So I scrapped everything and started over.
"What? Really?" Said all of my friends and confidants, simultaneously, in solemn voices, like in church. "But the work you've done is so bright, and colorful, and friendly," they said. "But, it fits the project so well," they said. "But I really liked that one you did with the butterfly," they said. And they weren't wrong. Phillip J. Fly is the business. But, the game is driven by three flagship pieces of artwork, and I was skipping steps. The floor, understory, and canopy are the hex tiles that make the rainforest itself. If the forest doesn't feel dynamic, if it feels flat, or contrived, the whole game loses the aesthetic I'm looking for. I want people to see Galapagos as a place of beauty and danger. Inviting, yet frightening and bizarre. Further, the forest levels need thematic ties; solidarity, linking each tile through a single stylistic pulse. It wasn't happening.
First, the shots were composed as rectangles, but they're going to print as hex tiles. This was an oversight on par with, um, filling a hot air balloon with jelly beans. Instead of hot air. I mean, people were pleased, but it didn't work as intended. Nobody ever cried about a hot air balloon full of jelly beans. But, you know, if you're trying to make, like, a regular hot air balloon, then hot air is the correct filling option. [/tangent]. I printed maybe 60-70 adjustments in the hex templates, and all of them looked fine. But fine doesn't mean anything to me. So I downed some comfort-bell-grande, played a little piano, and started fresh. Note: I think everyone was afraid that if I started over I'd forget how to make bright colors. And they were right! I went color blind and started listening to speed metal and the whole game is going to look like shelf at Hot Topic. Is the sarcasm playing well? I can never tell in writing.
Okay, art. So I wish I could say I had this grand epiphany and all the angels came down in jelly bean balloons and guided my paintbrush with their divine wisdom. But I can't say that, because I had to sign a non-disclosure-agreement. No, because it didn't happen. I have no memory of anything clicking. I just practiced and got better. It's boring, but it's what happened. I practiced a bunch and I got better. Three sketches penciled. Three sketches inked. And, I mean it this time, I have final designs for the tiles. They look like this:
Also, my water bill. Oh, I have to pay that. Well, I went through the usual process of coloring, and I'm pretty solid on the forest floor for box art. Let's have a look at it on it's own.
Delightful. And, as box art? With a logo and whatnot?
Yeah. that's the one. I'm not having second thoughts or freaking out or anything. Yup, I'm... okay! Oh, and fans love special edition desktop versions, right? Got that covered, too.
xoxo (CW) Alex.
Posted Monday, Apr 15th 2013 @ 10:56
