caixinliang

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 8, Concept Art -Development assignment 02 Acquire 3D Technique

. Blog post

In addition to using images to tell stories, I would like to explore the use of 3D technology in concept design. With the advancement of computer technology, today's concept design is not only expressed in the form of 2D drawing, but with the popularity of 3D software (e.g.: zbrush; Maya; blender, etc.), more and more concept artists are beginning to use 3D technology as an aid to their own concept design, which not only improves efficiency, but also facilitates communication with the 3D modelling department.

So learning how to use 3D technology was the other main reason I came here.

I was going to make a 3D model of the bionic woman I designed in my first section of Creating "Concepts" (below).

However, once I had drawn the 'front view', 'back view' and 'structural breakdown' of the character(As shown in the picture below), I realised that the amount of work involved in this design was too much for me to do in a short three week holiday.

In my short three-week holiday, I couldn't do it all at once:

1. storyboarding of "knock".

2. digital media: source and significance.

3. 3D model of bionic woman.

I changed direction in time to explore 3D technology with another design project, 'human and inhuman', which is one of the most popular of all my blog posts. That's also the reason why I decided to continue with this project.

I used Zbrush to sculpt more detail for the monster character, especially the face (shown below)

I chose the 3d software that most concept designers use: blender to adjust the material and render the model, in order to reduce the pressure on my graphic processing unit, I streamlined the model that has subdivision in zbrush to the minimum number of facets and saved the model and imported it into blender. But the result was not good, because the 3D model was streamlined in the number of faces, so many details that I had already sculpted in zbrush disappeared, and the edges of the model became so rough that you could see poly (as shown in the picture below).

So, I went back to zbrush and re-expanded the UVs for the "sub-tool" of each model.

Create a displacement map for each "sub-tool" and export it (as shown below):

Connect the displacement map of each "sub-tool" as a "texture map" to the material output of the blender (as shown below):

The final result was achieved by tweaking the lighting and material modifiers to achieve a highly detailed, lit and textured result, and rendering a Spinning turntable animation.

Thanks for watching~

#concept art #game art #hertfordshire #video games #artwork #blender #cthulhu #lovecraft #creep #bioticqueen

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 7, concept art -development assignment 01 story board

. Blog post 02

After receiving feedback from my tutor, I have integrated the two storyboard assignments and the final project:

1. I marked the number of shots in the top right hand corner of each frame and when I needed to change shots.

2. I labelled the way the camera moves between shots.

3. I added a thumbnail of the whole scene and the trajectory of the character's movement in the bottom right-hand corner of the frame.

#concept art #hertfordshire #video games #artwork #80s horror #creep #storyboard #story board #short story #story #original story #flash fiction #narrative #stories #science fantasy #science fiction

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 7, concept art -development assignment 01 story board

. Blog post 01

Using images to tell a story has always been an important skill for concept artists to develop, and after doing some storyboarding work I realised that storyboarding is a very practical storytelling medium, especially for film and animation practitioners, and that it's a quick way to work up front to set the tone for a project.

So，I decided to continue working on the science fiction flash fiction story "Knock" after consulting with my tutors.

The story:

Since "Knock" is a 15 word flash fiction, the first thing I had to think about was how to develop the story. I first searched the internet for some of the previous authors' sequels to "Knock" and found that most of them were confusing or too long and not suitable for the storyboard I wanted to draw.

So I decided to continue the story after "Knock" on my own. Actually, I don't have much experience in continuing novels, but I thought about what I wanted to express in my storyboards beforehand, and they are: alien creatures, fight scenes, and outdoor scenes.

Since my last storyboard was indoors and the main character didn't have much action, I wanted to do something different for this storyboarding assignment.

I re-watched the film Kill Bill, and I was very intrigued by the 2D animation of the film's opening sequence, which contained a lot of exaggerated fight action and gore, while the camera movements and graphic style were also very interesting.

Here are my newly drawn storyboards:

1. knock knock, then the door is pushed open by a strange looking alien.

