River Process

Studies were made of cliffs and landscapes commonly occurring in Asiatic landscapes.  From this cliff/lakebed study, it began the idea process which later resulted in a full concept piece. 

A rough concept thumbnail was made utilizing photobashing and loose colour techniques. This was based on the previous thumbnails created and was chosen for higher polish. I tried to replicate the feel of the dense forests found in Asia, as well as using the tree and rock studies created to enhance the piece. Using the critical framework for the research, following the fundamental development techniques to produce pipeline-efficient work.

Higher polish, beginning in greyscale to build values and scale. The 2 headed giant idea was inspired by the original Jack the Giant Killer tale, which features a wide range of humanoid giant concepts, most of which have multiple heads. I tried to create a sense of density and humidity, using the light reflecting from the lake to generate atmospheric mist and spray.

Using the greyscale image as a template, I applied colour via various layer settings and adjustments. This is one of the many ways I can generate images, but I used this method in particular in order to preserve the values and depth necessary to sell the atmosphere. The bridge used in the midground was inspired by traditional Chinese cantilever-style bridges, and was lit particularly to show this.  I tried to lead the viewers eye with this piece, placing the character at the front, leading the eye around the treeline or along the river to the Giant silhouette. A regret of mine here was leaving the giant's figure lesser detailed, as looking back I can see where I might've added additional detail. However, the fog and silhouette adds a certain sense of looming dread, so it works.

Below - Cantilever-Style bridge

Above - A study of some Middle-Eastern ruins for practice, and 2 possible thumbnails for further development based on Asiatic architecture.

World Of Warcraft - Mists Of Pandaria Analysis

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria is the fourth expansion for the MMORPG World of Warcraft.

The new Asian-themed expansion introduced a new land to explore, a new player class and a new playable race, the Pandaren. Every aspect of the expansion is imbued with cultural inspiration from ancient China and Japan, from the Pandaren's Buddhist views and attitudes to the lush landscape of Asiatic rolling hills and willow trees. In order to understand how visual culture can be depicted in this example, character and environment areas have been broken down into key visual factors;

The Pandaren are a race of giant, humanoid Pandas native to Pandaria. They are seen as the game's first neutral race, where a player can choose their allegiance as a Pandaren. The Pandaren lore is influenced greatly by Asian cultures, and this is depicted visually in their armour and costumes, as well as their character traits.  

 Many of the NPC characters tend to wear silk robes and rice farmer hats, or sport hairstyles commonly wore in ancient Asiatic times. The jewellery and accessories adorning the characters are also heavily imbued with Asian culture, often depicting leaf symbols, crafted from Gold and Jade. Both of these materials were commonly used in the crafting of ancient Asiatic armour.

One of the first locations that a Pandaren player will encounter is the Wandering Isle. This lush valley contains many architectural elements which are directly inspired by real-world designs.

Many Asiatic motif's occur here, such as curved roof beams, gold inlay and red decorum. Pandaria features many rolling landscapes, lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains, all elements commonly found in traditionally Asian environments and landscapes.