#background drawing

Went out to see cast shadows at this time and lost my precious pen just before last drawing

Hi everyone!

Some folks asked me to post my processes for these ortho things, so here I go…

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So the needs are : Something mysterious escaped from a secret lab facility. Design an ortho that not just gives modelers, bg painters, and board artists an idea of the space but also incite a mystery. What kind of people inhabited the space? What was its history? What were the people working on? How and why is this facility now in shambles?

First I quickly doodled ideas on a sketchbook with the needs in mind. It’s always nice to know where I wanna go before I start. I tried to really take my time with this phase. I did research, I explored a butt load of ideas, I designed inside the box then design outside the box.

Next, I made a rough sketchup model. I tried to be as descriptive as possible and focused on creating a path for the eye. I populated the scene with props even if I felt I could draw the prop freehand. It saved time and energy in the long run. And yea, sure I’m a fan of using sketchup for this type of stuff, but I highly recommend to try it freehand with perspective if this is your very first ortho rodeo. The fundamentals you learn building something from nothing without the aid of a 3D program is hella good for you.

I then draw on top of the model as any times as I need to but I didn’t just trace everything willy nilly. I improvised as I traced. It’s like when you’re jamming in a band and your bass player is holding a great grove. I don’t just play the same exact shit he’s playing, I solo on top of it. I let my soul do a little singing here. I believe having a strong foundation works wonders when exaggerating and generating designs with personality.

Alright, so now I have an awesome line drawing. Time to add value. The eye craves this stuff. Highest value contrast is where the eye wants to go to. This is where I played around with lighting and drama. At this point I’m glad I’ve made it through half the battle.

I then roughed in the local colors with a general palette in mind. Everything is subject to change so do your best to cut everything into different layers. I wanted to wanna give myself the option to quickly alter the hue, value, or saturation of any given layer without stressin’ about re-paints.

Lastly, I used my knowledge of painting to finish the piece. I tried to really hone in on the storytelling and to not noodle around. Every time I thought I was done or satisfied, I checked with both my story notes and my old school notes then checked back with my piece. How can I improve it? How can I get from 80% there to 100%? Can I improve the lighting to emphasize the mystery? Is there a prop that needs to be added to improve the storytelling. Is there a prop I need to remove that detracts from the storytelling?

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I hope this was helpful!

I’m not going lie. This was very, very, very FUN.

I wasn’t born in the 80s but I was raised on Spielberg, John Hughes, Devo, the Cars, and Duran Duran. I think I have good a good handle on the source material.

Despite that, I did do my share of research for making Elwood’s room look like an authentic 80s boy’s bedroom. That meant looking up screencaps of kid’s bedrooms from E.T., Close Encounters, Adventures in Babysitting, The Goonies, and the opening of Princess Bride (That kid’s room is packed with great material!). Not to mention the crazy research on 80s toys using forums and ebay (You won’t believe how much people are selling those things for!)

So yea, blah blah blah I did the research. 

BUT the most exciting part about designing this room was how much of myselfI put in this thing. When I was a kid born in 91, I never had all the cool crap that kids in the movies had. I mostly had cheap 99 cent knockoffs and a few lucky finds from Goodwill. The spirit of this piece involved harnessing my inner kid to discover what Elwood and I would have in our dream room. We both share an interest in sci-fi, music, junk food, and airplanes. I’d imagine we’d both have the same room upkeep. 

So here’s to bringing out your inner child and letting him or her inspire your work. *raises imaginary glass of rootbeer*