2. the camera zooms in sharply and the viewer sees a close-up of the alien's face as he speaks.

3. The camera pulls back on the protagonist and the audience sees a close- up of his face.

4. The camera moves quickly to follow the male protagonist as he draws his sword.

5. low shot from the hero's point of view, the alien is injured.

6/7. slow-motion shot from above as the alien is cut in half.

8. Use of "Dolly zoom" to emphasise the big "post-apocalyptic" scene outside.

Reference:

O-Ren Ishii story Kill Bill (2015) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHnVsjBoHnY

Kill Bill: Volume 1 10/10 (2003) Directed by Quentin Tarantino[Martial arts film]. American: Miramax Films.

Thank you for watching ~

#concept art #game art #hertfordshire #video games #artwork #80s horror #creep #storyboard #short story #story #stories #flash fiction #narrative #original story #story board #alien #Youtube

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 6, concept art - concept and storyboards

. Blog post 03

Storyboard layout

After completing the "knock" storyboard using the "vertical composition" approach, I spoke to tutor to get some feedback.

Their comments made my storyboard look more professional;

As you can see in the image below:

1. I marked the number of shots in the top right hand corner of each frame and when I needed to change shots.

2. I labelled the way the camera moves between shots.

3. I added a thumbnail of the whole scene and the trajectory of the character's movement in the bottom right-hand corner of the frame.

thanks for watching~

#concept art #game art #hertfordshire #80s horror #cthulhu #artwork #video games #creep #story board #knock #cience fiction #alien

[caixinliang]

感谢所有让我达到 250 个喜欢的人！

#250 likes #tumblr milestone #thank you

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 6, concept art - concept and storyboards

. Blog post 02

I plan to illustrate the storyboard for the science fiction flash fiction story "Knock."

“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door ...“

1. The protagonist looks at the mutated fish in the fish tank.

2. The camera focuses on the protagonist's face, and he appears somewhat impatient.

3. The protagonist turns around, drawing the audience's attention to the knife rack behind.

4. The protagonist walks towards the knife rack (revealing the approximate layout of the room and the sealed windows).

5. The protagonist selects a knife.

6. The protagonist walks towards the sofa (camera focuses on the sofa).

7. The protagonist sits on the sofa.

8. There's a knocking sound from outside.

I'm very interested in storyboarding, and hopefully I'll have time to do more and more in-depth storyboarding work afterwards.

#concept art #game art #artwork #80s horror #video games #hertfordshire #storyboard #science fiction #science fantasy #short story #flash fiction #short fiction #short stories #fiction #detective comics #mystery #murder mystery #thriller #detective conan #suspense #psychological thriller #storytelling

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 6, concept art - concept and storyboards

. Blog post 01

This assignment requires us to create a storyboard with 6-10 panels. We need to use these panels to effectively tell a story, and I believe the choice of the story is crucial.

I plan to illustrate the storyboard for the science fiction flash fiction story "Knock."

"Knock" is a science fiction short story by American writer Fredric Brown. It begins with a piece of Flash fiction based on the following passage by Thomas Bailey Aldrich:

"Imagine all human beings swept off the face of the earth, excepting one man. Imagine this man in some vast city, New York or London. Imagine him on the third or fourth day of his solitude sitting in a house and hearing a ring at the door-bell!"

Fredric Brown condensed this text into "a sweet little action story that is only two sentences long". "Knock" then goes on to elaborate on those two sentences and build a more complete plot around them.

The first two lines are a complete story by themselves:

“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door ...“

It was published in the December 1948 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories.There have been three different radio adaptations (Dimension X, X Minus One and Sci Fi Channel's Seeing Ear Theatre). The story was reprinted in The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1949.

Knock (short story) - Wikipedia

I believe that every storyboard creator should have the awareness that, when crafting a storyboard, the most crucial aspects are not the intricacy of individual frames but rather:

1. The coherence of the story

2. The readability of the story

3. The completeness of visual information

Novel media differs fundamentally from visual media such as movies, television, comics, etc., in that visual media possess the immediacy and concreteness of visual presentation.

For example, in a movie depicting a bar scene, the audience can even see the brand of each bottle. When a large amount of visual information rapidly enters the audience's brain, artists need to assist in filtering and guide the audience's emotions and feelings. Guidance methods include lighting, camera focus, composition, and so on.

I read a book called "framed ink", which is a tutorial book that teaches Visual Storytellers how to draw and tell stories.

Mateu-Mestre, M. (2010) Framed ink: drawing and composition for visual storytellers. Culver City: Design Studio Press.

Author Marcos Mateu Mestre in "framed ink":

Let's not forget that when we are talking about visual storytelling, the image is the vehicle and not the end in itself.

We cannot afford to get the audience stuck on a particular frame just because the drawing or the scene looks great without a specific purpose for it within the story.

Obviously we aim to produce the best quality art, but we should prioritize the following:

• What are we trying to say in our narration as a whole?

• What mood do we want our audience to be in throughout the story and at any given time within a specific sequence or shot?

What is the function of this moment within the story?

• How are we going to take our audience there?

• What in our drawing is contributing to the general statement?

• What can we leave out without changing what we are trying to say?

I think these points are the most important for Visual Storytellers.

Reference:

Mateu-Mestre, M. (2010) Framed ink: drawing and composition for visual storytellers. Culver City: Design Studio Press.

that is all for now~

#concept art #game art #video games #hertfordshire #storyboard #artwork

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 5, concept art - Using a "bit" of 3D

. Blog post 02

I sculpted a lot of detail, but I couldn't render it in ZBRUSH's rendering mode in sub-material finesse, which is the unfortunate part of this assignment.

In the meantime, I used brushes of monster tentacles made by -artist Bernhard van der Horst to speed up my modelling.

TENTACLES - 40+ in ZBrush brushes and OBJs

ArtStation - TENTACLES - 40+ in ZBrush brushes and OBJs | Brushes

Different rendering outcomes:

1.2D style:

2. Metallic glossy style

3. The following figure shows a number of different views of the creature

This assignment marks my exploration of the software ZBrush and a venture into 3D concepts. I believe that the expression of current conceptual design should be diversified, encompassing both 2D and 3D forms.

Thank you for reading this~

#concept art #game art #video games #artwork #creep #zbrush #3d sculpting #3d art #3d model #3d artwork #lovecraft #lovecraftian horror #cthulhu #hertfordshire

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 5, concept art - Using a "bit" of 3D

. Blog post 01

For the Using a "bit" of 3D assignment, I wanted to make a 3D model of my previous "human and inhuman" concept design assignment (2D version of the design).

Since it is a creature design, I am going to use 3D sculpting software - ZBRUSH for this assignment.

The picture below is from my previous "human and inhuman" concept design project, I have already designed the front and back structure, which helped me a lot in making it into a 3D model.

To speed things up, I'm going to use the male character model that comes with ZBRUSH as a basic for sculpting.

Since I am not familiar with 3D software, this assignment will be a big challenge for me.

#concept art #game art #video games #blender #artwork #hertfordshire #80s horror #monster art #monster #lovecraft #cthulhu #lovecraftian horror #lovecraftian #cthulhu mythos #cosmic horror

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 4, concept art - light and shadow

. Blog post 02

The following image illustrates the Basic black and white and grey relationships with front to back hierarchy and depth of field.

Changing the way of lighting also changes the black and white composition of the original illustration, because the original black and white composition of the picture design is broken by the light source and forms a new compositional relationship.

The overcast levels are most similar to the black and white and grey levels of the original image; I've added more fog to give the distant view.

The direction of the light source changes at night, with moonlight, lights and lighthouse light becoming the main source of light, partially illuminating part of the picture.

Sunny day: increased saturation in the bright parts of almost all colours, with the darker parts taking on the blue tones of the sky.

I really enjoyed the creative process~ This creation has given me a deeper understanding of the effects of light and shadow on the viewer's emotions, which will help me in my future creations.

