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As an additional piece to go with the Queen character design I wanted to try designing her floating city. Briefly between other work I did a few sketches thinking about compositions that might highlight the fact the city is flying. Using a cyberpunk themed kitbash pack I played around with a design where the whole thing was one interconnected unit, thinking that might be more practical for a flying city. Then I started thinking something inspired by Calatrava's architecture might be more fitting. It's very much that white, curvy future utopia aesthetic and I thought it might make the whole city look like a cloud. I found another kitbash pack with an aesthetic I liked and putting anther model together and even started a paint-over. However while working on the paint-over I found myself wondering if I had actually fully figured out the design I wanted, or if I was just rushing to have something extra to show. So, considering Leo seemed to think I had enough already during last week's review I decided it might be better to leave the rest of this project for another time and focus my energies elsewhere.

3D Assets Used:

Freepik. (2017). Free Photo | Sky-clouds background. [online] Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/sky-clouds-background_1284083.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=1&uuid=6e57e982-2dad-4854-9b80-7d74b57fad3b

city, S. (2023). Sci-fi city Utopian Kitbash Kitbash Asset Pack | 3D model. [online] CGTrader. Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-models/exterior/sci-fi-exterior/sci-fi-city-utopian-kitbash-kitbash-asset-pack

Cgtrader.com. (2025). Low Poly Sci-fi city buildings | CGTrader. [online] Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/items/4052827/download-page

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During the 3D project I started working on a keyframe of the hero fighting a boss battle. This time though I wanted to properly design the boss for it.

I liked the base I had designed in the first part, so I brought a render of it into photoshop, and began by photobashing over it. I decided early on to get rid of the tentacle in the original model as they weren't really aiding the design much, and let the photobashing process help flesh out the design. The photos I ended up finding had some very different local colors. So when I started the paintover I switched my view to dot gray so that colorpicking from the needed values main body as I painted allowed me to make the design more cohesive while I also fixed the lighting of the photos to better match.

I continued to paint, photobash, and adjust until I got something I was happy with. I took a moment to quickly add some seaweed to the creature but I think I prefer it without.

When I first presented Leo had some suggestions to help make the city look a bit more believable, like making sure the buildings weren't all straight up and down. So I decided to scrap the first city and start fresh. I brought in some new 3D models of buildings that were far more disheveled to help. The pack also came with some portions of wrecked ships, and I played around with the idea of changing the setting, but decided I still preferred the idea of a sunken city. While doing this version I also made sure to place everything myself instead of randomizing a city with geometry nodes. This allowed me greater control over the scene and reduced the amount of geometry present, so my computer was able to keep up a bit better. While working on the throne room I figured out how to set lights so they are always pointed at a chosen object which has been a big help in finding the right lighting angle in both these pieces. I also followed a tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2B-x3J0W4I&t=3s) to try adding a school of fish to the scene using particle physics. However my fish would always swim facing straight up in the opposite direction than intended. I was able to fix this by scaling up the whole scene (and moving the camera to compensate) but then the scene would render as a black rectangle. So I decided to leave well enough alone and learn more about those issues another time.

I rendered the scene out keeping it lighter than I needed figuring I could fix that in the paintover, and having more visible would give me more to work with. When working on the boss design I had this scene in mind, and planned forward by posing them for it. So I was able to plop in the image and make some adjustments to better fit the lighting. As I painted I looked for opportunities to make the buildings more believable ruined. I also tried to imply they had coral growing all over them, and added some giant kelp growing in the distance to help sell the scene as being underwater. Even after darkening the scene some I don't feel as though it reads as being nearly as deep as I'd like, but if I think I struck a decent balance that allows the scene to be legible.

3D Assets Used:

Cgtrader.com. (2025). Fish 3D | CGTrader. [online] Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/items/1006368/download-page

Cgtrader.com. (2025). great white shark | CGTrader. [online] Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/items/5036824/download-page [Accessed 12 Jan. 2025].

Tsai, S.. (2024). ArtStation - Kitbash Pack 3D Model: Apocalyptic Environment Vol 1 | Resources. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/POBW0/kitbash-pack-3d-model-apocalyptic-environment-vol-1?utm_source=artstation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homepage&utm_term=marketplace

(plus those moentioned in earlier 3D post)

Photobashing Images:

CC0-Photographers (2017). Free Images : beach, nature, sand, food, insect, seafood, aquatic, fauna, claw, invertebrate, close up, crustacean, legs, marine, creature, macro photography, arthropod, clamp, ocypodidae, decapoda, animal source foods, fiddler crab, dungeness crab, freshwater crab 1920x1280. [online] Pxhere.com. Available at: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1254140?utm_content=shareClip&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pxhere

afternoon_sunlight (2006). Lobster-claw. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/afternoon_sunlight/150053410/in/photostream/.

OAR/National Undersea Research Program (2010). Lobster. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nur01521_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg.

Tracey, S. (2012). Giant Japanese Spider Crab. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_enamel/7475077870/in/photostream/.

Vinzant, C. (2011). Horseshoe Crab. [Photo] Available at: https://oneworldoneocean.com/blog/blue-zoo-horseshoe-crab/.

Monterey Bay Aquarium (2022). Japanese Spider Crab. [online] Montereybayaquarium.org. Available at: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/japanese-spider-crab.

NOAA Photo Library (2010). The ‘charismatic’ deep sea crustacean, Bathynomis giganteus. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/5084202288/.

Gratwicke, B. (n.d.). Giant spider crab Macrocheira kaempferi. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/briangratwicke/6962102856.

