2D Concepting and Technologies

2D evaluation 

I initially set my focus on silhouetting and different forms of silhouetting because I was interested in the visual aesthetic of silhouettes. I stated how the silhouette could change the background by having features relating to the main character to make them stand out more. I also researched silhouettes with lots of colour and added this to my concept’s outline to begin a contrast since the character of the silhouette metamorphosis in the show, with the contrast also foreshadowing the character’s change. I also thought of adding a silhouette shadow to the concept and making the shadow distorted using a soft rounded brush. Additionally, I looked at silhouette art where the main character was in a reverse silhouette of themselves which could be adapted into the artwork.  

We had tutorial weeks where we looked at silhouetting, colour theory, shape theory and drawing techniques which were all considered and repurposed for the creation of the concept sheets. This helped with the creation of the concepts as it improved my skills to be able to create a more detailed concept for the project.  

For shape theory, we learnt about how different shapes affect our view on things. Triangles are usually seen as dangerous and are related to pain and danger as triangles are usually sharp and pointy. Examples of places where triangles are used with shape theory would be danger signs in real life. Additionally, colour theory is also used in these with the signs being majorly yellow as yellow is the easiest colour to see. Contrastingly, circles are usually seen as friendly and harmless as circles lack sharp edges usually so cause less harm than other shapes. An example of circles being used with shape theory is Morty from Rick and Morty, and Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Both Morty and Peter have circular heads that make them look more comedic, since comedy is a genre in both series. This cleverly uses shape theory to make the cartoons more humorous as intended. It also allows the audience to acknowledge that the characters are friendly with this feature also being implemented when the series is set in Freddie Krueger’s nightmare where they befriend him, with shape theory being cleverly used to make Freddie look more humorous whilst foreshadowing them befriending him to escape their dream. Rectangles are also used in shape theory as a neutral force. A distinct example of rectangles being used in shape theory is the map shipment from Call of Duty because the containers in shipment are all rectangular. This is done purposefully as the map is exceedingly small and enemies can spawn anywhere so the rectangular neutral boxes make it more ominous to predict where an enemy could be. 

For colour theory, we researched distinct colour schemes such as warm and cold colours, complementary and hue. Complementary colours, such as red and green, go together to provide an even ground between hot and cold colours, allowing the image to feel calm with not hot or cold colour being overwhelmed. For warm and cold colours, the colours are used to make the image feel warmer / colder and can be used to promote seasonal changes, as seen in the videogame Firewatch. In Firewatch, the background of the game changes over time as the ranger goes from season to season. This could have been adapted into the concept by having the background change to cold and warm colours depending on the mood and time the concept is based on. In Outlast, the visuals are usually made of cold colours as the main theme of Outlast is horror and these colours help to build anticipation for the player. This could have been illustrated in my concepts by having cold colours make up the image since the theme of horror would have been reinforced with this change. 

With silhouetting being the focus of the concepts, I experimented with this style and combined it with colour theory to create concepts that could be interpreted ambiguously. I did this to make the concepts have many ways that they could be viewed, creating a more open view to analyzing them. For the background effects, I also used silhouetting to create shadows and reverse silhouette effects that exaggerated the main character’s focus. For the silhouetting tutorial weeks, I looked at cottages and skyscrapers and created a first silhouette of them which I then adapted into other silhouettes by adding details to create a new structure. For the concepts, I considered adding details to the silhouettes to create a new image of the character. For example, I wanted to add barbed wire onto a silhouette as it would emphasize the character’s evil nature. I could have also removed the bat from the character to diminish the character’s personality and combine this with a warm colour for the outline or silhouette to improve the idea the character will metamorphosis in the future.

My research was based on other artworks that had similar silhouetting styles which allowed me to develop an idea of what my silhouette should look like. I looked at other concepts of silhouettes as well as different art styles such as horror (dark colours), realism and pixel art which allowed me to have a selection of styles to choose from to make concept sheets from which could then be adapted into my final concept. The horror and realism themes appealed to me and were both adapted into the concepts and final design by having dark colours for the main silhouettes and lots of colour for outlines and details.  

