FMP

FMP

For this FMP, we have to produce either : Concept art of an environment, vehicle, character or creature, 3D model one of those 4 or produce an animation. I am deciding to choose to produce concept art of either a creature of character. I decided to start it traditionally, then digitally paint it. 

These are the two mind-maps I created to help get my ideas together. In the end, I decided to choose to create concept art for a character.

What I am interested in.

The reason I decided to create either a creature or character and have an interest in drawing them is because there's many more way to be creative when drawing them out than other things. There are certain restrictions present, like specific material properties and complex interactions between certain parts or components, when creating vehicles or environments that are either not present or are more flexible when it comes to characters and creatures.

Mood-board of ideas and features I could use.

I decided on these features as I feel there's a lot of potential with them and ways they could be adapted or even combined, such as taking the fins of the fish and combining them with the moth's antenna to create a feature for a creature letting it be aware of its surroundings no matter what, by being able to sense predators or changes at all times due to the mass of sensory organs on the fins.  I chose the lab coat for the reason that I could utilise it to create a mutated character, or one who has been genetically altered to display some of the animal features. In a similar way, the armour is present to spark ideas of how I could incorporate some features into it, like wings, or even use it as inspiration for natural armour like shell designs.

Silhouettes

For this lesson, I created 60 silhouettes of possible character ideas I could use. The software used was Photoshop, using the brush and eraser tools. I could do this differently by using the select or fill tool.
I ultimately decided to start working from silhouette 2 as it gave me the idea of making a character who seems human but is not a human at all and has that fact clearly noticeable. I decided on 2 opposed to others like 51 or 56 as I felt 2 could be more flexible overall, while the others seem more rigid and harder to work with.

Context

Research

Sketches

 This is an early sketch of Chammy, using the features directly from the silhouette like the large ears and tail. This design shows features that were later scrapped or altered, like her hair length and the straps on her shorts. At this time, her tail connected differently to how it does now. It connects from her lower back here, while now it extends from below her body. I decided to change this as when the tail came out of her lower back, it seemed necessarily awkward and didn't seem flexible enough. This sketch also shows different clothing to her current outfit. They are similar in several ways, mainly being that the articles of clothing are very similar in their types being that she still wears a similar article of clothing to a tank-top and wearing similar shorts.

 This sketch shows a now scrapped feature she was going to have, where her tail opened at the end to spit poison. I scrapped this idea because I felt it was very unfitting for her character type, which is usually quiet and reserved. This meant she had no real need for a feature like this as she would likely never get an opportunity to use it.

This sketch shows Chammy in a situation of trying on different clothing. At the time, it was a test of how her legs could straighten out to the side and how the spikes react when the tail curls. This was also when her tail had small spines running down it, but this was scrapped as it would be inconvenient in several situations.

When measuring her proportions at the time, I found out that she is 4 heads tall, which in comparison to average human proportions (roughly 7.5 to 8 heads tall) Chammy was significantly shorter than average. I feel the reason for this was to show her innocence with a large head and that the style was a little bit different when I was sketching out the early concepts. 

Leg sketches.

Some leg sketches. I feel the one on the far-left was most successful as they're more natural looking and believable that the others. These sketches show how Chammy's legs changed from the early sketches. They became longer in order to comply with average human height measurements, however, working out the correct distribution of the legs were difficult as she's digitigrade rather than plantigrade like humans. This means that rather than walking flat on her feet, she walks on her toes with her feel elongated. I decided to build her legs like this as it would assist her in running faster and jumping further than humans, along with some reptiles having digitigrade hind legs.

Chammy's legs would most accurately match the first as it is on its toes with an elongated foot, while the third is plantigrade, like humans.

Possible poses.

Some pose sketches. The spinning pose was the most successful out of all of them as it's the most dynamic and fluid pose of them, showing heavy amounts of motion and activity opposed to the others. It also portrays her bouncy personality the best.

Expression test, with horn and hair variations.

These are some expression and hair variations. I decided to go with the hair from the 2nd one inthe top and the horns form the bottom-right one. I decided to choose the hair from the second one as it would be long enough to show extra motion when she moves, without being inconvenient to her or getting in her way. I decided to use the segmented horns of the last one as I feel it would be more interesting to portray light affecting them opposed to a flat, smooth plane, which the other horns shown are. These were also experiments of her cheek patterns and how they should look. I decided to go with the pattern seen on the 3rd expression initially, but shifted over to the pattern on the 5th as it would portray her scaly texture more fluidly, with the uneven outlines to it.

Mouth tests.

I feel the most successful of these mouths is the 3rd one on the top, because while it's simple, it conveys a lot of emotion.

Full-body sketch.

One of the first full-body sketches of Chammy. This was when her hair was much longer than it is now and her tail was noticeably thinner. This also displays the slight shift in style, giving her more accurate proportions. 

As seen here, she is now approximately 7 heads tall, much closer to the average that I was aiming for. While the style may not show this proportion perfectly, I feel it is much more realistic and closer to what I was aiming for than it was beforehand.

Pose test.

This was a sketch of Chammy kneeling, showing how her legs could move and behave with a floor. It also shows how she can hold things with her tail. This sketch was mainly to help understand how digitigrade legs behave in a very similar manner to human legs, rather than some inaccuracies I had drawn up a couple of times prior.

Rough anatomy sketch.

This sketch roughly shows some anatomy and basic proportions of her.

This is the pose that I used to create the sketch above, being a simple standing pose.

These are artificial digitigrade legs, illustrating the difference between what human legs are, and how Chammy's legs are structured.

An expression test.

This is a slight expression test at a time where her design was more solid, as seen by the segmented horns and the long hair. This drawing was a method of compiling all her current facial details into one clear image to see how it looked and where I could go from it.

Another expression test.

These sketches are expressions form Lineofaction.com. I feel the bottom-right one is the best as it uses an angle I don't use very often, making me think of how her ears and horns connect to her head.

This is a list of the expressions that were randomly shown for the expression tests. They helped me with the expressions by giving me several examples of expressions I could use or reference in the future. This affected the project by giving me sufficient knowledge of types of expression, opening more options for the final piece and giving examples of expressions for many situations she could be in.

Another pose test.

This sketch shows a  dynamic pose form Chammy, while also being a test of a longer tail. This is also one of the first times that she had a belt, that I decided to keep. After this sketch, I decided to keep her shorter tail.

Proportion test, showing she is roughly 6-7 heads tall.

This shows Chammy's rough proportions and how the significant features are positioned to each other. One of the reasons I sketched this out was to experiment with her legs and how I could alter them while seeing how it affected her overall height.

Additional pose experiment.

This sketch shows Chammy arching her tail over her head, displaying how it can move and bend. This is also a simple sketch demonstrating how her tail connects to her body now, rather than the awkward way it connected before. Now it flows down from her spine, essentially acting as a limbless extension to it while before, it awkwardly joined at the lower back with no proper joint or connection method. The previous method could also potentially create muscle conflicts with the surrounding areas. Now that the tail flows smoothly, I'd imagine there would be a much lower probability of conflicts with surrounding muscles and their connection points.

Torso sketch.

This is a simple sketch of Chammy's torso, along with a small expression. This was to see further updates to her head design and seeing how it could look on a simple torso.

Shading experiments.

These are some shading experiments I did to help me understand how light reacts to certain shapes. I feel the best one is the sphere as it looks the most believable.

Expression sketch.

This sketch shows Chammy excitedly leaning over to look at something. This was a test of simple body language and expression with the eyes. While Chammy's face itself does not look too excited, I wanted to convey that with the wide eyes and curious lean to get a better look at something.

Photographs of tail-like objests.

I decided to collect some photographs of objects available that I could use to create some tail variants or assist with them. The pine cone could be used for a plated tail, with large scales in layers while the flower could be used to make a sleek tail with a club on the end. The artificial objects can be used in a similar way, like the hand drill showing angular bends and shapes, the bike chain looking like the vertebrae in the tail to help understand how it could move and the large chain could inspire a heavy, slow moving tail with something at the end like a hook.

Images of lizard and reptile tails.

These tails I collected are from real reptiles, making them more relevant as experiments. Each shows a different way that the tails are structured for different uses. The image of the Five-Lined Skink likely uses its bright blue tail as a distraction to it's actual body by having it stand out drastically to the area around it and its overall dull colouration. The tail at the top, belonging to a Uromastyx, was used in a similar way to the Stegosaurus, swinging it to intimidate and attack. The second lizards tail is likely used to deceive predators into thinking it's a snake, making it look more dangerous than it actually is. Each of these features could make interesting experiments and could have extra uses than they would on the original creature.

Tail variations

For this experiment, I tried out some variations of her tail. Some featuring many spikes, while others featuring little to none. In the end, I decided to stay with her original design having 6 spikes at the end of it. I decided to keep her original design as it keeps a good balance of form and function. The tail can curl and bend in several ways with the spikes being able to collapse into each other, or interlock easily. The diamond ended tail, while looking interesting, would render the end of her tail completely irrelevant as it would be unable to bend. The plain tail in the bottom right has the most function but looks too mundane to me. The tail with the layered spikes wouldn't bend very easily and the tail covered in spikes would have very limited functions or uses. This leaves the original tail and the tail with the spikes on top. Through personal preference, I decided on the original, which she would use to intimidate an enemy in needed, as well as swinging it through the air at high speeds to act as a grappling hook, planting the spikes into something to swing off of it.

For these lessons, I sketched out rough drafts for the character I had decided to create, Chammy. They include several pose and expression tests, along with some design iterations for her tail and if she should have horns. I also did some simple shading tests. I used both Photoshop and my own sketchbook to create these experiments, using the brush tool and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. This equipment was suitable as I could sketch out experiments quickly in the sketchbook, and clean line-work in Photoshop. For the tests, I used my knowledge on proportion to ensure the character remains believable.

Possible reference images

I decided to choose this image due to the vibrant colours and patterns the chameleon is displaying.

I chose this image because I could use it to help me understand different types of scales, mouths and possibly shell ideas.

I decided on these two because of their tails, which could be experimented with to change how the character would use it.

I picked put this picture as it shows a lizard with interesting scales, which I could experiment with in multiple ways.

I selected this picture as it shows the full body of a chameleon, including how it;s tail can move and wrap around things.

I decided on these 3 images as they each show unusual features that could be utilised in different ways.

Primary Research

In many ways, this research is better than the secondary resources above, mainly because I can physically see the reptiles, collect more angles of them and collect photographs of more specific parts of them.

These first 3 photos are of chameleons, which are especially useful as these are the primary inspiration behind Chammy. The first picture shows a chameleon with the colours 'sticking' to the scales and following the ridges of them, useful to reference from as Chammys colours on her lower limbs, cheeks and tail do the same thing.  The second shows how Chammy's scales could look and feel, along with a very good reference fro making iterations of her horns.

These pictures show a type of skink. While Chammy isn't primarily based off of these lizards, there is still a high amount of reference material and features I could use for Chammy. One of these being the tail of the lizard, showing ways it could bend, limitations and advantages of it along with how the colours and patterns change along the tail. Both of these pictures also demonstrate the colour divide better, showing how there's a clear difference between colours and how it 'sticks' to the scales.