Paul (2013). Beach Sand Ripples - PatternPictures. [online] PatternPictures. Available at: https://www.patternpictures.com/beach-sand-ripples/

Maxim Studio (2021). shiny rays reflections in the water . water caustics on black background. Seamless Texture. Light pattern. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/shiny-rays-reflections-water-caustics-on-1951596313.

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In addition to finishing Queen Celeste's character design from Assignment 1 I also wanted to do her throne room, and thought 3D would be helpful for that.

I initially tried just throwing together something very basic in Blender, but something about it wasn't workin for me. So I took to pinterest to get references to help me figure out layouts and camera angles, and did some thumbnails based on my findings. After getting a better idea of what I wanted I went back to Blender to start fresh.

I wanted to have an interesting look to the columns, my idea was either to have them covered in cutouts reveling a golden inner column. That way the'd share some similarities to her arm and crown. So I sought out a tutorial to help me get that effect (https://youtu.be/joVFz2RtwIg?si=zw64f05mlQJnClaM). I also considered a porous aesthetic as though they're made of stone taken from the dying planet her city flies above. For this I followed several tutorials (INSERT), before deciding to go with my first idea.

After I had a model as a base it was just down to the matter of a simple paintover with some photobashing used to add marbling and subtle caustics to the pool (I did add them in 3D the same way I'd done in my sunken city, but didn't like how they looked).

3D Assets Used:

www.hdri-hub.com. (n.d.). HDRI Hub - HDRI Skies Above Clouds for Aviation/Aerospace. [online] Available at: https://www.hdri-hub.com/hdri-skies-aviation-aerospace.

Cgtrader.com. (2025). SWAT Operator | CGTrader. [online] Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/items/4153582/download-page

Photobashing Images:

Sayduang, P. (2016). White and Black Marble. [Photo] Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-and-black-marble-5623224/.

acharris (2025). Water Caustics Compositing Element. [online] 123RF. Available at: https://www.123rf.com/footage_24787406_water-caustics-compositing-element.html

References and Inspiration:

Biskup, K. (2014). Throne Room. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/O9qJ.

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Getting back into the character design from Assignment 1 I decided to try having the character's asymmetrical arm be mechanical instead of just armored. I've been admiring the arms in Cyberpunk 2077 so that was definitely an inspiration.

I wanted the arm to match the elegance of the the character, so while working on a batch of quick designs I tried to take inspiration from Alita: Battle Angel, Steelrising, and a design I found by an artist named Gu Junyi. I also in part took this as an opportunity to get more experience working with a silhouette and iterating on an idea.

While working on the arm designs I realized I should redesign her crown to match. So after narrowing down to my favorites I did a crown design based on each, trying to find opportunities to incorporate shapes to go with the character's sky theme.

Learning about hard surface modeling in ZBrush is something I'm interested in. So after picking an arm/crown combo I watched a couple simple tutorials (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NuBEM8vBcw, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laalZ8wBAjk&t=1s) and started a crude model of the arm. As I was working it became clear that I had a lot more to learn so I decided to table that for now and potentially revisit it if I have extra time before the submission date.

I had a better idea of how to model the crown as I learned a bit of Fusion years ago and was able to remember enough to make something flat. Then I exported into ZBrush to reshape into something that might fit on a face better.

Then I moved on to refining and rendering my original design, this time working photobashing and the 3D crown into my workflow. I tried to take some inspiration from Mitch Mohrhauser's work on Ghost of Tsushima to help keep the the photobashing and painting visually consistent.

Photobashing Images:

West, I. (2009). Elle MacPherson during the new Jaguar XJ launch at the Saatchi Gallery in London. [Photo] Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-jaguar-xj-launch-london-110609689.html?imageid=795F6600-1EC0-4098-9F63-D0F04A49DBCF&p=309286&pn=1&searchId=62995eb82b248f91ea492e6469bf0b93&searchtype=0.

Cohen, A.S. (n.d.). Isa Austen. [Photo] Available at: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5892b66c20099e4425aa2e29/1542584308711-7EQW2CTP8Q3YHGNZY1AN/image-asset.jpeg.

Huffingtonpost.com. (2025). Available at: https://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-06-02-carmen.jpg

Londonskin.com.au. (2025). Available at: https://londonskin.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Crows-feet-stock.jpg.webp

SOLDATOOFF (n.d.). Portrait of a mysterious fifty year old woman with a well-groomed face against a dark background. [AI Generated Image] Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/images/portrait-of-a-mysterious-fifty-year-old-woman-with-a-well-groomed-face-against-a-dark-background/648174974?prev_url=detail.

References and Inspirations:

Junyi, G. (2023). 2023/4/25. Available at: https://gthun.artstation.com/projects/w0PJLX.

Bulgarov, V. (2016). Alita: Battle Angel - ‘Doll’ Body design. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xzV92R.

Artstation.com. (2025). Isaac Hasdenteufel. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/isaachasden

ArtStation. (2024). Mitch Mohrhauser. [online] Available at: https://www.artstation.com/mitchmohrhauser.

Daly, J. (2014). MISC Character Concept Art- Cyberpunk 2077. Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oAdqYq.

Image used for layout:

Etsystatic.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.etsystatic.com/26857962/r/il/a15e5f/4052640270/il_fullxfull.4052640270_jtaz.jpg [Accessed 10 Jan. 2025].

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The two projects I decided work on further for my final are the underwater concepts form the 3D assignment, and the queen from our first assignment.

During the review of my 3D project Leo pointed out that I I had lost some detail in my paintover of the character design, and helped me find the artist Denis Rybchak as an example of balancing detail and a painterly style. So Bringing some of that back, and trying to add more is the first thing I've chosen to tackle. I also wanted to do a back view of the character aided by the 3D model.