Reference:

Godzilla 8/5 (2014) Directed by Gareth Edwards [Monster movie]. American : Warner Bros. Pictures.

#concept art #game art #video games #artwork #godzilla #godzila #monsterverse #atmospheric #autumn atmosphere #atmosphere #light #shadow #light and shadow

[caixinliang]

Practice 1

assignment 4, concept art - light and shadow

. Blog post 01

For this Light and Shadow assignment, my aim was to illustrate how the identical elements of a scene can evoke diverse atmospheric changes based on the lighting:

Initially, variations in light prompt shifts in the color of objects within the scene. Additionally, alterations in color can exert a substantial influence on the audience's mood (e.g., vivid daylight, serene night, somber foggy day). These differences in the way light interacts with the scene contribute to the overall visual impact and emotional resonance.

The basic elements in this painting scene include:

Seaside; lighthouse; bench; hiker; dog; streetlamp; grass; stones; shrubs; pathway; distant mountains;clouds; ocean waves; seagulls.

Picture foreground and background relationships:

Black and white composition design - depicts the spatial relationships of objects in the scene through changes in layers and tonal gradation.

The following image illustrates the fundamental black-and-white relationships, as well as the foreground-background layering and depth of field that I have depicted.

This is all for now~

Reference:

Godzilla 8/5 (2014) Directed by Gareth Edwards [Monster movie]. American : Warner Bros. Pictures.

#concept art #game art #artwork #godzilla #godzila #monster #monster art #atmospheric #video games #hertfordshire #godzilla 2014 #godzilla 2000 #monsterverse #monarch spoilers #godzilla minus one #Monarch Legacy of Monsters

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 3, Concept Art - Nostalgia and Memory

. Blog post 02

I want to depict the scene of myself climbing the stairs at that time and the imaginary creatures that emerged from horror movies in my mind.

Composition Design:

Because there are two segments of stairs between each floor, I decided to place the camera between the two sections of stairs. I used a "fisheye perspective" to not only capture me climbing the stairs from a bird's-eye view (depicting a sense of smallness and fear) but also to capture the creatures hidden in the darkness from a menacing, upward angle (conveying a sense of horror and threat).

Thumbnail Design:

After completing the sketches, I realized that this project was quite extensive. I needed to draw the scene, lighting, and eight characters in less than a week. So, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and combine 3D and 2D for this concept creation.

3D Part:

I chose to use Blender to create the 3D portion, establishing the basic scene ambiance, lighting, and applying some simple materials. I used "simplified box shapes" to represent the positions of the characters for later convenience in painting. Although the polygon count for the 3D models was relatively low, I was still quite satisfied with the final result, as being "smart and quick in getting the work done" is more important.

Final Touch:

After completing the illustrations, I added a photo-like border to the images and introduced some noise for an aged look. I aimed to achieve an "old photo" effect to better align with the "Nostalgia and Memory" theme.

The creative process for this project was very enjoyable. Thank you for reading all the way through!

Reference:

Rings 8/3 (2005) Directed by Jonathan Liebesman [supernatural horror short film]. American : DreamWorks Pictures.

Saw 19/1 (2004) Directed by James Wan [horror film]. American : Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation.

Dead Silence 16/3 (2007) Directed by James Wan [supernatural horror film]. American : Universal Pictures.

'Slender Man' (June 10, 2009) Wikipedia. Available at: URL (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender_Man).

Slender Man (2018)Directed by Sylvain White. [horror film]. American : Sony Pictures Entertainment.

'Heibai Wuchang' (July 01, 2023) Wikipedia. Available at: URL (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heibai_Wuchang).

#concept art #game art #video games #blender #horror movies #horror #horror films #80s horror #halloween #hertfordshire #saw 2004 #dead silence #dead silent #rings #slender man #creep #nightmare sans #illustration #artwork #photoshop #fisheye lens #ghost #happy halloweeeeeeen #spooky season #spooky #happy halloween #spooky time #dark art #dark aesthetic #darkness

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 3, Concept Art - Nostalgia and Memory

. Blog post 01

The theme for this project is "Nostalgia and Memory," which I believe is a perfect theme for storytelling.

