplishing. He wanted a more continuous silhouette and wanted to de-emphasise the back of the vehicle.
The front: A bunch of different plates at different angles - it was noisy. A lot going on. Removed a lot of plates, simplified. More angular, sharper. Seems to be a way of making the face fit more conherently with the rest of the form to create a more coherent character. We see the front of vehicles as faces. Headlights, windows, whole front area is where we get a large sense of the vehicle's character from. Character intended here: angular and tough. So angular shapes.
Usefulness of fresh eyes later on - last couple of percent of work made it a really strong design, made possible by fresh eyes.
"You can know about technique and be a great renderer but still make bad design choices - and the end result is that it doesn't look as strong as it could".
Some more general notes on design processes and iterations:
From the Conceptart.org thread called 'Game Art - Advice from Someone in The Industry'
A member called Hiddnfox who had at the time of posting (in 2007) been in the video game industry as a UI artist for 3 months as an intern posted the following:
I have a couple spaceship thumbnails in my portfolio linked in my sig down below so you can get an idea. After that I pick between 3-6 of them I like the best and 'flesh them out' a bit. Meaning throw up some shadow/highlights and put some bulk into it. I show this to the designers and they converse about it a bit and then I work on 1-2 ideas based on their feedback.So essentially he
- did 20-25 thumbnails
- selected between 3-6 of them to flesh out a bit with some shadows, highlights and 'bulk' (detail?)
- showed the results to the designers
- worked on 1-2 ideas based on feedback
In the same thread, the thread-starter, a member called 'Seedling', discusses the idea of getting into other jobs within a company if getting a CA job is difficult. (2006)
He talks about jobs within the game industry such as low-poly modeller/texturer, tech artist, UI artist, effect/sprite artist, etc. There must be analogues within film as well - storyboarding, matte painting, etc.
From the Denver Comicon 2013 panel - 'So You Wanna Be A Concept Artist'
Defining:
Concept art - setting a tone
Production art - moving towards the product
However it seems from FZD videos and other resources that concept artists often do both.
Re: portfolios:
"Frantz added that artists shouldn't show anything you wouldn't want to be working on the rest of your life. He offered the anecdote of an artist who had a stylized illustration of a dog in his portfolio and ended up working on commercial art for pet food the rest of his life.This of course doesn't mean artists should limit what they share in portfolios. The works should strike a balance that shows diversity, but won't limit prospects. If you're best work is an illustration of a duck, diversify and improve your style in other areas, unless you want to be creating ads for hunting magazines the rest of your life. It's a highly competitive market, so it's easy to get pigeonholed."
A LOT of importance placed on fundamentals of illustration. Does this include design?
Design - Detritus' Cooling Helmet (Making)
Step 2 - Visual brainstorm and creation of 5 different ideas for the AD to choose from
To find the overall character of it do a variety of five thumbnails looking at various ideas - a really protective one, one that looks really fragile, one that looks really solid and enclosed, etc. Look at brainstorm above for ideas.
Problem - what size and scale should I be aiming for?
Use Kirby's design as a guideline for scale.
Some quick solving through the image I drew up below (using a found image of Kirby's illustration) shows that the helmet itself as it sits on the top of Detritus' head would be 1.5 to 2 times the size of a regular human helmet. Found size of human by taking the scale of Kirby's crossbow to gauge the approx scale of a 6 foot human, if we bear in mind that the bolt of the crossbow is 6ft long.
http://www.hireanillustrator.com/how-to-commission-an-illustrator.pdf
Select 5 for AD to select from
First knock out the ones I don't like at all
Outcome - experimented with generating ideas then developing them by working around the page. A very interesting and imaginative exercise that works well I think - can generate new and more interesting ideas.
Select critical analysis of this series of images:
As I drew I was thinking about how they looked, whether they were too silly looking/not serious enough, etc, whether the direction-of-gaze of the helmet was still well defined, whether there were any misleading reads in terms of function (helmets looking like construction hats, miner lamps, etc). Some That looked too bizzare or unusual and instinctively wrong. Some also that looked too futuristic, etc.
- Finding ways to add the fins was difficult. Not really any commonly seen real-world analogues to help get the message across. Computer heat-sinks are one analogue but only a specific audience will understand that. Heating radiators could work, but they are described as 'big fins'. Difficult subject matter. I feel the ones that work best are the ones that serve an aesthetic purpose as well.
- Traditional English bobby helmets were the initial experiment. Looking at ways of attaching fans and cooling fins. Perhaps too modern for the general implied time period of the story.
- Roman helmets gave an interesting opportunity to use existing forms (the tall brush-like fans) to my advantage - to turn them into the cooling fins.
- Also experimented with adding a cap-like bill to the front in place of a visor as an addition to keep the sun off Detritus' face. This one feels a quite playful and innocent, with the bill, the central fan and the hanging cheek guards coming together to create an effect like a modern day child's cap. Cheek guards in this particular combination look like playful, hanging earrings, etc.
- Images with horizontal fans on the top of the helmet are all discarded: we'd see Detritus mainly from the front or just below - human head height - in the film. So it makes more sense to have the fans on the sides rather than on top - contextual importance of the read. Fans on top make certain storytelling events necessary where there may otherwise be no point, that is Detritus would have to take it off or bend over to show us that there is a fan on top. More difficult read on the design that requires specific acting to facilitate.
- Flat-topped helmets. Filed down the spiked fans to give a less aggressive appearance. Feels stouter, more solid, more protective. Fins on top makes sense - heat rises. Holes near fins makes sense - fan air can easily rise and help cool fins.
- Flat top with side fin - decided the fin was reminiscent of the side-hair that some balding men get.
- Used a curved join line to lead the eye from the front of the helmet to the fan at the side, then the eye may travel upwards to the fin on top.
- These two helmets look somewhat like contemporary 'bad-ass' helmets - the short curved fin on A is almost like a mohawk, while the spiked on on B combined with the shape of the helmet itself is almost like a biker-gang helmet.
- This whole series doesn't work for me. Big void does give some interesting opportunity for visible clockwork - something that may be useful in other designs later on.
- Spanish Conquest helmets - the same sort depicted in the filmic version of Going Postal. Personally not a fan of this style in this context, given the more English culture that I attach to Ankh Morpork. But I feel I should attach one of these just in case the AD is looking for it.