While working on these I also took some time to experiment with the idea of adding some areas of a trypophobia texture/rotten flesh, but decided it didn't really add anything to the character. Though I did find that a photo of a crumpet set to a suitable blend mode is a good bases for that effect, so that's fun. I also experimented with the idea of giving the character a tattoo in the style of Maori tamoko. This did feel like it suited the character, though I feel like it'd be best to better research and understand tamoko before going further down that path as I know it's very important to that culture.

The last thing I wanted to do was create a simple layout of images to help clarify the elements of his armor and give a better view of the face. This is something Leo has stressed the importance of, and that I've seen classmates employ to great effect. So it's definitely something I want to get in the habit of.

Photobashing images:

Darkbladeuk.co.uk. (2025). Horizontal Dagger Scabbard. [online] Available at: https://www.darkbladeuk.co.uk/horizontal-dagger-scabbard#gallery-1

(plus those already credited in post about 3D assignment)

Images used for layout:

Mooney, S. (n.d.). Keyhole Sand Dollar. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Keyhole_sand_dollar_01.jpg.

Unknown (2005). Ensis arcuatus. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ensis#/media/File:Ensis-arcuatus.jpg.

G, S. (n.d.). Horseshoe Crab. [Photo] Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/search?dym=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aphoto%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aillustration%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Azip_vector%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Avideo%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Atemplate%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3A3d%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aaudio%5D=0&filters%5Binclude_stock_enterprise%5D=0&filters%5Bis_editorial%5D=0&filters%5Bfree_collection%5D=0&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aimage%5D=1&k=merostomata&order=relevance&search_page=1&search_type=usertyped&acp=&get_facets=0&asset_id=122449008.

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After sitting in on a class where Leo was demonstrating Unreal, and then the tutorial he gave us I decided to play around with it myself. Using some assets i found on Quixel I put together a little desert canyon scene. Not much but a decent start. Definitely a lot more to explore with this software.

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Storyboarding was a really tough assignment for me. Part of that is definitely just that this seemed to be the week where my batteries needed a recharge. I struggled for a while to come up with anything to do for this project. Eventually I settled on doing something involving an idea I had for a dnd campaign (same as the one from the first assignment) of a weapon powered by magic in the user's blood. At first I was thinking something like the animation you might see demonstrating the new perk on a skill tree (I'm playing Cyberpunk 2077 to help with that recharge, so I've been seeing a few of those recently). Instead I decided on something more like a cutscene of a character finding the weapon and figuring out what it does.

I managed to get something rough plotted out before talking to Neal, but then opted just to get his general advise and information on how to do storyboards. I think this was probably a good move as I feel like it really de-mystified some aspects of the process. I also learned that Neal isn't really a fan of storyboarding either, so I feel validated.

In addition to Neals advice something that helped me get moving on my second draft was pulling up posemaniacs.com to help figure out some dynamic poses that helped sell the action, and allowed me to find more interesting camera angles (I'm not sure why I phrased that like a sponsored ad). I feel like there are some spots where I could have added some extra frames to make it more clear but I was trying not to go too far over the limit stated in the brief. Though since I already went over anyway maybe I should have just gone for broke.

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This particular assignment is one I've been looking forward to for a while. 3D is something I've wanted to (and tried) learn to implant into my art for a long time now, especially as I feel it will help me to feel more comfortable with environments. Several years ago I started learning blender through youtube tutorials (starting of course with blender guru's donut) and Udemy courses to help with my concept art. Every time I would start to get comfortable with the software when some horrible part of my brain would convince me I was taking time away from making portfolio pieces so I could apply for open positions. So I'd revert to just using digital painting, which would move slowly thanks to my full time job, then by the time I got back to blender I'd basically need to relearn the basics. So I'm happy to have an assignment specifically telling me and my internal voice of self doubt that I HAVE to be learning 3D (3rd or maybe 4th time's the charm).

The fist thing I did was basically just play around inside blender seeing what I could remember myself. I also pulled up some of my old Blender files and tried to replicate things I'de done in them. Using basic meshes, the A.N.T. addon, nodes, modifiers and other techniques that I was able to scrape some rust off I set up a few basic scenes (apparently I only save the 2 above though).

Something I had played with before that I wanted to play around with was was creating underwater scenes as it allows you to work on creating interesting lighting situations and volumes. I also thought a sunken city might make for a fun bases for an environment piece. So I followed the Max Hay tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX2gOPm5YIA&t=76s) Leo had suggested in class to pull in a section of NYC to start, and used A.N.T. to create a plane with hight variations that would allow some buildings to look more buried than others. I actually originally tried using my old neighborhood on Boston, but it lacked the verticality of NYC which really helps to sell "city." Then I followed a tutorial by CG Geek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxWJqMJdL04) to learn how to ad caustics and make the scene look like it was underwater. Then I decided I needed the buildings to look more run down, so I found some post apocalyptic models online and started adding them in one by one until I started wondering if I could distribute them like sprinkles on a donut and went back to Blender Guru (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLrA6eJOfqk&list=PLjEaoINr3zgEPv5y--4MKpciLaoQYZB1Z&index=6, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWTOy5-e4Ns&list=PLjEaoINr3zgEPv5y--4MKpciLaoQYZB1Z&index=7).

During my tutorial with Neal brought up the point that depending how deep I intended the city to be it might make more sense for there to be less light. So after I played around with the density of of the volume nodes being used, and tried to scale down the caustics to make the whole scene look less like it was a toy in a tub. I also spent some time moving around the model trying to find interesting angles, as it's something I've been trying to work on through the semester. On Neals recommendation I also started watching Nautilus on Prime, to see how they handle light underwater, and take a look at some of their creature designs.

