Background blitz [ june 10 - july 1 ] extended

[Daniel Thomas]

Antique
Somewhere in the background there will be hints of something old. It can be in the old Greece or such, or just one or more antiques somewhere laying around. Could be a person also if you like, but try to keep in mind its the backgrounds and not sprites that should have something antique.

Anything AGS can handle are allowed.

Voting will begin around 24th 00.00 if no extensions are requested.

Any question, just drop a PM or in here.

[loominous]

I've encouraged others in the past to show some work in progress pictures, since they're fun to look at, and provide different approaches to painting/drawing, as well as function as sort of pseudo tutorials. I haven't really seen any yet, so here's a small attempt at getting the ball rolling:

Thumbnail stage:


In this stage, I keep the size of the sketches loose and small, about 4 cm wide (bit more than an inch). This allows me to try things quickly, and prohibits me from going into detail, since you can't really make anything out anyway. The focus is on composition and the general feel of it.

I usually do about 15 of these, and if I think some design has some promise, I add values to see how it works out. Some things look great as outlines, but turns out less so when the lighting is added, and vice versa, so even if a design doesn't look all that promising in outlines, I might give it a go with values, as in this case.


(click pic for full size)

The point of this stage is basically to create as many versions of the painting as is needed, until you find one with promise, but with the advantage of only requiring one or two minutes each. In theory, you could skip this stage n go straight to a full blown thing with details, but few have the patience, time n stomach to spend hours on each version, only to discard all but one.

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As for this one, I'll most likely find a new design, as the centre angle on the house, and general design n composition isn't what I was looking for; was thinking a more antique looking house/workshop in the outskirts of a town. The kind of lighting, with small areas of intense light will probably prevail though, so at least that part is more or less set, though I'll have to test it against the new design.

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I'm gonna be posting pretty much everything related to the creation, so as to show all the crappy stuff as well, n not just the gold nuggets. To avoid clogging up the thread n eating up bandwidth, I'm going to resort to small thumbnails of everything but the current sketch.

(Btw, the sketch in the upper right has nothing to do with the background; it's only there because I tend to fill up empty spaces with sketches of the kind, and there would usually be a couple more. They're a nice distraction from the thumbnail sketching and livens up the document. I hate sterile spaces.)

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Some more thumbnails, design sketches, n a font test, for the sign above the large window (yep, that's supposed to be a sign)



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Post thumbnail stage (crappy title, I know)


After I've decided on a thumbnail, I blow it up in size, to at least the double of the intended resolution (think this landed on about 1900x 1300).

(I wasn't very satisfied with this thumbnail in its current state, but I felt compelled to start refining to be sure to finish it in time, and I can hopefully fix it later on, though this is a risky approach. Btw, the reason I picked this view was that it allows us to read the sign, while still not looking at that part of the house straight on).



The point of this huge size is to allow me to paint with rough strokes in the new original size while still appearing detailed when zoomed out to the intended end resolution.

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Now I simply start refining things. Since I'm not content with the composition yet, this is rather risky, but I'm gonna let it turn out in whatever way it does. At least it'll be a house design sketch.



I still focus on the composition n values, though I do some colour tests, by simply adding a layer n setting the blending mode (the small textbox in the upper left of the layer window) to colour, which means that only the colours of the layer will be applied to the layers below, not the values.

A quick colour test.



As the colours are roughly applied, it gets this technicolour look, (which I really like), but I'm going to refine it further at a later point for more of a disney's Robin Hood look.

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With the additional time, I should have some time to make this into a semi decent tutorial.

So, to continue from the latest version, it's on to:

Fixes

This is a stage I reallly hope to avoid, but due to crappy pre planning I'm here.

When I did the thumbnails, I talked about focusing on composition, which to some must've seemed like bs, since I mostly did outlines of the house, and I can only say that I agree, and the composition has suffered for it.

The problem I still have is that composition is very flat. Luckily this isn't all that difficult to fix, especially since I'm working on layers.

So this is the current version (same as above):



To simplify, it looks something like this:



The thought behind this composition is firstly, place the house at a good position, in this case close to the golden ratio, both horizontally n vertically. The golden ration is something like 1.6, which in practise means that it's a bit off center (at number 6 in the pic below):



The house is placed closer towards five since the small wall to the right of it argueably feels like part of the house, which would offset the center much more to the right.

