April– July 2018 Wk6 : layout, perspective and AKIRA

As we will be looking at layout and perspective, I thought it's high time we made a return to the work of Katsuhiro Otomo. In particular, AKIRA.

Otomo's art is next level stuff. 

PLEASE REMEMBER!
NO CLASS ON TUESDAY 29TH MAY
AS IT IS HALF TERM.

Jan-March 2017. WEEK 3:COMPOSITION / LAYOUT

Following our class discussion of Bruce Pennington's work, here are the developments of the tutorial, inspired by that discussion.

In most cases, before embarking on a drawing that has a number of components and scenery, I produce small , rough layouts.

 For the purpose of this tutorail, I have  kept to rough A4 layouts and crudely shaded the images in photoshop. This is purely due to lack of time due to other work commitments. I intend to produce inked versions some time in the not too distant future. For now though, use this tutorial as a guide only.

In fact, use everythynig I post here or discuss in class as a guide only. 

Always question and find your own solutions when creating your work.

Below are some further explorations into other possible  layouts. 

Here is the layout I chose to  continue with 

Notice the pov is looking up at the floating building , and dwon upon the guy on the dragon, therefore the building is above the horizon line, and the guy on the dragon is below.

Consider the possibilities of how this layout may be developed using tone and lighting.

How would you chose to approach developing this layout?

Below are a couple of suggestions

Are the tonal values in the back gorund too close to the ones in the foreground?

Does this kill the illusion of distance between the forground and background?

By adjusting the density of the background tones, does it help create an illusion of distance?

SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 8

Continuing our look at perspective and layout, the following flip chart sketches , although drawn without any planning, purely spur of the moment, were created to make you think about perspective, layout, ballance and camera angle/point of view (pov).

Clearly all three layouts are using single point perspective but each one has it's own camera angle (point of view) and dynamic.

The forst image uses a high angle , looking down upon the street, showing a lot more of the scene than the other two layouts.

Do you think the layout is alittle unballanced witht he pilot and the alien creature all on the same side?

What would you do to improve it?

Think about eye flow and balance of content.

The second layout is pretty much a straight on , eye level view, showing slightly less scenery and a different ballance of content.

The third layout is a low angle, looking up , with less scenery  and a completely different dynamic.

Do you think this dynamic imporoves the image?

Going back to the rule of thirds grid, discussed in class, lets have a look at how these layouts sit within that format. I have added some loose tone to Identifiy the levels of content.

 How does your eye flow across the image?

What do you notice first?

Does your eye flow from top to bottom , or bottom to top?

.Below are the other two layouts, whith lose tone and how the layout sits within the grid.

SEPT-DEC 2016. WEEK 7

PERSPECTIVE

the art of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other.

"the theory and practice of perspective"

We see perspective in use every day of our lives, probably without taking any real notice, yet when it comes to putting perspective into practice on paper, it can be a stumbling block for many who are learning to art of visual communication. But it needn't be.

In it's simplest form, to use perspective, you need to identify your horizon line and your vanishing point, from which  your picture's perspective lines will all point to.

This would be a single point perspective.

If you were standing in the middle of a road, or rail track (I am not suggesting you do), you would notice the road or rail tracks disappear off into the distance. The point where the track or road disappears is called a vanishing point and it sits on the horizon.

Here is an everyday scene of a road with building either side.

Here is the same scene  and how single point perspective applies to it.

Put more simply, if you were to take  a simple cube, 

this is how it would look  in single point perspective (looking from above/high angle)

Asingle point perspective was used to create the exercise from week 4

http://fantasyartclass.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/sept-dec-2016-week-4-laouyt-and.html

reference material
Anyone who has done Design Technology at school will have come across perspective. If that is not the case here is some more useful  information with regards perspective.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/graphics/drawingformalrev2.shtml

Jan-March 2016 week 4 and 5 NIGHT OF THE DEMON

Continuing on form the previous classes , looking at perspective, lighting and framing, I thought it would be fun to watch  Jacques Tourneur's 1957 horror classic, Night Of The Demon, based on a short story by M. R. James,  as it has great examples of all those things, plus great imagery and, well, it's just plain fun to watch.

I thought it would also provide inspiring imagery for the next project.

