Color Testing

An important aspect of Dunia, is that most of its inhabitants are isolated. The micro communities they create in their 8 - 12 person domiciles require that each home is self sufficient. The storytellers provide a blueprint for sustainable and fruitful cohabitation. But each home by nature of varied personal backgrounds develop their own looks and "local" traditions. The following is a color test for a scene in which our main character is examining the stocks of a home he passes along the way.

The Journey

Storytellers in Dunia, the world in which the story takes place, travel on foot. Every year they travel, in a somewhat random pattern out into the world seeking out the homes of the people. Our main character being an outcast travels as a young child in order to learn the role of the Storytellers.
It is night as he and his caretaker discover a home in the valley.

Thumbs Thumbs Thumbs!

The development process is continuing on. I've got a story now, but I must develop everything that surrounds it. Including characters, places, props and all those additions that make the world believable. Here are thumbnails, and the images from which I start my design process.

A Story Appears!

The Story

The most important aspect to design in the entertainment context is a story. Before you can really delve into the subtleties of characters and environments, you have to know a bit about them. I've already gone through the process of creating a much more specific and fleshed out story but for now I will show a rough storyboard. The words have to become images eventually right? So here are a few of the big key plot points. There's a lot more in between these to add context, and nuance. But here we go anyway.

The World

The Setting

The story is going to be set in a post-apocalyptic earth, The sand is red and the grass is yellow, the sky is blue on occasion but mostly it is a dusty cloudy orange. People have rebuilt society in a unique tribal system, and live in domiciles sprinkled across the rather arid land. Here are two color tests of some visual ideas concerning the landscape.

Earth 2260

Earth 2260

The working title for this project is Earth 2260. Before working on any actual story I've done a number of character sketches to get a feel for the theme I am aiming for. Here are some sketches and the like I came up with.

A Beginning

My name is Thabiso Mhlaba. I am a senior at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design. As part of my BFA program I must complete a project known as the Integrative Project. Like the name suggests, the project is a one year project in which students use the resources and skills they have acquired throughout their years of schooling to create a single cohesive project.

My project is founded in my illustration background. I am creating a series of illustrations as well as a book based on a self generated science fiction story. My focus is on visual design for entertainment as well as story-telling. Using experiences from my own life as well as research from pop sci-fi and afro-futurist themes I will tell a story that encourages my audience to think about race, culture, and ethnicity. Most importantly I want them to examine how they identify themselves and whether or not the aspects they consider to be crucial to this identity are anything more than social constructs.

I begin by showing my work space as well as a picture of me! Enjoy.