Next I wanted to make sure I spent some of my time learning ZBrush so I started following a beginner's tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzDIxMnZ_Po) demonstrating how to sculpt a demon's bust. While following the tutorial I took liberties, trying to make it my own and come up with something that would fit within the city I was working on. Then I continued pushing the bust further after the tutorial was done. It's a small thing but coming around to the idea of working on my own piece during a tutorial is enormously helpful for me. One of the reasons I always pulled myself away from learning 3D in the past is that I followed lessons so closely that I knew I wasn't making anything original and shouldn't use it for my portfolio.

Now that I had a bust for a character I was starting to like I needed to learn how to make a body. So with the help of yet another tutorial I learned how to make one using zspheres (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3W3cX9hvyA&t=3s). I figured out how to merge the two models myself, and based on some issues I had as I modeled the torso I'll probably need to better learn how to do it in the future.

After I had the model where I liked it (which might be further than is really necessary for concept art, but was helpful for learning), I worked on some different color schemes for the character based on various fish that I sound interesting. Initially I tried using a layer set to color blend mode, then gradient maps, but neither really worked the way I hoped. So I ended up using screen blend mode and doing a quick paintover for each, which is why I just did the face, as it saved time and doing more wasn't strictly necessary.

My personal favorite of the colorways was 1 and friends, family and Neal al confirmed it was one of the strongest. While working on the character model I started figuring out that my concept was basically an underwater soulslike (like One Crab's Treasure, but with a tone closer to a FromSoft game). So the undead quality of 1 felt appropriate. While playing with a few armor designs I quickly settled on the idea of doing something inspired by a combination of pacific islands, and the Lost Boy armor from Hook (a staple for any 90s kid). I then proceeded to continue the paintover adding some small elements of photobashing, and ended up with something i'm rather happy with.

I had decided previously in the project that I wanted to have some large creature looming in the background of the city. In fact that and the city where originally meant to be the whole idea, and I just happened to make a character i liked while following that beginner ZBrush tutorial, and decided to work on that and include it. I just out to make this one a silhouette really, as I was planning to just have it faintly in the background, so I just plotted it out in zspheres. I was originally thinking of a swimming leviathan like creature but played around with something lobster-like and found i liked it. Inspired by The One Reborn from Bloodborne which I recently watched a series of streams of (FromSoft games are too hard for me), I decided to have a humanoid figure coming out of the top, which also solidified the idea for me that this was a boss in the game. I then figured out how to get ZBrush models into Blender and set up some scenes for them.

At this point I was short on time but still wanted to try making a more dynamic scene, and set about reposing the PC. I originally tried a technique using masking and rotation I saw Leo demonstrate while sitting in on his undergrad 3D class, but the sphere that controls rotation and movement was always offset from the selected body part and would couse it to move unpredictably. Leo did address this in that class, but I could not for the life of me remember how. So I looked up how to pose using zspheres (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irnuxmVuF1Y&t=904s) and rather liked that way of doing it. I did not get very far with the paintover of this scene, but it was definitely worth learning how to rig models with zpheres.

3D Assets Used:

Korboleevd. (2022). Post-war Building | 3D model. [online] Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/exterior/house/post-war-building.

Korboleevd. (2021). Post Apocalyptic Skyscraper | 3D model. [online] CGTrader. Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/exterior/skyscraper/post-apocalyptic-skyscraper

Mike1501. (2021). Abandoned Destroyed House overgrown with Evy | 3D model. [online] CGTrader. Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/architectural/other/abandoned-destroyed-house-overgrown-with-evy

tobiasherbers2 (2021). Ruined buildings pack - Free download | 3D model. [online] CGTrader. Available at: https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/exterior/skyscraper/ruined-buildings-pack-free-download

Photobashing Images:

Kübelbeck, A. (2007). Sandollar skelett. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sanddollar_skelett.jpg.

‌rejectedbythissite (2016). Bags Close Up Template Jute - Free photo on Pixabay. [online] Pixabay.com. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/bags-close-up-template-jute-sack-1688588/

James, s (2011). Seaweed. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/59489479@N08/5438906299.

Plant Image Library (2016). Limulus polyphemus. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limulus_polyphemus_(Atlantic_Horseshoe_Crab)_(27256381030).jpg.

Seacoast Sage (n.d.). Vibrant fabric pattern with intricate colorful designs. Available at: https://freerangestock.com/sample/182793/vibrant-fabric-pattern-with-intricate-colorful-designs.jpg.

References and Inspiration:

Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii. (2024). A Guide to the Different Types of Rays in Hawaii - Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii. [online] Available at: https://mantarayadvocates.com/types-of-rays/.

Healley, B. (n.d.). Highfin Lizard fish are deep-sea predators with mouths full of long sharp teeth. Available at: https://images.foxweather.com/static.foxweather.com/www.foxweather.com/content/uploads/2022/12/668/376/liz1.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1.

Young, R. (n.d.). Squid. Available at: https://images.theconversation.com/files/262841/original/file-20190308-150693-xpab44.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&rect=7%2C142%2C1192%2C595&q=45&auto=format&w=1356&h=668&fit=crop.

Swelluk.com. (2022). Available at: https://www.swelluk.com/wp-content/uploads/colourfultrop.jpg [Accessed 12 Jan. 2025].

Reddit.com. (2021). Reddit - Dive into anything. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/squid/comments/r4rmru/i_am_back_and_got_some_more_time_so_as_a_starter/

‌Diveivanov (2018). Bigfin reef squid - night dive in Bali. Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bigfin-reef-squid-night-dive-bali-1159192150

NOAA (2015). Lionfish. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwcmedia/18465854673.

