Some personal work

Hello everyone! I hope my last post didn't put you to sleep! Well this time around I will be posting some pictures instead, mainly work I have done on my spare time since I parted off from uni.

On my quest to become a concept artist (one day..) I do little bits of concepting here and there, to be fair I barely keep any of the projects because I am not happy with them.

The image above though was an experiment I did after watching Feng Zhu's Design Cinema ep 70. The main idea is to pick a scene of an old game and carry out a re-design. It was pretty fun and I really enjoyed integrating photo textures onto my own painting!

Next is an entry for a fan art challenge which I actually won! The character belongs to Clash of Lords 2 by IGG and my idea was to make a more realistic version of this hero. I got a lot of support and compliments for it which has made me more confident to show my work on public sites.

The last two pictures are speed paintings I have done since I joined the daily spitpaint facebook page. Everyday they post four different topics and we have 30 min to come up with something (no photo textures allowed). I kind of like it. It gets me into the habit of generating ideas fast and producing something within a time budget.

Right now I am working over the fundamentals of drawing which I will be showing you guys on my next post, possibly...

On a side note, I just passed my red stripe TKD grading! Only two more gradings for black belt!

Until next time!

Carla.

Reflecting upon this year

Hello! This blog post is a shorter, more informal version of the reflective essay we had to submit a few weeks ago.

My second year as a Game Art Design student at De Montfort University has been a journey of personal growth and self-acceptance of my own weaknesses and strengths. It has been a period of change and transformation, a time for experimentation but, above all, it has been a stage for important decisions to be made.

Working in a team has been a positive and rewarding experience. Every group project I have worked on this year involved a process of adaptation. From time to time I disagreed with the group and in some cases one would attempt to enforce an idea, resulting in an uncomfortable situation.  To begin with, I found it difficult to convey my ideas and thoughts and I felt invisible to the rest of my team members. This could be attributed to a lack of confidence in my own skills, as I am an introverted person.

As I progressed through the year, I gradually came to realise that my ideas were at least worth consideration and that certain projects could have been different with my input; I wanted to be heard. It was not until the Container City project that I broke through the shell and began to have a bigger impact on group work.  

Being part of a team has given me a sense of responsibility and tolerance. Working together meant we were able to share the workload, thus achieving a higher productivity rate within the time limit. As artists we work in diverse manners, with different speed and it is only when we move in accordance to our colleagues that we progress. I have experienced both sides of the spectrum this year, for example working in fast-paced dynamic teams would occasionally result in falling behind on my work, which made it seem like I was slowing our productivity. I discovered the complexity of adapting to a pace one is not comfortable working at and I learned that rather than riddling myself with guilt I should strive to contribute faster every time. On the other side of the matter, working within a team with a lower productivity rate can often become frustrating.  If I would try to push each one to produce work faster then it would only decrease performance. Therefore, the only available action was to be patient and encourage them to work harder via positive reinforcement. In theory this may have been the correct method, but it also proved to be tasking in terms of meeting a deadline.

Also, this year has been demanding in terms of technical skills required and I have been under constant pressure to achieve the expected high level of commitment to the course. From day one I was asked to produce vast amounts of work over small time periods. I also switched from working in traditional media to digital media (with exception to life drawing) almost instantaneously, which I found overwhelming. Furthermore I had to change diffuse and specular maps methods for PBR texturing. It was difficult to adopt this complex method and I struggled trying find the logic behind it, causing much frustration. As the year progressed I began to understand the concept of PBR texturing in depth and it resulted in lower stress levels, whilst instilling a boost of confidence to my skills as a game artist.  

 On the Visual Design side of the course I went out of my comfort zone by using new methods of creative designing such as silhouette design and photobashing. 