Then it's a matter of the foreground, which is the real culprit in this case. In the current state it does the job of framing the scene and dragging the eye towards the center.



I tend to try to frame it so it creates a sort of rotated square, which should create more dynamic lines than vertical n horizontal lines.

The plants all points towards the house, as to drag the eyes back into the center, so they can be lead around the image. This might seem a bit too constructed, but the nice things with plants is that they grow towards sunny areas. In this case the house area seems to receive the most light (at this time of the day anyway), so there would be a reason for them to grow in this fashion.

Anyway, to the problem with the foreground: in this state what it doesn't do is to create depth by intersecting with other objects. As illustrated below, they're all small isolated islands, detached from each other:



The easiest remedy is simply to reposition the foreground objects, and as in this example, also adding an object (a mailbox):



Now pretty much everything is concealing some other area:



The problem with too many covering objects, and especially if they're bushes n similar is that you can get a sort of stalker view, the impression that the camera is spying on the subject.

I placed these objects in a zig zag order depth wise, which the eye seems to enjoy to follow, plus it makes the intersections more clear.



I think this composition is a bit crowded, so I'm probably going to go with some sparser version

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More foreground added and some perspective stuff

In this one I've added some much needed overlapping (rough) foreground, as well as corrected the wooden frame on the window to look like it's curved around the section, which was very unclear in the previous versions. The distinction between the ground n the house wall is still unclear though, which I think I'll deal with by added more grass n stuff at the bottom of the wall.

It's still a bit flat, with the distance between the house n the foreground being very close, and I'm going to look into some closer foreground objects n objects in general to add some life to the environment.

The stairs were added basically to create a more interesting varied look.

The foreground foliage is in much need of some value variation n detail, but I want to settle their silhouette first.




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Since there aren't really any other entries atm, I'm going to keep the current pics in their larger size for now.

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Hope this might prove interesting to someone.

(I'm going to be out of town as of thursday evening, so I probably won't be able to update this pseudo tutorial until sunday).

Edit: A small comment: one of the benefits of working from small loose thumbnails, which you then increase in size, is that you'll have tons of artifacts, which should really be treated as gold. It's awfully hard to construct randomness, and it's easy to loose it once you start refining, things. When I start refining, I make sure to boost the artifacts of the thumbnail, but try to touch them as little as possible, since even when you boost them by strokes, you start designing. Course, in more stylized styles, this isn't an issue.

[Daniel Thomas]

Really fun to see the progress, loominous..
I Hope some more backgrounds drops by soon from all you other people.

[Andail]

Nice sketches, Loom. I'll see if I can participate with something.

[Daniel Thomas]

A question loominous: The design(like the architecture of the building), do you look much at references or is things you already can see?

[loominous]

A question loominous: The design(like the architecture of the building), do you look much at references or is things you already can see?

Architecture, like most other things, seems based on a quite limited amount of basic ideas. When I observe stuff, I try to distill these, in order to understand them and in a way master them. Sort of like finding mathematical axioms, instead of trying to memorize specific calculations. In the case of architecture, I'm quite ignorant, but I think I know a couple of these underlying ideas by now, and I just combine these into whatever I think might look cool.

In the case of less common things, like old time fonts, I have to do some research, since it's not something you encounter very often these days, but as with architecture, I try to understand the basic patterns, instead of memorizing specific executions. The nice thing is that you can sort of cross breed these ideas, by for instance using a pattern from a font in a bookshelf decoration, so the knowledge you gain by researching one area will boost your entire bank.

I think the most important thing is to try to avoid the first couple of ideas that will pop into your head when you start out, as these will probably be very predictable. As the current design was just that, the first idea that popped into my mind, I was quite weary and wanted to ditch it, but it turned out ok.

[ildu]

Aw! Loominous, your sketches are great and the idea of showing progress is a good one. I'm just sorry, because unfortunately I can't participate this time around . The theme is also awesome - just the right type of thing that get's me excited.

I'd really like to ask for a few days extension so that I could do something after the weekend, but I doubt I'll have the time then either.

Good job! I'd love to see anyone else's progress, too.

