The Plan Reflection

The plan for my project was pretty complete, and I stuck to it very closely. It went pretty well, and I'm happy that I went with it. The plan worked very well for me. I had no major difficulties with it, and I didn't have to make any large changes after it was finalized. Overall, I was satisfied with the results. I wouldn't do anything differently if I had to start over.

Skill Development III

To help with my blending, I did a grey scale. This was pretty easy, but I didn't do it very well the first time. The second time went quite a bit better, and I got quite a bit better at blending because of this. I also got to experiment with the different methods of blending, which was quite useful.

Design Reflection

Over the course of this project, its potential design has changed and been refined in many ways. At the beginning of the design stage, I had no idea what I was going to do with the design, only what was required to create the piece as a whole. I went through quite a few design options before reaching the three designs that were refined. None of them were very solid ideas, and I'm happy that I chose the one that I did. The designing itself was pretty difficult because I have very little experience planning and creating art pieces. However, I didn't have too much trouble with it once the ideas started really flowing. The biggest challenges that I had were that I wasn't sure what I wanted to convey for the first bit, but I got an idea eventually. I was most successful in the basic coloring stages. Overall, I think that it went pretty well.

Final Product (Color)

This is the final painting with full color. I'm very excited about the way that it turned out. The coloring was quite a bit harder than I was expecting, specifically the shading/ blending aspect of it. I am proud of the way that it ended up because I didn't expect that I would be able to do this in a semester, even with two full work periods. I'm also proud of it because I didn't rush it, and it looks pretty good for my skill level. I'm also proud of the composition because it took me quite a while to come up with and correct. It wasn't anything like it is at current at its earlier stages, and it's come a long way. I'm pleased with the end result.

Exploration Reflection

Over the course of this project, I explored many areas of potential for this large project. Initially, I was aiming to create both a 3D model and a 2D version of both of the characters that I'd created. However, I quickly realised that completing a reasonably good draft for both of these would be biting off a bit more than I can chew. So, shortly after embarking on this journey, I reduced my goals to just the digital painting aspect. I think that the exploration process was overall quite successful as I learned a lot and applied the skills that I'd learned. I believe that a major area of concern for this project was my skill level because, even though I tried my best, I was unsure if it would be sufficient. I was also nervous about having enough time and choosing a strong composition as I don't work on very many art projects. However, the strengths at this point were that I knew what I was doing, at least on a basic level, and I had a good idea of what I was trying to convey through the piece. Overall, I'm feeling pretty confident with how my exploration phase went.

Peer Feedback

I've shared my ideas for my design with several people, and I've gotten mostly positive feedback. My peers and family have been quite helpful when choosing colors and making compositional decisions. The color decisions were mostly verified by Dana from my 2d graphics class. She also reccomended that I stick with my second design idea along with a few other peers. However, I really thought that that design was rather shallow and didn't have enough meaning, and went with the other one. As it developed, she did support my decison. As a final almost completed piece, my peers seem relatively pleased with it and its development. I myself am very happy with the art, and I'm happy that those who I asked for help gave me such helpful feedback.

Potential Concepts

NOTE: It's probably best to read the initial thoughts/ character background before reading this.

This project started out with many different concepts than the one that it's been narrowed down to at current. At first, the piece was going to embody the friendship between two characters,  Jayme and Noelle. However, I didn't believe that that idea had a strong enough theme. Another concept that the piece went through was also featuring Jayme and Noelle, but this was to represent the beauty of unlikely friendships. This idea wasn't exactly what I wanted either. The next concept for the piece was featuring a solo Jayme, and was to show that you don't have to conform to expectations. I liked this idea quite a lot, but I didn't feel that Jayme was very pressured by the expectations of society, so I came to the final concept. I wanted a piece that represented Noelle and her coflict between being who she is and who she is supposed to be. I wasn't sure how to represent that exactly, but I eventually got to the piece that I wanted after a series of sketches. This marked the creation of the final sketch.

