top-down concept art

[Aether Technician]

Hello internet...I'm new here.

I'm currently working on concept art for an indie mmorpg called Fabled Vale...so...I was going to post it here for critiques and stuff...am I doing this right?


http://www.deviantart.com/download/323008246/junkyard_city_by_kufaz-d5cb6ra.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/323205028/alchemy_city_by_kufaz-d5cfelg.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/323402502/slime_city_by_kufaz-d5cjmyu.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/323996872/shops_by_kufaz-d5cwdl4.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/324385279/forest_by_kufaz-d5d4pa7.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/325384269/youthful_desert_by_kufaz-d5dq43x.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/326656035/fallen_circus_by_kufaz-d5ehder.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/3534710269345902/creatures_01_by_kufaz-d5g3q8r.png

[warre]

I like those top downs.

[Jeff Zugale]

Looks pretty good! For stuff like this, "doing it right" means you're giving the rest of your team enough so that they can build everything and make it look great in-game. So if your modelers are coming back and asking a lot of questions, you might need to get more detailed. If not, and what they build makes the AD and CD happy, you're good to go!

[Aether Technician]

thanks for the imput zugale...but what's AD and CD?

[dpaint]

Yeah, not enough information and breakdowns unless these are just mood shots. Also if they are isometric you need to draw everything at the correct angle otherwise when the modelers do draw it at the correct angle it won't look the same. Also characters and creatures should include turn-arounds for modelers.

[Januz]

The painting style reminds of Bastion, nice stuff! It's kind of hard to get an idea of scale from these pictures, the entrances to the slime houses in Slime city look small in relation to the fences and Alchemy city seems huge in relation to the farms around it. Try adding some characters to it.
Also what's up with the barcodes?

[Aether Technician]

Thanks for the imput everyone! I'll definitly try to work on scale.
I don't know...I like barcodes.

here's a few more:
http://www.deviantart.com/download/327232011/snake_encampment_by_kufaz-d5etpu3.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/328030897/casino_island_by_kufaz-d5fau9d.png

I'm also trying to work on styalized characterters fo rthis project...I'm really not happy with them...any comments or critiques?
http://www.deviantart.com/download/5708673592349981/more_styles_by_kufaz-d5f2qho.png
http://www.deviantart.com/download/810392959743738/characters_by_kufaz-d5gagmu.png
here's some earlier work: [link] (http://www.deviantart.com/download/2399311454805080/styles_by_kufaz-d5e4tgy.png) [link] (http://www.deviantart.com/download/570804864542093/styles_2_by_kufaz-d5eiq9w.png) [link] (http://www.deviantart.com/download/8798284938296770/styles_3_by_kufaz-d5eq7kc.png)

[Aether Technician]

Sorry about the repost...I'm sort of new to this and their's a large delay between writing something and it actually being posted (I wrote the second post before the other one showed up)

*edit*
Hm...and now it's pretty much instantaneous. The other ones took a day or two to post.
Is it because I didn't embed any pictures or did the site fix something?

[Januz]

I think there were rules for new users (an admin had to approve your post), but they went away after a few posts.
Like the snake camp, although the green looks a bit muddy. Not sure if that's the intention, it seems to contradict the violet glow a bit.

About the chars, I think the head is what's killing it for me. It's not big/cute enough to be chibi, but too big to be normal. It seems you don't have a completely clear idea of where you want to go with the style. Try researching and gathering some references, study them to see what elements of their style you want to use.

[Aether Technician]

Yah...I wasn't really happy with the colors for the snake encampment...I tried a contrast boost but it didn't help much...infact I think it made it worse.
and thanks for the input on the characters...they definitely need some work.

Here's another top-down. As always, criticism is appreciated.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/5125836115439423/underground_by_kufaz-d5gmvjt.png

[Aether Technician]

and here's another.
Critiques?
http://www.deviantart.com/download/1234135583667084/swamp_by_kufaz-d5h4bhs.png

[Aether Technician]

I tried some more interiors...but I kinda suck at them. Any suggestions on how I could make them better?
1605794

[Aether Technician]

Here's some random items for the game...
critiques are welcome.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/3876266971313395/objects_by_kufaz-d5i4sab.png

[Aether Technician]

Another interior. Anyone there? Seems like the forum's been pretty dead lately...
Critiques are appreciated.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/4794923767340370/casino_by_kufaz-d5iyred.png

[Januz]

Hey, nice to see you're still on this. The items looks nice, but they're not in isometric perspective. It'd be nice to see how they fit. Also, I like the way you painted that wood texture in the tree.

On the last enviro, is it a casino kind of place or a carnival? It's not exactly clear how to get to the second floor either. I like the idea of the hanging lights, I'd try darkening the scene a bit and making them more evident, and maybe give them colors.
The lamp thing on the right looks out of place, I'd remove it. Liked the face with the monocle too, could be a famous character in that world or something.

Keep up!

[Aether Technician]

Thank you kindly for the feedback.
Yah...it's hard doing things isometrically when you're used to perspective...I suppose I should work on that.
It's the inside of the casino (the outside is somewhere up there^) I didn't think about getting to the second floor...oops. As far as I know (this team isn't great at communicating), I'm doing all of the roughs right now to get the general feel and refining them once they start the actual level design...so the actual floor layout can hopefully be fixed later.

[Aether Technician]

http://www.deviantart.com/download/8417477387820837/orchard_by_kufaz-d5jup2z.png
Here's another quick sketch of a town. This one is supposed to be occupied by slightly mental apple pickers. I'll probably spend a bit more time on this one.
*edit*
I added another detail sketch and added to the town a bit

[Chronic276]

Some nice stuff here, keep it up. I'll be watching you!