The biggest challenge I have faced this year has been presented in the Off the Map competition, sponsored by GameCity and the British Library which we just finished.  In such an ambitious project I set high expectations for myself, thus I decided to create a fully animated rabbit that would run through the level. Our course promotes independent learning and as one progresses into third year the amount of taught lessons decreases, meaning for this animation task I was to work alone. I sought help from books and video tutorials and gradually the pieces of the project began falling into place. As the project continued, I became familiar with independent problem solving and, because of this, partially losing contact with teaching staff was not a huge concern. I now realise that upon entering the workplace, in this case the gaming industry, constant work supervision will not be provided so I also appreciate this process of detachment that my university tutors encourage. Furthermore, this has given me a greater analytical way of thinking when perceiving feedback, as I have learned to decipher key information to react, implement and change. After a trial-and-error animation process and several challenges I came across when implementing the character into the game engine, my group currently has an AI-controlled rabbit guiding the player through the level. The appreciation I have received is the most rewarding feeling I have had of yet and feeds my appetite for producing more successful pieces of game art.

During the course of every project, I have had to present them in front of a small audience, mainly composed of the Critical Studies team and peers, with focus on testing my “soft skills”.  I approve of this method, because I believe that in order to succeed one must be able to present themselves properly, to communicate well and to convey their ideas in a non-imposing manner. Positively reacting to feedback is also important, so through publically exposing myself to constructive criticism is a great way to improve and build confidence. I still feel nervous when talking in front of an audience, especially if it is a topic I am unfamiliar with, but I have learned a certain degree of improvisation and also to stay positive throughout presenting.

            I can see now that not only have I refined both technical and soft skills, but also my personality and future vision have both been enhanced for the better. At the beginning of the year I was adamant that I wanted to become a concept artist, because I have always been enthusiastic about expressing my creativity through drawing and painting. However, as time progressed and I became more proficient using 3D tools I started second guessing my career vision as I questioned whether concept art was the path that I desired to take. As a result, I sought clarification by choosing to experiment with as many aspects of game art as I could. At this point in time, I have sculpted figures via 3D software, completed VFX work, animated characters and completed forms of coding via blueprints in Unreal Engine 4. After having a feel for all those different aspects of creating games I thought I would be able to establish a preferred area to work in, but the truth is that I still cannot choose one and this worries me. Not being able to see a goal in my future career is proving a daunting thought. I feel that my third year focus should be to improve all range of skills previously stated in order to provide an excellent understanding of many aspects that will make deciding job aspirations easier. 

If I had to pick my ideal job then it would likely involve working as a freelancing concept artist. My main reason is the freedom given to work from anywhere in the world and the enjoyment of working in many different projects and clients instead of being bound by the restrictions of being part of a company. However, I have been considering other options due to the realisation that it would take me many years to develop the skills needed to become successful. I feel may be so focused on my weaknesses that I tend to disregard my strengths. I think I need to analyse my personal findings and reflect upon them to choose the best course of action.

I am uncertain of what career lies ahead so I will learn as much as I can on various aspects to end up with a broad range of skills that would improve my employability. My plan of action for the next few months is to train my fundamental skills such as life drawing, perspective drawing and rendering techniques. I also want to revise my character work, produce better models by improving silhouettes and topology as well as learn new techniques to be able to work more efficiently. I wish to improve my texturing skills for stylised and realistic characters, as well as improving mesh deformation in the case of applying animations. Last but not least I'd like to learn more about Unreal Engine 4 to create better looking games. I also need to brainstorm ideas for my FMP (Final Major Project), considering it is the pinnacle of all the knowledge I have gathered during my three years as a game art student.

To conclude, this academic year has broadened and refined my technical knowledge, from sketching the human body to placing playable characters into a game. It has taught me about the value of team work within the video games industry and by losing the fear to speak my mind I have been rewarded with the necessary tools to be able to communicate properly and to work in a sociable environment. This experience has also promoted my independent learning as well as increasing my adaptability and tolerance to work with different people. It has also fomented the importance of good organisational and planning skills and opened my mind to new career paths that has made me question my future aspirations. 

I know it's still long but this has been my second year at DMU. Thank you for reading and see you soon!

