INTRO
I’ve got so much going on with my content these days, I find it hard to sit down and just make original art that isn’t part of a series, a game asset, or tutorial. Yet, it’s so important to continue making art for art’s sake to stay connected to the deeper purpose of human expression, and grow technically, but more so spiritually. So without further ado, my first major piece of the year.
CONCEPT
It had been a while since I did anything outside the usual 'minis' series, and I was up for just about anything. As customary, I first scribbled a handful of thumbnail concepts to narrow the endless images scattering through my head.
A figure on a rooftop, overlooking a ruined titan partially swallowed up in vegetation. The general idea and composition was there in the chatter. A return to a similar concept I had dabbled with in one of my favorite pieces from several years ago called Brain Spill, which you can still see gracing the banner art on several of my social sites. I was tickled to venture back to this surreal setting.
PIXEL Start
In my first pixel iteration, I opted for a more natural setting, replacing the rooftop with cliffs, and removing buildings from the valley. I felt this puts more emphasis on the giant, and the contrast with the natural environment makes it more surreal and mysterious.
I like the expression of the first version of the giant, but the movement and form wasn't quite flowing with the composition the way I wanted. I was using a reference I found online, and was struggling to adapt my own modifications. It's always good to use references, but I don't like to heavily rely on a publicly sourced image if it's a major feature in an original piece. Ultimately, I rigged my phone up on a shelve, set the camera on a timer, and modeled myself to capture the pose. Homemade references are more authentic, and featuring my likeness in the giant actually strengthens the concept. The aforementioned Brain Spill, was also something of a self portrait.
From thereon, it was a mostly a grind with cluster work to gradually refine details. I went with a somewhat abstract style that prominently uses triangles, and simple shapes, while avoiding lots of tiny clusters, dithering, and heavy AA. I think the blend of flowing shapes, and sharp polygons balance each other in shared simplicity, forming a coherent style that gives just enough to read the implied depiction, while preserving the aesthetic of pure form.
COLOR
I started with a fairly natural color palette, but was sure it would change as I went along. Value is the important thing to establish early on, as it effects the forms and composition, while hues can be refined later on with less consequence, so long as you adjust for inherent changes in luminosity. About midway through I had around 24 colors, and I set the objective to narrow it down to 16. Partly, for the challenge, but also for the aesthetic value. 16 is a sweet spot for me. Just enough for about any problem while staying easy to manage. The subtracted colors were not missed.
I scrutinized the palette extensively, and there are several more color iterations that are not included in the process video. Ultimately, I went with a more unnatural palette to play into the mysterious mood of the subject matter. As the view descends in the valley, the warm cliffs rapidly shift to cool desaturated hues, partly effected by the misty atmosphere, but there could also be a supernatural element at play, transforming perception in proximity to the giant.
Process Time-lapse
Time spent is an interesting data point, but I don't like to think much about it while I'm in the process, so I can fully immerse myself in making the best art. Probably spent around 30 hours, from concept to finish. I enjoyed the problem solving, but it was not without some pain. Hope you like it!
Final
Amnesic Valley
180x240px
16 colors
Aseprite