[Aether Technician]

Sorry for the lack of updates...I've been kinda busy.
Here's another interior. This is the inside of the big building in the second concept I posted.
1625707
I'm getting a bit more comfortable with interiors...but It's still not great.
Critiques are always appreciated.

[Aether Technician]

Here's a shop-tent. This structure will be repeated throughout the world...so it needs to be visually distinct. Any feedback is appreciated.
1627014

[Aether Technician]

This goes with the tent. It's just a sign, but again, it needs to be visually differentiated from other signs.
1627882

[Aether Technician]

Another top-down.
this is a mining community in a canyon.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/617586791496724/lost_canyon_by_kufaz-d5kp4xj.png

[Aether Technician]

Another underground area.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/5246298271068372/sewer_by_kufaz-d5l4vyz.png

[Aether Technician]

this one connects to the fallen circus.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/7797676170952619/clown_refuge_by_kufaz-d5ld6q4.png

*EDIT*

I livestreamed this one. Watch me toil!
[link] (http://www.twitch.tv/theaethertechnician/b/340839179)

[Aether Technician]

Here's another.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/7588921071943828/hideout_by_kufaz-d5ltmb8.png

[heavenwill]

I love the Casino Island :D
The style is interesting but you could push more on the rendering

[Aether Technician]

Thanks! I usually don't spend as much time as I probably should on these...I'll try to work on the rendering.

[TypH]

the Casino Island is pretty awesome, great stuff so far!

[Aether Technician]

and another. yah...I didn't exactly push the rendering on this one...maybe next time.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/1632976542508695/boats_by_kufaz-d5nfgrp.png

thanks for the comments n stuff!

[Aether Technician]

Another one. I rendered this one out a little bit more.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/7394853194480297/arena_by_kufaz-d5mzlnv.png

[Aether Technician]

Thanks! I'll try. I usually only spend about 2 hours on these...so perhaps I should work a bit longer on them.
Images didn't load :(

[Aether Technician]

More interiors. These are for the boat...village...thing.
http://www.deviantart.com/download/1679262898407411/boat_interiors_by_kufaz-d5nrwj8.png

[Aether Technician]

a few creature thumbnails. meh.
1677644

[Aether Technician]

The project is alive! Yay!
1710815

[timmyhol]

Hi,

These are really cool, you've produced a really great amount of work too! I love the design of some the building and the imagination you put into your work, I think you've got a really good balance between fantastical and believable.
I agree with some of the comments that if these images are to be passed onto an artist to model then they need a bit more detail and clarity. I'm lucky in that I sit next to a really great 3d artist - due to time limitations I haven't been able to do the turn arounds and breakdowns I would normally try and provide - however because he sits next to me and is really experienced he has been able to do a great job with sometimes less than perfect images. If your sending these off to someone or don't have the opportunity to work with them all day its worth bearing in mind the extra details you may need to provide.
I think that for me, you could push colour and lighting a bit more - they are such powerful tools in creating mood and you have some really dramatic environments to work with I would love to see you add a bit more drama into them.
Do you paint grey scale and then colour? I only ask as the images seem a little de-saturated to my eye. This is a very subjective issue as I'm sure a lot of people might find my images a bit far the other way - however if you have a desaturated image you can use a single or small palette of colour to really make a subject 'pop'. To do this though the colour has to be really clean - I describe it this way because if I was using real paint and white gets into the mix or I over mix it can get 'muddy' that is to say that the purity of the pigment coming from the tube is being eroded so the paint looses its impact. In photoshop this is much easier to control as the colours don't mix together. Instead of physically over mixing I think the same effect can happen with the opacity of the paint over another colour - in this case grey or black. I would try and bring out some of the colour to create more contrast in the image and to lead the viewers eye to what you feel is most important. Light should be used in the same way - to guide the eye and add to the mood of the piece.
I like the images where you have chosen a dominante hue - you can see amazing examples of this technique if you look at the colour keys from studios like Pixar and Dreamworks.
Dominante colour hues in an image is something I really like - see how far you can push that and how you can use complimentary colour to accent certain things in your image.

Overall though I really like what you are doing - keep it up!

All the best

Tim

[Aether Technician]

Wow! thanks for the post!
I do them all in color from the beginning...but yah, I really should add some more saturation...It's pretty easy for me to slip into a muted color palette unless I'm consciously trying to add some whimsy. Fortunately, these are for a 2D game, and the maps aren't going to be used as-is...they're more for getting the mood and some architectural bits down. But! that's no excuse. I definitely need to learn how to make good turnarounds and add enough detail for 3D eventually.

I love you're work too!

[Rinu]

There are some pretty cool ideas in there! I love that sofa golem!

Some of the top-down images could benefit a little from a grid layer that you paint on, just to give you some guide for the perspective. And in some pictures you could use "temp layers", where you paint with big brushes and erase away what you dont need. The shadows on the ground on the youthful desert could be a lot cleaner using this technique. Generally it's good to use the biggest brushes possible to get the general picture right without getting lost in details too early.

On ctrlpaint Matt Kohr talks about this often, i can definitely recommend the photoshop rendering series from the store, but also in the free videos you'll learn a lot about this.

Keep up with that stuff, I'm looking forward to see more of this.

[Aether Technician]

Thanks! I'll try to use that grid method if I do anymore maps. I usually avoid using layers but yah...I should probably learn to use some digital tricks like that.