Below are some concept sketches in which I began imagining a dragon-styled staff. With this idea, I decided that the staff itself could cast spells, but also turn into a dragon on command of the owner. Not only that, but when it isn’t in use, the dragon head and wings tuck themselves in. A funny feature I thought to add was that it can also be used for daily use, for example, as an umbrella. This would work because the wings could act as a covering.
Testing out colour variants
Here I have experimented with different palettes for my staff design and I attempted to make them very different in reference to my first idea. This was to try and consider different designs for my staff, to figure out what scheme I preferred for my final design. Moreover, I ended up choosing number 1 as my final concept, as I feel that the colours are well balanced, gentle and not overpowering. Some considerations included numbers 2, 4, and 6, however, these were strong and harsh in hues – especially the last one. With these harsh colours, it would most likely not appeal to a lot of my audience, therefore I have decided to keep the original palette as it can appeal to a wider age range. This is ideal as blue ‘is thought to induce calm and convey tranquility, serenity and peace’ and yellow connotes ‘optimism’ and ‘fresh energy’ .
Testing this palette in dragon form
Below are similar experiments as the staff variants above. I wanted to imagine how the staff would appear in dragon form with relation to the colour scheme. This worked out very similar to what I have discussed above, and I feel as though the blue/yellow combination is the most eye-catching, thus I will be continuing with this palette for my final model.
Final design choice
Below are some final illustrations demonstrating my ultimate design choices spoken about previously. Thus far, I have really enjoyed developing this character concept as it has taught me to understand a bit more about how colours can effect and enhance a design in relation to emotional response. From taking this into consideration, it has allowed me to think more about how this can attract different age ranges in my audience. I feel as though my final colour choice is appropriate for a wide set of ages from young teens and upwards.
Class exercises: Learning how to add texture in Substance Painter
Here are some screenshots of the substance painter exercise I did during class. At first, I found this task to be challenging as I was unsure how to paint the segments of the model- this is evident below as I struggled to get the application to look decent and tidy. I made the character using inspiration from the classic Animal Crossing style, which initially influenced how I wanted to present it. Although it turned out rather well for my first time, I do plan to look into more tutorials and guides on how to utilize Substance painter in order to improve on my weaknesses. This would make it easier and more efficient to complete, especially near deadline dates. It would also help my work to appear professional both visually and mechanically.
Photo one ↑
Photo two ↑
‘Exercise 02 – Baking maps for smart materials’ outcome
Here is my interpretation of this week’s main exercise. Instead of it being a simple design, I felt that it would be intriguing to add some stencils and bloodstains to my model texture. By doing this, I wanted to gain more experience and also experiment with Substance’s interface and tools. Moreover, I learned a lot from this task and I am now able to bake models, add smart materials and use alphas. Considering I haven’t used this software at all and I am a beginner, I feel confident with my ability to fluently improve, not just in Substance Painter, but 3D modeling as a whole. Ultimately, I will take these skills I have learned and use them to aid me in the final making of my model assignment. This would not only make it easier, more efficient, and quick but would also add extra detail into my piece, making it more believable and visually appealing to view.
Links to images used in this post:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdragon-quest.org%2Fwiki%2FWizard%2527s_staff&psig=AOvVaw3sVeR6DfjHPdVkc3VBj2NA&ust=1615326281532000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKj8qb3Voe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAM
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/259519997250693183/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fptes.org%2Fgrants%2Fworldwide-projects%2Fsungazer-lizards-south-africa%2F&psig=AOvVaw2PewgsEAG0TVlytlCxs-2y&ust=1615326917561000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLj67-7Xoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecokidsplanet.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fnews%2Flizard-superpowers&psig=AOvVaw2mp9WS4J88eUH9rdEaxTM3&ust=1615327157539000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCIii-uXYoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fshoppe-keep.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FWizard_Staff&psig=AOvVaw28zg9iNRv-MthYrC2FPn1v&ust=1615327224160000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNie4v3Yoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pngkey.com%2Fdetail%2Fu2e6q8q8t4a9o0o0_evil-magic-staff-noxious-staff-png%2F&psig=AOvVaw1dMSJ7cPKgrgmPHQhKjRPQ&ust=1615327432062000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNDy_uPZoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanpop.com%2Fclubs%2Fstudio-ghibli%2Fpicks%2Fshow%2F295695%2Fspirited-away-fav&psig=AOvVaw3_ppdf449vunUkPo-29L5x&ust=1615327627345000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKjLtr3aoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdavek.co.uk%2Fproducts%2Fthe-davek-elite&psig=AOvVaw2UUqyykuQCPg5xKFVI1zkw&ust=1615327684278000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOj4vtjaoe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAG
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istockphoto.com%2Fphoto%2Fclosed-umbrella-gm182403878-11587739&psig=AOvVaw2xKS-VeOD13BdM1Fvx2Xex&ust=1615327716079000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOjal5Lboe8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAR