Reflective Statement - Building Alliances
I am unsure how to feel about my contribution to the group project; I feel that I have helped my team, and feel that - really - I have completed a solid chunk of work that contributes to this, particularly when I compare what I have created in this project to the outcomes of projects I completed last year. Additionally, many aspects of this project and the work that I have completed in regard to it fall well outside my comfort zone: environment pieces, the bulk of the work I have produced, are still something I struggle with, and in this, I feel that the pieces I have completed for my group pushed me outside my comfort zone and challenged me. The age rating of our project was also a source of discomfort in my designs: we as a group settled on a lower age rating which promoted simplicity in our designs, yet this age rating was a target demographic that I have very rarely produced artwork for. As such, I feel that my drawn pieces were often too dark and perhaps fell somewhere outside this demographic: additionally, of the designs that I did produce for the group, those which were chosen were often simplified heavily.
The Foam microplastic, for instance, had its dangling tendrils of orbs removed when Seb finalised the design. This helped in simplifying the design, which I was not opposed to.
I did, throughout the project, always want to produce designs and artwork that fit with the target demographic, any issues that arose as such not due to a disregard for the group work but due to an unfamiliarity with the demographic expectations itself. In hindsight, I feel that I should definitely have completed a case study on our art style, and should have tried to identify benchmark games or styles that I could have referenced as work progressed. This was never brought up in our group work, however, and it slipped from my mind until the project's end.
I always tried, with feedback, to simplify my designs to fit the target demographic, eschewing the grotesque detail of the first sketches I made as I developed designs into more abstract forms based on sea life and parasitic fauna. This followed my assigned research into how Microplastics affect the human body.
Initial designs I produced shortly after the project's beginning. Made to look frightening and alien, a mixture of animal components draped in melted plastic. The hexagonal motif stems from hexagons being used in diagrams showing the molecular structure of hydrocarbons.
Designs produced after foundational research were simplified at the group's request. Based more on simple shapes such as cylinders and spheres, vaguely based on jellyfish and parasitic life.
I feel that, as the 2D Lead of the project, there was more I could have done. I believe I could have done more research and made more finalised work, and perhaps could have benefitted from more time in the design stage. I did, ultimately, produce a lot of finalised art that illustrated our game concept and additionally produced atmospheric art which could have been used in loading screens. This split my work between creating concept art for the project and using finalised designs to create more illustrative art. Though I feel that this split of work between concept art and illustration does fit my job description as a 2D Lead, I also believe that I should have spent more time doing visual research into potential styles that I could have produced art in accordance with. However, again, I was moving with the pace of the group and continuously working on what was asked of me. As such, I feel that I worked well in the group setting, though still feel that there was more I could have done.
Comments
Post a Comment