Utopian Dystopia

Source List

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:13:15 +1000

All images used were licensed under Creative Commons and were taken from Flickr or DeviantArt.

Flickr:

ippei + janine, Luke Robinson, hogeasdf, mioi, lmbaker3, Rodrigo_Soldon, Rodrigo Sousa1, datageist, the_girl, grungetextures, ajawin, webtreatsetc, DominusVobiscum, timtak, shinyai, jimg944, Stuck in Customs, Aaron Webb, Hector de Pereda, Adurinha, infinitewhite, sanue, sleeptako, linux4all, Jeremy Burgin, ~Duncan~, tanakawho

DevArt:

Sitara-LeotaStock, MatrixStock, SimplyBackgrounds, Disney-Stock, Heeeeman, Princessmia62, Pieceofmestock, SuperAwesomeStock, sfprincess-stock, Mimose-Stock, Telophase, LucieG, Skybase, Keunt-Stock, Cyborgsuzystock, Resurgere

Final Image

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:37:00 +1000

Final image with credits~

DOOOONNNEEEE >__< 250+ images and 50-60hrs of work…. and it’s finally done… Certainly need more practice with matte painting in the future though…

Progress Stage 6

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:41:31 +1000

6.1 Added texture with photoshop brushes (from DevArt) to add some more depth and realism to the fog. Also added more shadows to the gates and sand in the foreground. Small details added to the metal rocks. Only thing I’m not content with now is the top of the sky… >.o

6.0 Started adding fog… too dull though - needs textures.

Progress Stage 5

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:56:31 +1000

5.0 Finished the foreground, found a replacement for the main body of the water and played with colours a bit more… Almost done! Will edit the skyline and colours of the water in the morning I think >_<

Progress Stage 4

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:04:00 +1000

4.1 Rocks and wires progress: this is the fourth attempt to create metal rocks @__@ tried 3 different photoshop methods and photos and even attempted to create some in Maya then finally found some photos of padlocks that suited ^^

Also painted the wires manually and then added small images of metal wires for some texture… not fantastic but it’ll have to do. Adding one more metal rock and then I finish editing the orange gateways.

4.0 Detailed close up of Ryokan - added metal bars and painted metal textures on to the building. Currently working on wire cables and the metal rocks.

Progress Stage 3

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 19:11:00 +1000

3.2 Edited middle ground colours, water and started on the foreground. Added lanterns and metal poles - need to texture metal rocks and bars and add cables >.o then start editing the orange gates… getting there…

Bit confused about the colours of the foreground… to create depth it should be dark and dim… but since it’s the focus of the picture… it should be lighter… orange highlights maybe?

3.1 Still working on the sky, but the base is down~ Started manipulating the colours of the background mountains and shoreline with Hue/Saturation, Colour Balance, Curves and Color layers. Next is the middleground colours~

Light source: behind and slightly left from centre of the image/camera.

3.0 Nearly have all the base images down - just need to add the sky and small details (like lanterns) and then I can start playing with the colours and painting over it~

It’s not as neat as I’d hoped >.o but suitable Creative Commons images are hard to find…. and there’s well over 200 layers in there so far…

I am proud of this bit though XD

Started this as an extension of the beach but found the perspective wasn’t right so I moved it back - it takes away a lot of the detail but meh, I like it ^_^

Progress Stage 2

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:38:00 +1000

2.2 Added the far shoreline, refined the trees in the foreground and started work on the middle ground hills. White scribbles on the water = reference for lighting.

2.1 Did my best with the water… had a bit of trouble finding links between the foreground and middleground. Also started adding forestation behind the ryokan and added the orange gateways. Focusing on getting the base images down for now - will add finer details and textures afterwards.

2.0 Started to get the water sorted - focusing on the ripples rather than the colours…

Progress Stage 1

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:30:00 +1000

1.1 Draft layout and progress work~

Finally decided upon a composition ^^ trying to go for a slightly more simple design (compared to my other ideas and working with images I have found). Setting will be dusk so the colour palette will be pinks, purples and oranges fading in to darker blue and purple in the background. Rusty metal will be wrapped around the building in front and the gates in the water. Following the water line will be cliff faces and forestation. Mountains in the far back aaand then sky and fog to fill.

1.0 Composition: Colour and Depth Guide

Composition Thumbnail Sketches

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:06:49 +1000

Inspiration 2

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:45:26 +1000

2.1 Matte Painting by Raphael Lacoste

Love love love this. Very much a dystopia though the colours make it look utopian - shall use this sort of contrast in my own creation to give the illusion of utopia. Love the reflections and shadows and the monumentality and depth of the layout.

2.2 Matte Painting/Concept Art by Raphael Lacoste

Slightly more painterly than I intend to go, but I do love the mood and composition of this picture. Also referencing the steampunk elements and use of colour.