- Decisions re: spanish conquest helmets. I felt a tall and thin helmet wasn't suitable for Detritus' character - he is a tall but also wide, heavy, bulky figure. Therefore a relatively short, stout, and chunky helmet makes more sense. Like with bobby helmet I shortened it. Front-center fan on this shape looks like Miner helmet (lamp)
- More angular Spanish-style helmet. The angles and shortness give it a more fabric-look for some reason.
- Looked more closely at my plan throughout and experimented more widely with the dualities I listed.
- Dedicated some time to experimenting with putting different helmet shapes together as suggested in the information extracted from the text. The images generated here are all essentially just recreations of existing helmet styles in a larger scale, forgoing the idea that they could be a visual mash-up of two different styles. The idea presented is that Cuddy, the dwarf who created the helmet, based his design off of an existing style. Maybe the result is therefore more refined.
- There is a certain 'safety' to the approach I used however in that by using existing styles we ensure that the final design reads as a helmet and not as something else.
- Experimented with having exposed clockwork as a central and prominent part of the design so that it's clear in the initial read. At this point if visible it will have to be inserted on a smaller scale for a closer read.
- Experimented with abstracting the helmet shapes a little more.
Step 3 - Getting the Dice Art Director to pick one to define the direction of later design.
Original goal of 5 designs for AD was missed - got 2 that I was happy with to take forward to the next stage.
Flipped a coin - ended up with the flat-top helmet.
What are the attributes and character of the flat top design (and therefore what are we looking to express in a more resolved manner through further design)? Also note whether these are in-line with the basic 'nature' of Detritus (large, bulky, strong, somewhat unintelligent, can be violent, honour/loyalty, etc) or conflicting with his nature. It's alright to be conflicting - this is a helmet built for him by another person. If there are conflicts, we may explore those or push those further. Remember these are now decisions made by the AD based on his choice of helmet.
- Sturdy, solid, strong, supports Detritus (simple silhouette, blocky, angular, square-ish and tight bounding box)
- Bulky, slow-moving, supports Detritus (short broad shape, no fast lines of movement forward, repeated pattern of circles around the outside of the form
- Technologically intricate, delicate inside, conflicts with Detritus (many small motors instead of one large one)
- Some functional vertical motion with the output of hot air from the top and intake of hot air from the sides.
So desired things we want to communicate are:
bulky, sturdy, strong, slow-moving, technologically intricate and perhaps delicate under the shell of the helmet.
Aim - look at playing with these and the design principles to further explore the above attributes. Do variations, pick one to take to a final. Do it quickly! 1.5 hour max. Needs to be done TODAY.
Step 4 - Developing this chosen design
Ran through experiments to emphasise the desired attributes defined in the previous step.
Critical analysis of some decisions made:
- Increased the scale of the fans to give a better sense of bulkiness and slower speed, more power.
- Realised I wanted to bring more focus onto the face rather than the high contrast and busy upper area. Worked to add detail to that region.
- Flattened top completely instead of allowing it the spiked surface it had before. Flattened the cooling fins as well - there's no longer so much of an upwards-pointing form created, and the eye more easily falls down the form towards the base.
- Looked at adding relevant trims and coverings to joins. The horizontal ones also create a sense of a broader form, therefore more stable and sturdy.
- Tried straight vertical sides, but decided that the sloped sides helped point the eye downwards towards the face.
- Tried diagonal joins directly above the face to help point the eye into it - but diagonals that were this extreme were a bit too dynamic and high-energy for what was supposed to be bulky and slow.
- Tried to break up that large negative space on the lower-rear part of the helmet that we can see (that would cover the side of the cheek) by adding some join lines and rivets. This also balances the visual weight of the front area quite well.
- Played with the idea of removing the trim from the base at the back and just having a trim around the face (like a border) but I decided against this - it felt more stable and sturdy to have a 'cap' on the base at the back.
Let it ferment for an hour or so, came back. Some issues - the top part is a bit too busy and dynamic and doesn't really support the idea of heaviness and sturdiness and bulkiness - it's a very excited shape. An x or a t would be much more appropriate.
Also the circle shapes of the fans are in opposition to the idea of bulkiness and sturdiness. What if they were contained within squares.
Experiments with fewer fins in a cross shape, using flat squares to contain fans, using raised squares to contain fans, and varying the number/size of the vents.
Number 5 is the one to go on with. Big chunky sections for the fins to sit in, the squares around the fans really support them and give them a sense of being solidly mounted, the width of the fins described gives a great sense of being chunky and therefore heavy and bulky and slow. (maybe make more chunky in final image).
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Research (Artist) and Artist Crit - Online Social Critique and Simon Fetscher
A university coursework piece by user Salmonmarine on Facepunch Forums, originally posted in this thread: link
Two users posted the following replies:
- It looks like a generic worker, I'd say give more stuff to make it look more battle-oriented maybe, and definitely something that makes it unique
- I'm gonna be honest, I don't think the design itself is that villanous. It's a cool design for sure, and well done as always, but hardly menacing or evil in any sense of the word.
Which I built upon in my brief critique:
The orange signifies worker, to me. Remember those common cultural icons we see wearing bright orange suits like that - construction workers and their hi-visibility orange jackets, the Rebel Alliance pilots from Star Wars. A uniform that unites them as part of a group. I don't think that particular colour when applied to that sort of clothing is something we associate with high-level leadership and villainy.An important note is the focus on a silhouette that reads well in the round - ensuring that from a variety of angles our design is displaying the desired character and message. BUT what if this character's body did show the villainy that it was supposed to - would it matter if the head didn't show much villainy in it's overall shape from the front-on view? We'd have the rest of the body to read and would also likely see the character from a variety of angles. Something to ponder.
Head looks quite villainous, with the 'dangerous' shape language (spikes often used to show that something is dangerous or evil, think Sauron, Darth Maul, the overall triangular shape of Darth Vader, satan's horns, etc) and those triangular, pointed eyes (visible in the second one across) but in the first and third images the sense of 'evil' is diminished somewhat where the actual face is concerned, because we don't see the sharp eye very clearly and, esp. in number 1, we can't really see any sharp spikes. No. 1 sort of looks more frog/gungan like from that angle.
