In
the second out of the four briefs (landscapes/environments) 'Campus
Building in a Fantasy world: this can be a dark or high fantasy
world. It could be good or evil', I answered well and I was happy
with the final outcome.
Firstly,
my method began by studying the buildings around the university
campus, see below. I wanted to find a building which I found both
interesting and could imagine out of its original setting. From the
offset I knew I wanted to make a 'good' building due to the soft
autumn colours and greenery around campus. During my studies I tried
to focus on details I found interesting in the buildings that I could
exaggerate in my scene. Some of these features were the large
windows, leafy trees, brickwork, wooden awnings, greenery and golden
colours.
Secondly
once I had decided on the building I wanted to do, I drew it further
to try and get a sense of layout and light as a base to start from. I
also researched into fantasy buildings, looking at villages with
thatched roofs, castles and curved staircases often seen in fairytale
movies. This I would later implement digitally.
Thirdly
I could then use my references, both internet and my own drawings,
including the mark making I had tried in pastel with the trees seen
later in this document to inform my final design.
In
the picture above you can see a breakdown from my original drawing to
the final design. I added in a thatched roof, as this is something
not found in modern building design and a pitched roof extension to
give the sense of a cosy home. In the back of the building I added in
a castle parapet to help give the sense of something out of time,
more suited to archers or cannons. Keeping with that idea I added a
large watchtower at the back. To frame the scene and add the
traditional curved staircase seen in most fairytale movies, I adapted
the space and give it more grandeur. To give the impression it was a
safe courtyard, I added a running, clean fountain feature. Last of
all I included a hedge at the front, to give the impression someone
is peeping into a secret, almost magical place. However, since I used
a drawing to develop it from, this meant that it was kept true to its
original origins, when placed side by side you can easily see where
the image has developed from.
My
main idea was that while focusing on the left hand building, I also
wanted to integrate the environment around it so the scene can be
imagined immediately on how it would continue.
During
the project I experimented with a variety of materials. Due to being
a digital artist for many years this was outside my comfort zone, and
I mostly enjoyed using pencil due to its neat lines and ease to
control (much like digital painting). The mix included charcoal,
pencil pastels, pencil, chalk, watercolours, watercolour pencils,
watercolour paper, inkjet paper and pastel paper. However I did find
that I liked using pastel paper due to the colour variety, porous
nature and thickness. As you can see in the image below, when
different media was used on the paper it gave a much softer
appearance and contrast. In particular I thought the charcoal was the
most effective in creating a shadow and light balance, and I
therefore chose to do a drawing of my chosen building in this media
to enhance the lighting to aid the final design. My least favourite
was the watercolours. Due to a limited selection of colours, and not
much knowledge, I thought that my drawings using this seemed to be
missing detail and information.
As
I drew the same scene in different media and from different spots I
got a good sense of detail, lighting and layout for when I finalised
in digital. This meant on the final drawing I could easily exaggerate
the light and shadows to give a serene feeling. If drawing in
watercolour again, I would like to first practice more, or find a
warmer spot to draw so they are neater and more detailed as I would
be able to spend more time. However, I do feel that beginning with a
pencil drawing was a good base and created a strong final piece.
Below
is a step by step detailing process of the digital workflow. I also
included a breakdown piece including zooms on important details (see
first picture), and reference pictures. This means if it were to
continue the pipeline in an industry, they would have a clear idea of
the features and materials I am communicating.
During
this project I could have improved my planning before jumping into
the final design, such as trying a few sketches turning it into a
fantasy building before committing to an idea. However, as I enjoy
fantasy I had strong ideas and was successful in expressing them (as
mentioned earlier). I also could've have experimented more, such as
using more felt tip and fine liner like I have in the other briefs,
and also improving in using more traditional material, especially
watercolours.
Across
this brief, I thought my time was well managed, the workload was met
equally with the other briefs and the response to the brief was well
balanced. Due to the colour experimentation and studies with
traditional media, my colour palette was quickly decided with greens
and oranges (like autumn when they were drawn). The brief response
was also helped by my own interest in fantasy, especially happier
stories and this helped influence a strong 'good' scene.
