Development Project- Week 10 Summary

The BA2a Specialism brief will span over the course of 8 weeks, where we will be focusing on multiple projects (not at the same time) regarding our chosen area of interest. This post will only be focusing on the first, Development Project; however here is the timeline for our brief.

The Development Project:

- Investigate job roles you would consider applying for upon graduation

- Research at least 5 job specs and 3 Professional Portfolios

- Plan the work you will produce over the 3 weeks

We need to choose one of the following:

1. Concept Art

Product Design or Anatomy

2. Asset Creation

High Poly Modelling Baking Physical Based Rendering (PBR)

3. Interactivity Prototyping

I have chosen to pursue 'Concept Art, Product Design'

The reason I have chosen to specialise in the 'product design' side of concept art is because I feel it's what I'm weakest at between the two choices available. I've been practising and studying anatomy for a long time now, and even though you can never stop learning; I need to start doing portfolio work regarding other subjects (other than people).

My 'Development Project' Goals for the '2D Concept Art', Product Design Brief

1. Create (at least) 3 finished prop/asset designs in a cartoon-like painterly style (thinking of companies such as Blizzard or Riot Games)

Theme: Ice - Fantasy - Blue and White Colour Palette 2. Create (at least) 3 finished prop/asset designs in a realistic style (thinking of companies such as Bethesda, Naughty Dog or Ready at Dawn)

Theme: Fire - Sci - Fi - Red and Black Colour Palette

To Conclude: At least 6 finished prop/asset designs which relate to a specific theme and style.

Searching 2D Concept Artist Jobs

Firstly we were tasked to look up at least 5 jobs from different games companies, relating to our chosen specialism. Then we were to find at least 3 professional portfolios that also linked with our area of interest within the games industry. I have chosen companies based on my love for their games, as well as how close they are to where I am currently living (in the UK).

Job Titles I would apply for upon Graduation:

Concept Artist

Junior Concept Art

Concept Artist Intern

Illustrator Intern

Visual Development Intern

Job Title: Concept Artist/Illustrator

Studio: Arkane Studios

Location: Austin, Texas, United States

Job Title: Concept Artist (Temp)

Studio: Blizzard Entertainment

Location: Irvine, California, United States

Job Title: Concept Artist

Studio: Bioware

Location: Austin, Texas , United States

Job Title: Concept Artist

Studio: Ready at Dawn

Location: Irvine, California, United States

Job Title: Concept Artist

Studio: Ninja Theory Ltd

Location: Cambridge, England , United Kingdom

Professional Concept Art Portfolios:

Charlie Bowater

http://www.charliebowater.co.uk/

Jana Schirmer

https://www.artstation.com/artist/janaschirmer

Maciej Kuciara

http://www.kuciara.com/

Gathering Asset Design Inspiration

Before I start creating my own concepts, I thought it would be good to research the aesthetics of already existing ones for inspiration. 1. Chris Chaproniere (Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/artist/chrischaproniere) These asset designs were created for the game, Bioshock Infinite.

2. David Harrington (Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/artist/davidharrington) These asset designs were created for the game, Heroes of the Storm.

3. Z'pz (Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/artist/zpz)

4. Michael Lacek (Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/artist/scratch)

What Should I Design?

Now that I have a good idea of how I'm going to design my props (which could be given to a 3D artist), it's time to decide what kind of 'objects' I actually want to draw. Here is a quick recap of the themes, styles and colour palette I will be sticking to with my designs.

1. Painterly Style for a Fantasy RPG Game

Theme: Ice Colour Palette: Blue, White and Yellow

3 Finished Designs (At least)

2. Realistic Style for a Science-Fiction FPS Game

Theme: Fire

Colour Palette: Red, Black and Silver

3 Finished Designs (At least)

Object/Prop Ideas 1.

Fancy Tree, Shield , War Command Table , Throne , Bridge , Sword Final Thoughts: After thinking it over for a while, the props I want to design from the list first are the shield, war command table and throne. Depending how quickly I finish all of these, I may have time to create the rest although it is unlikely.

I really liked the idea of creating something the player could use without it being a weapon (as I've drawn many swords, staffs e.t.c before), which is why I chose the shield as it's something I feel like I haven't drawn much prior to this project. This idea of designing a war command table seemed really appealing to me as I wanted to experiment with something that would stand out as 'unique' from other table/desk like assets that could appear in the game (instead of designing a table that the 3D modeller could create, which would then be duplicated inside multiple game levels).

Lastly, I wanted to create a throne because I feel like this would tie in well with the other props I have chosen, perhaps representing a kingdom at war, with the shield containing a recognisable crest which I could use within each design.

2.

Gate , Loot Crate , Teleporter , Turret , Laser Gun , Sacred Altar/Podium Final Thoughts: Lastly with the science fiction type designs, I have decided to create asacred altar/podium, loot crate and gate. I'm pretty fond of creating a sacred altar because it gives me a lot of visual freedom to play with, where I can add symbolism where I see fit. Designing a loot crate is something I've wanted to do for a while and I know that this project is the perfect opportunity to take that chance and push it visually. Especially with my theme of 'fire', I'm really excited to see what I can accomplish. I originally thought about designing the gate for the fantasy brief, however changed my mind because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and experiment more with science fiction aesthetics. I feel like it would be a lot of fun playing around with different shapes and harsh edges for this.

#ba2a #summary