Simon Fetscher
Personal site link
Born Sweden 1990
Art school - Folkuniversitetets Art College in Gothenburg
Illustration School at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm
Clients have included
- Calmino group AB
- Mystikal Wear
- Dejossy
- Sun Rise
My critique:
Looking neat! The body and wings feel quite bug-like to me though, and I'd love to see this reflected better by the legs. I think it would suit it much better to have legs that make it appear as though it would almost hop like a flea into the air as it takes off. I'm also concerned about the lack of a dominant focal point. Personally, I'd make the cockpit at the front more visually dominant and recognisable, although if any of the far more experienced artists around here want to correct me please do!
His reply
Thanks for the crits You definitely have a point, but for the cockpit I actually wanted a little less attention in the front, and let the rest of the ship be more interesting. I dont know if that was a good call, but I gave it a try haha. Always great to hear what others have to say! Thanks
Design - Detritus' Cooling Helmet (Research and Planning)
Detritus' Cooling Helmet
New process for this project - set definite attributes early one, don't strive for absolute textual perfection. Make some quick calls regarding materials, etc, then move on and start making. Information like 'is it copper or steel' can be either provided by the AD or can be a part of the material/colour variations you do later on. I don't have to define that for myself right now when there is no absolute answer or if the answer would take excessive time to find out.
So the task is:
Design Detritus' Cooling Helmet as created by Lance Constable Cuddy. Helmet created in the book 'Men at Arms' and plays a part in trying to keep Detritus' brain cool in this book, Jingo. Information can be found in Men at Arms and in Jingo, as well as in online Wiki resources.
Use Kirby's vision of Detritus as a character base; that is, if we require a character on which to place the helmet or to design for (create aesthetic unity between character and prop) then use Kirby's rendering. Imagine we've been given a character shape already to make these designs for.
Notes from Men at Arms
Notes from Jingo
Extracted information;
Made of two or more seperate helmets
Has got black cooling fins on - maybe look at heat sinks - 'big bits'
A clockwork engine - maybe the engine a single piece
Has got fans on
Mechanism susceptible to sand - may be exposed to elements or un-shielded
Watch uniform generally scruffy and mismatched - so no one particular style we have to adhere to
Brief Technical Research:
Radiators
Heatsinks
Fans
When designing provide the AD with a range of interesting and unique designs
What if focus more on 'cool' and generating unique ideas for helmets before diving in to a specific set of attributes rather than agonising over what to focus on and what not to focus on immediately - for this one try a different process. when it comes to critical analysis, we can think about the specifics
Plan for this one -
New process for this project - set definite attributes early one, don't strive for absolute textual perfection. Make some quick calls regarding materials, etc, then move on and start making. Information like 'is it copper or steel' can be either provided by the AD or can be a part of the material/colour variations you do later on. I don't have to define that for myself right now when there is no absolute answer or if the answer would take excessive time to find out.
So the task is:
Design Detritus' Cooling Helmet as created by Lance Constable Cuddy. Helmet created in the book 'Men at Arms' and plays a part in trying to keep Detritus' brain cool in this book, Jingo. Information can be found in Men at Arms and in Jingo, as well as in online Wiki resources.
Use Kirby's vision of Detritus as a character base; that is, if we require a character on which to place the helmet or to design for (create aesthetic unity between character and prop) then use Kirby's rendering. Imagine we've been given a character shape already to make these designs for.
Notes from Men at Arms
There was a hammering noise from somewhere inside. Cuddy had come in ten minutes before with a bag of tools, a couple of helmets and a determined expression. Colon was damned if he knew what the little devil was working on.
Cuddy coughed. 'These big bits are cooling fins, see? Painted black. I glommed a clockwork engine off my cousin, and this fan here blows air over—' He stopped when he saw Colon's expression.
Notes from Jingo
Technically they were all in uniform, too, except that mostly they weren't wearing the same uniform as anyone else. Everyone had just been sent down to the armoury to collect whatever fitted, and the result was a walking historical exhibit: Funny–Shaped Helmets Through the Ages.''
It took half an hour to get to the top of the dune. The sand had been stamped down but, even as Vimes watched, the wind caught the particles and nibbled away at the prints.
It took half an hour to get to the top of the dune. The sand had been stamped down but, even as Vimes watched, the wind caught the particles and nibbled away at the prints.
'Camel tracks,' said Vimes. 'Well, camels don't go all that fast. Let's––'
'I think Detritus is having real trouble, sir,' said Carrot.
The troll was standing with his knuckles on the ground. The motor of his
cooling helmet sounded harsh for a moment in the dry air, and then stopped as the sand got into the mechanism.
'Feelin' fick,' he muttered. 'My brain hurts.'
'Quick, hold your shield over his head,' said Vimes. 'Give him some shade!'
'He's never going to make it, sir,' said Carrot. 'Let's send him back down to
the boat.'
'We need him! Quick, Cheery, fan him with your axe!'
'I think Detritus is having real trouble, sir,' said Carrot.
The troll was standing with his knuckles on the ground. The motor of his
cooling helmet sounded harsh for a moment in the dry air, and then stopped as the sand got into the mechanism.
'Feelin' fick,' he muttered. 'My brain hurts.'
'Quick, hold your shield over his head,' said Vimes. 'Give him some shade!'
'He's never going to make it, sir,' said Carrot. 'Let's send him back down to
the boat.'
'We need him! Quick, Cheery, fan him with your axe!'
Extracted information;
Made of two or more seperate helmets
Has got black cooling fins on - maybe look at heat sinks - 'big bits'
A clockwork engine - maybe the engine a single piece
Has got fans on
Mechanism susceptible to sand - may be exposed to elements or un-shielded
Watch uniform generally scruffy and mismatched - so no one particular style we have to adhere to
Brief Technical Research:
Radiators
Heatsinks
Fans
When designing provide the AD with a range of interesting and unique designs
What if focus more on 'cool' and generating unique ideas for helmets before diving in to a specific set of attributes rather than agonising over what to focus on and what not to focus on immediately - for this one try a different process. when it comes to critical analysis, we can think about the specifics
Plan for this one -
- lay down some ground rules and do a quick brainstorm
- do a variety of different characters and styles - we are defining an overall direction
- get the dice art director to pick one and then write up the desired style, character, etc
- do variations on this now thinking more about design theory to express the desired character and style
- narrow down to five that I think are the most successful and interesting
- show them to the AD and have one to carry on with
- final refinements if necessary and if time allows
- colour, material
- render
Step 1 -Ground rules:
- NOT scary or villainous - it's an attempt to be a respectable watchman's helmet
- Based on one or more old armoured helmet styles
- Contains a cooling fan driven by clockwork
- Hand made and a 'frankenstein' - it's obviously not factory made. Cobbled together bits and pieces. Level of polish is uncertain.