When I was in elementary school, I loved watching horror movies, even though my parents forbade me from watching these "not suitable for children" films. I would sneakily watch them when my parents weren't at home.

Despite my love for these horror movies, I would still get scared after watching them and would be afraid to go to dark places alone. I imagined that the terrifying monsters from the movies might be lurking in the darkness.

At that time, my family and I lived on the fifth floor of an apartment building without an elevator, so we had to climb the stairs. The stairwell had "sound-activated lights" – they would only turn on when they detected a sound and would automatically turn off after thirty seconds.

During the fall and winter, it would get dark quite early, and when I returned home from school at night, it was already pitch black. The dark stairwell felt like a terrifying place with ghosts for me. I would try to make loud noises to activate the sound-activated lights on each floor. Each flight of stairs was an adventure and a challenge for me.

Some of the horror movies I watched during my childhood that left a lasting impression:

Rings:

Saw:

Dead Silence:

Slender Man(story):

Traditional Chinese Ghost Stories：

Reference:

Rings 8/3 (2005) Directed by Jonathan Liebesman [supernatural horror short film]. American : DreamWorks Pictures.

Saw 19/1 (2004) Directed by James Wan [horror film]. American : Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation.

Dead Silence 16/3 (2007) Directed by James Wan [supernatural horror film]. American : Universal Pictures.

'Slender Man' (June 10, 2009) Wikipedia. Available at: URL (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender_Man).

'Heibai Wuchang' (July 01, 2023) Wikipedia. Available at: URL (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heibai_Wuchang).

#concept art #game art #blender #horror movies #horror #horror films #80s horror #halloween #hertfordshire #saw 2004 #dead silence #dead silent #rings #slender man #creep #nightmare sans #illustration #artwork #photoshop #fisheye lens #ghost

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 2, Concept Art - Human and "Inhuman"

. Blog post 02

Here are some sketch analyses based on the interesting design points summarised in the previous blog.

A.Making the human organism grow like a plant

B.Integration of diverse organisms

C.Use of shape language

D.The human figure and the Uncanny valley

Transformation process between human and inhuman

I'll be applying these interesting design points to my concept design.

My final design was inspired by the horrific creatures of the Cthulhu novel "The Shadow over Innsmouth" that were mutated by the local humans. These creatures are a combination of human and sea life.

My character has a graphic representation of the letter D, emphasising the tension of the character, with the two main design centres being the shoulders and the head, next to which I have placed directional 'octopus tentacles'.

shape language:

The character's toes are  tangled together, giving it a twisted and awkward look.

final:

This is all for now, thanks for reading.

Reference:

Annihilation (2018) Directed by Alex Garland [psychological horror film]. United Kingdom United States : Paramount Pictures ( North America and China) Netflix (international).

Pan's Labyrinth (27 May 2006) Directed by Guillermo del Toro [dark fantasy film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.

Love, Death & Robots (March 15, 2019 – present) Directed by Tim Miller [adult animated anthology television series]. American : Netflix Studios.

The Last of Us (TV series) (January 15, 2023 – present) Directed by Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann Available at: HBO MAX (Accessed: 14 November 2023 ).

#concept art #game art #hertfordshire #cthulhu #lovecraft #character design #original character

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 2, Concept Art - Human and "Inhuman"

. Blog post 01

The film Annihilation was the starting point for this concept design exercise.

In the course of the class, Mr Leo mentioned the design of the human-turned-monster in the film "Annihilation" and the TV series "The Last of Us", which was very inspiring, so I decided to start from those inspirations for this concept.

I have analysed several legendary screen images presented below，and summarises a few interesting design points.

Example 1: Integration of diverse organisms

A talking grizzly bear in movie “Annihilation”, a pioneering new concept in sci-fi cinema.