Skill Development II

The second project that I worked on to build up my skill level was painting some body parts. I chose to work on noses and mouths as I was relatively sure that I could handle the eyes. The first thing that I did was look up tutorials. They didn't look too difficult, so I jumped right into it.

I am aware that the mouth could've been a bit better, and that the body parts aren't very realistic. However, I wasn't really aiming for a realistic look. I'm quite satisfied with how these turned out, and they were very fun to make. I was looking forward to creating the actual piece very much at this point. I feel that I was well prepared to make an actual painting at this point.

Skill Development

The first step I took to build skill was to digitally paint an apple. This took me quite a while to do, but since I'm posting this after the initial completion of the apple, I will just explain the different stages.
The first step that I took to create an apple was to watch several videos of others painting apples using digital software. These videos gave me a good idea of what to do in order to be successful. I found that the basic idea was to get a referance image and trace around it and its seperate colors. Then, I colored in the sections.

The next step was to blend. This was the hardest part to wrap my head around because there are so many different methods to use. Above is the first method that I tried, which was to adjust the opacity of the brush. This was obviously not finished at this time, but I was getting frustrated with the outcome, so I switched techniques. 

The above picture was achieved by adjusting the flow instead of the opacity, and I liked this approach much better for this specific project (SIDE NOTE: I ended up using the opacity method on my final painting). At this point, the only step left was to finish up the blending and clean up the choppy edges. 

This was my final product. I am aware that it could have been much better, but I was satisfied with it. I had gotten pretty good at blending, and I liked the way that it looked.

Skill Goal

I would like to learn how to digitally paint, and in order for that to happen, I'll need to learn how to use Photoshop as a digital painting tool. In order for me to do this, I am going to digitally paint an apple. This will help me learn the blending tools, how to create shadows, the basic process of digital painting, and I will figure out exactly what I'm getting myself into. It will also get me more used to using Photoshop as a painting tool. My goal is to make the apple look as recognizable as possible. I may engage in other small skill building projects as well if time allows.

The Plan

In order to complete the project, I will need to:

1. Learn how to proficiently digitally paint in photoshop
1. This will require me to practice the basics of digital painting
2. I'll watch video tutorials on good techniques
3. Finally, I'll practice a bit in context.
2. Learn to sketch using a drawing tablet
1. I'll need to practice basic shapes
2. I'll practice sketching in context
3. Plan the actual painting
1. Initial sketches will need to be completed
2. Final sketches
4. If there is time, start painting!

I will need these supplies/ assets:

• A computer with a Photoshop program
• A drawing pad
• Basic knowledge of Photoshop
• Basic knowledge of how to use a drawing pad

Most of the process will likely be completed outside of school, as most of it will be planning and research. However, everything that requires a use of a computer program will likely be done inside of the computer lab. For feedback, I will ask my friends also working on such projects and my family. I'm going to leave the timeline pretty loose, as long as I've got the basic planning done before November is halfway over, I'll consider myself on schedule.

Design Overview

The target audience for my piece won't really have any restrictions, though I suppose the audience that would appreciate it the most would have an appreciation for digital art that isn't necessarily very realistic. I would like to show that the main character in the image, Noelle, is a very strong individual. I want her to be presented as not staying in the confines of society. She needs to be strong, but it must be obvious that that isn't all that she is. This is where the idea of the reflection comes in, to add a bit of context. The idea of her "ideal" self being in the painting wasn't one that I had been considering at first, but it now seems to be a great choice. It adds some contrast to the central figure as well. There is a spotlight as well, which is to highlight the fact that Noelle is a public figure of sorts. As the theme for the piece is steampunk based, Noelle will have lots of bottons or buckles, perhaps both, and goggles. My end goal is to produce at the bare minimum a final sketch of the piece. I would, jowever, like to go further than that and add color to it. I will find myself successful if the basic elements mentioned above are in the final sketch and if there is a final sketch that looks relatively professional. A colored digital painting would be ideal.

Design Goal

I am aware that completing a full digital painting maight be pretty hard, so I've decided to create a smaller, more design based goal as well. I would like to have made a final sketch for the digital painting by the end of the semester. I want it to reflect Noelle as an individual, and I would like it to be relatively detailed. If I get farther than this goal, that will be great, but I won't be disappointed if I don't get to the painting itself.