As for the result, I feel that I did not use my time wisely and produced my final concept to a lower quality then expected that could have been improved. However, the concept sheets endured lots of distinctive styles and themes in this time that allowed me to view lots of unique features which were all considered and adapted into my final concept. The final concepts also promoted colour theory, drawing techniques and silhouetting which will be beneficial for future projects. 

My time management was ineffective and caused the design to fall off schedule. This meant that the concepts were slightly rushed but were all decent quality. If I redid the project, I would have started on the concept sheets sooner and planned my time management, which I will look to do in future projects. As for issues, the method I approached silhouetting with was more time intensive when creating details which also caused my time management some issues. Next time, I will avoid creating details on concept sheets to save time for the final concept to have more details instead. I did not have many problems with Photoshop as the interface was easily interactable, but the lasso tools did not like the lighting in some areas and caused it to pick up the background as the character, causing it to select both at the same time during the production.  

If this project were to be done again, I would take the opportunity to start on the mind maps and mood boards earlier as well as the concept sheets. This would make time management easier by having parts of the projects done earlier and leaving fewer jobs to complete with more time to complete them. Additionally, I would add more detail into my sheets with more characters involved and experiment with different drawing techniques to make extra silhouettes that are more cartoonish or even remove the silhouettes and create a cartoonish theme of the original characters.  

In the first initial concept sheet, I experimented with assorted colours for the outline of the character which were all influenced by the colour theory. The outline was set as red to emphasize the character was the villain of the scene. However, the character changes over time in the series into a hero and I considered having a concept of the character with green and red contrasting colours to foreshadow the experience they will pursue. In another concept, the aura was orange / yellow since the silhouette was from a scene where the character first appears to catalyze. The yellow / orange outline allows the audience to identify that the character may be neutral but could change in the future, using colour theory to approve these ideas as well as implementing foreshadowing into the design and promoting storytelling features. The details of the character also had their own concept as I was unsure whether to accommodate many details into the final concept as the added details may not have looked aesthetically pleasing on a silhouette. 

I chose the 4 concepts for the final concept because of the visual aesthetics and details made on them. For the concept with the double silhouette, I liked the idea of a quote added to the silhouette to expose the audience to the reality that the character has changed in an inordinate amount, whilst the double silhouette shows there were two different sides to him at one point in time. For the orange outline with a double shadow effect, I chose this because it could be interpreted as it is the turning point of his story so the double shadow could reflect his past fading away as he proceeds with the new lifestyle, he has fallen in. I chose the red outline with a green, low-opacity silhouette as it is like the previous one but with a contrast since it could be annotated to be the new character falling back into his old, friendly self as he realizes his mistakes, with the green silhouette being brought out slowly as he changes.   

I experimented with the reverse silhouette as it could be interpreted in many ways, making it ambiguous and uncertain. The main way the silhouette could be interpreted is that the foreground, the old, untarnished, character has done crimes that are unforgivable, causing the old image to disappear and expose the audience to the mercilessness that he possesses. This is acknowledgeable as the old image as been fractured and remade into this new, horrifying image that would make the viewers see him as a broken individual that, like an oyster can give a pearl, he could be aided and give the audience a great character to like rather than despise. 

For other concept ideas, I planned to experiment with similar silhouettes by adding detail colours such as the barbed wire on the bat being grey with the possibility of having a red hue on the bat’s wire to signify that it had been used recently, which would have informed the viewer that the character was usually using this bat to cause pain onto others, highlighting his evil nature. To create storytelling elements within the design, I have thought of adding a background with people who look emotionally distraught to suggest that the main character causes lots of distress wherever he goes, promoting the idea that he is a character the audience would not like initially.