Divernet.com. (2025). Available at: https://divernet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Snailfish-CARD-768x425.jpeg

Wp.com. (2025). Available at: https://i0.wp.com/thestorymonster.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jasen-Fisher-Bogdan-Georghe-Rene-Gonzalez-Jr.-Raushan-Hammond-James-Madio-Adam-McNatt-Isaiah-Robinson-Ahmad-Stoner-Thomas-Tulak-and-Alex-Zuckerman-in-Hook-1991.png?resize=720%2C387&ssl=1

[coreypettengillconceptart]

Going into this week's assignment I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do, but knew I wanted it to be underground. I felt as though that setting would provide a whole heap of shadows and a high degree of control over light sources. I was also pulling inspiration from the mezzotints of Craig McPherson, and his piece "NY Water Tunnel" definitely contributed to the desire to create something underground. So I started out just making some thumbnails, while trying to figure out what direction ta wanted. As I went I was trying to focus on using interesting perspectives. It's something Leo suggested we do, and definitely something I want to work on, since I know perspective isn't my strong suit.

As I worked on the thumbnails I fairly quickly found myself drawn to the idea of some sort of underground cultists' church. I was rewatching "Cabinet of Curiosity" this week and the episode "The Graveyard Rats" was definitely an inspiration, as well as the Mario Bava film Black Sunday (La Maschera del Demonio) which I just rewatched as well. I initially went with layout #, though the perspective was such that while photobashing I was finding it difficult to make things look natural. Feeling behind and wanting to make sure I had a relatively polished piece to show I opted to switch to something more like 5 (which was among the layouts my family said they preferred). I also decided to get rid of the strong, striking light source behind the central statue. Beyond just the utility of controlling light sources, felt this scene being underground made the most sense for the concept, and that large light source felt decidedly above ground. So I moved on with this composition working back and forth with photobashing and painting over starting with a photo that had a similar perspective to the once I wanted. The design of the large central statue came from the photobashing process, finding bits of animals that I found interesting and seeing what fit.

When talking with Neal we focussed mostly on ways to bring more interest to the left of the composition. He suggested moving the statue and illuminated door way, as this would also make the silhouetted character's path more natural. I did try this approach, but felt the place where is started felt more natural to me. So I ended up moving the figure so they are entering from that secondary focal point and no longer need to bang a U-y to get anywhere. I also lightened up the left and added a foreground element, which was another of Neal's suggestions. Though neither of those changes are visibly on my current screen, hopefully they are when this blog gets reviewed. Additionally I changed the previous entryway into a stone staircase to help the scene feel more underground again.

After getting the composition to a place I was happy with I started playing around with color. I was mostly just playing around with trying to create different moods. I was also trying to decide how natural/supernatural the lighting should look. Especially those coming from within the church.

I did those the night before our lecture, and was planning to leave it there and see which color scheme my colleagues preferred. However the next morning I was in the mood to work on it some more, so I picked 5 and started the paint over.

When presenting my work I did learn which color schemes others preferred. Most liked 7 or 8, some voted 6, and only I liked 5. I guess I should have waited after all. Oh well, live and learn.

Photobashing Images:

Gerald, E. (2012). Close up of a Liyle Flying Fox Pteropus scapulatus known as fruit bat hanging upside down with wings folded. [Photo] Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-close-up-of-a-liyle-flying-fox-pteropus-scapulatus-known-as-fruit-47777877.html.

Camp, T. (2021). Dark cave feature with sandy floor, ladder and lone female explorer. [Photo] Available at: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dark-cave-feature-sandy-floor-ladder-1902334987.

MemoryCatcher (2014). Cave Australia Underground - Free photo on Pixabay. [online] Pixabay.com. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/cave-australia-underground-geology-389057/

Orkney, J. (2011). Manx Loaghtan Ram, 2 horns (cropped). [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manx_Loaghtan_Ram,_2_horns_(cropped).jpg.

Farrow, R. (2011). Broch of Mousa - Climbing the stone staircase. [online] @geograph_bi. Available at: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2706519

Public (2017). A stone stairway leading up to the top of a hill. Albania castle ruin. [online] Getarchive.net. Available at: https://timelessmoon.getarchive.net/amp/media/albania-castle-ruin-65e7f6

CC0-Photographers (2017). Free Images : tree, forest, wood, hut, formation, statue, jungle, religion, root, religious, ruins, cambodia, roots, temples, angkor, siem reap, lara croft, indiana jones, woody plant 6000x4000. [online] Pxhere.com. Available at: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1185666

Momentmal (2017). Skull Skeleton Bone - Free photo on Pixabay. [online] Pixabay.com. Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/skull-skeleton-bone-anatomy-3044135/

URBAN (2018). Gothic Ruins (62). [online] PHOTOBASH - High Quality Reference Photos & Masked PNGs for Artists & Creatives. Available at: https://www.photobash.org/urban#/gothic-ruins/

References and Inspiration:

Deyn, K. (2025). x.com. [online] Available at: https://x.com/shortestwitch/status/1413132513900253197 [Accessed 12 Jan. 2025].

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[coreypettengillconceptart]

I started this project like the last, by sketching out some basic ideas based on the many memories that came to mind. I was able to get something down for 3 of those by the time I had my tutorial with Neal. Fishing for crabs at the beach near my grandparents’ house with my sister and 2 of our cousins (1&2). I was starting to reimagine this one as a boss fight in a kids on bikes/Goonies-esque game where the levels are all based on children’s games. With 3&4 I was trying to design a vehicle where the only passenger seats were “the way way back” (the rear facing, fold away seats found in old station wagons). Then the last few were based on the year I had a procedure done on my heart to fix an aspect of the heart condition I was born with. I started off this idea with designs of a robot/cyborg powered by a visible heart. After the procedure my sister and I would jokingly say that I was a cyborg now (a small metal and fabric device was implanted into my heart); and later that year near Halloween I had to wear a heart monitor that at 12 years old I thought was very visible, and told kids at school that it was part of my robot costume. With five I was trying to work in the shape of the device that was implanted, but it didn’t feel like the right direction.