Brainstorm:
- Source of power - steam, wind-up?
- Nuclear cooling tower
- Simple/complex
- Busy/plain
- Small/large
- Tidy/scruffy
- Solid/fragile
- Airy/dense
Research (artist) [to-do] - Macei Kuciara
Concept artist, several video games - The Last of Us, Crysis, Crysis 2,
http://maciejkuciara.com/
Characters, environments
talk about design, presentation
http://maciejkuciara.com/
Characters, environments
Research (artist) - Garret Arney-Johnson
Garret Arney-Johnson
28 years old
Illustrator from Sacramento, California.
Illustrates books, video games.
Brilliant blog with some great advice, especially this entry regarding rules and guides, and how there are very few rules in art.
http://garretaj.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/rule-vs-guide.html
Good advice for me regarding my current idea of 'I have to design and think in the perfect way to be in the industry', which I need to get into my head is a fallacious and unrealistic way of thinking
Talk about design decisions on the above images and also presentation if applicable.
28 years old
Illustrator from Sacramento, California.
Illustrates books, video games.
Brilliant blog with some great advice, especially this entry regarding rules and guides, and how there are very few rules in art.
http://garretaj.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/rule-vs-guide.html
Good advice for me regarding my current idea of 'I have to design and think in the perfect way to be in the industry', which I need to get into my head is a fallacious and unrealistic way of thinking
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Presentation & Installation - Research, Clarifying Context
Starting to look at presentation strategies.
How do I want to present? There are a range of options
Research:
Source 1
Some research I did in May of last year can be found at this link. I had posted on the Conceptart.org website about how concept art is displayed. Jeffx99 replied. Jeffx99 has done video game work before, but not since 2002 (link to his biographic page).
Here's what he said:
Source 2
I've also gotten in touch with Pati AhSue who did a similar project during BVA4 a couple of years ago to see what knowledge he can give me from his time at Weta.
No reply from Pati yet.
Source 3 - on-the-page examples from various artists
FZD images from his website
Images from FZD students
talk about presentation here
http://simonfetscherweekly.blogspot.se/
A brief look at the use of callouts in Industrial Design sketches with links to Industrial Designer Rhett Miles
http://www.core77.com/blog/sketchnotes/a_better_way_to_do_drawing_callouts_25311.asp
Spatial layout of presentation is really tight - it looks like they have a tiny amount of room to show in so there's no wall showing at all! Looks like a range of images from their individual projects, with both 3/4 view designs as well as production painting
Images all blurred out in the video for non-disclosure reasons. Looks like it could be pencil drawings sitting beside final paintings. OR could be drawings and photographs/references from locations.
Source 6 - Logo Design Presentation
5 Tips for Presenting your Design Concept (logo design) by Nathan Sarlow of CobaltCow (link)
Source 7 - Richard Baird's The Designer's Guide to Presentations
http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=290
http://www.idsketching.com/toolbox/toolbox-levels-of-sketching/
Clarification of Context
Looking at the work I've produced and how it's already layed out and rendered, I've decided it feels much more like an in-house presentation of designs, likely to other members of the design team.
Spoke to Glen, the producer from my internship and he agreed, saying that for a pitch to investors he thought you'd more likely create a film poster or similar image.
So the chosen context is:
Presentation Discussion:
1. Mounting on Boards
Mounting on solid boards - easier to carry to meeting, can be passed around, etc
http://www.gavinelliott.co.uk/2010/02/how-to-present-your-designs-to-the-client/
However, mounting costs and TIME taken to mount is gonna be difficult for me - 2 weeks left and maybe not enough time to get everything polished and printed with labor day taking up that monday as well ?
Foam board mounting options
Outsourcing labour:
http://www.pcl.co.nz/Services/Mounting++Laminating.html
DIY materials
Gordon Harris products incl. self-adhesive boards (about $12 for each A2 image)
http://www.gordonharris.co.nz/foamboard-c-83.html
DIY tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEqoWRUc8QQ&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR66p2rv_Xc&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NqdSCtqW5GA
Thoughts:
Implications of foamboard - more work goes into it, looks more presentable, perhaps implies a more upmarket presentation to a group of people you want to impress with the images and presentation itself - clients, investors, etc, rather than a group of technical artists who are only really fussed about the designs.
However - technical artists would perhaps need top and side views, etc, rather than only 3/4 views.
What we have - some images that present the design itself outside of the immediate context of its use - the focus of the image is primarily on the visual design primarily and not on its placement in a wider world.
Fran idea - if I want to work in a real-world contextual message, I could have a couple on the wall, have on propped up on a desk and then one in one of those large black zip-up portfolio bags. Sort of really literally gives the message that these are images that will be taken and displayed to clients.
Lecturer feedback:
Fran - foamboard mounting has a definite 'design' feel to it
Rebecca - foamboard feels too high-school
2. Page Layout
Our aim is to provide as much information to the design team as possible.
So clarifying things like
Current version:
http://zurb.com/article/1205/17-design-feedback-techniques-that-influe
http://zurb.com/article/1252/influencers-answer-how-do-you-present-des
http://www.graphicdesignblender.com/presenting-design-work-to-your-clients
http://www.richardbaird.com/design-survival/
http://www.richardbaird.com/about/
http://www.richardbaird.com/2012/05/10/the-designers-guide-to-presentation/
How do I want to present? There are a range of options
- Presenting a bunch of work 'in-house' to the production team on the project (design-savvy people), more technical information and less emphasis on 'polish'
- Presenting a bunch of work in a pitch to producers or investors - would perhaps prefer 'wow' images
- Presenting work in a catch-up meeting with producers or investors - deeper into the project, progress of work
- Presenting at a convention or expo - to get people interested in related merchandise
- Presenting in the lobby of the design office for clients and employees to see
- Presenting on the wall in the design space to inform other team members and give a space where things can be talked over in an informal standing meeting
Things to consider include the arrangement and presentation of the images within the space as well as the arrangement and presentation images' individual pages and how appropriate these methods of presentation are for the specific chosen presentation context.