Each of these lizards and reptiles have adapted different features to ensure maximum chances of survival, such as the spiny lizards scales that have grown into sharp points all over its body, the tortoises shell to deter attackers, the frilled lizards large frill around its neck and ability to spit a substance at attackers and the chameleons ability to change colour to blend in or stand out to find a mate. The anole uses the flap of skin under its chin to attract a mate in a similar way and have sharp claws and padded feet to be able to run quickly and keep their grip. Chammy has taken many relevant features from these reptiles, such as her lower limbs, eyes, tail and cheeks changing colour based on her mood like the chameleon, her padded feet for extra grip while running, like the anole, and an easily manoeuvrable and flexible tail to give extra mobility options, like swinging.

Due to unforeseen issues I was unable to collect many primary reference images, meaning I had to collect these photographs instead, along with these pictures of snake skin that was provided.

These are photographs I collected of objects that look like scales or could be used as reference for another part of Chammy, like her horns.

Colour and texture experiments.

Experiment of scaly texture.

Experiment of how I could arrange the colours to show scales.

Experiments of how her horns could look.

Colour test on the characters head.

For these lessons, I used Photoshop to create some colour tests and trial ways of showing her scales. Photoshop was used, with a mix of tools like the hard-brush tool, soft-brush tool and eraser. I used two contrasting colours to see how they could work and how I could blend them together. I decided to use a sort-off inter-locking approach to show that the colours are blending without using the soft-brush tool.

Artist References

Anthony Hutchings- https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0vd55

What I like about this piece of work is how they incorporated both the fact that the jaws extend and that the creature has tentacles. The fact that the artist managed to make these work in tandem and not have one get in the way of the other is interesting to me.

This artist has used light to show the shininess on the creatures skin, likely meaning that it's wet or slimy.

The artist has used colour to possibly show where the creature lives, which to me is implying a swampy marshland like area due to the dulled greens and browns.

From this artwork, I can learn how smooth, shiny textures reflect light, along with how tentacles and similar protrusions hang.

 Evozon Games Studio- https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EE1Qe

I like the variations in this work. There are four iterations of the same creature, each with different horn shapes and placements, along with other details. There is also the fact that two seem like direct physical upgrades to the others, but still different enough to show noticeable variation.

The artist used light here to show the texture of the creature, demonstrating that the skin is likely course and non-reflective.

The artist hasn't used much colour-wise for this piece, likely as its a concept piece rather than a finished creature. The colours used, however, are used to demonstrate where the light is coming from.

From this artwork, I could learn that differences between iterations don't always need to be drastic to differentiate between previous iterations.

Jordi Van Hees- https://www.artstation.com/artwork/LkRwK

What I like about this work are the lights and flowing features of the creature, in particular the long, tail like extensions coming out the creatures rear back and the rounded ones on it's head.

The artist has used light on the creature in a few ways. There seems to me a few minor light sources coming from a few directions, but it seems the main lights are the glowing spots on the creature's body and long tendrils.

The colours the artist has used work in harmony with each other, but there is very little in the world that corresponds with them, implying that the colouration was not created for camouflage.

From this artwork, I could learn how bio-luminescence works on the body of a character/creature and how it could behave.

Context: Characters from Games

Kid Cobra

I decided to choose this character because they have certain qualities I could experiment with or incorporate, like his long, thin shape. This was likely done to resemble a snake and to create speculation if he's human or not. Due to the genre of game he's from, it's difficult to give him a side like good or evil. In addition to the interesting shapes, the colours of Kid Cobra are remarkably similar to the character I decided to create for this project, Chammy. Unfortunately, I am unsure as to the reason his creators gave him this colour scheme. I could take influence in many aspects, like testing how she could look with a longer mid section and shorter legs, along with possible heterochromatic trials.

Coily

Coily was one of the primary villians of Q*bert. I decided to choose Coily for a similar reason as Kid Cobra, his colour scheme. Coily's shape dynamics are rather simple, a long slender body because he's a snake, and a stylised, enlarged head most likely done to fit a certain style the game was going for. Coily is a solid, vibrant purple with orange eyes that contrast his body quite well. He was likely given these colours to stand out on the stages of Q*bert and due to technical limitations. I could take influence from this character by experimenting with layered scales,  forked tongues, fangs and additional contrasting colours.