Initial Thoughts and Ideas II

As I added details to the sketch, it changed quite a lot. Instead of being a queen, I wanted her to look a bit stronger. As a character, Noelle evolved into someone who defies gender roles and constricting traditional values, so I wanted her to be something other than a sterotypical princess type. I was playing around with different design ideas when the shadow/ reflection idea came up. I was thinking of ways to express the ideals that Noelle was breaking away from and this seemed like a great way to do this. I refined the Noelle in the frontground into a slightly more powerful, untraditional version of herself, and I liked this version batter than any of the others.

Initial Thoughts/ Character Background

The piece was initially going to be featuring Noelle and her partner in crime, Jayme. The idea was to be a major contrast to show how different they are- Noelle being a princess and Jayme being a pauper. However, I changed my mind on this idea when I noticed the lack of impact. The idea had no main objective, no real focal point.

My second idea, which I worked off of for most of this project, was to show Noelle as a queen. I liked the idea because it made her a powerful individual, which is what she's striving to become. At this point she had no clear background, but I really liked the idea, so I stuck with it. It did evolve quite a bit throughout the process, but the original idea of individualism and independance remained mostly the same.

Initial Thoughts/ Character Background III

The character featured in the piece, Noelle, lives in a steampunk inspired time period., and is a princess about to become a queen. The gender roles of the time are strict; women are expected to find a husband as quickly as possible and submit to him fully. As a princess, Noelle is especially confined by these values. However, she has no desire to submit to the roles of the time period. She wants to have a say in what happens in her life and in the ruling of her people. This is reflected in the piece through Noelle's reflection in the piece in comparison to her actual self. It also is shown by Noelle's posture, clothing, and expressions. I tried to draw her as a strong, independant, in control individual. I also used contrasting colors to make Noelle stand out from her reflection. Her goggles, top hat, coattails, and the numerous buttons were to help her fit with the time period, though women would usually be wearing dresses. The bubblegum was to give a pop of color, and to represent the color pink on Noelle. The pink in this picture seem to be mostly associated with her more feminine reflection, and I wanted to bring some of that into the central figure. In this screenshot, the piece isn't finished, and her reflection is basically a floating head, but this is the basic idea.

Digital Painting Practice

 I had to practice quite a bit to get to the point where I could digitally paint with any level of skill. These are a few of my practice projects. On two of them I decided to practice drawing body parts, consisting of mouths and noses. A few of the best examples are shown here. I also worked with eyes a bit, but I don't have a screenshot. I also digitally painted an apple which took quite a while, but it helped me get better at blending. These projects helped me a lot to improve emy digital painting skills.

The Corkboard

I created a digital corkboard to organize my thoughts, ideas, reference images, and influences. I have a few pictures here that are no longer relevant to my final project because my ideas have changed greatly over time, and the board has grown a bit since the screenshot was taken. However, most of the images have been really helpful in designing my final painting.

Sketches!

These are the three sketches that I really defined in the process of creating a digital painting. I looked at the ideas that I'd come up with, and I wasn't really sure which one I liked best at the time, so I alternated working on the three. This was also my third or fourth time working with a drawing tablet, which was very exciting. I needed to make a desicion soon, so I asked friends and thought on it myself for quite a while and ended up picking number three.

Final Sketch!

Today I made a lot of progress on my beginning sketches for the final painting project. I'm really excited to fine tune and color this! I really liked number three from the older sketches, and I was super excited to work with it, but, as I sketched in the details, I realized that I didn't really like the design. It got tweaked quite a bit, and I like it much better now. It better represents Noelle and her strength as an individual and her struggle to stand out.

I'm thinking that the color scheme will be mainly blues and greens for Noelle, and her reflection will be mostly shades of pink or red. I will probably make the background a similar color so that Noelle stands out the most in the painting. The hair will most likely change shape as it is painted, but I don't plan on changing much else. The coloring of Noelle herself are up for alteration, but I plan to draw her as I imagined her in my head. 