2.3 Matte Painting by Andreas Rocha

Great composition and use of lighting. Love the layers.

http://bbs.ankty.com/simple/?t5646.html So, for this assignment, the level of epicness I have to...

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +1000

http://bbs.ankty.com/simple/?t5646.html

So, for this assignment, the level of epicness I have to create has to be on par with Dylan Cole’s matte paintings… so I found this site (above) in my search for his work and thought it had a nice collection of high detailed artworks for me to reference for style.

As well as Cole’s work, I particularly like John Dickenson, Horia Dociu and Brandon Kitkouski.

Raphael Lacoste is brilliant!! His online portfolio: http://www.raphael-lacoste.com/

Step-by-Step Distant Shores Matte Painting: http://www.3dm3.com/tutorials/mattepainting/distant_shores/index.php

Creepy House Matte Painting: http://www.seb4d.com/tutorials/Mattepainting/mattepainting_english.htm

Interview with Andreas Rocha: http://www.3dtotal.com/team/interviews/andreas_rocha/andreas_rocha_01.php

Stas Lobachev Tutorial: http://cg.creativefan.com/using-lighting-atmospherics-and-digital-illustration-techniques-for-matte-painting-the-making-of-golden-sunrise-in-a-fairy-land-by-stas-lobachev/

Inspiration 1

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:04:00 +1000

Primary inspiration for my painting stems from the following:

1.1 Disney’s Treasure Planet (2002)

One of my favourite animated films, this movie has elements of steampunk (in this case a combination of science fiction with the colonial era) in all aspects of the design, particularly the map and Jim’s hovercraft. I will be drawing inspiration from the colour and mood of the film as well as the design of the moon-shaped docking station, Montressar.

1.2 Steampunk Fashion/Cosplay

Popular amongst the alternative and artsy, steampunk fashion is generally a combination of Victoriana style dress and sci-fi contraptions. Lots of buckles, brass, cogs and straps - it is filled with adornment and is reminiscent of science and exploration. This style of dress will be referenced for the people (if I chose to include any) within the garden.

Imagine FX Workshops

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:15:00 +1000

Today’s research: raiding the Imagine FX Online Workshops (as well as the issues I currently own). The following is a list of the workshops I thought might be useful for this project and have downloaded. The ones in bold are the ones I have completed going through and the italic text is what I’ve taken from it.

Imagine FX Workshops

- Become A Better Artist: dramatic skies (use a colour that sets the mood - maybe orange and yellow/purple), aerial perspective (add a blue hue to things that are far away for depth), bounce the lighting (ambient colour), contrast (highest point of value at the focal point), background-middleground-foreground.

- Colour Theory Simplified: include tertiary colours and greyness for balance, analogous colour versus complimentary colour schemes (red vrs green-blue maybe), tone down the colour of the larger areas so they’re not overwhelming.

- Cutting Edge Comic Art: great read with lots of useful advice for comic cover art but nothing applicable to this project.

- Henning’s 101 Colour

- Create Film Sets in Photoshop:

- Liberate Your Colours

- Painterly Matte Painting:

The Project

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:04:00 +1000

Student Name: Laura Goodings

Student Number: n6129528

Unit: KIB221 CG Toolkit

Assignment 3 VFX Project “Utopia/Dystopia”

Okay, setting up for the last project (Assignment 3) of the KIB221 CG Toolkit unit I felt it might be best to keep a blog on the progress, including all of my research, drafting and developmental stages up until the final submission.

For the project we were required to create either a video or (epic) still image under the theme of ‘Utopia/Dystopia’. It is worth 50% of our overall mark and is due on the 22nd of October. Since I am not comfortable with 3D and am not adequately skilled with video production, I am choosing to take this opportunity to practice using my lovely Cintiq and create a massively detailed 2D Digital matte painting using Adobe Photoshop and possibly Corel Painter.

To coincide with the Utopia/Dystopia theme (and previous projects) I aim to create a Steampunk-styled Cityscape/Garden as this, in my opinion, is the epitome of a utopian dystopia (seen as perfection by some but in reality is far from perfect).

The project will be assessed using the following criteria:

1. Scene Lighting - Application of lighting principles to achieve unity with the background
2. Cinematography and Composition - Appropriate use of cinematic principles in the framing
and composition of shots
3. Animation - Application of animation within the object hierarchies.
4. Application of Theme - Clarity and visibility of theme within the creative work
5. Originality and Expression - Innovation and originality within the design constraints
6. Understanding and Comprehension - Extent to which the blog demonstrates an understanding
of the field of investigation
7. Mechanics - Demonstration of technical competence, and fulfilment of the format requirements.