Concept Art Collection

SKIN TEXTURE: FEATHERS

OWL SECURITY GUARD

CLOUD CUCKOO LAND BASE IDEA

Above are a collection of pieces of concept art I've been working on this morning. They cover three different areas of the world I'm creating: Realism and interpretation, character design and environment.
These ideas are all originally in my sketchbook, but I chose these three to take into Photoshop and experiment with further as I felt they had more potential.

Firstly, I've begun to consider my own interpretation as well as the mediums I could study for my areas of practice. So far I've mainly looked into maquettes and puppets for use in stop motion animation, with specific interest in Laika Studios. However, the idea previously suggested of a lab of prototypes using different materials and processes could be very beneficial and exciting to undertake, as well as avoiding the risk of accidentally pigeon-holding myself into one category. This illustration was based on a rough sketch I did when thinking about how the characters of Pisthetairus and Euelpides would grow feathers once they eat the root that grants them wings. I came the conclusion that it would be a more realistic interpretation and a definite stylistic choice to have the mens arms turn into wings instead of having then sprout angelically from their backs. This could not only add to a potential gothic aesthetic, but also perhaps show a young audience that in order to gain something, you have to work for it or make a fair excahnge? This is a moral I'll be working more on, as so far I don't feel that 'The Birds' has much of a moral story behind it.
The drawing itself depicts the dark navy feather sprouting out of the skin; something I could later on turn into maybe a piece of costume, like a glove, or several prosthetic pieces!

Secondly, the Owl Security guard was a small doodle I did when thinking about the different properties of the birds mentioned in the texts. I already have a fascination with Owls, and was regarding the way they're able to turn their heads almost 360 degrees. This trait they have reminded me of security cameras, and putting the two together I sketched out the Owl Security Guard:

His nocturnal eyes perfectly suited to dark environments, they watch from the doorways and corners of nightclubs, not missing a single trick or drunken antic. Their heads swivel slowly at first, silently scanning the floors of dancing birds, then a sharp turning their heads back to front at any loud noise or sudden movement. No one would dare try anything under their watch.

Thirdly, is my base idea for the city so far. I'm really pleased with this piece as an illustration, but definitely need to work on a stronger concept. As the city is built in a matter of days, there would be no time for grass to grow, and I would also like it to appear more home made or have attributes that help the viewer believe it was built by birds. Maybe have buildings stacked one on top of the other, or look like the city itself has grown from the inside, then been constantly built upon. Looking into architecture could help this too.

Overall I'm very happy with these pieces and can begin to see an improvement in my work, especially when it comes to technique, which I'm pleased with. My next stages will be:
- Begin to research processes and methods I can prototype and begin basic making ideas.
- Focus on specific characters to create specific designs for.
- Research architectures and create a strong concept for the environment for the city itself.

Island Concepts: Photoshop Brush Experimentation

Taking a few of the rough sketches I drew out of the island as a whole from my sketchbook, I've practiced using a few different methods and warm ups in Photoshop. I was inspired to try this more often after being pleased with how the look of my bird priest concept character turned out.

From comparing these three thumbnail drawings, I think that image 2 has the most detail, realism and tone to it. However, this also took the longest to draw out by quite a substantial amount of time.

1 looks the most cartoon like, but this could also be down to use of colour; for drawings 2 and 3, I changed the palette for a much more muted tones.

Ultimately, I think the method used in image 1 gets the concept/ colours and shapes across the fastest, so could be suitable for quick drawings or storyboards. 2 has the most detail so could be used for more in detail concept art of characters, objects or specific places maybe. 3 has a really interesting texture to it, so could be used for feathers, stone, grass, plants etc.

Further Character Concepts

Based on the quote "A Fox is subtlety itself", I designed a loose concept for the character of Zeus's nemesis and infiltrator of the birds city; Prometheus. He sneaks in to inform Pisthetairus of the God's starving condition, hinting on how to dethrone Zeus. He enters the city in a disguise so as to go unnoticed by Zeus or the other Gods. Tying the quote about foxes being subtle and inconspicuous, I came up with this draft concept for Prometheus' disguise: A large hunch, a textured cloak adorned with dry leaves and weird curled shapes. The foxes mask ties back to the quote and is an anthropomorphic link to the animal symbolism I'm using. For this piece of concept art, I went back to the brush and lasso technique I'm familiar with, as I thought it would suit this image better than the previous methods practiced. However, I did experiment with creating the texture on the body section, as I didn't want it to just look like a flat, blank colour.  

What inspired this character was noticing that at one point in the script, religious ceremonies to worship both the birds and the two founding men are created by the birds; hence the idea of a priest character came to mind. This is however, is a concept with a lot of holes; I would need to consider what religious symbolism would actually be used, or what robes could be worn. What I drew was a quick doodle with these ideas in mind.
I based this character on a Gerfalcon, as they have quite a wise but stern look about them, which is how I remember priests to appear when I was younger. However, it still has a piercing eye and very stern demeanor which I like, and I think suits the role.