Talked with Rebecca - should think about it as a balance between presenting in a way appropriate for our context and presenting in a way that's appropriate for an end-of-degree show. So it's alright to present fancier and tidier than you would in your actual context.
There's a sense that if you're presenting a solution to a client in person, you'll talk about the process, what you did, why you did it, alternate things you looked at, etc, to give context and a well reasoned explanation of why you made the choices you did. I am only doing a physical presentation though.
Talked with Rebecca - should think about it as a balance between presenting in a way appropriate for our context and presenting in a way that's appropriate for an end-of-degree show. So it's alright to present fancier and tidier than you would in your actual context.
There's a sense that if you're presenting a solution to a client in person, you'll talk about the process, what you did, why you did it, alternate things you looked at, etc, to give context and a well reasoned explanation of why you made the choices you did. I am only doing a physical presentation though.
Research:
Source 1
Some research I did in May of last year can be found at this link. I had posted on the Conceptart.org website about how concept art is displayed. Jeffx99 replied. Jeffx99 has done video game work before, but not since 2002 (link to his biographic page).
Here's what he said:
There are different levels of "concept art", with different purposes, audiences and presentation methods. Most often it is displayed on a screen, printed out and put on boards or tacked up on a dedicated wall in what is often called a "war room". Concept work can also be presented via PowerPoint or some other projection during a review meeting.I said to him:
Concept art runs the gamut from simple sketches between AD and artist all the way up to what are called "production paintings" which help set the mood and tone for a project. There's a lot of variation between and whatever makes most sense is how it is displayed.
So basically the answer is concept art is displayed in a variety of ways. And yes, "animatics" are a good way to show some things.
Edit: You should always work at print resolutions because most of the time it will be printed at some point, either to put on a wall, a board or to be included in a design doc.
is there a definitive summary of the job(s) a concept artist would face, how the concept artist operates in the workplace, etc? I'm trying to find out as much as I can about the job through searching the forums and running it through Google but everybody seems to have slightly different ideas.To which he replied
There are different ideas because it is always very different. Studios are different, teams are different, individual projects are different, genres are different, entertainment forms are different...so roles, responsibilities and the workplace are different across companies, projects and artists.
Source 2
I've also gotten in touch with Pati AhSue who did a similar project during BVA4 a couple of years ago to see what knowledge he can give me from his time at Weta.
No reply from Pati yet.
Source 3 - on-the-page examples from various artists
FZD images from his website
Images from FZD students
talk about presentation here
http://simonfetscherweekly.blogspot.se/
From Paul Richard's site:
Death armor by Brian Jones with callouts.
Definitions: 'Callouts' - arrows and notes that further define or explain certain elements
http://www.core77.com/blog/sketchnotes/a_better_way_to_do_drawing_callouts_25311.asp
Source 4 - Feng Zhu Design School 2013 graduation show
Spatial layout of presentation is really tight - it looks like they have a tiny amount of room to show in so there's no wall showing at all! Looks like a range of images from their individual projects, with both 3/4 view designs as well as production painting
Source 5 - Hobbit Production Videos
Stills from Peter Jackson's video blogs of The Hobbit production. Artists John Howe and Alan Lee showing Peter Jackson some work. Not sure of the exact context of the meeting, or whether it's staged for the purposes of the blog. But we can see what looks like a work space.
Source 6 - Logo Design Presentation
5 Tips for Presenting your Design Concept (logo design) by Nathan Sarlow of CobaltCow (link)
- Not all that useful in terms of visual presentation advice; mainly just stuff regarding conversation and interaction with client.
- A focus on minimalism in presentation of logos - white space around the logos so that they can be seen without distraction. Relevant in my context? Perhaps when presenting to somebody who doesn't really understand art and ideas (a non-artistic client) then minimalism would be best. But perhaps art-directors are able to see and process the ideas much better even when given a quite full and information-heavy canvas with many callouts
- As a designer you can leave out or change things that the client requested if you feel that it was detrimental to the design. Always explain WHY you left the element out so that ensure that you appear intelligent and thoughtful and not lazy.
Source 7 - Richard Baird's The Designer's Guide to Presentations
http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=290
- Side note - interesting point about branding - the logo doesn't have to carry the entire message - let it work as a team with other aspects of the branding.
http://www.idsketching.com/toolbox/toolbox-levels-of-sketching/
Clarification of Context
Looking at the work I've produced and how it's already layed out and rendered, I've decided it feels much more like an in-house presentation of designs, likely to other members of the design team.
Spoke to Glen, the producer from my internship and he agreed, saying that for a pitch to investors he thought you'd more likely create a film poster or similar image.
So the chosen context is:
prop designs presented to the rest of the design team and art director for discussion. The stage following this would be revision and then, I believe in most cases, the creation of diagrammatic top, side, bottom and front views of each design for prop-makers or 3D modelers to create the actual object for use in the film.
Presentation Discussion:
1. Mounting on Boards
Norman Foster manually placing boards on an easel in architecture pitch
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2012/nov/19/architects-zaha-hadid-norman-fosterMounting on solid boards - easier to carry to meeting, can be passed around, etc
http://www.gavinelliott.co.uk/2010/02/how-to-present-your-designs-to-the-client/
However, mounting costs and TIME taken to mount is gonna be difficult for me - 2 weeks left and maybe not enough time to get everything polished and printed with labor day taking up that monday as well ?
Foam board mounting options
Outsourcing labour:
http://www.pcl.co.nz/Services/Mounting++Laminating.html
DIY materials
Gordon Harris products incl. self-adhesive boards (about $12 for each A2 image)
http://www.gordonharris.co.nz/foamboard-c-83.html
DIY tutorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEqoWRUc8QQ&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR66p2rv_Xc&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NqdSCtqW5GA
Thoughts:
Implications of foamboard - more work goes into it, looks more presentable, perhaps implies a more upmarket presentation to a group of people you want to impress with the images and presentation itself - clients, investors, etc, rather than a group of technical artists who are only really fussed about the designs.
