3. Sketches
Above are some sketches I did of railroad sketches, which I did in order to understand the style of American train stations. I did some of these sketches in perspective drawing, which is a technique I used on a previous project. These would assist me in order to get some accurate perspective on how to design the railway station for my diorama. It would also help me to understand what sort of detail I could add for when I do eventually create my diorama.
As my main asset for my diorama will be a water tower, I did additional research on them, and using that research, I did a few sketches of water towers. They are different to those in the UK, by size and by the materials used to design them. Through some sketches I did of them, I can come up with what sort of design I could give my water tower and what details I could focus on with it.
3. Layout Ideas
Using basic shapes on Photoshop, I created three different layouts that can represent what my diorama would look like. This first layout idea is the most basic. The yellow block represents the area of my diorama. The red circle represents my asset, which is the water tower, and I used two different colour rectangles to represent the station building and platform, the base idea for my diorama.
I used the same shapes for this layout, but I moved them around to get an idea of a different way the assets could be positioned. Different from my first layout, I added pale orange rectangles around the blocks that represent the station. These intend to be a fencing I could add around the station.
I decided to change some of the shapes around for my third and final layout idea. I made the station building smaller, and I added a fencing line all along the diorama board. It’s a way to add some form of detail, without losing the simplistic design I intend to do for my diorama.
3. Blockouts
Above are some screenshots of a blockout I made for this project, which I created in Maya. I made this so I had a rough idea on what the outlook of my concept art piece could look like, and I can get a visual of how it looks at different points of perspective. Too make it, I used some examples from my layout ideas to come up with this result. I gave each part of the piece its own unique colour, so I know what shape is linked with what.
Above are some updated versions of my blockout. Rather than keep everything straight, I decided to try and make a few assets on the scene appear uneven and curved, in order to make the blockout scene look more realistic for the Western era. I also added a set of train tracks to add to the station environment, so my diorama won’t look like a simple building.
3. Blockout Drawing
Using a screenshot from my blockout, I traced around it to get a visual idea in terms of drawing, of what my diorama could look like. This was a lot easier and quicker to do than constant diorama sketches I did through perspective drawing, which I am still new to trying.
3. Colour Ideas
Above are three examples of colour ideas I did for my piece, using the water tower to test out the colour palettes I chose. I looked back at my Western research, and used the eyedropper tool to copy a colour over to Photoshop, and then, for each base colour I chose, I chose a darker and lighter shade to do some tone practice on the pieces too. Out of the three designs, my personal favorite is the bronze colour palette, because by appearance, it links to how structures like water towers were built back in the day, either from wood or metal.
Above are three more examples of colour ideas and testing. For this set, I decided to use my station building from my blockout drawing, so I had three sets of colour palettes to use for each of these ideas. As with the original colour ideas research, I looked back at my Western research and chose colours using the eyedropper tool on Photoshop, and then found a lighter shade and darker shade of that colour, to work on toning and shading. I am not sure which of the three colour palettes I prefer best. Too chose, I could come up with a way to get other peoples opinions.
3. Art Style Test
An art style I had a go at for a previous project was a style of art used in vintage railway posters. I didn’t use that art style for that project, so I thought I could have a go at attempting it, or having a look at, that style for this project. It involves screen printing, and it goes well with the art style I am aiming for, as I am aiming to try and do as minimal detail as possible. I decided to use the outline for the building for this test, and I did two different colour examples. I did use the outline for my building for assistance in order to get the shape I needed for each colour, but when I finished, I took away the outlines, and I am quite impressed with how it turned out. It did turn out a lot better without the lines. I think all that I need to do, is tidy the lines up, so that they aren’t so wriggly.
Sophie Level 3 Games Dev 2nd Year 