A lot can be written and discussed about Night Of The Demon, that it is not actually about demons but rather about writing, and the power of writing and words. We have the written, damning, expose of Karswell's cult, the runes, written on the parchment and also on Stonehenge,. However, I am going to stick to how it relates to what we have discussed in class.  I have not  had any formal training it film study, however, my 30 years as a storyboard artist and my love of film  is what I base the following views on.

The first thing I wanted to bring to your attention was the use of camera angles to suggest the mood and tone of a scene.

  The film opens with Professor Harrington paying a visit to Lufford Hall to plead with Doctor Karswell to call of his curse.

Not as he approaches the gates, a low angle is used  to make the entrance more imposing. Also notice statue on top of the gate pillar. It looks like a lion but look closer.

It could well be a lion but it also looks very similar to the demon which appears later . And what it it holding? Looks like a hand.

Here we have the same location but from a high angle from the other side of the gate, still imposing and , for me at least, a teaser of the beast to come

Hear we have a hight angle of Professor Harrington entering Lufford Hall. The hight angle serves to show the expanse of the main entrance and a clue to the size of the building  but also serves to suggest Professor Harrington as small, and given the nature of the scene, rather powerless against powers bigger  and greater than himself.

High angles are sometimes used to imply being observed by the unseen. "I  wouldn't like to think I'd been followed from my hotel this morning"  remarks Holden  to Karswell .

Another low angle shot of John Holden (played by Dana Andrews) approaching the British Museum. Holden, a man of  science and a sceptic, has a closed mind to the supernatural. His understanding is limited. The British Museum is a wealth of knowledge and information  on  all kinds of things, the explainable and the unexplainable. To me, this is also showing Holden on a journey of learning , about himself and the world around him.

The size of the gates also add to this.

Here is Holden entering a section of the library (again, more reference to writing)

Note the high angle , showing the size of the room and the wealth of learning. Holden, a man of limited learning enters an arena of vast learning.

Ken Adam was the production designer for Night Of The Demon.   The library scene reminds me of  a Ken Adam's set design even though the actual British Museum Library was used.

Ken Adam is known for his set designs for such films as Dr. Strangelove, and the early Bond movies.

Below are Ken Adam's concept art and the final set of The War Room from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

What strikes me most about this film , is the lighting. It's very atmospheric.

Lots of shadows and silhouettes.

Ted Scaife does a great job as director of photography. 

Here are some more examples of the lighting and framing that , for me, sets this film apart.

To go back to my understanding that the film is about writing, the photography for this movie is also, like writing. It is like light writing on dark and dark writing on light.

 It is not by accident you happen to be looking at the couple in this scene (above), you are looking because the lighting commands you to do so. It has been arranged for that reason.

 Study the images below. I love this scene. 

Look how the window frame breaks up the scene. For me, it divides the scene up into small world and big world. The doubting policeman , framed by the lower left pane of glass , suggests small closed world, whereas, the center frame is larger suggesting that these two are part of a bigger understanding, in a world  that is beginning to expand.

Here is a great low angle shot (below).

Karswell, racing into a vast darkness.

So, now we come to the reference material and breakdowns for the drawing.

  Here are some reference shots that may be useful.

This could be one of yours, Richard.

Also, notice the runes on the left . These can be used later in the final drawing.

Here are the breakdowns

Arguably, this drawing could be composed without perspective plotting but I think it is good practice to at least be aware of your horizon line to help you ground the drawing.

Notice the horizon line is roughly two thirds of the page down.

The composition is central.

You can see here I have roughly plotted the steam train and the demon. Very rough line work at this stage to achieve the balance.

Here are some reference shots of steam trains.

This shot is kind of what  I have achieved in the final  drawing. The train in my drawing is not clearly identified. It  is referencing Karswell, "But where does imagination end and reality begin? What is this twilight, this half world of the mind that you profess to know so much about? How can we differentiate between the powers of darkness and the powers of the mind?"

Did the train kill Karswell or was it a demon?

To get the proportions of the train, I had to draw the drain out as it I were to continue drawing, making the basic  detail visible. This created a more realistic shape.

Here are some railway track reference shots. I have not been too technically accurate with mine but just added enough detail to make them look believable.

Ok, so there you have it. I don't want to tell you how to shade it, whether to render it in pencil , ink, markers or paint. I want you to decide. Make it your own. Express yourself  in a style that represents you. Do keep in mind the lessons where we have covered contrast, separating light from dark etc.

Have fun. 

No class next week,15th February, as it is half term. The next class will run on 22nd February.