OTM Post mortem

The Off the map project started on February the 3^rd and finished on may the 8^th and even though it’s only been three months it has felt like I spent a lifetime working on it! It has been enjoyable and at a times frustrating and boring but to be honest I am glad I took part in it because I have learned a great deal about myself and others. I have tried new ways of working and new techniques which have broadened my game artist tool kit.

This project is a competition sponsored by game city and the British Library although we are also submitting it as part of our second year project curriculum for DMU.  The theme for this year revolves around Alice’s in Wonderland exhibition in the British Library and we were asked to create an interactive experience which would fit into one of the following three categories, Oxford, the Gardens or the Underground. 

At first the tutors told us we would create a 3D side scroller game but after a general complain from most of the year they decided to let us do what we wanted. My group was composed of Jonah, Lewis, Carl, Andrew and Georgia and I couldn’t be happier because for the first time I felt that I had a good group and I knew we could achieve so much! And to be honest as individuals we are all brilliant but as a group I don’t think we work very well…

I feel that our first mistake was to go for an open world scene rather than a confined 3D side scrolling game. Personally I wanted to create a game similar to Child of Light or Limbo were the mood, composition and colour is what sells the game. I thought that it would fit perfectly with the Alice in Wonderland theme but most of the members in my group preferred a fully explorable 3D environment and so we decided to go for that.

Our first thoughts were to merge the Oxford and Underground themes together so that as the player walks through the city everything is realistic and as it descends into the underground everything would start to look a bit more wacky and surrealistic. This idea quickly disappeared when we realised that we had been too ambitious and so we decided to settle for Oxford. 

Then we went all out on oxford, we would include a quad and a river bank and a jabberwocky tree and a garden! Sadly this was all too ambitious as well and therefore we ended up with a street scene and a back garden with a well.  It felt that the initial spark we all had for this project faded out as the days went by…

I’d say that the main reason behind our lack of motivation for this project was due to poor concepting and planning of our level. We lost interest in it because all of our original ideas were gone by the time of hand in! I think that if we had properly planned a way to include all those initial features into a small scene, everyone would have been happier. Don’t get me wrong, the concepts for the shops were very good, that’s why they are the best looking elements of our level. Then I compare it to the initial concepts we had of the rest of the level and we had nothing relevant, they were too vague. We were building a level with no references. This led to different interpretations of the overall look of the level. It wasn’t until the last few weeks that we started concepting how we truly wanted the level to look like.

 Also, we got too caught up on making it accurate and realistic that we forgot to add our own interpretation of the world. Apart from the rabbit and the pickups, we barely have any elements that shout Alice in Wonderland!

So after a bad start we just got on with our assigned roles. I was in charge of characters and I am happy that at least the original idea of including a rabbit in our level prevailed throughout the length of the project. This was something new and exciting for me, I learned new ways of rigging, I learned how to animate both in 3D software and Game Engine and above all, I learned about the importance of good topology!

It was a lengthy process which consumed most of the project time but it was incredibly worth going through it as it has become one of the most important features in our level. The game starts when you see the rabbit moving and you feel the need to follow it! If I have to animate in future projects I know I would take half the time and I’d probably push it a bit further (facial expressions maybe?). I definitely want to learn a bit more about animation since there isn't a more satisfying moment for a character artist to see its creation alive!

 As I figured out how to animate a rabbit, the rest of the team focused on building the level. We were quick to block out the initial layout of the level and test some game mechanics but then everything just slowed down. I believe that not really knowing how the level actually looked like made everyone struggle on creating the assets. They either wouldn't fit with the style or the shape would be wrong or it just wouldn't be working for the level.  I think we spent a month and a half with a grey box for a level and at this point even our assigned tutors almost gave up on us. I can’t blame them, we just struggled to make progress and every week their feedback would be the same ‘Get things into engine, texture, and make sure game mechanics work’.