[Daniel Thomas]

I dont know if I can give extension, Ill be gone from the 26th june to the 15th july.
I hope there would be some more participants atleast, otherwise I think loominous will get a free win.
(no chanse for hall of fame for me )

[Daniel Thomas]

Ok, no more entries I guess, and Ill be going in two days.. So Ill give the win to loominous and let him take over the blitz.

[loominous]

Might be a bit hasty to call an end to it just yet. I know I tend to submit stuff in the last second.

I'll be updating my pic as I progress this evening.

[Darth Mandarb]

This is something I worked on some time ago ... but I'll post it just so loom isn't the only one in here ('cause I really liked the topic).  Oddly fitting since he taught me the technique I used for the lighting in this image

Inside December's antique shop; downtown London

If it doesn't count, that's cool  I don't mind!  Just wanted to make this topic worth-while!!

[Buckethead]

oh! I remeber the GIP thread of that game! Did it ever come out? 

[TerranRich]

I just convulsed with pleasure at that background, Darth! If I had the money I'd pay you to do the BGs for my game!

[Sam.]

I don't have to! Amulet of Kings did NOT come out, but it is still most definatley in prodution, keep your eyes peeled.

[Andail]

Yeah, I remember that background too, it's quite marvellous.

I don't think we're usually very picky about whether pre-made backgrounds are valid or not. The only gripe I'd have in this case is that a background so detailed could probably not be made during the limited time you had now...but that's rather an academic question, probably. Either way it's a great work.

[loominous]

I think the problem with former works being submitted as entries is that this whole thing turns from being an activity, where the focus is on creation, to basically: "Rank these backgrounds, period" (the idea of ranking artwork kind of sickens me).

Course, one can argue that more entries, regardless of when they were made, means more stuff to look at, which is a nice point.

In any case, I'm gonna submit a version around 00:00 gmt, which will have to count as the final one.

[ildu]

Let's just assume that this blitz isn't over yet. Since zynd is gonna be away for a long time, let's just agree on a good extension. It's too much of a good topic to just close. And we've only got 2 (actually just one) entries so far! I'd really like to enter this if I have the time this week.

[loominous]

Unless we're going to extend it (which I'd be all for), this will have to be my final version:



There are oh so many things I'd want to add n refine, but that's life.

I went with a more open composition, which I like much better, but it reduced the effect of the small lightspots on the house. The walkway n foliage bugs me the most, along with the top window part, and the colouring (or lack of) on the house.

[Daniel Thomas]

Ok, no problem. Ill extend it to the 1st july. But you will have to end it youselves.

[loominous]

Is there a way to make edits appear as new posts or something else that would update the thread as containing new material?

[ildu]

Edits make the thread appear updated (the new posts icon), but they don't raise the thread in the forum index, like bumps do. I don't think there's any way of doing that with edits, at least not for normal users.

[Andail]

Well, I sort of changed my mind, and would agree with Loomy here; including backgrounds made in the past wouldn't really serve the purpose of a creative competition.
It is after all about measuring what you can produce under a limited time and special conditions.
So I'm gonna have to veto Darth's contribution here! Although it's a stunning piece of art!

[Darth Mandarb]

Well, I sort of changed my mind, and would agree with Loomy here; including backgrounds made in the past wouldn't really serve the purpose of a creative competition.
It is after all about measuring what you can produce under a limited time and special conditions.
So I'm gonna have to veto Darth's contribution here! Although it's a stunning piece of art!

Totally agree and understand!  (and thanks for the kind words )

[Neil Dnuma]

I'm not at loominous' technical level, but thought I'd post anyway, since I had an idea for this.

Here's some work-in-progress too. Notice the near-perfection of the first sketch!

And finally:

I could have done more with this, but my hand hurts!

The statue is inspired by this painting by Leonardo. It has fallen off a truck.

[ildu]

Cool . I love the water-color style there. It's not the most diverse pic I've ever seen, but the colors, design and playful nature makes it very pleasant to look at. Reminds me of story book illustrations, where often the imperfections make it all the more memorable.

I hope we get some more entries, though. I most likely won't have time to do anything, but I'm gonna try and at least do something small.

[Neil Dnuma]

Thank you, Ildu Out of laziness I've had a tendency of skipping perspective/shading control lately, and things might end up pretty twisted and inconsistent, as in this pic. It often ends up more suited as a concept, communicating mood/situation... with the added naive charm, not unlike the story book style you mention! I remember staring at the fascinating errors in those old pics too

Yeah, why don't you enter too? Would love to see what you'd be thinking up for this!