In the film "Annihilation", the design of "a talking grizzly bear"(inhuman) is transformed from the "explorer who calls for help"(human).

The skulls of bears are melded with those of humans.

Example 2: Making the human organism grow like a plant

Screenshots from the TV series "The Last of us"

Compare the similar design in the film "Annihilation".

There is an incredibly powerful scene where the entire human body(human) is dissected, growing and spreading like a plant (inhuman) in the film Annihilation.

Example 3: The human figure and the Uncanny valley.

Mr Leo mentioned the concept of "the Uncanny valley" in class, which means: when a design has the shape of a human being but is not exactly like a human being, it will give people a horrible feeling.

The "human" turned "humanoid plant" in the film "Annihilation".

Compare the real world：

Taken in Hawaii in 1996 by Laszlo Kestay, the photo shows a scientist smiling over a dark mass of intertwined shapes that eerily resemble human corpses. At the bottom of the pit is an ominous red opening. Turns out, the "bodies" are actually hardened lava formations, and the fiery hole is known as the West Kamokuna lava skylight.

https://curious.com/curios/10757#date

Example 4: Use of shape language

The course also covers the "Design of shape Languages".

The conceptual design in Pan's Labyrinth changed the monster's features, with the monster's eyes growing on the palms of its hands, highlighting the design points while enhancing the visual richness, and adding a sharp triangular graphic feel to the monster's face (adding a sense of sharp aggression).

Pan’s Labyrinth | Film Quarterly

Screenshots from the film Pan's Labyrinth

Example 5: Transformation process between human and inhuman

screen shot from the seventh episode of “Love, Death & Robots” series-"BEYOND THE AQUILA RIFT".

Watch Love, Death & Robots | Netflix Official Site

Originally it looked like a female silhouette(human) - up close (after changing the lighting) it became a monster(inhuman)!

This is all for now~

Reference:

Annihilation (2018) Directed by Alex Garland [psychological horror film]. United Kingdom United States : Paramount Pictures ( North America and China) Netflix (international).

Pan's Labyrinth (27 May 2006) Directed by Guillermo del Toro [dark fantasy film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.

Love, Death & Robots (March 15, 2019 – present) Directed by Tim Miller [adult animated anthology television series]. American : Netflix Studios.

The Last of Us (TV series) (January 15, 2023 – present) Directed by Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann Available at: HBO MAX (Accessed: 14 November 2023 ).

Kestay，L . (2017) Underworld portal . Available at: https://curious.com/curios/10757#date (Accessed: 14 November 2023 ).

#concept art #video games #human #inhumans #monster #hertfordshire #game art #annihilation

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 1, Concept Art - Creating "Concepts".

. Blog post 03

I selected the fourth design from the previous sketches to refine and rationalise its detailed structure.

I added elements of armour used in Chinese martial arts, as well as the material of the Ming Dynasty black hat (worn by feudal officials) (as shown in the image below).

I came up with four different colour schemes and finally settled on the third (see below).

In the end, I simply refined the design and used 'highlights' to differentiate the materials.

This is a very interesting project and I may take it further when time permits.

#concept art #cyberpunk #wuxia #hertfordshire #video games #game art #chinese drama #the bionic woman

[caixinliang]

Practice 1:

Assignment 1, Concept Art - Creating "Concepts".

. Blog post 02

I've decided to embark on my first project using Adobe Photoshop for digital creation. I started with the initial graphic silhouette design, using Photoshop's selection tools and large hard-edge brushes to quickly outline the general shapes of the characters. This approach allows me to easily and quickly explore different design forms. It also tends to lead to a lot of 'happy accidents', which is always a welcome bonus.

I sketched out 20 rough character designs. From those, I chose the five that I found most intriguing to refine further.

Software Used: photoshop

20 rough character sketch:

5 refine design:

This is all for now, I am looking forward to the selection of one for further refinement!

#concept art #game art #video games #hertfordshire #cyberpunk #science fiction #science fantasy