Unit 47 - 2D Animation for Computer Games
BRIEF
The art community had been at peace since last year and the future looked bright heading towards the new year. Unfortunately... good things never last...
On the verge of the year 2018 the forces of LIGHT and DARKNESS have started to clash in an all out ART WAR! Will light shine on victoriously or will darkness engulf everything?
*Which side will you take?*
Introduction
I've chosen to take the dark side with this project as I feel that I have quite a few ideas which could develop into a very good character. The overall colours of the figure are going to be very dark and bold. Using dark colours with a contrasting glow will allow me to create an aura around the character, thus giving the impression of intense power - I plan to use this in my concepts.
Pt.1 - Weapon Concepts
I created 3 different weapon concepts which would be put towards the final drawing. Each sword, shown below, displays a blade of a very large scale. I used this to signify that the dark character concept will have strong and bold attributes.
The first image displays a sword close to what an Orc would hold but, with a sci-fi twist. Being such a large sword, this weapon is also very heavy. The attack times for this would be slow but, contact on an enemy would easily be fatal.
The second image is supposed to have more of a scythe looking figure. This object would be dual wielded as well as being lighter than the other two swords. It is aimed to be more of an agile weapon for a character which is much faster than the average. Although the weapon is a lot lighter, this does not take away from the overall length of the object. The blade is long but, has no match to the other two.
The third concept is by far my favourite concept and will be used in the final image. The inspiration behind this links to one of the swords from final fantasy as well as an image drawn by a friend in class. In order to keep the sword original, there will be a few more additions to make it more unique. The scale of the entire sword will be greater than the character, whilst the blade itself will be a similar size. I'm doing this in order to create a greater sense of strength and power.
Pt.2 - Character Concepts
The dark character (name still undecided) will be quite a tall individual, following the body form of a human. If you could imagine the average basketball player, the character is around that height.
Started creating character poses which will be used towards the end of the project when the character design has been settled. In the picture above, The character is posing with the sword in front of them. My thoughts are that this general pose gives an idea of power. I used a basic drawing in order to easily manipulate the character's movements.
Using the same simplistic drawing technique as before, I posed the character in a way which can easily explain how the figure would walk. The decision of whether the sword is going to be light or heavy is still under way. In the above picture, the character is being weighed down by the sword. You can see the their back is arched and their legs are considerably crouched.
Dragging the sword behind character ( application of weight and a certain sense of fatigue )
In the picture above, you can see that I have properly created a concept for the character. Although the pose is rather basic, it displays what clothing the character could wear. This dark character has the figure equivalent to that of a human. Furthermore, I thought it would be a cool idea to apply human clothing. The character will be wearing a poncho which will drape over 3/4's of the character's body. I'm deciding to give the character ripped black trousers. Footwear is yet to be decided, boots would be appropriate but the decision will be made as time goes on. In the image, you'll notice that the sword has been forced into the ground. Do not forget that the sword is still taller than the character himself.
Using a few stock images along side a few 3d renders, I was able to properly visualise my character in his true form. The image above is a compilation of sketching, stock image usage and the application of 3D renders. I applied a few "sketched" filters to the stock images in order to make them fit in with the drawings around it. I decided to give the character quite the ominous face in order to properly depict the dark character style.
Pt.3 - 3D Concepts
By using 3D imagery, I am able to properly visualise what the character will look like in more depth. The application of the third dimension allows myself and other viewers to zoom in on more specific details which I wouldn't be able to focus on within a drawing.
A quick 3D scene which I setup to visualise the character
3D concept with high detail texturing and lighting
Wireframe render
Another wireframe render, this time with the sword in front of the character
What you are seeing above is a rear view of the character. This is a 3D render using realistic lighting, assisted by an indoor studio hdri. The sword is not yet attached in away, this is because of how early the concept is.
Animation references