[ildu]

Well, I just came up with an idea yesterday, and I've started sketching. I just don't know how much time I can spare for it this week, because of work and other stuff. I might post a sketch soon if I continue with it some.

[Nikolas]

idlu,

Please enter! I'm sure everyone would like to wait. Especially if you post scetches like Neil and Loom did! It would be awesmoe (and of course the thread will be saved )

Guys, it's a low turn out but extremely high quality contest this one! WELL DONE all of you!

[raddicks]

You guys set the bar so high I must admit I felt intimidated, but good competition only makes you try harder!

I am aware of some 'weird' lighting situations (ie: green saturated light against dusty path) this was a late change because I realised walking paths would be worn out and not green (I intended originally for the place to be somewhat viny and amazonian but it was waaaaaay to difficult getting the tree and everything else down!). It's not cleaned up, might make minor edits tomorrow. Need some shut eye -_-

EDIT: fixed it up, added vines... added a bike (Quantum Physics anyone ) will leave it as it is

[Neil Dnuma]

Need much more time, Ildu? I can wait longer (I wanna see your work), but for the sake of the activity, maybe we should try to end this within a few days.

[ildu]

Umm... yeah, the thing is... I haven't actually started yet :S. I started on the sketch of the first idea, but I got a better one, and I haven't started sketching that yet .

Still, I might be able to whip it up for a bit later. Zynd is actually coming back on the 15th, which I remember was the original extension deadline. We don't have to extend it that far, but with only 3 entries so far, we should probably extend it a little.

[Snarky]

Given the extension, it'd be a shame not to enter anything. I'm not done yet, but I thought I'd follow others' example and post the WIP:



Apologies for the in-jokeyness, I was inspired by the cheesy subtitle thread with all the "adventure games are so old-fashioned" slogans. I followed loominous' approach as best I could (I doubt anyone's interested in looking at my crappy sketches, though). Hopefully I'll be able to color it once I get that far.

Edit: I started coloring the image, but it's not coming out so well and the weekend is coming to an end, so I'll let this slightly more polished black and white version stand as my entry:



I think it works OK as a greyscale piece anyway. It has a black-and-white horror movie kind of feel.

And just for the hell of it (and even though I said I wouldn't), here are some of the intermediary steps:



1. Two of the initial sketches (I made about four) as well as a visual reminder list of things to (possibly) put in. How many AGS game references can you spot in the final version?
2. First rough version. I tried to use all those techniques that our experts keep talking about (golden ratio, negative space, fore-, mid- and background objects, diagonals, things overlapping, point of focus, etc.). I'm reasonably happy with it. Criticism is very much appreciated.

[Daniel Thomas]

ok, now im home again.. If anyone need any extensions etc tell me, otherwise ill start the voting in 24h.

[i k a r i]

Snarky you should brighten up your BG because the left part is just darkness in some monitors, like in mine.

I've pasted the image in photoshop to see if there was something else... And there is. I think is a really cool image.

Awesome BGs everyone.

I hope you don't get mad Snarky, just fooling around with this 

[Hudders]

Snarky you should brighten up your BG because the left part is just darkness in some monitors, like in mine.

In which case, you could argue, that it's your monitor that needs adjusting.

I do like your edit though.

I think if it were to be used in a game, the character would have to have a special sprite just for this room, (where they are lit from behind), to make it all tie-in nicely.

[i k a r i]

Snarky you should brighten up your BG because the left part is just darkness in some monitors, like in mine.

In which case, you could argue, that it's your monitor that needs adjusting.

Yes I could, but it happened also in my work  . Is not COMPLETE darkness, I can see a couple of white lines, but that's it. Maybe both monitors need adjusting? 

[Snarky]

I've tried it on four different screens, and it's too bright on three of them and about right on the last one. Maybe it's your eyes.  You're not using CRT monitors, are you?

I would prefer not to make it any lighter, because it's really meant to be quite dark and difficult to make out. If people want to see what's hiding there, they can always have a look at your edit. (Thanks, by the way!) There are still a number of things I'd like to fix about the image (check out the critics lounge thread), but it's really time to start the voting.

