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01. Finding References and Moods
To start my scene off, I picked out a mountain photo that I particularly liked to get an idea for the lighting, angle, and composition, as I thought it would give me a good head start. Additionally, I drew inspiration from photographs of buildings, snakes, and fish as starting points for the fantasy elements, which include dragons and a ruined hilltop fort; both essential motifs throughout John Howe’s artwork.
02. Creating the Preliminary Sketch
Filled with plenty of ideas for the composition and lighting inspired by my references, I moved on to making an initial sketch for the project. The first step is to import the references into Photoshop, paint over them, and sketch my idea for the piece. When I was satisfied with the composition and lighting, this became my guide for developing the rest of the process.
03. Making Sense of Perspective
The tilt you can see wasn’t really intended, but rather it’s a strong perspective to give almost a feeling of vertigo. Usually when I work with a client, this is the first step that I’ll show them to make sure I’m going in the right direction. If this sketch is approved, then I start to think about how I’m going to make the final image.
08. Highlighting Key Areas
As some parts of the scene were looking a little hard to read, I tried to provide the ruins with more depth. Sometimes, especially when working with CG, it tends to look highly detailed everywhere, so my goal was to simplify the image a touch instead.
09. Defining the Focal Points and Lighting
With the ruins on top, I was happy with the layout, and just had to light and render it. This is something I had in mind from the beginning, as I knew where I wanted the focal point to be. That’s why creating the initial sketch is so important, as that’s when I decided the general composition of the image.
10. Rendering the Occlusion
The orientation of the ruins on the right is designed to bring the attention back to the main ruins. I like to render the occlusion when I need to see more details in the geometry, and also like to use a direct diffuser when I need to increase the highlights.
11. Setting the Final Render
I usually use the depth to add more haze to an image, or to grade the background differently to the foreground to create more atmosphere and depth within the scene. Here, the different grading helps to distinguish between the ruins and rocks.
Conclusion
In this article, we have gone through the steps of creating a fantasy concept art piece using a combination of 2D and 3D elements. From finding references and moods to creating the preliminary sketch, making sense of perspective, and defining the focal points and lighting, we have covered the entire process of creating a stunning piece of art.
FAQs
Q: What are the essential steps in creating a fantasy concept art piece?
A: The essential steps are finding references and moods, creating a preliminary sketch, making sense of perspective, defining the focal points and lighting, and setting the final render.
Q: What is the importance of creating an initial sketch in the process of creating a fantasy concept art piece?
A: The importance of creating an initial sketch is that it becomes a guide for developing the rest of the process and helps ensure that the artist is going in the right direction.
Q: What is the role of lighting in creating a fantasy concept art piece?
A: The role of lighting is to create a mood and to guide the viewer’s attention to the focal points of the image.