Final Project

Inked line-work on canvas.

Scanned at 600 pixels quality in colour.

Scanned at 200 pixels quality in black and white.

 I scanned the canvas to get the line-work into a digital format so I could colour the piece easily. I am now making a decision as to which scanned image to use.

Completed line-work.

Added colour.

Added shading:Unfortunately, I ran out of time to shade each image.

I used Ctrl-L to adjust the colour levels and added grey background.

Where texture has been used on the final piece as it's difficult to make out on the image above.

Evaluation

For this project, I designed and created a character named Chammy. She is a humanoid reptile with her design mainly being the way it is so she's easily noticeable and sticks out like a sore thumb. It was interesting thinking of ways to make her stand out, even in unexpected ways. I decided to make her light purple, have colour changing patches and eyes, an elastic tail, large ears and a brightly coloured tongue. In a game, she would be a main character that the player would have to hide from the public in numerous ways.The software that I used for the line-art and colouring was Photoshop, while traditional materials like pencils, erasers and a canvas were used for the primary sketch. The traditional materials I used were a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, a wing eraser, an ordinary 15cm ruler to work out the proportions, a canvas and 0.3mm and 0.1mm fine-liners for inking. The tools I used in Photoshop were primarily the eraser and hard brush tool. I used the hard brush tool as I felt it fitted my style more than other available brushes. There were a few factors that influenced this piece, one being the style. The style I used is influenced by the anime style, usually consisting of large eyes and simplified but often vibrant colours, and similar cartoons. As she is a reptile, I needed to do some research into reptile colours and textures to ensure I get her skin colour believable and the texture accurate. Due to unforeseen issues, the reference pictures I used were secondary research, however the expression and pose tests were primary, along with some expressions from LineofAction, a life drawing website.

The materials used for  the task were appropriate and effective, however there were a few issues and problems. The main issue was the lack of a stabilisation option in Photoshop, while the software I use at home is Clip Studio Paint, which does have an option to stabilise brush strokes. This was a problem for me as I struggle to draw long brush strokes while keeping them looking smooth. The solution I found to this was to take the line-work a bit slower than I would have liked, drawing them out bit by bit. When it comes to style, there are many similar styles that are all drastically different in their own ways. Some styles could have similar proportions to the ones I use, but use colour in a significantly different way. I was most influenced by styles involving pronounced line-work and vibrant colours and shading. I attempted that in the piece above. For the research to be relevant, it needed to be of reptiles and of Chammy herself. I was unable to get primary research for reference pictures of reptiles, so I had to use secondary research from the internet. However, I was able to get a lot of primary research for Chammy through pose, expression and texture experiments.

Personally, I dislike the shading and line-work on the piece. The line-work could be considerably cleaner in places and I feel the shading isn't vibrant enough or clashes with the normal colour it's the shadow of. I do like the normal colours, however, because of how they work with each other to make Chammy stand out. I could make this creative process easier by quickly sketching out line-work above the scanned image so there's a couple of versions that are closer to the final outlines so I'm not having to fill in unclear areas with the final line-work. Overall, there's many areas I could develop further, such as different ways of shading or playing with more colour schemes or shapes for the character to see what individual results they give and if I can manipulate or combine them somehow. I collected plenty of research for multiple aspects of Chammy's design, such as multiple reference pictures for possible colours and textures and several sketches of poses and expressions she could have. I feel I could have managed my time a bit better for some parts, however, I still managed it well enough to complete the project to the deadline. I also feel I could have done more varied experiments, mainly with attributes like height and patterns, among other things. There is evidence of my research, experiments and progress throughout my blog and any necessary images in my sketchbook have been photographed and uploaded to it also.

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