Problem Solving

Isometric concept art perspective using grids and block-outs:

Before gathering ideas, we looked at different techniques that I could apply within my artwork, as well as speeding up my development process to help perspective and lighting so its accurate and effective. To practice these skills, we used our western block-out from our 3D sessions, and used this image to sketch and paint-over the design to create a concept art piece in an isometric viewpoint. This technique was useful to me, as it made my drawing process much quicker, and had a really effective outcome, allowing me to change aspects to meet my own style, and ensure that the shape isn’t disfigured. 

 

Moving on from this, we then experimented further using a Photoshop grid to create isometric art. This method was easier for me, as I was clearly able to see how easy it would be to create this cube shaped diorama using the grid as a template. My artwork piece on the right was created by grid lining each point of the reference image, and then connecting the lines together so that an accurate square could be assembled. I used the grid within this square then slowly build up the scene. This method was not only fun and interesting, but was much more efficient when creating isometric art, rather than trying to create this perspective by eye.

To get a clear image of what I’ve planned on producing within my diorama, I created a coloured concept piece outlining the assets, and their placement within my scene. The colours are simple and static as I wanted them to show the style and layout of my diorama, rather than their detail shown within the final concept. I struggled to get perspective on what sort of land size and shape I wanted to place my scene into, I wanted it to be diverse, and able to surround in mountain areas, as this is a main theme in my diorama representing Western culture. My next step is to try different techniques used previously, to get a better understanding of the types of perspectives, lighting, and layouts that would look more effective for an isometric piece. 

Windmill Concept Sketches and Colour Ideas

When producing sketches, I first like to individually generate ideas for each asset I plan on using within my art. In this case, my wind-mill became my focus point for the scene, basing it off of Western; using my primary and secondary research, I drew a range of propellers that were either used within this decade, implicate elements that could be foreseen as Western. I favoured the most historically accurate design (my first), as this was the type of Windmill propellers you would actually see during this era, as they were cheap and simple, and usually were powered using a tank. Other designs such as the second and third were not aesthetically correct to  Western environment, as my second design was inspired by steampunk propellers, whereas my third is dedicated to being more modernized, at-least compared to my others. 

I then moved onto colour ideas. Being as my target audience is male, and males typically prefer browns, grays and orange, I thought it would be useful if I experimented with different shades of these colours; in addition to this, they are more realistic to the colours that would be used in a Western town, as they would most likely be using wood, and painting with cheap colours, due to it being a poor era. Overall, I have decided I favour the 5th design, as it features something similar to the original, but also keeps it interesting and makes it more stylized with the sharp edges. My least favourite design is the last, as I haven’t used any negative space to give the design depth, and as the colour is quite dark, it makes it look too dull and plain. 

Finally, I needed to look at the windmills base, and the different angles I could use within my diorama. Further to this, it helped me experiment with perspective and how the planks and the propellers would fit depending on the style of them. My most challenging was the stylized propeller in the middle, as this was hard to recreate on a side-angle, due to where the points face outwards. Whereas the other two were easy to visualize and compose with the positioning of the base. Making mistakes while creating these has taught me valuable skills on analyzing the position, size and angle of an object,and the importance in ensuring that these elements are properly proportionate to avoid your art looking rushed or incomplete. I specifically liked how these turned out, especially the last, and the propeller works well with the front facing base. 

I  added colours to the windmills once they were completely assembled. The colours match the original colour schemes, and I believe this combination fitted well together. The first one I need to add some more light and dark contrast tones, as this now looks too similar and ruins some of the detail the windmill style has itself. I again like the last two, as the colour schemes, and sketch designs work well together. To make further improvements, I may consider experimenting more with different wood types rather than colour types, as style is something I usually strive to develop rather than the colour schemes themselves. 

Fence Sketches & Colour Ideas:

Moving onto fence Ideas, typically, in most western films, games, and shows, your’ll see a basic wooden fence such as my first design. Although, I wanted to create a broad range to ensure that I fully developed the types of variety that can be used within a western farm. The barb-wire for example was heavily used more so in the west, due to it being cost effective; although I want my diorama to have some historical accuracy, I wanted it to be visually appealing so this design wasn’t suitable for the exterior of my environment. I stuck with lighter colours for the fence, as I thought too many dark colours on my scene would make it dreary and depressing to look at, plus lighter colours were more typically used because of the wood materials. I believe my two simplest designs (featuring a light brown, and the white picket), are commonly conceived as being western and farm themed fences, meaning these would probably be most appropriate, my other fence designs, specifically the ones with no gaps, would block out the view of the scene and make it feel more enclosed then I would like. 

Barn Windows/Doors Sketches, & Colour Ideas:

The designing of the barn windows and doors was actually the most enjoyable design aspect, as I was clearly able to determine what colour schemes would match due to previous colour palettes, as well as match these tones to both the windows and doors. This really opened my eyes to how my end product for my diorama would look. For example, I kept it reasonably simple for the windows, as most windows both in the modern period and during the western times were quite basic unless the owner was wealthy, and the overall barn design won’t feature the windows heavily, so its less important in terms of detail. Nonetheless, I created four simple shapes, the smaller original designs were anticipated for much smaller barns with single doors, whereas the larger ones would be used for a two-story or two door barn because of the increased space. Moving onto the doors, I kept to the same colour schemes as the windows, due to it being on the same asset for consistency, My secondary online research really helped me to decide what kinds of things should go on a barn door, as many real life barns are quite limited to the typical cross used in two of my sketches, other unique ones such as the old-fashioned door handle, and the two flap doors were also used, which is something I wanted to include for diversity. 