However - technical artists would perhaps need top and side views, etc, rather than only 3/4 views.
What we have - some images that present the design itself outside of the immediate context of its use - the focus of the image is primarily on the visual design primarily and not on its placement in a wider world.
Fran idea - if I want to work in a real-world contextual message, I could have a couple on the wall, have on propped up on a desk and then one in one of those large black zip-up portfolio bags. Sort of really literally gives the message that these are images that will be taken and displayed to clients.
Lecturer feedback:
Fran - foamboard mounting has a definite 'design' feel to it
Rebecca - foamboard feels too high-school
2. Page Layout
Our aim is to provide as much information to the design team as possible.
So clarifying things like
- Materials the objects are made of - reference image cutouts or text indications
- Any hard-to-understand or fine detail - blown-up detail
- Any function or moving parts or transformations - drawings of object in other states
- Scale - relative scale with objects or a clearly defined measurement
Current version:
http://zurb.com/article/1205/17-design-feedback-techniques-that-influe
http://zurb.com/article/1252/influencers-answer-how-do-you-present-des
http://www.graphicdesignblender.com/presenting-design-work-to-your-clients
http://www.richardbaird.com/design-survival/
http://www.richardbaird.com/about/
http://www.richardbaird.com/2012/05/10/the-designers-guide-to-presentation/
Research (artist) - Simon Fetscher
Simon Fetscher
Personal site link
Born Sweden 1990
Art school - Folkuniversitetets Art College in Gothenburg
Illustration School at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm
Clients have included
talk about presentation here
http://simonfetscherweekly.blogspot.se/
Personal site link
Born Sweden 1990
Art school - Folkuniversitetets Art College in Gothenburg
Illustration School at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm
Clients have included
- Calmino group AB
- Mystikal Wear
- Dejossy
- Sun Rise
talk about presentation here
http://simonfetscherweekly.blogspot.se/
Research (artist work critique) - Chris Shenglong Zhang
Class crit today, looked at Chris' current work.
My thoughts on his painting 'Searching'
Discussing the design of the figures
Some points (the robot or human) raised by classmates. This is a mixture of my own thoughts and those of my classmates. PRIMARILY my own thoughts.
Trying out a 3 point method of talking about the design - 'what is the issue' 'how has the issue been created' 'how can we solve it'.
My thoughts on his painting 'Searching'
Discussing the design of the figures
Some points (the robot or human) raised by classmates. This is a mixture of my own thoughts and those of my classmates. PRIMARILY my own thoughts.
Trying out a 3 point method of talking about the design - 'what is the issue' 'how has the issue been created' 'how can we solve it'.
- Lights on side of face are a dominant focal point and draw attention away from the other more important parts of the face. Why do we need to look at the other detail? In the context of this design, it's a character - the eyes are typically (I think) a focal point of characters, as the shape and position, etc, of them expresses a lot about the character. Biological basis here with our social group and communication.
- How is this effect created: They are dominant focal points here because of contrast (bright, high value blue points on a dark red field: colour and tonal contrast) as well as their use as unique elements on the figure - we only see these lights on the cheek, therefore they stand out.
- How can we solve it: reduce the contrast in terms of tone and hue. Repeat the blue lights on other areas of the character to reduce the visual weight of them - water them down, make them less unique, therefore reduce their power.
- Use visual devices (higher contrast, placement of detail, leading lines etc) to more clearly bring the front of the face into dominance.
- Other thoughts: I feel also like maybe having such a dominant focal point on the side of the face disrupts the reading of the face - confuses in the mind of the viewer where the center line of the face is.
- Robot or human? The arms give a robotic feel to the character, as though we're looking at a droid. The head, however looks human. A bit of an unclear non unified communication of the nature of the character through the design itself. That is, even if we took this character in isolation away from the environment and out of the pose it's in now, it might not be clear whether it's a robot or human just by looking at it.
- How is this effect created: the really skinny arms with robotic joints suggest a robotic structure underneath. It just looks as though we wouldn't be able to fit whatever mechanics are connected to the joints AS WELL AS a human arm in that space, esp. when we look at the left elbow of the figure nearest us. The head on the other hand feels quite human - it's very helmet-like. Designed for containing a head - correctly placed eyes, a mouthpiece, etc.
- How can we solve it: define whether it's a robot or a human. If a robot, then the head would need some sort of redesign to make it less helmet-like and more robotic. If a human, then the arms would need reworking to be plausible and the joints would need rethinking. At the moment they look as though they look as though they facilitate robotic movement rather than underlying human movement. Look at other examples of how joints are managed in sci-fi suits.
- A feeling of a lack of visual unity between the different parts of the design, which results in a sense of mismatched parts and disjointed aesthetic. The communication implications of this? Unsure at the moment.
- How is this effect created? Shape language unclear. Face looks sinister due to bug-like eyes and small, unhuman mouth surrounded by angular forms. Inconsistent shape language too - the angular, plated shapes of the upper arms meet the rounded medieval/football shoulder pads in a way that clashes. The idea of repeating forms to create an overall and unified aesthetic hasn't taken place enough. The sudden introduction of rounded shoulders also makes them appear smaller and less masculine in comparison to the rest of the form, highlighting this sudden lack of masculinity and giving them a smaller, feminine look.
- How can we solve this: refine the shoulders and other rounded forms (head, etc), look at more angular forms for these areas.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Design - Detritus' Crossbow (Making)
Thumbnail Stage 1 - Simple
Began with the aim of figuring out proportions. This aim got lost later on a little as I got stuck in to details. Perhaps it would help to remind myself to stick with the aim of the current task?
I also found that I spent too much time not knowing exactly what I was doing - what my plan was for this particular task. Another reminder to set out a clear guide for what I want to accomplish in this particular stage of design, and stick to that!
Generated the following image. We can see the excessive detail and tidiness that we don't need in this early stage.