I used a new technique in Photoshop for this drawing after downloading a new set of brushes. The lasso tool wasn't used at all! Which is a very big step from the usual techniques I've been using. Instead I selected a few different brush styles that gave really interesting textures and look a lot more organic than the lasso technique style. This method was a little more time consuming, (hence why I only did the main body and head) but I'm actually really happy with how it came out! It looks a lot more realistic this way, with the opportunity to add in a lot of different kinds of details, e.g. the dappled grey plumage and highlights around the eyes and beak. 

Material Research: Mister Finch

MISTER FINCH

Mister Finch is a textile artist and soft-sculptor who I've followed on social media and had an admiration for, for quite some time. His materials usually consist of very simple things like calico, wire, simple fabric dyes etc. but he manages to warp and sculpt these materials into a plethora of woodland creatures and animals of his own hybrid creations. He always uses recycled fabrics not only as an ethical statement but also because he believes they have more authenticity and charm than that of brand new materials. Just by looking at a collection of images of his work, I can't help but feel that he's created a whole new fantastical world. through both the animals and plants alike; every piece looks so cohesive with the next.
Having no formal training in what he does, Mister Finch is pretty much a self taught artist, motivated by his passion for making things teamed with a fascination in British folklore as well as the beautiful life cycles of birds, flowers and insects.
There is a definite anthropomorphic feature within his work, tying back to one of my own main topics in my project:

"Humanizing animals with shoes and clothes is something I’ve always done and I imagine them to come alive at night. Getting dressed and helping an elderly shoemaker or the tired housewife." 

This links directly with the humanoid themes I'm looking at within my own work; making animals more relatable to viewers and more appealing to a younger audience too.
Overall, Mister Finch has created a fabric forest that surrounds him and had become his reality every day. I love the faded, worn and almost vintage aesthetic to his work; every piece has a certain charm and character about it, and knowing that the fabrics he uses are incredibly simple just makes it all the more impressive.

Below I've put together a visual inspiration map specifically of his bird pieces, relating to the animals I'm focusing on for my own assignment; Above is a collection I assembled of some of my favourite pieces of his work.

The feet especially really interest me; they seem to be wired shapes with the cloth or thread wrapped very tightly around them. Another thing I'm amazed at is the anatomy of the creatures; the scale (1:1) and shapes of the animals is so realistic! His work honestly inspires me so much; The whole world he's created out of recycled pieces that he finds in pawn shops and the fabrics he uses make the animals seem so real and alive.

I found a small tutorial Mister Finch posted on how he goes about creating one of his bulb pieces. It's really interesting to see the kind of methods he uses, and I could perhaps try out this small tutorial to get a feel for the way he works?

Messenger Bird: Photoshop Experimentation

This was the second messenger bird I drew; this time I wanted to experiment with using Photoshop differently to what I'm used to, so went for a patchwork watercolour look. The brush was a lot of fun to use, (the actual texture of the brush can be seen in the dark blue line across the cream background rectangle.) I had to figure out a lot of issues that arose with the layers, making sure that they were blended enough to be able to see the pencil drawing underneath.

Overall I like the watercolour brush, but I definitely need practice in this area, to make it look more realistic. Right now I think it actually looks a little messy, so looking up a few tutorials may be beneficial.

Messenger Bird Concept

As there was a recurring theme of a messenger announcing key plot points throughout 'The Birds' I began considering what these messengers could look like and sketched out the idea of a postal/ delivery/ messenger bird. These could be a flock of small hummingbird type characters that flit around, and due the their speed, size and number, are able to quickly pass on information throughout the entire city very easily.

I firstly drew this out in my sketchbook, then took it over to Photoshop to colour it. I used my usual method of the 'brush' and 'lassoo' tool to get defined edges and crisp lines. However, from looking at other artists styles I'd like to branch out and experiment a little more with how I use Photoshop. For this image I used a new brush for the wings to try and make them look a little more feathered. I'm not sure this was too successful, but I learnt a lot more about the program by just using the tools a little differently and trying something new.

Aesthetics: Grimes

So far the two pieces of initial concept art I've done have been in my own style of drawing as well as the way I use Photoshop. I hope to soon move onto to experimenting with knowledge I've gained from looking into new artists and try out some new styles that could lend themselves to progressing the style of 'The Birds' project.

GRIMES

Grimes is an alternative singer and artist, but for this piece of research I'll only be focusing on her drawn artwork.
With an art style that looks like japanese cartoon crossed with realistic ink and paint mediums, Grimes aesthetic is truly unique. Often finding beauty in characters that could otherwise be deemed quite freaky, I love how every detail down to the proportions and animals chosen are slightly obscure or warped.
The mediums used I believe is probably a software such as Photoshop, but the digital brushes are very select in mimicking brush strokes, ink pens, or even black marker (middle image) which I really like! This method of digital painting is hardly new, but the cartoon-like style gives a new look to traditional looking mediums.
The colour schemes are also a feature I really like; Often sticking to pastel shades or a plain black and white theme, all with quite heavy contrasts throughout the piece.
Grimes work inspires me to experiment with the unexpected, create monsters from animals, test out weird proportions and perhaps even incorporate different cultures and languages into the designs too!