Invisible Cities Reflective Statement

The Invisible Cities project has been very enjoyable and very challenging. I was looking forward to the project and I have learnt a massive amount both from the lessons we have had and from working independently and trying to push myself to be as creative as possible.

In my previous digital painting I have always tended towards the same blended finish and I wanted to move away from this and try new things for this project. I am pleased with the difference I see in my painting skill and the way my style is developing. I have made my largest leap in my ability to get what is in my head down in front of me in all of my time making art.

The thing I think that helped me the most in this project was doing my best to always be fully excited about and invested in the work. This really helped me to learn and I will take this with me to future projects.

I started the project working quite well but after the OGR I slowed down a little, this meant that I left too much work for the last week of the project. I do think this impacted the quality of my paintings and my 'Art Of' and I now know that I need to keep a good pace throughout my projects.

I am looking forward to using the knowledge I have gained from the Invisible Cities project throughout the rest of the course.

Invisible Cities Crit Presentation

Invisible Cities 'Art Of'

Final Paintings and Process GIFs

Exterior Establishing Shot

Exterior Low Angle Shot

Interior Establishing Shot

Invisible Cities Research

Tamara Colour Keys

Interior Establishing Shot

Exterior Establishing Shot

Exterior Low Angle Shot

I've added a ledge to the low angle shot and some lights to the exterior establishing shot.

I feel like the interior shot needs more contrast in the foreground and less in the background. Also, I might add more floor space in the middle, shrinking the objects in the foreground a little so they are more to the right of the shot, and lessen the light rays outside of the pillars.

Tamara Comp Test

Low Angle Test

I am quite pleased with this, I would be happy to use this to work off of for my final painting.

Tamara Colour Compositions

Exterior Establishing

Exterior Establishing

Exterior Establishing

Unfinished Exterior Low Angle

I'm going to work on coming up with details for the buildings. I'm struggling a little with the planning of the low angle shot; I'd like to show some of the taller buildings up in the back of the shot, to make sure it looks and feels like a city. I can see that my horizon line is in the wrong place, so I'll work up some more thumbnails trying different angles.

The hunt for inspiration and reference images continues. I've been exploring real and imagined cities and I've found looking at cities in animation, like Townsville, home of the Powerpuff Girls, is quite helpful in terms of layering and composition.

Tamara: Colour Thumbnails and Influence Maps

Tamara

Key Interior and Exterior Thumbnails

Interior Influence Map

Exterior Influence Map

Preliminary Colour Palette

Invisible Cities OGR: Online Greenlight Review

Film Reviews
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari
Metropolis

Maya
Modelling in 3D Software
Block Modelling

Photoshop
Painting Studies and Thumbnail Exercise
Research Exercise
Perspective Exercises

Animation
Morphing Animation

Thumbnails 89-104

Phyllis

89-90

Zirma

91-92

Tamara

(Abstracts)

93-96
(Made using abstracts)

Sophronia

97-100

 Thekla

101-104

Thumbnails 81-88

Moriana

81-84

Octavia

85-88

Thumbnails 67-80

Diomira

67-70

Isidora

71-76

 Leonia

77-80

Thumbnails 53-66

Ersilia and Fedora

53-60

Isaura

61-66

Research Page

Thumbnails 41-52

Zenobia

41-44

Argia

45-52

I much prefer the digital thumbnails and I find it easier to accurately visualise my thoughts when I'm working digitally.

I used a template from the Invisible Cities folder on myUCA for the digital thumbnails.

Thumbnails 33-40

Armilla

33-36

37-40

I used colour pencils to see if it would mean less time spent staring at the page, trying, and sometimes failing, to resist erasing something. I think they sped me up for that reason, also the colours themselves helped me to think of ideas and get them down on paper. I found it easier to move forward from one thumbnail to the next.

Digital Painting and Thumbnails 25-32

These digital paintings and drawings were done in Photoshop on 19th September.

~ 20-25 minutes

~ 40 minutes

I forgot to time myself for the colour study so that's a rough estimate, I'd like to keep track of how long things are taking me in future.

Here are some Invisible Cities thumbnails completed in class.

Baucis

25-28

Esmeralda

29-32

Using the lasso tool in painting wasn't something I'd considered before, I really like the effects it can give and will spend more time exploring it. I'm particularly pleased with thumbnail 32.

Thumbnails 1-24

These were drawn on 18th September. I intend to take better photos of these or at least edit some of them better, but I wanted to put some version of them on here before I post anything else.

Baucis

1

2

3-5

6-10

11-12

Despina

13-16

 Anastasia

17-18

19-20

21-24

Perspective Exercises

One Point Perspective

Two Point Perspective

Three Point Perspective 

I am pleased with how these exercises came out, even though I got confused on one of my one point perspective drawings.

As well as drawing on paper with a ruler, I repeated the exercises freehand in Photoshop. I'm hoping this will help me towards making quick and believable thumbnails. These didn't take very long so I may repeat them sometimes before I start working.

One Point Perspective

Two Point Perspective

Three Point Perspective