Unit 78 task 2: Be able to generate concept art ideas for computer game graphics

Stimulus (own brief):

I love anime and I have watched a lot of it in my life and when comes to creating a character I want it to be something what I like and I wish to see myself. So First thing first I wanted my character to be male and cool; it is harder to draw a female than a male due to extra detail especially hair but also I think male characters looks more powerful in my way of liking. And when creating a game I expect to be there a lot of action and special effects but It will be hard to do as I have to idea how it all works yet.

Ideas:

So my job was to create an idea for a character and environment that this character is going to travel giving it a little bit of a story. However, I am not able to create an character and environment only out of my head so first thing first I had to do was a research, to take ideas from different pictures and use them as a help to make my own drawings. So now I will show you the references that I have researched:

I have used those pictures to create my character that looks like that:

As you can probably see I have not used all the reference that I can collected up there so after filtering out the ones that are not being used, the left ones will be:

 

Using those images I have also made three other sides of my character that look like this:

Also I have drew different positions for my character and random ideas for his accessories:

After creating my character I had to think and make a weapon for him to have something to fight with. Of course I did my research first to know the base of my weapon and then just go with the flow. I have used those pictures as a reference for my weapon:

And there is how my weapon looks like as a drew on the paper:

As you can see there is nothing taken or used from the blue hair girl as I have decided to have a scythe as a weapon on the end and the chains that are connected to my character. Before drawing this scythe I was also thinking about Japanese sword called Katana but this type of weapon was used way too many times so I tried to be more unique.

Now I will show you the environment ideas I have researched when I did finish creating my character and his weapon.

On the beginning I has going to try to create my environment more based on Rayman game but there would be quite a trouble as we couldn't use any textures so everything I would have to add every single detail separately on the given object but it would take way too much time as I wanted to focus more on the game itself and the story and gameplay than the detailed surroundings. So then I had a thought, "we cannot use textures so then I will make no colours at all" after that I was going to do everything black and white but then I reminded myself that there was a game similar to that and it was called Limbo. So then I have researched about it to take the reference from it, and as you can see on the mood board there the most Limbo images. While researching those images, I at the same time had made different quick sketches of examples of how my terrain and environment will look like when creating the original look on the Adobe Illustrator; and they looks like this:

Legal and ethical considerations: 

• Legal eg: copyright, libel:

As you saw from my previous drawings and thier references, I was really carefull about copying/using the references so I would not be attacked by copyrights and libel. All by drawings ware mostly done from my mind peaces and ideas ware only taken to improve my own ideas due to my lack of experiance in drawing.

• Representation: eg race, gender, religion, sexuality:

Please don't take me wrong I have not created my character due to my sexuality, gender or race liking but, only in logical thinking and my own opinion of anime way, it will be better for my character looking in those clothing or weapon that any other way. To be honest probably my race and geneder might took some part of creating my character as he is someone how I wish to be too.

• Computer game graphics: print media graphics, eg game poster, game packaging; in-game graphics (head up display graphics, sprite graphics, background graphics, image textures); concept art graphics

For this part I have not done any of those points yet except the drawings that you saw above and nothing else.

Graphics specification:

• Client needs:

I am the client so lets say my expectation are to at least make the game work and some animation to my character even without my weapon and monsters.

• Audience:

The game is quite dark as I take idea from Limbo and as I said before I want the game to be more action and monsters but it's only 2D game so it would make me at least but +12 age on the game which means the game Audence target is more that a kid.

• Thumbnail sketching:  

There are some sketches I have done before trying to draw my original character. I have never draw in my life before so It was quite trouble as I had only few weeks do start drawing my character and evironment.

• Visual style, eg colour, style, photorealistic, cel-shaded, anime:

Well obviouslly I tried to draw everything in anime style as I love this style and is quite easy when start getting it. Anime those days is very popular and I hope to be able to draw like pro some day to inspire other people with my work like those pros inspired me to create anime drawings.

• Composition:

When I got to creating my environment first thing first I did was part of map creation so I could just add them up by changing sizes and rotation. After I have some ready then I stared composing them up with differnt positions and needs so they add up to the story I have drew before.

• Typography:

After drawing those images I have trace it using Adobe illustrator using 1 or 0.5 strike for my character and enviroonment.

• Technical considerations, eg file format, file size, optimisation, file naming conventions, asset management, intended output:

When I got to creating environemnt and character I had everything names to find everything I need straight away and when creaing an environment I had to care a little bit about how much stuff I put into a single slide ("Album"), so the game doesn't run slow. I have made a lot of grouping for different Album and that object to help me when selecting item connected with other itmes.