[loominous]

Sorry about the delay, I asked zyndikate to hold off the voting until I got home so I could upload the latest version.

Unfortunately I'm still stuck at work, but here's a mockup version I made yesterday, which is the most recent version that I have access to at the moment.



If you strip away the test character and interface it's very close to the latest version.

I'm gonna be home very late (if at all), so if you want to get the voting going, I'd have to use this one as my entry.

(Those hanging thingies on the right is supposed to be some sort of photographs or something, and would be animated, hence their deviant appearance.)

Edit: There are still quite some issues that I would like to deal with, and refinements to be made, which might seem odd due to the exceptionally generous deadline, but as my biggest talent is that of procrastination, I haven't really touched it more than a couple of times.

[Daniel Thomas]

Ok, lets get the votings started!
Ill leave the voting open for about 24h

Voting categories:

Idea - The underlying idea to the background. Doesn't
necessarily have to coincide perfectly with the theme of the
week, just strike you as interesting/amusing/inspiring; a place
you'd really enjoy visiting within a game.

Atmosphere - How well the image manages to evoke a certain feeling or mood.

Design - How well the elements in the image are designed,
such as landscapes, buildings, decorations, clouds, doorknobs,
etc.

Composition - How well the elements in the image work
together/are positioned in relation to each other.

Functionality - How well it would work when adding sprites, i
ncluding appropriate walking distances, a good angle for
character sprites, clever walkway solutions, easily understood
exits, etc.

Technique - How well the ideas are executed in form of
rendering.

Anyone is welcome to vote, and it would be
great if all participants could provide their own.
You don't have to vote in all categories, and
if you provide multiple names in a category,
then please be clear about which one is your pick.

[Pling!]

Idea - Unless the antique element of raddicks' entry are the eyes it is looked at through my vote goes to Snarky

Atmosphere - smirking at the family that has an epiphany while spending its holidays in italy (or any other God-fearing mediterranean country), this enlightened vote goes to Neil

Design - Loominous, you made me fall in love with a mailbox

Composition - this Blitz taught me a lot of it, so this vote duly goes to my favourite composition-teacher Loominous

Functionality - Loominous - clearly defined exits and walkable area

And one last vote for the Loominous-technique

[Hudders]

Idea: Snarky
Atmosphere: Loominous
Design: Loominous
Composition: Loominous
Functionality: Neil
Technique: Loominous

[cobra79]

Same as Hudders:

Idea: Snarky
Atmosphere: Loominous
Design: Loominous
Composition: Loominous
Functionality: Neil
Technique: Loominous

[Neil Dnuma]

Idea - To be honest, I often find the ideas for the blitz entries very standard adventure clichés, endlessly boring stuff. A couple of nice details this time though. Loominous: extremely pretty, but I'd love to see a more exciting subject treated. I give this to Snarky for the cool jokes.
Atmosphere - Loominous obviously. Is your nick related to Andrew Loomis, or also the Luminist style of painting? (or something completely different, what do I know) The light and mist in this piece is what makes me think of the latter. The Loomis connection I'm aware of. I should read those books!
Design - Loominous. Gotta like the house, but the mailbox is the jewel!
Composition - Loominous by miles.
Functionality - Loominous. Raddicks with a little more visible ground.
Technique - Loominous. I think Raddicks' piece is a tad too blurry. I believe the image could have turned into something really good with a couple more "drafts" (probably goes for mine too). Snarky: It is good and shows great improvement from other BG's I've seen from you! Keep it up!

[loominous]

Shame there weren't more entries this time around, but the actual entries were very imaginative.

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Idea

Tough one. It's a bit hard to make out what the actual idea of raddick's n Snarky's entries, though in a game scenario where you'd somehow be introduced to the place they'd probably work very well.

I think I'll give it to Dnuma since it introduces a whole scenario which you can't help but to wonder about when you see it. I like it in games when scenes pull you into a context, instead of act like a gallery with merely a bunch of stuff to look at (my own entry would be a prime example of the latter).

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Atmosphere

I like the atmosphere of raddick's entry the most, mostly due to the elements, with a nice restaurant like house with a BBQ n an old big tree.

I guess this might seem more of concern for the design or idea categories, but I think elements just by their mere presence evokes certain moods, plus in this case just the sheer amount of elements. Sterile spaces bother me.

