On my opening page, I have included three of my artworks from three separate projects to give an overview of my portfolio. All projects have been influenced by the impact of colour.
For my first project, tocreate a design incorporating both typical cowboy costuming and science-fiction elements, I utilised metallic helmets and armour alongside iconic cowboy hats. This was the initial stage of my design process.
Exploration into colour, as well as costuming, was also conducted to find the best colour palette for character 1. I chose a dominant mix of brown hues so that the characters might be able to blend in with desert environments, as well as allowing the blue of the armour to appear more prominent and contrast with the darker colours.
The patterns which were explored on the second character's armour aimed to add a sense of personality and individuality. The orange hue chosen in the margins on the armour is used to contrast with the blue of the bandana. Like character 1, brown hues dominate the design, allowing the lighter shade of the chest armour and helmet to appear more prominently.
Smaller pencil and pen studies of the characters allowed me to gain a better understanding of how they would interact with different objects in an environment, as well as develop a sense of their personalities. The additional digital pieces was to further explore how I could present the characters.
My final pieces for this project show the characters in two different environments. The simplified background allows the focus to remain on the characters, whilst the similar hues allow for a sense of continuity between the pieces. the use of the terminology 'Penumbra" (the lighter outer shadow of the moon) aides in grounding the science-fiction elements of this project due to its links with space.
My main inspiration for this project was Brian Matyas and his work on character design, creating unique and interesting designs for the science-fiction show 'The Mandalorian', as well as another concept artist who works on the show, Nick Gindraux. I wanted to be able to mix the fantastical elements of space and different worlds with the historical elements of the 'Wild West', to create characters which embody this hybrid of genres. By using a range of mediums in the development of my project, it allowed me to explore how I could present the characters more affectively.
Colour was also something which I found that wanted to focus on in this project to convey a sense of the environment to which the characters inhabit. The reds and yellows of the desert, the browns and oranges of the forest and the brown hues of the costuming all are used to indicate a warmer environment.
This smaller project allowed me to explore how I could use line art in my work to create form. This was done through the costuming of the characters and the trees surrounding them. I also challenged myself with this piece by trying to blend my work as little as possible. Inspiration was taken from the artist Mina Sundberg, specifically her use of colour and line art.
Project 3 aimed to create a relationship between the central figure and the plant life surrounding them. Saturated reds and orange hues used in both her clothing and the line art of the plants was used to achieve this, brought together by the background which contrasted with the cooler green hues of the plants.
Project 4 was a tonal portrait of a man in his 60's. The wrinkles and textures of his skin allowed for an interesting and challenging composition.
This smaller project aimed to create a poster for my own superhero, exploring colour and line art. The final design utilises the red and the blue tones to create a sense of duality in the character and their purple colour palette.
This projects aim was to create my own character, exploring expression, rendering and consistency in my work. Experiments in both digital mediums and pencil were conducted before creating the final designs.
