The intention of this Masters Project is to create Concept Art suitable for a 2D Platformer Game inspired by South Korean mythology with a focus on Creature Design.
CREATURE DESIGN: Methods for Designing Varied Sub-Species
How do Concept Artists design varied sub-species that are still recognisable as the original creature?
How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks, 2010) is an animated feature film based on the novel by Cressida Cowell (2003). The Concept Artists faced a challenge in designing a fresh take on dragons (Miller-Zarneke, 2010, p.17). The artists, including Nico Marlet, designed a variety of dragon species, shown below, each with unique characteristics.
CONTENT: Synthesizing Mythology into a Unique Game Concept
When using a relatively unknown source of inspiration, how does one ensure that the content still resonates with the target audience?
Child of Light (Ubisoft Montreal, 2014) is a 2-dimensional, role-playing platforming game available across platforms. The content is inspired by fairy tales and the art style is inspired by artists from the Golden Age of Illustration in Europe, such as Arthur Rackham.
Screenshot from Child of Light (Ubisoft Montreal, 2014)
Ubisoft Montreal (2014) Child of Light Screenshot: House. Available at: http://childoflight.ubi.com/ (Accessed: 20 August 2014).
The Alchemist by Edmund Dulac: Child of Light's art style was influenced by Golden Age Illustrators from Europe
Dulac, E. (1911) The Alchemist [Illustration: watercolour]. Available at: http://biblioklept.org/2013/12/02/the-alchemist-edmund-dulac/ (Accessed: 20 August 2014).
The developers of Child of Light do not specify whether the narrative content is inspired by fairy tales of a specific location. The Golden Age aesthetic makes it appear to be based mainly upon classical European fairy tales. However, on analysis the field of inspiration appears to be much wider.
Óengus is one of the characters that the protagonist, Aurora meets during her adventure. The name Óengus is taken from the Celtic God of Love. However, the design of the character resembles a mythical character of Japanese origin.
A possible influence for Óengus (Meirinho, 2014) could have been the Namahage, an example of which can be seen in Yuko's illustration (2009). Another similarity can be seen between Óengus (Meirinho, 2014) and San from Princess Mononoke (Miyazaki, 1997).
Namahage, a Japanese mythical creature.
A possible influence for the design of Óengus (Meirinho, 2014)
Shimizo, Y. (2009) Namahage [Editorial illustration: ink on paper & digital colour]. Available at: http://yukoart.com/work/discovery-channel-yokai-feature/#6 (Accessed: 21 August 2014).
San from Princess Mononoke (Miyazaki, 1997).
A possible influence for the design of Óengus (Meirinho, 2014) Princess Mononoke (1997) Direct by Hayao Miyazaki [Film]. Japan: Toho Company.
Mountain Spirit Guide (San-Shin Dosa 산신도사).
A type of Bhuddhist Art (Taenghwa 탱화). Date and artist unknown.
Unknown Artist (Date unknown) San-Shin Dosa [Painting]. Available at: http://blog.daum.net/sungn/30 (Accessed: 13 June 2014).
Tengami (Nyamyam, 2014) is an adventure game for iOS platforms. The content of the game is based upon Japanese Mythology. The visual style of the game is inspired by Japanese traditional arts and crafts.
An example of the Japanese art style, Rimpa
Sakai, O. (Early 1800s) Japanese Maple and Autumn Plants [Ink and color on paper]. Available at: http://www.asia.si.edu/ (Accessed: 20 August 2014).
AESTHETIC: Developing a Folk Art Aesthetic Suitable for a Platform Game
Is it possible to develop a Folk Art aesthetic suitable for a platform game context?
Okami HD (Capcom, 2012) is an action-adventure game for the Playstation 3. The content of the game is based upon Japanese Mythology. The visual style of the game is inspired by Japanese Sumi-e painting.
A screenshot from Okami HD (Capcom, 2012)
Capcom (2012) Okami HD: Screenshot 7. Available at: http://www.okami-game.com/screens (Accessed: 20 August 2014).
Despite Okami HD (Capcom, 2012) being a 3-dimensional game, it appears to resemble the flat nature of Sumi-e painting. The screenshot shows this especially in the form of the tree. The outline of the tree resembles the brush strokes of Sumi-e, separating it from the background. McGuire (2010) uses the phrase 'emphasis through abstraction' to describe this effect.
An example of Japanese Sumi-e painting
Sesshū, T. (c. 1470–90) Landscape of the Four Seasons [detail of a hand scroll, ink and faint colour on paper]. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/ (Accessed: 19 August 2014).
Using folk art as inspiration for the visual style of Okami HD (Capcom, 2012) is also a thematic motivation. The narrative content of the game (Japanese Mythology) is reflected by the aesthetic. This helps to immerse the player in the created world.
However, one question that arises is whether it was necessary to have a mix of 2D and 3D elements in the level design. Donovan et al. (2014) classified Okami (2006) as "sumi-e/cel-shaded/3D" (referring to the artistic style facet/artistic technique facet/artistic dimension facet). There seems to be a disconnect between the 3D 'dimension facet' and the other choices in design. Perhaps a 2D 'dimension facet' would synthesize the aesthetic more coherently.
Kkachi Bridge
The analysis of Okami HD (2012) prompted the decision to use a 2D 'dimension facet' in this project. The asset design of Kkachi Bridge exemplifies the orthographic view chosen for the game.
An example of Korean traditional painting
Unknown Artist (1700s) Ten Symbols of Longevity [Painting: colours on paper]. Available at: http://www.zozayong.com/ (Accessed: 21 June 2014).