Dnuma's entry on the other hand has this weird, dreamy, thick atmosphere that creeps me out a bit, but I think it's very well done, and gets my vote.

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Design

I think Dnuma have succeeded to create a very nice coherent whole, from the palette to the lonely trees.

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Composition

I think Dnuma's entry has a simple yet effective composition, but I can't help but to think that a more interesting angle could've elevated it very much. On the other hand the straight on high angle might be adding effectively to the interesting atmosphere.

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Snarky on the other hand has clearly made an effort to find a good, interesting composition, and while I think it has some issues, I think in itself it works well in making a quite boring room - pretty much a large box for a room with smaller boxes inside it - into something quite exciting looking.

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Functionality

Snarky, due to the clear walkable area n exit.

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Technique

I think raddick's technique (is it based on a photo in some way?) without the evil smudginess would have worked very well. Another gory photoshop victim.

I think Snarky's lighting is unfortunately a bit of an unhappy mix between noir contrasty, and ambiently lit, which gives an incoherent impression. That aside I think the technique is nicely painterly yet still functional, and would probably work very well.

Again, I think Dnuma's consistent execution in all areas really elevates the whole pic, in a 'more than the sum of its parts' kind of way, and gets my vote in this category as well.


Edit: Neil: can only agree about the subject matter; I was just itching to do a house design n much has suffered for it.

About the name, it's not related to either Loomis (which just turned out as a strange coincidence, though I think my endorsement of his work has been misleadingly inflated), or to the luminism style (which you just introduced me to. Looking briefly at some wiki entries it seem really nice though, even though I'm not all that fond of pure landscapes without any human constructions).

[Daniel Thomas]

ok, ending the voting now and loominous wins with his great awesome background.
Great backgrounds this round, looking forward to the next round and what people will come up with.

Gratz and take it away, loominous!

[ildu]

[Larry David]Ending the voting? What do you mean ending the voting? You think you can end to vote like that, do you? Oh I'm the HOST! I can do anything I want because I'm the HOST. It's not like anyone else wants to vote, right?[/Larry David]

Hmm, I thought was able to do a better impression than that. Yeah, what that meant was that I wanted to vote, but I was putting it off until tonight, and I was surprised voting was closed so early . Ach, I don't mind, but here are my votes anyway:

Idea - Snarky. Cool idea with the AGS items. When you had the b&w thread and I saw the bg first, I didn't really notice the items, but it was cool recognizing them after I found out.
Atmosphere - Neil Dnuma. I think all the entries are quite atmospheric. Loominous and Snarky were very close, but I like Neil's one the most, mood-wise.
Design - Loominous. Yup, very cool stuff.
Composition - Loominous. I was about to vote for Snarky since I saw the composition structured through WIP images, but I guess I gotta give it to Loominous.
Functionality - Neil Dnuma. I'd love to see a game made in this style. It's somehow refreshing from the norm.
Technique - Loominous. Awesome technique as usual. Another contender for the make-a-game-out-of-it grand title.

There! I don't give an ef. You don't know me. You don't know me. Uhh-huh!

[loominous]

Thanks, I'll get the next round up soon!

[Snarky]

Before the thread is closed, I'd like to add my after-the-fact "votes":

Idea: It's tacky, but I'm gonna go with myself. This is the kind of place I like to visit in adventure games, with lots of different objects to inspect and possibly interact with. Close second: loominous for the same reason. (loominous, the idea of my scene is a crypt where AGS characters have been interred, opened hundreds of years later with the old newspaper-under-door trick. The mummy is Roger; his space suit helmet sits on top of his tomb, used as a fishbowl.)
Atmosphere: Neil Dnuma. Love the use of color. Looks very twilighty. It brings me back to the gorgeous palette shifts around dusk in QFG4.
Design: Raddicks. I really like the technique used for the background foliage. Don't care much for the overall blurriness, but good piece otherwise.
Composition: loominous (Great tips on the composition process, BTW! It's what inspired me to enter anything.)
Functionality: loominous. Much as I admire the technique, I often have a hard time imagining loominous's sepia-toned paintings as adventure game backgrounds. The final version with the sprite did a great deal to convince me.
Technique: loominous. Naturally.

It's been fun. Thanks for the votes and kind words. Looking forward to the next round!