Key Art Production:
The Key Art I wish to produce for the Real Worlds project shows my characters in full and in their own environment, made to demonstrate the design of the characters in question whilst pushing the differences between them and illustrating an attribute of their personality. In this, they are somewhat simplistic, not requiring complex backgrounds or detailed interactions, being more based around trying to illustrate what makes the character unique and a hero in their own faction. My Forge Father character, Masan Helmen, is nobility: a Huscarl who commands a section of the Ward Ship she lives within, stern and regal. My Veer-Myn character, The Infestation, is a skulker in the darkness, a terror who will stalk and hunt to protect her young. I want the illustrations I produce to show these aspects of their characters: in my mind, in-game, they would be seen in a codex detailing elements of the character's backstory and personality.
To begin with, I created thumbnail sketches exploring different compositions for the key art piece, exploring different canvas sizes and perspectives. This let me narrow down my ideas and find compositions that I believed were strong in the context of the key art piece. I already had an idea for the Veer-Myn piece in mind and did not pursue this step when creating it, though I did with the Forge Father. This is because, at this stage, I wanted the Veer-Myn piece to be similar to the Forge Father's, both using similar overall compositions, with a sharp difference in contrast and shadow.
After I had decided upon a composition (that of Helmen looking out of a window of the Ward Ship, demonstrating her design in a side profile), I created another sketch, blocking out the shapes of the primary forms in the scene, using the doorway behind her to frame her design and insinuating the general shapes of her armour and dress.
From here on out, I developed two variants of the design which I would show to the clients. The first of there was a line art version, the second a digital painting. This stemmed from the Digital Painting session we did in 2D Toolkit, as well as consideration for the art style that is often used in Deadzone artwork, which is often lineless.
I followed a similar process for the Key Art of The Infestation, using the same overall composition I used for Helman's illustration, the shape of Infestation being framed by scrap metal in the foreground. From this, I blocked out shapes, created line art in a similar manner and completed a value paint for client review.
The client review indicated that issues with the illustrations were largely related to composition and background elements. When compared to the turnarounds, character design alterations were minor, as the clients indicated that - due to the posing of the characters - many of the issues seen in the turnaround designs did not apply to the illustrations. For example, one area of alteration on the Forge Father turnaround was the shortening of the arms: on the ker art, they said that this did not need to be altered because of the positioning of the arm behind the character's back. Similarly, The Infestation's turnaround required the head to be bowed slightly, adding more of a hunch to the spine and back. In the key art, they are already standing in a hunched position, and the head is at an appropriate level.
Feedback also indicated some minor elements of change: they said that, in keeping with the Forge Father's theming, the background of the Forge Father illustration should be more angular, and the foreground elements of scrap in the Veer-Myn's should be brought closer together. As such, when colouring and rendering these pieces, I changed the design in accordance with the feedback I had been given.
With this done, I again asked for feedback on the pieces.
My peers recommended some lighting changes in both pieces, adding more of an orange hue to the Forge Father and increasing the contrast further on the Veer-Myn, as well as adding slight particles of dust in the air of both pieces, increasing their atmospheric qualities.
All in all, I am relatively happy with the turn out of both of these pieces. I feel they successfully covnvey elements of the character's designs and personalities, and function with their intended in-game purpose of splash art seen in a character-based codex entry.
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