When I went over these Ideas with Neal he gravitated towards the memories tied to my heart procedure. They’re very personal to me and somewhat unique, and I agreed that it was probably the way to go. So, I started working on more robot designs, with a focus on making them look more childlike, since I was 12 at the time. I also started exploring more subtle (less gruesome) ways to represent the heart. I found a design I liked (4), sketched out some ideas for a keyframe based on the day (while wearing the monitor) that my dad and I caught a faint glimpse of the northern lights, to bring more positive, nostalgic vibes into the memory. Then as I was gathering reference and composing something along the lines of 7 I just hit a wall and realized I really didn’t want to do something based on having heart surgery as a preteen. So I went back and started making some character designs based on My sister, cousins, and me. The idea of a game where you play as children fighting their way though larger than life imaginations had kind of charmed me anyway, and felt like it had a better chance to feel "nostalgic."

The first set of designs I felt came out decent considering the cartoony style I was going for isn't how I normally work. 1-4 ended up looking more teenaged than they should so I gave them a second go this time looking for examples of cartoony styled illustrations on pinterest to help. I also tried to make the characters' "weapons" look more like they were beach toys. I wanted one character to have magic, so that honor went to my sister because she's the oldest.

Keeping with the toon style I wanted to do a bit more of a 2 tone approach to rendering. So what I ended up trying was a to add an adjustment layer where I shifted the local colors darker and cooler, then using a layer mask to paint back in the light.

A little while ago I watched a video by the Youtubers/artists Drawfee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuX18Sbtv58&t=722s) where they were experimenting with new mediums and one member (Jacob Andrews) tried making pixel art for the first time. At this stage I was getting inspiration from that video and the look of games of my youth to try that myself. I didn't think I had the time though, so I opted to cheat it using a mosaic filter, though it really didn't have much effect in a mosaic size that was still readable. If I were to continue this project in the final doing actual pixel art would be the way to go. Though I don't know how worthwhile that would be as it's not something I want to explore as part of my development as a concept artist. It's more just something that seems fun at the moment.

The last thing I did before review (honestly mostly because I didn't feel I had much to show) was start to make thumbnails of a possible key frame based on this idea that I could work on if I continue this project. I'm not currently feeling like that will be the case though, as the style I chose for this project isn't really how I generally work, nor is developing that kind of style necessarily a goal I have for this course. Though the rendering technique I tried is definitely something I can find a use for in the future.

References:

Pinimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ad/74/b5/ad74b561169dae577eb28459f3aa745d.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Yoonji Choi (2014). bathman-my shortanimation. [online] Behance. Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/13557469/bathman-my-shortanimation.

TB Choi. Life drawing and doodle , TB Choi. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/1053209062861714695/ [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Leadershipfreak.blog. (2025). Available at: https://leadershipfreak.blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/crab.jpg

[coreypettengillconceptart]

Going into this week’s assignment, “Human/Inhuman,” I was very unsure what I could do for it. During the brief I could see a face forming in my mind; soft, woeful eyes looking out though melting flesh, an experiment gone wrong. BUT, I had gone into this week with the intention of working on an environment. It’s an area of concept art that interests me, but that find myself hesitant about. Back when I was working in oils and mezzotint environments became my go to subject matter, but always from references I had taken myself, then playing with color/light/atmosphere to try to capture a mood. Creating your own landscape/city whole cloth though is a whole other kettle of fish. So, I wasn’t really sure of what I was doing, but started of doing 4 rough thumbnails to help visualize the basic Ideas I had on my mind.

1 being just a simple idea of having a monstrous creature looming over a landscape showing signs of human life. 2 an alien planet colonized and polluted by humans. 3 is an I’ve had rolling around my head for a while of a library/research station located in the liminal space between universes. With 4 I started to think more about the world’s most depressing tongue twister “man’s inhumanity towards man.” Which led me to the idea of an abandoned asylum with the ghoul of a former patient. While working on 4 I decided to plot the composition out with potobashing. It's a technique I have used a little bit in the past, but goes against my instincts as a painter. Most of the time when I works I'll find reference images which probably could work for photobashing, but simply use them as reference and proceed to hand repaint them. So this is definitely a skill I am interested in learning more about, and getting myself more used to implementing.

After speaking with Neal I decided to do more thumbnails based on the ideas I already had, using some potobashing (to varying extents) to help flesh them out. I also used some techniques I've used before like custom shapes in 6 and creating 7's background using a brush set I found years ago. I also tried to find ways to use the lasso too to speed up some blocking in as it's a technique I've seen digital artists use that I struggle with, or just forget to use. In tutorial with Neal he suggested trying to explore more ideas based on the concept behind 4, and I had planned on doing more with ideas of war, and colonization. However while working on 6 I accidentally hit the "close window" shortcut on my keyboard and lost what I had been working on. So after redoing some work and doing what you see of 7 I called it a night feeling pretty displeased with both 6&7. Luckily sometime before getting back to it the next day I remembered some interesting minerals I had seen before that might be interesting to use in 7. The obelisk you can see in 3 & 7 is meant to be a large crystal made up of different types of gemstone that acts as the source of magic throughout a multiverse (originally inspired by a souvenir from Arizona's Petrified Forest). The stone I remembered seeing (I found out after some searching) is a white quartz matrix and often seems to form around other gems, so I thought it could work as an otherworldly landmass for the main crystal to be connected to.

