VAILL 385 Character Design Fall 2014

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Assignment #11 - Backgrounds

In this Assignment you will be:

1) Designing a character - theme: "Adventurer"

2) Designing a stylized background based on given compositions that fit your character.

3) exploring the use of color to create "mood" and story.

Purpose:

exploring the stylization of elements of an environment to compliment your character and treating the environment as a Character.

1) "Adventurer" - pretty open ended, adventurer of anything, caves, forests, underground, underwater, volcanoes, ruins, libraries, restaurants back ally ways ... your choice, your story. focus on good shapes and interesting stylization.

2) Everyone in class will be working off of these basic compositions. (I have provided one horizontal, and one vertical for your choice). These are "blockouts" on top of which you will design your own environment. shapes in the blockout should be changed to fit your story. for example, a square might become a tree, stalagmite, building, column etc. Value may be changed.

Use Color

WIP (work in progress) Due Tuesday - bring a printout - we will go over these in class

Final Assignment due Thursday Nov 20th.

Use one of the 2 following blockouts:

Ginger Dall Out-of-Class 10 (Turn arounds redone)

Background as a Character

The Background and Environment follow the same principles as props. THEY ARE CHARACTERS TOO and so must be designed, thought out and match/ fit in the same world as your characters.

Look for similar shape languages - rounds, thicks to thins, Big med small etc.
Moods - sharps, dangerous, rounds, whimsical, tropical, etc.
Stylization - real, cartoony, strong shapes, angular, etc.

the same rules that make a character strong also apply to environments. Treat the background as a CHARACTER.
consider STORY, MOOD, AUDIENCE, CONTRAST, BIG-MED-SMALL
If something isn't supporting the story or characters, then it's probably stronger without it.

ENVIRONMENT PROP DESIGN

Creating a Portfolio

1. Relevancy -

Do your homework, know the goal of your portfolio.
If you are applying to a variety of places, or different jobs, you may need more than one portfolio.
Know what kind of art the studios produce, Make sure yours is on the level in quality and appropriateness
Know what specifications or guidelines are required by specific studios (ex. Figure drawing, sketchbook, 3D modeling, Digital, what programs etc.)

2. What to Include

Your goal is to sell yourself as a professional Visual Communicator and Problem Solver. you want to convince the art Director of your dream studio that you are qualified for the job and are an asset to their team. Your portfolio needs to communicate that you can solve any visual problems that you may be given if you worked there in a creative and useful way.

Include work that will make the art director say "Hey! He/She would fit right in Here!"

There is a difference between Fan Art and Creative art

Don't include Fan art! This is not visual problem solving, merely showing that you can copy stuff ... and sorry, just about any good artist can do that.
Your work can resemble theirs, but should still show creative and competent skills that show that you can solve the same problems as their artists do.

3.Variety

Showcase what you excel at!
DONT include ANY work that shows your weaknesses
DONT include anything that you don't like to draw - Even if its really good
Usually some Diversity is good, but the bulk of the portfolio should be based around what is most relevant to the job you are applying for. You should only include something if it is AMAZING, not just because it adds variety. For ex. an amazing illustration or editorial piece, Figure drawing or sketchbook page.
Show your flexibility in mediums and styles - prove you're not a one act pony - but also don't confuse them with work that is all over the place and seems schizophrenic.

4. How Many

"The most important thing about a portfolio is that it must be impressive. .. So, only include work that will amaze other people."

"I need less than ten drawings to judge a person's talent, but I like to see dozens."

ONLY SHOW YOUR STRONGEST STUFF - They will mostly remember your worst piece
It is WAY better to have LESS and BETTER stuff, than MORE and WEAK stuff
An art Director should be able to get a pretty good feel for your abilities in 5-10 drawings. I would never do less than 5 - that just looks suspicious. If you can provide more than 10 - than go ahead and astound them.
Be Impressive

Especially for Concept - show "sets" or "complete Packages"

Stand-alone pieces are not nearly as impressive as a full set of concept art for a game. A random space marine doesn't demonstrate concepting ability nearly as much as an entire set of characters for a game.
Include concept art for features such as how interchangeable team colors are represented on the characters, or how vehicles look after they take damage. Include concept art for things like environments, weapons etc. most important - establish a look and feel for the game and make sure that everything works together.
Include at least some environment and background - this tends to be a weak point for character designers and if you are competent - It will really make you stand out and be more valuable
Include short explanations
Include concept art of characters from front, side and back that are needed for 3D modelers. This shows that you have the ability to completely design all the details of a character and also demonstrates that you have the ability and understanding needed during development
A note on 3D modeling - Including extra stuff like this can make you more valuable as an artist - you have more skills and know more programs. Studios also need more modelers than concept artists - it may make you more likely to get a job, but maybe not the one you hoped for. - consider a toe in the door - there are a lot of studios where artists can migrate.
Also note: Concept art is not the only creative job in a production studio - ask me what I do as a texture artist and why I love it. -if possible - talk to an artist who has your dream job. Get the "inside" story. Each studio is different in how it is set up and organized.

6. Page Design

Keep all your pages looking clean, elegant, professional and readable
make sure you're work is showcased the best it can be
In Design, aim to make it look like a page out of an "Art Of... " book.
Connect visually "complete Packages" or projects, especially if there are more than one.
Less on a page is usually more
Keep in Mind BIG-MED-SMALL - make sure they are seeing the most important things first
Have your NAME on EVERY PAGE so that it is drilled into their heads