New Goal

My original plan for this project has changed. I had bit off more than I could chew, so I've decided to design an original piece of digital art instead. It will ideally be a cover design for a book I'm in the process of writing. The main idea of the book is to embody self discovery and the idea of tradition vs. new ideas. I'm hoping to embody that through this art piece. I am aware that there might not be enough time to complete a full art piece by the end of the semester, but I would like to if at all possible. I'm interested in this because I've seen other people do it, be it my peers or a professional, and it looked very cool. I didn't think it would be as challenging as it turned out to be, but I like the challenge it presents. I'm excited to see the final results.

Noelle!

Today I made quite a bit of progress on the female bust that I've been working on. I've begun painting, and it looks pretty good so far. However, a lot of detail needs to be added.

New Bust

I've been needing a break from the other head that I've ben working on, so I decided to start another that I've been planning for a bit. It has a lot of curly hair, which I'm not very experienced sculpting, but I'll try my best. I do have some reference pictures that may help.This bust will probably end up being a rough draft for a much better one, but that's alright.

Reflection Part 1.5

  In my Reflecion Part 1, I didn't really include anything about the digital painting aspect of my project, so I will talk about that here. I didn't really have any experience with digital painting or character design before this project, so that was pretty intimidating. I had a lot to learn on the subject, and I still do. I started out watching tutorials, but that wasn't the best method at that point because I had absoltely no idea what I was doing. This caused me to go back to the extreme basics: I decided to figure out what program I was sing. I was considering Illustrator as a potential medium for this project until I actually used it. Although Illustrator is a great program, it isn't the right choice for this type of project. That is when I really started looking at digital painting.

The Apple

     Instead of starting with the absolute basics at this stage, like I should have, I decided to try jumping right into the digital painting experience by trying to paint an apple, using a real apple as reference. The results are to the right. As you can see, my blending techniques weren't very good at this stage, but it turned out alright for my very first try. I believed that I had done pretty well at the time, but looking back on it, it was pretty clearly not the best I could have done. I continued tomove forward at this point by watching some tutorials on blending and techniques to create a professional feel. These helped quite a bit, but I didn't apply them. I began to look at what my plan was compositionally.

My Corkboard

     I had a general idea of my plan for my final piece of digital artwork, but I didn't really know what it was going to look like in any sort of detail. To organize my ideas, I created a digital corkboard using Padlet and filled it with relevant reference pictures and notations. A snapshot of the corkboard is to the left. This was a useful tool to have because it helped me figure out what I wanted to include in the picture and how they might all fit together. It greatly improved my organization of the ideas that I had. I continued to watch digital painting tutorials at this point as well.

The Grey Scale

     Around this point, I realized that I had skipped an important step in my digital painting quest, and that was learning how to digitally paint. I took a few steps back and made a basic grey scale. This turned out pretty well, if a bit patchy. I am now working on the basics of color blending. I also went back to the apple and applied the blending skills that I've learned to it. It isn't anywhere near finished, but it is beginning to shape up. I am working more on the basics and the general sketches of what the final piece will look like compositionally. I'm excited for how it might turn out.

The New Apple

     I do have some major concerns with this project. Because I began the learning process a bit out of order, it lost me a bit of time. I'm worried about whether or not I'll finish. I'm also worried about my drawing skills and if they're good enough to facilitate such a process as digital painting. I am, however, hopeful that these little kinks will work themselves out with time and a bit of pract

Reflection Part 1 10/7/15

     Since the beginning of the semester, I've made quite a bit of progress with my big project. At first, I really had no idea what I planned to do for my project, and I had none of the skills required. After quite a bit of consideration and looking at other possibilities, I decided that character design would be a good choice for me. However, the practice that we did in Maya wasn't really applicable to character design, so I was pretty nervous starting out.

The First Body

     Mudbox was an entirely new animal, and I had no idea how to tackle the process of starting a character design, so I watched a few tutorial videos. I also messed around with the program quite a bit. To the left is my first Mudbox product.As you can see, I wasn't very good, and I made no major adjustments to the pre-made model. The full body was a bit daunting to me, so I decided to start with something a bit smaller scale: the head model.

