Characters? Or environments? That is the choice I am constantly faced with in my major. Well, I love them both, So I am going to practice both.So in order to practice environments, I have started off with doing a basic botanical study of the trunk of a tree.
Most people wouldn't bother to study their own body, much less a tree. Two parallel lines with a few shades of brown and we are done, right? Wrong. Trees in many ways are more complex than human beings in form. Despite standing straight up, trees have curvature, they have form, they have motion, and they have very gestural poses. Not only that, but trees have more gradients and more complex textures than a human body would ever have.
It's the background artist job to master all of these elements, and believe me, there are more aspects to a background than there ever will be with characters.
Every videogame is 20% character 80% background. And believe me, it's a very complex and diverse 80% that requires due respect and attention. So today I have begun to pay my respects!
btw, this was done in watercolors. Watercolors and various paints are primarily how I will gesture my botanicals, landforms, and environmental surveys.
I love natural stuff. I'm actually collecting references from as many different natural settings as possible. That and animal species. I might end up needing a whole second external HD for it all XD
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more of these studies from you. This one is great. You really nailed the color and texture! :3
Awh! Thank you so much! I didn't even see your post! ^^;
ReplyDeleteYeah, I am definitely collecting tons of environmental and botanical references. Hey, if you could, maybe we could exchange some references? I am sure we could definitely help each other out in that respect!
Looking forward to doing some botanical studies with you!
Sure thing! Yep, an artsy outdoor outing with a friend sounds like much fun indeed :3
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