When Tigers Smoked: Research-Skills

Showing posts with label Research-Skills. Show all posts

Contextual Research: How to Train Your Dragon (DreamWorks, 2010): In Progress...

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.

**The Red Death**
Louis, D. (2010) *Red Death Texture* [digital paint]. Available at: http://livlily.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/how-to-train-your-dragon-2010-color.html (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Toothless: The Night Fury**
Otto, S. (2010) *Toothless* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://www.artabase.net/exhibition/5582-designing-dreams-studio (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Monstrous Nightmare**
Marlet, N. and Wei, Z. (2010) *Monstrous Final* [digital paint]. Available at: http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/62832390223/to-create-the-monstrous-nightmare-character (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Gronckle**
Marlet, N. (2010) *Gronckle Wings* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/29421908330/for-the-gronckle-the-how-to-train-your-dragon (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Deadly Nadder**
Marlet, N. (2010) *Astrid Concepts* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/60883272971/astrid-concepts-by-nico-marlet (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Hideous Zippleback**
Marlet, N. (2010) *Two Headed* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/68198153255/the-hideous-zippleback-has-the-disadvantage-of-two (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**Terrible Terror**
Marlet, N. (2010) *Terror* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://muddycolors.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

**The Dragons of Myth**
Marlet, N. (2010) *Multi-Eye Dragon* [pencil & marker]. Available at: http://artofnicomarlet.tumblr.com/tagged/how-to-train-your-dragon (Accessed: 9 June 2014).

Contextual Research: Child of Light (Ubisoft Montreal, 2014): In Progress...

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.

**Óengus concept art: inspired by a synthesis of Celtic and Japanese Mythology**
Meirinho, S. (2014) *Óengus* [Concept art: digital]. Available at: hhttps://www.behance.net/gallery/16524339/CHILD-OF-LIGHT-VIDEO-GAME-WORLD-CHARACTERS-DESIGN (Accessed: 21 August 2014).

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.

**urRu concept art by Brian Froud**
Froud, B. (1981) *urRu concept art by Brian Froud* [watercolour]. Available at: http://www.darkcrystal.com/encyclopedia_urru.php (Accessed: 22 August 2014).

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).

Contextual Research: Tengami (Nyamyam, 2014): In Progress...

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.

**Early concept art from Tengami (Nyamyam, 2014)**
Nyamyam (2011) *Experimenting with traditional Japanese paper.* Available at: http://nyamyam.com/445/tengamigame/first-look-at-tengami-concept-art (Accessed: 20 August 2014).

**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).

Contextual Research: Okami HD (Capcom, 2012): In Progress...

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.

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).

Project Specification

Research question/problem

Is it possible to develop a range of unique creature designs inspired by South Korean mythology?

Context of the project

South Korean mythology is a relatively untapped source of inspiration in Western popular culture. In comparison with Japanese mythology, for example, there is enormous potential to create a unique range of iconic imagery.

For the animated film, How to Train Your Dragon (2010) several unique species of dragon were developed by the Concept Artists. This research aims to take a similar approach with South Korean mythology as a starting point.

Objectives of the project:

to research South Korean mythology as a source of inspiration;

to investigate previous animations and games inspired by mythology;

to understand and explore the visualization techniques used to create varied creature designs;

to develop a unique visual style inspired by the folk paintings of South Korea;

to design and develop a range of creatures inspired by South Korean mythology;

to critically evaluate the outcome, using peer review sessions with fellow students and through feedback from professional online communities.

Expected end product(s)

The body of visual work will be presented in the form of an art book. In order to be a unique and engaging presentation, the art book will be organised as a ‘found journal’ to exist in the imaginary world of the animation/game.

Proposed process

Skills learnt during the taught phase of the Masters scheme will be exercised and developed. Also, professional techniques and methodologies will be planned and implemented as demonstrated by industry professionals met with during the Concept Art Practice module.

Participants

Ongoing feedback will be given by the Supervisor of this project, Nigel Kitching. Third party evaluation will be obtained from face-to-face and online meetings with twelve fellow students studying MA Concept Art for Games and Animation. A number of peers will be given opportunity to supply comments and criticism through professional online communities.

Justification for masters

The project can be considered to be at Masters level because of the intention to create work of a professional standard utilising a novel research area. Using South Korean Mythology as a starting point is a novel research aspect because it is a relatively untapped source of inspiration in Western popular culture. This project will hopefully produce an original and refreshing contribution to the fantasy genre of Concept Art.

Environment Style Inspiration

Above are my initial thoughts on the mood and style of the world I will be building. I have taken inspiration from fantasy animations such as How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011). Also, the work of Kazuo Oga is extremely inspiring. He is the background artist for Studio Ghibli.

The mood and style I would like to capture is that of a sense of calm and a sense of warmth. The images above all capture the sunlight in a beautiful way. There is also a colour palette based mainly around green. There are areas of orange where the sunlight is strongest and cool pinks to represent shade.

How to Train Your Dragon: the dragon species

The Korean Tiger

The first story, Dan-Gun, First Emperor of Korea, featured in Korean Folk-tales (Riordan, 1994, pp.1-3) describes the foundation myth of Korea. A bear and a tiger, who lived in a cave, were summoned by Hwan-Ung, The Heavenly Prince. He said to them:

"I have chosen you to become the first humans," he told them. "Here, take these twenty garlic bulbs and this mugwort plant; eat them and remain deep in your cave for a hundred days. When you emerge into daylight you will be man and woman."
Riordan (1994, p.2)

Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies

Im, B. and Yi, R. (1962). Korean Folk Tales: Imps, Ghosts and Fairies. Translated by James S. Gale. Reprint, Rutland, Vermont, USA: Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc., 1977