The First Head

     The head model was a much better choice for me as a beginner. It was much easier for me to play around with, and it was a good way for me to learn the tools. To the left is my first (incomplete) Mudbox head. It was also not very good. I believe that I did quite a bit more maneuvering with this experiment, but I had no knowledge of basic muscle structure or skeletal structure, so this head looks quite doughy. This lead me to do more research. Reference pictures helped me to figure out where the skin dipped and pulled, and it also helped me see what was and was not realistic. The hair was a difficult piece for me as well. After looking at human body parts and many examples of their sculpted components, I was ready to try again. The tutorials helped quite a bit with the techniques required to create the things that I was seeing in actual people.

The Most Recent Head (Work in Progress)

     My next attempt at a head was much better, I think. It was more realistic, and the individual components were much better, aside from the mouth. It was present, but not much else can be said about it. I believe that my skills have improved further since that point, but the improvements have been getting less obvious as time has progressed. The most recent piece of my project is to the left. It is nowhere near finished, but it is much better than my first product.
     The technical aspects aside, I have also come very far regarding the conceptual elements of the project. I knew that I was going to work on a character design, but I wasn't sure exactly what I was designing. That was quickly narrowed down into a set of two characters. I have begun the concept sketches-- one of them looks very similar to my most recent workings-- but they are still in their earlier stages. I would be very pleased to get both of them fully sculpted in 3D, but I would also be satisfied with one.
     Looking back, I feel that I've made quite a bit of progress on the project overall. It's begining to come together, and I'm happy with the progress. I have been nervous at times that I'm not ready for this project, but I think that I will do fine in the long run. I still need to work hard in the future, though. My mouths need a lot of work, and I will eventually need to be comfortable with the full body model, but so far I am satisfied with the progress that has been made.
   

Grey Scale

This is a basic blending exercise. Nothing too difficult, pretty basic stuff. The blending was very simple, and the hardest part for me honestly was getting the ruler lines positioned correctly.

Detail Work

Lately I've been working on the smaller details regarding the Mudbox heads that I've been working on for the past few days. I've been working on what I hope might be the final head for my project with a lot of work. I've got the basic structure down, though the nose needs some work and there are no lips. I also ned to work on my painting skills because it's very unrealistic. However, I'm pleased with my progress thus far.

Update

I have been working on learning how to sculpt clothing with little success. However, I do hope to get better with some practice. I also returned to the head from the first test run and added quite a bit to it. It looks pretty nice so far. It's not perfect or complete, not by a long shot, but I am pleased with the progress that I made.

Test Run #2

Today I made another model, and at first my goal was to give it lips. I watched several videos and then tried it for myself.  That ended badly, and I need to do more research to reach that level. I also watched some tutorials for designing hair using mudbox, and got a basic grasp on it. However, I didn;t have enough time to try it out. I did do quite a bit with the paint feature today, though. I managed to sculpt the basic eye shapes (progress!) and painted them. Considering it's my first try, I'm pretty satisfied with how they turned out.

Digital Painting Practice

Today I also experimented with my digital painting skills. It's quite a bit harder than I was expecting, but I'm getting the hang of it gradually. I started with something a bit simpler than a face, and it isn't quite finished yet, but I'm learning. Hopefully I'll get better at this with practice.

Test Run!

Today I watched a few Youtube videos about how to sculpt using Mudbox, and then I tried it for myself. I mostly experimentd with head close ups today, and the results were quite a bit better than what I thought they'd be. I'm hoping to expand on my skills in the near future. I'm thinking that maybe this will be slightly easier than I had previously imagined. This is my favorite so far.

The Goal

9/16/15
I've always been interested in 3D character design, and I now have the opportunity to experiment with the mechanics of it. I do know that designing a character could be difficult, but I believe that, with some work, I can get it done. My goal is to design at least one character in full color with clothing. If I have enough time, maybe I'll create two.