More Artwork.

So knocking out some more scenes from the story. Here is baKhulu entering that Cave where Nabi is found. Next is Nabi and Temba on a Journey in the Mountains.

Small Update

The book is getting closer and closer to print. So I'm going to be making a few more posts and editing so you can all get a better idea of the design work. For now here's an illustration of Nabi in the cradle that baKhulu discovers him in.

Story Thumbnails.

A small update, expect several finished images as the book approaches it's finish.

These are a few quick compositions for story based thumbnails that will accompany the book.

New Postcard Image

Lots of progress made with the layout now it's down to just rendering a crap ton of illustrations.
Here's a update postcard image. Decided to render out Nabi, MaNoma and Aife. These are relatively complete designs. For the sake of time saving and simplicity I kept the palette simple. Did I mention a logo?

Dunia

Development Continues!

Well things are beginning to come down to the wire logistically. So I'll be posting more frequently. I've been knocking out environments. Still some in progress but soon after this will be Interiors and then character design sheets. The biggest issues will be the graphic design aspects for the book. I'm not by nature good with icons but I've gotta re-acquaint myself with Illustrator and InDesign.

Until then here are some works in progress of the landscape. The people of Dunia aren't particularly frightened of above ground traversal, however there's usually not much to see aside from rock pillars that form in the more flat area of the valley. Most days are bright and sunny, with temperatures in the upper 80s (Fahrenheit).

Following those is my image for the promotional postcard. I decided to go with a very stylized approach, to save time and so to read more easily at a distance. I think the style I'm using there might end up being the style used for the cover and anything else outside hard-design.

Without further ado.

Esmer overlooks a minor valley

Promotional postcard featuring a grown up Nabi

Back on the Horse!

So it's been quite a while since the last update. A lot has happened since then, as far as the story and the final output is concerned. For now I'll be chugging along with the actual written thesis, and more landscapes. Hopefully well created Landscapes. Here's one work in progress that will be showing the Dholoba, at a distance.

Dholoba (will be placed in the center) is the only city in the Valley. It is where the children of the valley are sent to choose new partners and learn how to build burrows before venturing into the wild to live their lives.

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.