Ayla Voth - Video Game Concept Art

Another thing I’m proud of is how I’ve improved with my backgrounds over the course of the semester.

Comparing the grayscale thumbnail sketches of Druodos to the two-point perspective piece of an Amarathian settling, I believe my improvement is evident. This is best shown through the lighting and perspective of these pieces. In the grayscale sketch, the lighting is quite flat and washed out. I didn’t leave much contrast between the highlights and shadows in the older piece, and the little contrast that is present is blurred by my use of a very soft brush, so all the lines and details look muddled together. In the newer piece, however, I opted for a more detailed, painterly style so that each object would stand out on its own, and so that I could add texture where needed. I reserved the use of soft brushes for the glowing lanterns. Initially, the piece was in grayscale like the Druosdos sketch, but I opted to add a brown overlay last-minute, which added a lot of warmth and contrast to the sketch. The two-point perspective also adds an extra layer of depth, making the piece look more three-dimensional and interesting.

Both pieces accomplish what I wanted them to, however the Amarathian settling drawing accomplishes its job with flair.

The difference between these two sketches of Amarath show in the quality of their colors and composition. In the older sketch, the piece takes on a magenta hue (something I didn’t intend for when I drew it), and there isn’t any consistency with the color palette. Though I wanted Amaranth to have a lush and lively appearance, in hindsight, the palette of the old piece makes the forest look too cartoony and colorful at the cost of believability and mood. In the new piece, the color palette still ranges widely in color, however I used those colors more effectively by creating contrast. The contrast in tone between the warm, sunny surface and colder, luminescent cave helps convey the mood of each area, and also helps the individual environments look believable. Additionally, in regard to composition, the newer piece is stronger. Having the tree in the center of the image pushes it into focus, and because it is green, it stands out from the mostly purple cave, while still looking as if it belongs in the world above.

Looking back on how different these pieces are, I feel accomplished, as I have clearly built upon my skills since the beginning of the semester.

My primary challenge was maintaining motivation to draw once quarantine came around. In theory, having more time to draw at home is great - but, as it turns out - it’s hard to maintain steady productivity without a set schedule. This brought out flaws in my work ethic - I set my expectations for myself to be very high, and since I didn’t differentiate “work/play” times for myself, I always felt as if I should be working. This, naturally, made me feel very burnt out. By the time I really had to start wrapping up work on my project, I was overwhelmed with the amount of pieces I still wanted to draw. I specifically remember telling myself that in order to hit all of the goals I set for myself, I would have to complete 2-3 drawings every week, which just wasn’t at all achievable. I recognized that this was a problem and talked with one of my teachers, who helped me adjust my goals significantly. I then started to schedule in my drawing time, which let me recharge and relax because I wasn’t constantly pressuring myself. This helped me feel much less stressed and more motivated, and saved my project from what could’ve been a big dip in quality (and saved me from freaking out!). So, even though my project didn’t turn out to be as broad in scope as I would’ve liked, I can still say that I’m proud of the pieces I’ve created, and happy that this experience has taught me where my limits are.

Overall, my time at Propel has been an incredible learning experience. I’ve learned a lot about my own work ethic, and both my confidence in myself and my abilities have grown. Even though a huge chunk of the work that we did throughout the semester was focused around our passions, I still felt like I was constantly being pushed to be a better version of myself than I was the day before - to work hard on my art and to learn something new with each piece.   

So, what comes next? Well, I’m going to keep drawing, of course! I’m going to focus on doing studies and drawing from reference so that I can improve my skills. That, and I’m going to start taking freelance commissions again and draw art for others in between personal works. I’m also going to be on the lookout for more art and video game related courses within the city, to seek new experiences and find more people that could help guide me.  

Time and time again, I’ve been told by successful artists that the best thing to do if you want to make a career out of your hobby is just to keep doing your hobby. Be passionate about it, and constantly learn new things while building the current skills you have. And, no matter what your passion is, be it writing, art, music, film, comedy… always keep finding ways to have fun with it.