Task 1 - Spider Diagram

For this task the teacher split the class in four groups divided by the theme of the environment, the themes were walled city, forest, urban street and the space settlement. For each of the environments we were tasked to list as many words we could think of that was related to that specific environment setting this could include colors, objects, game references etc. My group which consisted of four people were assigned to make a spider diagram for the space settlement setting and we just listed everything we could think of that was related to that setting. 

Task 2 - Concept boards

This task is a follow up of the previous task and for this task, staying in the same group we were tasked to research the visual versions of the words that we had listed from the previous task and then just collated them in one big colored card. In this task we just printed out the images we had researched and then just glued them onto these really big colored cards that the teacher had provided us.

After we had done the group concept boards we had to make our own but still basing it on the four environment themes in preparation for the final 3D design. For this task I decided to go for the forest instead because fantasy was more of my style, I included many images of woodlands and stayed in the green concept. Some images are reality based while some are more fantastical. 

Task 3 - Initial sketches for environment

The three images below are the three initial sketches that I sketched for my final 3D environment design. For these sketches the storyboard that I made cam in quite handy as I didn't have to think of a setting from nowhere and instead I was able to look at my storyboard and just picked a few elements from each of the images and kind of combined them together. 

For my first sketch I went with a pond accompanied by huge overgrown mushrooms and grass. For my second sketch I just went with a generic trees by the river setting, with different trees on the side and I thought of using a willow tree and a normal bushy tree.

For my final sketch I thought of trying to recreate one of the images that I had on my story board, the image was of a path and then a wooden bridge on the side leading to the other side of the pond that ran beside the path, I wanted to recreate it because I thought the bridge would be quite fun to do. 

Task 4 - Surface and Colour Examples

This task is where I explored different surface and color examples to used for my final 3D environment design. I explored more combinations on top of the other experiments that I did from the unit before this one where I also explored and experimented with different techniques and materials to create physical textures and surfaces. These are only experiments so some might get included in the final design but some might not. 

For this experiment I used multiple colors of acrylic and layered them on top of each other by dabbing it on with a sponge. I was thinking of use this as the forest floor because it looks like a mixture of dead leaves that have fallen from their branches. The image below the first is what inspired me to layer different colors because I thought It was too boring and it needed more dimension. 

For this experiment I reused the technique from experiment one but I added a free drawn bridge on it which was inspired by my one of my initial sketches which I thought I would use for my final design but I change my mind last minute.

For this experiment I was trying to create a texture for tree bark but in obviously more of a fantasy theme because of the colors I used however It didn't really work out and it didn't make it to my final design. The way that I did this experiment was I first picked up some paint with my paintbrush and then painted it using a cris-cross motion, I first did this with one color and then I did the same technique but with a different color which merged the colors creating a new one. I got this technique from one of my experiments from another unit which is the image on the right.

For this experiment I Just simply scrunched up a white piece of tissue paper and then I just glued it to the page and lightly added some water color on top of it, this made it through to my final 3D design as a water texture for my pond. It reminded me of water because of the parts on it that the watercolor couldn't reach making them look like the water ripples. What Inspired me to do this texture was the experiment that I did from my past unit which I basically used the same technique just using different color of the watercolor paint. The image on the right is the experiment from my past unit.

For this experiment I chose two colors of oil pastel and then I just layered them on top each other and then with a scissor I just lightly scratched which then allowed for some of the color from below the one above to show up. I did this experiment thinking I would be able to use it as a texture for tree bark but I changed my mind on what my final design was going to be which didn't include any trees so I wasn't able to use this texture.

For this experiment I dabbed some red acrylic paint onto the page using a sponge and then using bubble wrap with white acrylic paint I stamped it on the page to represent the white dots on a mushroom, I then decided to draw a mushroom outline which I was thinking I could cut it and use it for the mushroom texture/asset. This did not make it to my final design but using the same red base with white dots concept I decided to approach it a different way. What inspired me to use this technique was from one of my experiments from my past unit. 

The image below is from my final 3D design and using the white dots and red base concept I used red tissue paper then I scrunched it up into a disc like shape a crater on the other side, I then stuck it onto the cardboard stem that I made and after the pieces were stuck together I manually dotted on the spots using white acrylic paint. 

For this experiment I first scribbled oil pastel onto the page and then lightly went over it with watercolor, I was thinking of using this for a water texture because I thought I would use the oil pastel as the ripples in the water obviously using white oil pastel instead of blue and then the watercolor as the water. This technique if from one of the experiments that I did for my past unit.

This is the final experiment that I did which is what most of my final 3D design would revolve around on, I thought of using the pop up technique after someone had mentioned it in class and so I thought that I would try this technique in which I then fell in love with the Idea because it worked really well with the 3D concept as it's not just on a piece of paper, it's actually standing and casting a shadow. For this experiment I just did random grass like strokes on a piece of paper using a paintbrush and forest colored acrylic paint like brown and green, then when the paint dried I cut it out using a craft knife leaving some space on the bottom so that I could fold it and paste it down on the environment scene.

Along with the pop up grass hedge as the background I thought that It wouldn't be practical to make a lot of the pop up grass because it would take way too much time painting, drying and then cutting so I thought of using an experiment that I did for the past unit. I did this experiment by doing random strokes using watercolor and basically just cover the whole page and to add this to the background I thought of just gluing it to card that I'm using for the final design. This technique proved really effective when I finished my 3D environment.  

Task 5 - Alternative environments 'flats'

Task 6 - Final 2D design

This is my final 2D design which used as reference to complete my final 3D design. First thing that I did was make creases on the paper to be able to make it stand the way it does and then after I added the creases I laid it flat again and drew my environment on it and once I had finished drawing it I went over it with a fine liner pen then I folded it back to place and put masking tape on some parts so that it wouldn't fold back out.

Task 7 - Final Design of 3D model

These are the images of my final 3D environment. The images fully showcases the different techniques that I used to complete it. You can see my mushrooms that I created using red tissue paper with cardboard stems. Apart from the textures and assets that I annotated from my task 4 post I decided to add some other assets like the rocks and the tree logs. 

For the rocks I used tissue paper and I wanted for them to be grey but there was no grey colored tissue paper available so I improvised and thought of the black and white paint makes grey logic and used both black and white tissue paper by first scrunching up different sizes of the black tissue paper I then scrunched the white tissue paper over the black one and because white tissue paper is a bit see through it allowed for a bit of black to be shown which resulted to them looking grey. 

For the tree logs it was a coincidental idea, because while was creating the stems for the mushrooms I happened to tear off a layer of the card board which revealed that it had ridges underneath and it reminded me of a hollow tree trunk and so once I had set up the all the other pieces I just added them as extra's. 

Also if you look closely at the cardboard there are still some left over layers on it that were I couldn't successfully tear off but then I thought it added some effects to it cause it reminded me of old, hollow, worn down tree trunks. 

I am very happy with the my final 3D model because I didn't think that I would be able to finish it on time but I was able to and I think that I finished in quite a high standard because it consists of many different techniques that have gone through experimentation and improvements.