Selected the five that I thought showed the greatest diversity of shape and were beginning to fit the requirement I set of being big, bulky and non-ergonomic. I selected designs with shorter stocks and larger bows to de-emphasise accuracy and range and emphasise brute power and general inaccuracy. It's more about delivering power to whatever's in front of Detritus than picking off small targets.
Some I removed for practical reasons - a wider stock, for instance, severely limits the amount of bend that the bow can perform, therefore the amount of energy it can provide to the projectile.
So lets bring the focus back to the overall big shapes. Detailing can be done later on!
Now we can more easily see the big shapes and get a sense of the 'work' being done by these big shapes. The main focus is on scale PROPORTIONS of the two main elements (the stock and the bow) and how they effect the apparant weight, power, etc of the thing, as well as the shape of the stock and how it affects the perception of handheld ergonomics.
Here we've got five different shapes.
Discussion and analysis:
In all of them but 4, the bow clearly passes through the mass of the body. I imagine this would give extra structural strength in relation to the huge stresses placed on the crossbow under tension and firing.
My selection = 5
Due to the aspects mentioned in the above discussion/analysis being appropriate for a troll-carried siege crossbow.
The bow is obviously more exaggerated than it would be in real life. I also found from this link that the bow tends to curve upwards at the edges and also be set into the stock at an upwards angle to eliminate friction between the string and the stock during firing. Due to the obvious difference between the vertical center of the bow and the top edge of the stock, we need to take this into consideration.
Thumbnail Stage 2
Create variations on the selected thumbnail to try to express the attributes described in the previous blog entry. Do some experimenting with the issue of string friction and tension in the bow as well.
Narrow down to five and colour.
After that: We'll pick one to carry on with and take to a final.
Listed below for ease:
Adjectives to look at reflecting in the design:
Already expressed through the overall proportions:
To be explored now:
Research - looked briefly at stone worship for ideas - not helpful.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/idr/idr24.htm
Looked instead at Warhammer figurines for ideas, specifically trolls, giants and goblins, due to their more primal nature (thus more use of rocks, rock weapons, etc). Link to site that I looked at here , pinned a lot of images from this site to my pinterest board for this design, link here.
Stuck for ideas on how to progress.
Try brainstorming
what could I add to give a sense of belonging to detritus
Watch insignia or imagery
badge
text - carved, painted
Troll culture imagery
stones attached to stock
stone decorated quiver, strap
angular forms?
Signs of wear, tear, instability
cracks
breaks
chips
splinters
Function
spare bolts
signs of previous job as mounted weapon
Other
Detritus name
What if area in front is the 'front piece' that looks proper and respectable, and the area behind is where Detritus allows it to be a bit messier and more personal
Material brainstorm
Wood
Metals
Stone
Paint
Burning
Carving
Stamping
Pinning or nailing fabric
Ropes
Hanging
Wrapping
Tying, knotting
Wedging
Learning Note: Remembering that certain lines, etc, can be created through other means than just differing materials - sometimes we can attack a problem (creating a certain character or style) visually first, then solve the practicalities of that later on. Eg, creating a certain shape or detail or visual element and then LATER ON thinking about how we can make that a reality physically - whether through paint, material, etc.
EG crossbow bow - wanted to add detail to make it not a blank shape - didn't want to add wrong kind of detail because I knew there were practicalities that made adding vertical chunks of wood to the bow impractical. But we could create those vertical lines with paint instead! Maybe material brainstorm before drawing too! See directly above for example for this project.
Next
Colour - Many variations using blue and white (general police colours), brown wood and various metals. Materials - bow itself ought to be metal, so any exposed wood on bow should be changed to a metal for the final.
Looking for a darker, grittier, crossbow, feels heavy, feels powerful, feels somewhat official at the front.
Blue surrounding white frames the front nicely, brings the white into prominence and draws the eye to the text and the badge nicely.
Gold vs grey metals. Gold feels more decorative and less functional, maybe more ceremonial. Grey feels more practical and solid (the general difference in hardness/softness between, for instance, steel and copper).
Grey studs more appropriate. Metal bands - what colour? Do the bands serve a structural purpose? There doesn't seem to be any functional use for them, so realistically their material isn't so important. But I think they will appear to be functional to uninformed viewers.
1C - light wood too light-weight, combined with gold gives a really light and soft feel.
Grey metal seems more appropriate for the bands too. We can use gold to pick out the badge to bring it into some more prominence and show it as the centerpiece of the object.
Grey metal stock feels quite light - if we use this then go darker.
Layout for presentation - want to show the front and overall form, as well as the detail of the back side of the bow - quite a fun area where I want to put some intimate detail.
Used Google Sketchup to create a quick model that I can use to get an accurate angle, and also later use to generate side views.
Questions to ask at the start - are we trying to generate a variety of ideas and approaches to tackle the subject matter for the client, or do we have a clear brief and guidelines where the client has already defined a bunch of stuff?
Began with the aim of figuring out proportions. This aim got lost later on a little as I got stuck in to details. Perhaps it would help to remind myself to stick with the aim of the current task?
I also found that I spent too much time not knowing exactly what I was doing - what my plan was for this particular task. Another reminder to set out a clear guide for what I want to accomplish in this particular stage of design, and stick to that!
Generated the following image. We can see the excessive detail and tidiness that we don't need in this early stage.
 |
| Click image for large view |
Selected the five that I thought showed the greatest diversity of shape and were beginning to fit the requirement I set of being big, bulky and non-ergonomic. I selected designs with shorter stocks and larger bows to de-emphasise accuracy and range and emphasise brute power and general inaccuracy. It's more about delivering power to whatever's in front of Detritus than picking off small targets.
Some I removed for practical reasons - a wider stock, for instance, severely limits the amount of bend that the bow can perform, therefore the amount of energy it can provide to the projectile.
So lets bring the focus back to the overall big shapes. Detailing can be done later on!
Here we've got five different shapes.
Discussion and analysis:
- Smaller bow and vertically thinner stock. Makes stock appear longer. Overall less weight, less bulk. Feels like a more conventional crossbow, and definitely has power. Forward motion and sense of speed-of-projectile visually emphasised by pointed nose. The way the bow bulks near the center adds a bit of weight too, implies slightly more force. Somewhat non-ergonomic stock looks difficult to hold, but also slightly rounded nearer the back.