After searching for probably too long for the exact image I remembered seeing before (I found it after the piece was finished) I managed to find a quartz matrix that I thought would work. Though the image I found was form Instagram which I'm not sure is the best source for photobashing images, so If I pick this for one of my final pieces it might be a good idea to redo some with an image from a better source. The "library" found at this location in my mind is something of a headquarters for a quirky/secretive/paranormal organization inspired by others like The Commission (Umbrella Academy), Blue Rose (Twin Peaks), and The FBC (Control). So inspired by The Oldest House in Control I decided to have the main structure use brutalist architecture. Then I thought I'd have the other buildings seen have rather different aesthetics to try and communicate that the people there come form different cultures and timelines.

Images used for photobashing:

Thumbnail 4:

Allthatsinteresting.com. (2025). Available at: https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/destroyed-asylum-hallway.jpg

Mirror.co.uk. (2025). Available at: https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article29292074.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200b/0_PAY-h_MDRUM_Abandoned_Hospital_Scandal_-_5.jpg

Website-files.com. (2025). Available at: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/611681b84bbffb35b316c4ff/6542251581ae2fc0302895f8_jilbert-ebrahimi-pVEcNabAg9o-unsplash-min.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Ytimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xPOK5b0pORs/maxresdefault.jpg

Propitupnow.com. (2025). Medical, Educational & Law. [online] Available at: https://www.propitupnow.com/galleries/medical/content/IMG_5941_large.html

Artinun Prekmoung (2021). Old building covered with green vine and moss. Green creeping plant climbing on wall of house. Eco-friendly building. [online] Dreamstime. Available at: https://www.dreamstime.com/old-building-covered-green-vine-moss-creeping-plant-climbing-wall-house-eco-friendly-facade-decor-ivy-sustainable-image243459279

Pngtree. (2016). Vine PNG Image, Vines Vine, Vine Clipart, Vines, Vine PNG Image For Free Download. [online] Available at: https://pngtree.com/freepng/vines-vine_1254399.html

Thumbnail 5:

De Ro, J. (2015). Porous Rocks. [Photo] Available at: https://www.photobash.org/free#/porous-rocks/.

Multiple images used from set

cleanpng.com. (2025). Abandoned Ruined Building - Unlimited Download. cleanpng.com. [online] Available at: https://www.cleanpng.com/png-turbosquid-building-ruins-3d-computer-graphics-sky-744778/

Postmedia.digital. (2025). Available at: https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/edmonton-alta-september-6-2015-2015-storm-water-pours2.jpeg

Pngegg.com. (2025). Building Ruins, buildings, condominium, skyscraper png | PNGEgg. [online] Available at: https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-zsygf

Getty Images (2023). Aerial view of cement factory with high concrete plant structure and tower cranes at industrial production area at night. Manufacture and global industry concept. [online] Unsplash.com. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/aerial-view-of-cement-factory-with-high-concrete-plant-structure-and-tower-cranes-at-industrial-production-area-at-night-manufacture-and-global-industry-concept--6Xk37IAo0Q

Wikimedia.org. (2025). Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Factory_Emitting_Smoke.jpg

Istockphoto.com. (2025). Available at: https://media.istockphoto.com/id/624723490/photo/retro-toned-picture-of-an-old-oil-pump.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=rj9YRyDtuwZAXyAdbqbuEydeIoPK4BhZS5HJTvQL8YA=

Wrecked Plane. (2016). Available at: FREE (2025). PHOTOBASH - High Quality Reference Photos & Masked PNGs for Artists & Creatives. [online] PHOTOBASH - High Quality Reference Photos & Masked PNGs for Artists & Creatives. Available at: https://www.photobash.org/free#/wrecked-plane/

Multiple images used from set

Thumbnail 6:

Pickpik.com. (2025). Available at: https://i2.pickpik.com/photos/721/405/66/cabin-cottage-lake-refelction-preview.jpg

Thumbnail 7:

Alamy Limited (2025). Exterior view of the Chas. M. Stimson Library, built in 1904 on the Occidental College Highland Park Campus, ca.1908. [online] Alamy.com. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/exterior-view-of-the-chas-m-stimson-library-built-in-1904-on-the-occidental-image66406051.html?imageid=2805D42E-9B25-48A2-966C-0CF3B57020C3&p=199177&pn=1&searchId=a0e3ab96f9508d67d1e05fd76115b03d&searchtype=0

Hill, E. (2007). Sphinx Observatory. [Photo] Available at: By Eric Hill from Boston, MA, USA - Sphinx Observatory, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3919777.

Final:

Hill, E. (2007). Sphinx Observatory. [Photo] Available at: By Eric Hill from Boston, MA, USA - Sphinx Observatory, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3919777.

Instagram. (2020). Quality Minerals on Instagram: "• Tourmaline 🍥🪻 “Not for sale ‘ Aesthetic tri colour tourmaline grown on swirled Albite matrix and smoky Quartz. ~Paprok, Afghanistan 🇦🇫 .PayPal Accepted / Shipping worldwide. #crystals #crystalhealing #crystalsofinstagram #fineminerals #crystalporn #crystalcommunity #crystalcollector #crystaljewelry #gem #gemstones #gemporn #gemstonejewelry #minerals #mineralspecimens #mineralporn #mineralcollection #opals #opal #ethiopia #wirewrappedjewelry #wirewrapping #aquamarine #beryl #usa #tucson #usaminerals’. [online] Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/C38H54RILrd/?img_index=2

Behance.net. (2024). Behance. [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/30017205/Claire-T-Carney-Library-UMass-Dartmouth/modules/193088001

Quinn, M. (2010). Grand Canyon National Park: Desert View Watchtower D4325. [Photo] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/grand_canyon_nps/4690626735.

