Art Style Guides (Art Style Range And Breakdown) - Common Art (Week 10)

For this phase of the VR project, my team and I analyzed the art style of John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Starting with mood, I took notes while watching the film and noticed early how contrast is used in a range from low to high to juxtapose not only locations, but story events as well. I found stills online to show examples of the use of contrast in addition to the use of heavy shadows as a tool for strengthening the themes of unknowing and fear. 

For inspiration, I did some research on The Thing's previous film and book adaptations (all based around a similar story of an alien monster tormenting people in the arctic) which had been used as source material for the 1982 movie. The art style of The Thing lifts directly from these, mainly taking the use of an isolated location (the arctic) and an unnatural alien as the monster. The story, however, does take different turns. The original story itself takes artistic inspiration from cosmic horror genre, popularized by H.P. Lovecraft.

Environment Project – Reference Proxy/Block Out - 3D Art 1 (Module 3 Week 09)

This week I began blocking out a proxy scene in UE4 for a playable environment level in VR. I used Unreal's Builder Brush to create the ground shape and then brought it into ZBrush to add some detail and fill in hard edges, which I will finish in the coming phases. For my interactable object, I created a match that will be able to be picked up and used to light the pillar's candle. I love environments and building playable spaces, so this project is a lot of fun; I am most looking forward to sculpting on the gargoyle!

Art Style Guides (Understanding Story) - Common Art (Week 09)

This week marked the beginning of the pre-production phase for a potential immersive VR experience based on the story of SCP 2133 ("The Red Church") and the art style of The Thing. Above are two images I created for two hours (of the Hero's Journey) for our side character story's timeline presentation using photo manipulation, some filter effects, and a few spots of painting for lighting. Images were obtained online and composited in Photoshop before I added effects. In addition to creating these images, I worked with my team to help generate story concepts and discard those we decided were weaker until we arrived at a story that was not only compelling, but effectively matched the formula of the Hero's Journey as well.

Texures/Materials In Substance and Final Display in UE- 3D Art 1(Module 2 Week 05)

I really enjoyed texturing in Substance Painter! I like how the layers work similar to the 2D applications I've familiar with like Photoshop and Clip Studio. It's easy to create dynamic looking patterns with simple alpha placements and using the generator presets to create dirt and damage. I had some issues with my lighting at the end and was unable to get emissive materials to work, but overall I believe this crate is ready to be placed in-engine.

Use of Perspective - Common Art (Week 06)

 

I am usually not the biggest fan of Photoshop but using the different Arnold passes to create easily modifiable layers of different values and colors was a ton of fun. I really like how non-destructive most of the processes were by using masks and layer adjustments like solid colors and hue/saturation. I would really love to go back and add some environment props like alligators and a river bank for a fuller illustration!

High Resolution Sculpting Initial Map Baking - 3D Art 1(Module 2 Week 06)

This week, I tried out some extra pipeline steps I'm not usually used to taking, like adding retopology by hand instead of simply applying decimations. I would like to spend some more time on my UV maps before I continue pushing this in Substance Painter, but I was able to bake the high-res mesh onto what I have for now.