- Less bulk to the bow, slightly less force. Definitely slightly shorter stock reduces sense of long-range and accuracy. Visual sense of forward motion reduced due to lack of a pointed nose, but perhaps this also reduces sense of accuracy and range, which is good. Due to a lesser defined sense of direction? Fewer lines along which the viewer can sight the direction of the weapon = perception of less accuracy? More boxy stock gives a less ergonomic, more large-scale-utility look. Good.
- Recurve-style bow feels a bit too flamboyant for a troll-carried weapon. The slight s-curve feels a little too feminine.
- Stretched the bow upwards vertically to create a much heavier and imposing form. Stock feels shorter. The bow is the provider of power in this object and by making it larger, I feel we increase the sense of power. Shorter stock = less accurate (as length often reflects accuracy, as in sniper rifles vs sub-machine guns). Concern about the practicalities of such a tall bow though - wind resistance would realistically inhibit speed of the bow (and therefore speed given to the arrow). Speed = power? Maybe the power provided by such a huge bow would be more beneficial to such a big and heavy bolt than speed provided by a slimmer bow. What if the bow tapered a little towards the edges?
This variation has a bow/stock height ratio with the bow taller than the stock. Sudden stop of bow edge at center feels wrong very unstable and structurally unsound (which may be desired?) Could taper inwards to fix? - More structurally solid. Bulked out entire stock to make same height as bow. Looks quite non-ergonomic with the unusual projections out the side of the stock, and the general weight and shape of the thing makes it look impractical for human use. From a practical standpoint this tall bow also feels like a defensive thing. Like curved castle walls or a shield, it would defend as well as attack.
In all the above I feel the box at the back of the stock serves quite well to balance the bow at the front - however, it doesn't serve any purpose now, given that Detritus removed the windlass from it. Could he have repurposed it to do something else? Loop for fabric for shoulder holster, holding something precious, a list of things to remember (salute gently! etc)? These are things we can consider for detailing to add subtle nuance of character.
In all of them but 4, the bow clearly passes through the mass of the body. I imagine this would give extra structural strength in relation to the huge stresses placed on the crossbow under tension and firing.
My selection = 5
Due to the aspects mentioned in the above discussion/analysis being appropriate for a troll-carried siege crossbow.
The bow is obviously more exaggerated than it would be in real life. I also found from this link that the bow tends to curve upwards at the edges and also be set into the stock at an upwards angle to eliminate friction between the string and the stock during firing. Due to the obvious difference between the vertical center of the bow and the top edge of the stock, we need to take this into consideration.
Thumbnail Stage 2
Create variations on the selected thumbnail to try to express the attributes described in the previous blog entry. Do some experimenting with the issue of string friction and tension in the bow as well.
Narrow down to five and colour.
After that: We'll pick one to carry on with and take to a final.
Listed below for ease:
Adjectives to look at reflecting in the design:
Already expressed through the overall proportions:
- Huge - at least 6 feet long
- Oversized in relation to humans
- Powerful
- Destructive
To be explored now:
- Unsafe in hands of Detritus
- Apparantly physically unreliable
- Self-modified - by Detritus - maybe troll cultural influence
- Character of Detritus - friendly, honourable, dutiful, will use violence if necessary
Research - looked briefly at stone worship for ideas - not helpful.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/idr/idr24.htm
Looked instead at Warhammer figurines for ideas, specifically trolls, giants and goblins, due to their more primal nature (thus more use of rocks, rock weapons, etc). Link to site that I looked at here , pinned a lot of images from this site to my pinterest board for this design, link here.
Stuck for ideas on how to progress.
Try brainstorming
what could I add to give a sense of belonging to detritus
Watch insignia or imagery
badge
text - carved, painted
Troll culture imagery
stones attached to stock
stone decorated quiver, strap
angular forms?
Signs of wear, tear, instability
cracks
breaks
chips
splinters
Function
spare bolts
signs of previous job as mounted weapon
Other
Detritus name
What if area in front is the 'front piece' that looks proper and respectable, and the area behind is where Detritus allows it to be a bit messier and more personal
Material brainstorm
Wood
Metals
Stone
Paint
Burning
Carving
Stamping
Pinning or nailing fabric
Ropes
Hanging
Wrapping
Tying, knotting
Wedging
Learning Note: Remembering that certain lines, etc, can be created through other means than just differing materials - sometimes we can attack a problem (creating a certain character or style) visually first, then solve the practicalities of that later on. Eg, creating a certain shape or detail or visual element and then LATER ON thinking about how we can make that a reality physically - whether through paint, material, etc.
EG crossbow bow - wanted to add detail to make it not a blank shape - didn't want to add wrong kind of detail because I knew there were practicalities that made adding vertical chunks of wood to the bow impractical. But we could create those vertical lines with paint instead! Maybe material brainstorm before drawing too! See directly above for example for this project.
Next
Colour - Many variations using blue and white (general police colours), brown wood and various metals. Materials - bow itself ought to be metal, so any exposed wood on bow should be changed to a metal for the final.
Looking for a darker, grittier, crossbow, feels heavy, feels powerful, feels somewhat official at the front.
Blue surrounding white frames the front nicely, brings the white into prominence and draws the eye to the text and the badge nicely.
Gold vs grey metals. Gold feels more decorative and less functional, maybe more ceremonial. Grey feels more practical and solid (the general difference in hardness/softness between, for instance, steel and copper).
Grey studs more appropriate. Metal bands - what colour? Do the bands serve a structural purpose? There doesn't seem to be any functional use for them, so realistically their material isn't so important. But I think they will appear to be functional to uninformed viewers.
1C - light wood too light-weight, combined with gold gives a really light and soft feel.
Grey metal seems more appropriate for the bands too. We can use gold to pick out the badge to bring it into some more prominence and show it as the centerpiece of the object.
Grey metal stock feels quite light - if we use this then go darker.
Layout for presentation - want to show the front and overall form, as well as the detail of the back side of the bow - quite a fun area where I want to put some intimate detail.
Used Google Sketchup to create a quick model that I can use to get an accurate angle, and also later use to generate side views.
Questions to ask at the start - are we trying to generate a variety of ideas and approaches to tackle the subject matter for the client, or do we have a clear brief and guidelines where the client has already defined a bunch of stuff?
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