Assignments

Art Show Instructions

Each student will be participating in the upcoming art show in Fox on the 3rd floor, April 18 - 24. Please bring to the next class the following:

- 2 pieces from the class, one environment-themed, and the other character-themed

Both pieces should be in the same format (horizontal or vertical), and should be good quality prints on 11 x 17 paper. 

Please bring extra clear thumbtacks just in case we need them. 

Also bring a marker or thick pen of some sort with which to write your name and the name of your world on a label. If you want to print your own labels before-hand, that would be fine too.

DON'T FORGET!

Assignment #6: "Main Characters"

You will be designing 2 main characters from your world. these can be heroes, politicians, important monsters, villians, notorious criminals, wealthy benefactors, the wise old soothsayer that lives in the hills, whatever, as long as they reflect the world you are creating, so no visitors from another planet.

Due April 11th:
1. 15 thumbnail sketches of each of the two main characters (30 total)

Due April 18th:
1. Both characters finished in color with detail callouts (Textures, patterns, accesories, with some items being direct references of something from your world)

Due April 25th:
1. Any one of your characters IN an environment / doing something interesting. Full color concept illustration.

Assignment #5: "Common Characters / Citizens"


For our first character designs, we are going to explore the people or creatures that are commonly found in your world, whether they be the typical villagers and citizens, or the majority creature/animal found in your world. 

The first part is to do visual research. I want at least 2 pages of visual research, at least 6 images per page. If you are doing villagers or common folk, then I want to see some costuming images. If you are doing animals/creatures, then images of real-worl animals that might help to influence and inspire your designs

The second part is to do 20 thumbnail sketches. I don't want the same design drawn from 20 different angles, or in 20 different poses, I want to see you experiment with different designs. Play around with wacky ideas, or try different combinations of things. PLEASE NUMBER EACH SKETCH!!!

The last part will be to create a detailed, finished color illustration of at least 3 of your commonfolk/fauna - each in a row on the same image, with a shadow on the ground and no background.

Due on March 28th:
1. 2 pages of visual research, 6 images per page
2. 20 thumbnail sketches of different designs. NUMBER EACH SKETCH!

Due on April 4th:
1. Finished color concept of 3 commonfolk/fauna in one image. (see examples below)





Assignment #4: "Production Drawings"
I want you guys to do 8 production drawings of various objects that will serve as decor in your world.

You can approach this in one of several ways:

1. Choose one of the environment pieces you have done so far and break it down into its parts. So for insteance, if your piece is the Boss's Office, then you woudl do a production drawing of the chair, the desk, the potted plant in the corner, the computer on the desk, the thelephone, etc., etc. Place emphasis on the most important items

2. You can choose several objects that are important or common in all parts of your world, even if they are not all featured in a particular piece you have done already, though it might be nice if a few of them are either seen or implied in one of the pieces you have done so far.

3. You could also do flora and fauna, as long as it does not focus on anything that is too unique to the world, like one particular resue dog, or whatever. If you do flora and fauna it should be the common stuff, or the things that make your world diverse and interesting. So, for example, if my fantasy world was New York City, then my fauna would be: rats, mice, squirrels, roaches, pigeons, seagulls, little dogs in sweaters, and bats...

Here are the rules:

- Drawings must be schematic, and should attempt to show AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE. They should not be rough or sketchy or in shadow.

- Give each separate drawing room to breathe. Don't crowd your "canvas".

- drawings must be ISOMETRIC (or modified isometric w/ perspective), or an elevation drawing (straight-on front view, best for building facades, vehicles, etc)

- These can be in color OR grayscale, but be sure that whatever you choose, your details and textures are crisp and readable.

- Any medium is fine. Pencil, pen and ink, digital, etc.

- These are due the week after Spring Break, Monday the 21st, AT THE END of class. You will be working on these in class and will turn them in when the class is over.

Here are some examples:


If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at: sean@seanandrewmurray.com



Assignment #3: "Nooks and Crannies"

Sticking with environments for now, the next assignment will be to complete 2 environment concepts (color OR black and white) of less outwardly visible areas, I.E.: the inside of a shop or cafe, a grove of trees in the forest where the Magical Fox sleeps, an alleyway, a dungeon, the bridge of the ship, etc.

Think of it like this: your "movie" about your fantasy world starts with the widest shot possible: the map, then it cuts to a shot that's a little closer (the last piece you did, "establishing shot"), now we cut to a shot that is down on the street of our city or whatever. That's what you want to shoot for with these shots. If you need examples, please e-mail me, I will also try to post links to example images.

Due on February 21st:
1. Final edits to your "establishing shot" concept piece
2. TEN (10) ROUGH SKETCHES for your "nooks and crannies" pieces. They should not be the same 10 places, they should be 10 sketches of 10 possible different locations. These should be rough, but they should also be readable.

Due on February 28th:
1. 1 of 2 Final "Nooks and Crannies" Pieces

Due on March 7th:
2. 2 of 2 Final "Nooks and Crannies" Pieces


Here are some exampels of some good "Nooks and Crannies" (or secondary environment) concept pieces. These represent the kind of "feel" your pieces should have in terms of eye-level, level of information presented, etc. Once again, be sure to keep figures to a minimum in these pieces, unless they are being used to indicate a densly populated area, but even then stick to simple forms for reference only, no specific details on characters yet! That will come, I promise!

Artist: Camille Kuo













Artist: Camille Kuo



















Artist: Camille Kuo

















Artist: Ben Shafer

















Artist: Ben Shafer


















Artist: Pete Amachree

















Artist: John Park















Artist: John Park












Artist: Emrah Elmasli
















Assignment #2: Visual Research and "Establishing Shot" Environment Piece

The goal for this first environment concept piece is to create an image that says as much as you can say in one image about the general environment of your world. In other words, think about what photograph someone might decide to use on the cover of a travel book about Paris, or London, or New York City. This piece should have the ENVIRONMENT as the focus, not characters, and should include a "landmark" or "point of interest".

If you include any "people" or "animals", they should be for scale reference only, or to convey an idea such as "A busy marketplace", but do not focus on any character details or specific characters.

Due on February 7th, 2011:
1. AT LEAST 2 pages of visual reference (11x17 pages, each with 4 - 8 reference photos, gathered from the internet or Google Earth as discussed and demonstrated in class) - Completed
2. A sketch (color or B&W) of the Environment shot - Completed

Due on February 14th, 2011:
1. Finished color environment concept - Completed
2. 3 variants of the original piece (or a new but similar piece) showing different lighting/mood/atmosphere - Completed

Assignment #1: MAP and SYNOPSIS of an Imaginary World

Your first assignment for Advanced Concept Art is to:
1. Create a map for the imaginary world that you will be creating for this class.
2. Write a short (no more than one page) description of the world.

Due: Januray 31, 2011   -   Completed