Character design workshop concept #03

Based on sea predators, had a lot of fun painting it :)

Narrative project character concept

This one is for the updated story, based on a manta ray.

FV: Final Concept Art

My final character concept art for the slime mold. This shows the stage of the feeding plasmodium. My design decision is pretty much explained on the side of the page.

Fantastic Voyage: Concept Art

Fantastic Voyage: Character Concept Art

FSTS The Art Of: "Le Cirque de la Physionomie"

The Art of Presentation

Concept and production art for the camera

Most of the design decisions are explained on the page, I quite like it with a few more adjustments it could be improved but the deadline is knocking on the door :)

FSTS: Concept piece for the restaurant

FSTS: Concept art

This is the first time where the concept art didn't seem as an obstacle and actually helped me visualize the space and realize the scenes on my storyboard. It is not the best looking one, but I am happy with it :)

WIM final concept

After almost a complete mental breakdown trying to start this concept painting nothing really worked. I tried using maya, painting directly with colours (instead of the usual values first - then the colour layer) and I started over and over again but nothing was coming out properly. At the end I reached a point where I stopped caring and doodled in my sketchbook, scanned it in and was happy with the result.

 I used all my tricks to get the creative juices flowing, but it wasn't fun :(

Screenshot of it still being in the middle of nowhere but added some of the water-colour paper texture

Aaaaaand that's the final version.

WIM thumbnails 92 - 100

Using maya to create a quick scene and photoshop to colour the screenshots.

What I'm looking for is some feedback on the best angles and possibly colours (even though they are a bit basic, i know) so that i can start on my concept painting.

Thaaaaanks :)

Final Outcomes, Invisible Cities

And here are my final paintings, starting with exterior establishing shot:

Exterior low angle shot:

And an interior shot:

For some very strange reason, the coulours are much more different on every other monitor I look at them, when I painted them they were saturated. Need to double check why this happens.

New Influence Maps for Octavia

After a lot of research, the exterior influence map:

And interior one:

Octavia thumbnail

Just a quick composition, based on my research in my sketchbook.

Interiors research for Octavia

I had a chance last week to look around Rochester and do some sketching and take some photos. These thumbnails are inspired by that trip. I also had an interesting idea about the religion of the citizens of Octavia. They worship the two mountains from which the city is suspended, represented by the female sculpture on the left (thumbnail 1 ) and the male one to the right.

Here are some photos taken from the Rochester Cathedral:

And some urban sketching of the buildings around the University and Rochester Cathedral on the Outside:

Octavia research on how to design a city

Did some more research, I am happy with the overall shape of the city, it also looks a bit like a spider, which was purely accidental :)

windmills design research

Well windmills aren't very exciting, and the sketches are generic, but an idea did spark at the end and my whole city design is based on it, so I'm happy :)

Octavia overall design

Bit stylised but wanted it to be quick.
The reason behind this design is the height of the city. The shape collects the winds and directs them in the middle where the futuristic looking "windmill" transforms them into electricity.
Another perk for this shape is collecting rain water and the condensation of the trees, again gathered in the middle and filtered before send through the pipes.
My problem at the moment are the houses? Any suggestions?

New Octavia thumbnails

Based on my research I published yesterday, I did some thumbnails. I think they make much more sense than my previous ones.
1. Is a overview of Octavia with the buildings and houses.
2. Is a close up on the roof top water gathering trees.
3. A close-up on the "community building" and its entrance.
4. Is a more stylised version of the city.
Feedback is more than welcome :)

Octavia research

After watching the incredibly inspirational 2001: space odyssey today and reading an interesting article about concept design, i think i finally understood what Phil means when he said I need to design a city, not build it (finally, an epiphany)!
I looked into some key points and am including the scan from my neat moleskine:

Water for the city is gathered by rooftop "parks" with plastic bags around the tree branches. The water towers are collecting it and also filter it in a very basic way - rocks, sand and layers of charcoal. Also there are drains around the rooftop for rain water, again filtered in the same way.

Energy/Electricity - i thought of two ways an isolated city like Octavia can gather energy - capturing lightnings, implying the city is very technically developed, or wind energy. Second option seemed more plausible as i don't see the city as very futuristic and "techy". 

Transportation - cable cars, simple as that. Public transport is electricity based while individuals have manual cable systems of transportation and lifts to move around the city.

Religion? - i think it is more to do with the spiritual side of the citizens. Since they are high up in the air, between two mountains i can imagine they are quite spiritual. Air as the symbol of intelligence, the people of Octavia have a different understanding of " up and down" (a long and humble curtsey to 2001 space odyssey). They can use lifts to move up and down around the city, they spend a lot of their time hanging in mid air and height is something usual for them. 

Houses - hanging tents of course, citizens are growing ivy from their houses that stop them from moving in the wind.

Also I recalled two artists i heard about a few years ago - Dan Havel and Dean Ruck who created a "black hole" house which inspired me for the design for the temple in Octavia. Also there are houses built into the mountains surrounding the city, connected with it by ropes and ladders.

Overall design - the city resembles a scaffolding and the crossed levels and ropes hanging from it vaguely resemble a spider web.

First thumbnail of this new city design is at the bottom of the attached page.

I will do some digital drawings tomorrow, feedback will be welcome.