I think that the pressure to deliver just made us sink more and more and in the end we just wanted to finish this project and do something that we actually enjoyed. Jonah became the team leader out of necessity and I think he has done pretty well although I feel he would keep his true thoughts inside in order to not hurt anyone. I am certain that I bit more pressure from him would have benefited the team and make us work faster. But leadership is tough and keeping a team motivated and working requires a good balance of discipline and understanding.

Perhaps we should have talked to each other and made sure everyone was on the same page, especially the asset team. At some point I didn't even know how the level looked like or was meant to look like! So, yeah communication is a big deal, not only oral communication but visual as well, we’re artists after all, we learn more from a picture than words!

I can’t say I am pleased with our project because we could have done so much more…I am happy with my contribution though. The rabbit looks great although I ran out of time for the rest of the assets I decided to do. In terms of the foliage I had to be selective and choose a few items that were manageable with the time that was left and it is a shame we don’t have a wider range of trees/flowers.

Here are the main points I got from working in this project:

-          Concepting is the most important step on any project. Bad concepting will lead to a bad game.  Also, not any concepts are valid, they have to be relevant and give instructions to the modellers. They need to tell how the end product should look like. They don’t have to be complex paintings but they need to be clear.

-          Art Direction. This one is tied to my last point since I feel that if we had had some sort of art direction it really would have benefited our project. If someone just had commented that we needed a change on our level (which the tutors did on our project presentation) perhaps we would have ended up with a different result.

-          Leadership. People like to follow a leader even if that appointed someone is making terrible decisions. Someone has to do it and commit to their role and be strict if it is for the greater good (no need to be mean though). I’d like to become team leader on future projects and take on that responsibility and see if I am fit for that role.

-          Communication. Oral and visual. The team should know what they are doing at all times. Even when they are working on their own stuff, feedback can be helpful to make them notice mistakes that they would have missed otherwise.

-          Have fun! I think that when something drains your soul instead of giving you joy, that something must change. We started this project because it was fun and creative and we lost that emotion as we realised our level wasn't looking the way we’d hoped for. For future projects it might be worth to start the project again. Who knows, perhaps looking at it with a different set of eyes might turn it into something awesome.

And this is it, I don’t want to go on for too long... But just to summarise, I am happy I went through this experience because I needed to learn about my role in a team and how to become a better team player. I have acquired new technical skills and we made a game! I feel we need some fresh air and perhaps later on we’ll come back to it and polish it.

See you soon!

Carla.

Last week of OTM

Hello everyone! Last week was hand in time for the Off the map project and everyone was very stressed to say the least. There were so many things that needed to be done before the Friday deadline therefore we decided to focus on those things that were achievable.

Here's the last concept I did for the project and I have to say we managed to include most of the elements in it into our final scene.

In terms of 3D I was in charge of creating the pick up pages as well as the foliage in the level. I thought this task was going to go pretty quickly but it took quite a bit of time!

The idea for the last pick up was a drawing of the three sisters in Alice in Wonderland style which I did in fine liner and Photoshop.
From here I moved on to making the trees. I did four to begin with and I am glad I didn't decide to make more because I wouldn't have been able to finish them! I was advised to be careful with crossing alpha planes as it would make the frame rate drop and for being too careful I spent way too much time creating the canopy. It wasn't until later that I was told that it didn't matter if they cross as long as it isn't a big amount.

At this point I just went a bit crazy with it and made the foliage more dense and 'tree like'. I fixed the normals for the planes to make the trees look more realistic. But then only two of the trees were good to export. I don't know what is wrong with the other two but as I try to export them the program just crashes. Due to time constraints I just decided to just use the available trees for now and try to fix the problem with the other ones after the DMU deadline.

I also made flowers and grass but I had to limit the amount due to running out of time. I modeled almost all of the flowers instead of using alphas because of the frame rate situation and to be fair they look pretty good!

And here are some screenshots of my assets:

I will be doing a post mortem about this project soon and I reckon it'll be pretty long...so look forward to that because I have learned a lot thanks to the OTM!

See you soon!