Lighting and Sky Colour Schemes:

Moving away for the design sketches, I focused more on the colour of the backgrounds, as this was important to determine the types of lighting and shadows that would be placed for some amount of realism within my scene. Here I started with the water tones, and specifically liked ocean darker and lighter blue, as these could represent the shallow and deep parts of how the water falls. My original colour concept was two childish, as the water would be too clean for anyone within that decade, which is why I found the second colours interesting as they represented what would happen to clear water if it got polluted. (Which was a likely factor due to the mining areas and steam-powered trains) the last two designs were purely for experimentation, I wanted to create something out of the ordinary to see what result I could get, I think the colours are great, although not suitable for this type of project. 

Focusing on the sky shades, I wanted a mixture of sunsets, sunrises, and night and day periods. Having variety gives me options on the type of atmosphere I want to present to my audience. I stuck typically to the sunsets due to the use of warm colours, as this gives makes the environment seen peaceful and calming, whereas blue’s are known to give the environment a cold nature. I looked into a dusk type setting, such as the mixture of the colours blue, purple, and orange, as this really made the environment stand out, and wasn’t typical to the other types of skies you would see in concept art pieces. 

Using the Isometric grid technique:

Once all the initial planning for my scene was completed, I began attempting to create a layout of how I wanted to present everything using the isometric grid technique. The problem was, I struggled to see what proportions to make everything as I was creating it, so the windmill and the mountains were completely the wrong scale. In addition to this, due to the land being in the wrong perspective, it made it hard for me to see how I could draw the mountains. Before attempting this method, I tried to create my own isometric barn with perspective from the eye, although everything looked too slanted down-ward, overall ruining the piece entirely. I moved onto another technique that would avoid perspective issues. 

Block-out Layout Idea 1:

The blocking out method proved to be much more successful, as I was easily able to navigate and increase or decrease size as I please to fit the right scale, shape, and positioning. I was happy with my first layout, as it used up the space well as solely focused on meeting my original layout design. Although, I wasn’t happy with how much space wasn’t being used, and I weren’t able to increase the size of my barn or windmill otherwise they would be disproportionate to the size of the mountains. Further to this, the water flowing off the diorama was still inaccurate to how it would in real life, which is something I had to fix. I was glad I was able to block-out successfully within Maya, so that they resembled the overall look of how my diorama is going to look.  

Block-out Layout Idea 2:

In my second layout, I was happy that you got a nice view of the barn and the windmill. as these were my most featured items, although I wan’t happy with the direction of the waterfall and how you couldn’t see it stream off the diorama. The angle of this also would mean I would have to zoom further out if the waterfall was moved, so I decided this design wasn’t going to match the criteria that I wanted for the final concept. 

Block-out Layout Idea 3:

The third design put me off due to how crowed the windmill was too the barn, although I was surprisingly impressed with the outcome, as the positioning gave the diorama character, and made it look more full. The placement of the water would fall perfectly off, in the direction of the view, and the angle of the windmill means I wouldn’t have any issues drawing perspective. I also liked that I could add a path, and experiment with the shape of the diorama itself, so it wasn’t typically a square with empty space. 

Block-out Layout Idea 4:

I liked the final block-out because everything seemed placed to precision. It also allowed me to see what my diorama would look like with a completed fence. Although this didn’t look bad, I didn’t like that it made the diorama look as if it ended. Another big problem is how zoomed out it was, meaning you wouldn’t be able to see any details in the wood for the windmill or the barn, and only a large portion of empty grass (or possible crops/farmland).

Paint-over Colour-scheme and Shadow Testing:

Once I decided on a favoured blockout, I began by painting over it, including some of the basic details drawn in my ideas generation. I decided it would give the diorama more diversity if I cut off a chunk to appear as if missing, as this stop it looking so abnormally perfect and unrealistic. One element I am still unsure of is the snowy mountains, as depending on the weather it most likely won’t made for snow. I was worried about the windmill being covered by the barn, although once properly drawn, the windmills detail will ensure nothing gets un-noticed. As well as possibly moving the location of the barn to expose some. 

Once the base colour was completed, I wanted to start adding depth to my design. I decided to experiment with shadows, and different tons of colours for a mixture. The current style needs some work as this pastel child-friendly look was something I was not originally aiming for. Further improvements such as removing the sketched outlines and experimenting with lighting and how that effects the colour of the environment. 

Wood Texture Ideas:

Finally, I created some wood textures that can be used for the barn, the wood planks for the windmill, as well as the fences. I included some of my most colour variations used for my designs, and I am particularly pleased with the outcome of the barn texture. As it looks as if the paint is starting to come up. My dark brown texture could use work in making the lines more visible, as I used the fibers, ‘screen’ and ‘mask’ tools to add some depth to the colour combinations.