R‌eferences:

Birkus, V. (2014). View on Lake Louise and mountains from above. Forest and buildings by the lake, blue sky with white clouds, on a summer day. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_on_Lake_Louise_and_mountains_from_above._Forest_and_buildings_by_the_lake,_blue_sky_with_white_clouds,_on_a_summer_day.jpg.

Fastly.net. (2025). Available at: https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/gallery/website/national/regions/northern-ireland/library/carrick-a-rede-rope-bridge-1146625.jpg

Etsy.com. (2025). Unique pretty natural white matrix quartz crystal specimens. [online] Available at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1620986674/unique-pretty-natural-white-matrix?epik=dj0yJnU9czdEVnF4cWh3OUo2V1NXQlM2Mkw3bmpXUjBSZVlnZkgmcD0wJm49RUZjZDgyR3hld2xOVlVVeXN1NzA4QSZ0PUFBQUFBR2NNRGpn

Pinimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/61/15/42/6115428bae147bd7b0dd78ed17a3773a.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Pinimg.com. (2025). Available at: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b3/7f/a6/b37fa66a14c8383a8ddedc7d5e5aeb1a.jpg [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

[coreypettengillconceptart]

During the critique portion of our lecture on Wednesday the designs that seemed to be preferred by the most people where 1, 6, 7 and 10. NOT 12 which I had been thinking about moving forward with. So I took those designs and tried to continue to iterate on top of them a small amount, attempting to mix and match elements from the 4. I did also do a little more with design 12 in this stage. It may not have gotten any votes, but I was attracted enough to it that I felt I should stick with it.

While working on these 6 designs I could feel myself really getting invested in 2 and 6, while I was more going through the motions on the others. So I decided to take those two further and give them a rough render to have something a little more polished to present in class. Though as I'm looking at these designs again now I realize the crown from 3 works better than the one I continued with on six. Hopefully I can find some time to change that before presenting.

When talking with Neal in our tutorial (I had the 6 designs at this point) we again came to the issue that "cruel" was still less than apparent in these designs. I have attempted to work this in a little more through facial expression, and the way she is holding her hand. I've also attempted to sharpen armor elements and increasing the size of the dress' train on design 1 (previously 2), too make it look more like a pool of blood. I did also save versions that add elements to hopefully make that last word more obvious if need be. Though I'd like to see if the class will come by it without showing them.

[coreypettengillconceptart]

For assignment 1 I have settled on the words Elegant, Regal, Cunning, and Cruel. For some time now I have been planning and world building a potential D&D campaign in my head, and there is a particular character from that who brought the words to mind. So for this assignment I will be working on a design of that character who I had named Lady Celeste Rima or The Cloud Queen. My first step in the design process was to begin sketching poses that I felt evoked those words, with the intention of working out costuming on top of the pose sketch once I had chosen one.

During my tutorial with Leo we narrowed sown to poses to a couple options (3&4). We also began discussing the word which I hadn't managed to work into the poses as well as others. Cruel. Something which might be somewhat difficult to work in amongst the other words. Especially with a character I intended to give a cloud/sky based aesthetic, which often uses very different shape language than is generally used for cruel characters. We discussed achieving this through the character's facial expressions, or possibly even a facial covering to communicate an apathy for those around her. Leo also had the very interesting idea of adding some areas of smoke to the costuming, thereby adding menace in a way that might resemble clouds, so I hope to find ways to work that in during my next steps.

After the tutorial session I began working on some outfit designs trying my best to block things into silhouettes as suggested by Leo. I know this practice is quite common in concept art, and as a painter blocking in should come naturally, but I always feel somewhat clumsy doing it. Probably due to my constant urge to start working on details right from the offset. However after making myself do a few I'm getting a touch more comfortable, and can see there place in the concepting process. Though towards the end of this sheet I did do a few designs as sketches in the way I'm more accustomed to, using them also as an opportunity to explore color. I had originally been thinking a simple blue and white palette, but decided to pull colors from sunsets to allow me to bring in some darker, "crueler" colors, like blood red.

As I've been working on these I have found myself drawn to 1, 7, 9, 11 and 12. I have begun refining the sketch for 12, though am moving slowly and plan to see which design I am most drawn to after receiving critique in Wednesday's lecture.

References and Inspirations:

Abcnews.com. (2025). Available at: https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/GTY-Christine-Baranski-MEM-170315_4x5_992.jpg

Shein.co.uk. (2024). Women’s & Men’s Clothing, Shop Online Fashion | SHEIN. [online] Available at: https://www.shein.co.uk/goods-p-22534475.html?goods_id=22534475

Art deco inspired bustier corset top, futuristic costume. (2016). Etsy.com. [online] doi:https://doi.org/1021810226/il_1080xN.1021810226_dl25.

Artstation.com. (2025). Available at: https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/060/909/632/4k/volta-luminous-forspoken-rp2a-tantasila-final-v01.jpg?1679580753

Wmomall.space. (2022). Best Sellers. [online] Available at: https://www.wmomall.space/?path=page/ggitem&ggpid=2003922

thescarletlibrarian (2015). Butt Capes:  Vintage/Couture Edition. [online] Tumblr. Available at: https://www.tumblr.com/thescarletlibrarian/123165903487/butt-capes-vintagecouture-edition

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (n.d.). Woman’s redingote. [Photo] Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman%27s_redingote_c._1790.jpg.

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