A Tale In The Sting: Consideration of Literary Piece

Now that things are a little bit more organized, it is time to pick a book that I shall explore and depict visually in my own interpretation. When it comes to literature I'm quite certain which genres I mostly adore, and due to this, the brainstorming was not that difficult since I rounded up most books that I've read or am willing to read, most of which are by the authors of books I have already read. Beginning with existentialism as the main concept of the cloudy brainstorm, I jotted down books that tackle notions of existentialism, be they absurdist or even nihilistic, all with the desire to try and represent these literary tones through stop-motion animation and a dark visual atmospheric undertone - something I have fitted to my style of animating. While choosing which book to animate, I kept one thing in mind, one that is adhering to the module's specifications: if the book has a movie adaptation, my animation must not reflect the original. Even so, I chose Waiting for Godot because of a brisk idea I got while considering which book to chose - the title sequence is to reflect the moments before the intro act, something omitted from the obscurity of the play based on my interpretation of the play. Since Waiting for Godot has had several movie adaptations and even more so interpretations by loads and loads of critics, I decided to create a new notion which has not been introduced in any of the films, which are the vague moments before the play's intro act begins - how did the characters get there? Furthermore, I watched the title sequences of the 2001 "Waiting for Godot", directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, as well as several other sequences presented on the website The Art of The Title, all of which helped me in visualizing the layout placement of the titles.

Life Drawing and The Human Form in Animation - Contours and Key Elements

D. Holmes Chamberlin's sketch

Told by my fellow peer Daniel Goodman, as well as informed by the conventions of life drawing artists I've met or seen on the Internet, I've jotted down the main elements that define a solid human form and figure that is to be reproduced in an effective time span, considering it's for animation. There is a myriad of tutorials on the Internet on how to capture the flow of figures efficiently, all possessing a bit of educational gold. Dating back from the 1492 "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo Da Vinci, life drawing styles and techniques have evolved and can now all be adapted to animation. For example, in this drawing by D. Holmes Chamberlin, the main essence that is captured comes from the curvature of the figure, which is done with easy-flowing pencil movements. Simple, yet visceral, the drawing shows how depth of form can be achieved with a variation of lines, not necessarily shadowing and post-sketched elements. Relative to animation, this is how Disney has been creating their animated life-like characters, where the "basic" shapes are sketched roughly for every frame, and then the details are added. Thus, life drawing is quite effective in animation for reference if an artist it able to immortalise a shape in just a few simple swipes. A different example would be is this drawing by Mayko Fry where the main element are the outlines of the woman's pelvic bones, which captures the voluptuous contour of the female figure. Piggybacking on this concept, animators exaggerate life-like proportions of the human form but retain the main elements that constitute the solid appearance of the form, where interconnected with tropes, women figures' hips are made smaller and faces made slimmer. To add an additional level of depth, only one color can create the reference point for the lighting, quite applicable to animation. As art has evolved, every form is compatible with every other as multi-media and multi-techniques make up this post-modernistic aesthetic of styles of animators, something that maximizes the versatility of the moving picture, breaking monotony and promoting eclecticism.

Mayko Fry' sketch

Telling an Environmental Story: One + One = Ed

"Ed, Edd, and Eddy" has always been one of my most favorite cartoons mainly because it has guided my childhood and evoked my desire to become an animator and create similarly vigorous characters. Well known for its emphasized style, dynamic outlines, and lineless backgrounds, the cartoon marked a time of Cartoon Network (where it was broadcasted) called the golden age of Cartoon Network. However, seeing as I've seen all episodes for a myriad of times, I recalled one episode where the very conventions of backgrounds and scenery dissolve in a frivolous and pensive psychedelic-like adventure of the three Eds. Being facetiously named "One + One = Ed", the episode hitches on the early introduced concept of visual phantasmagorie as the background's "evolution" creates the story, instead of the characters themselves. Furthermore, it is one of the rare episodes where not the fourth wall is broken (as there are many instances of that happening within the episodes), but where their wall is seemingly broken only to be then reestablished as an illusion, spinning awe in the minds of the children and adults that are watching it. As I said prior, the tone is phantasmagorical and otherworldly and along with the gradual transformation of composition, the story is being carried out. For example, at 07:36 the composition of the entire background scenery reaches its final dissolution as now nothing is conventionally organized and everything seems to defy the laws of physics and rationality. Double D, the smart tool of the set, analytically points out every change as the story progresses, where he refers to the technique used by the animators to express this notion of phantasmagorie as the "displacement of perspective", seemingly breaking the fourth wall in a mild manner, understood only by those that understand the conventions of animation. Forms begin to become arbitrary, the space around them completely transforms as they aren't filled with awe as much as we are, as a tree is revealed to have a cardboard shape - reminiscent of a theatrical play prop. Indirectly, the episode breaks down the creativity and the craftsmanship of animation, referring to a plethora of elements used within animation throughout the ages solely with the backgrounds, one example being the bite of the sun Eddy takes, changing the texture and lighting from light to dark, alluding to an interactive relationship between the characters and the background. With the backgrounds being watercolor, their texture adds to the whimsicality of the visuals, and in combination with lined character movement, the contrast almost perfectly juxtaposes what is real and what is not right before the characters exit the visualization.

"Ed, Edd, n' Eddy: One + One = Ed" - https://vimeo.com/78406540

Life Drawing and The Human Form in Animation - Guida

"Guida" is an award-winning traditionally drawn animation directed by Rosana Urbes, one which captures the essence of the beauty and sublimity of the natural human body. Constructed like a narration-less story, the animation features a woman who gets in touch with one of her more artistic and fulfilling desires which contrast her pedantic job at the library. The first time I saw this animation was at Manchester Animation Festival and had stored it in my mind ever since, and when this module introduced the world of life drawing to me, I immediately had recalled the exuberance that this animation conveys. Moreover, the story itself revolves around life drawing, as Guida chooses to be a life drawing model where her naturally old body is drawn in different styles (all projected at the title credits), something that evokes a keen sense of wonder both in her and the audience. I started to pick up on every consecutive frame as I was watching this animation, frantically stopping every 3rd frame to see the flow of the character and the animation, and to my surprise, most of the figures were not spot-on life drawing (mimicking the visible human form) but were instead vibrant drawings of the human form in a personalized style expressing a firm flow of movement and anatomy. Furthermore, the curve and shape of a body visually portrays age and composition, and by capturing that effectively only with a few simple lines, one can create a solid character that expresses the gentleness of the human movement (as in ballet). Not once does the animation lose the sense of proportion and perspective, although there is a scene where Guida sees herself as a younger child in the mirror which visually appears consistent with the older Guida. This animation shows the fruits of life drawing and how combined with animation life drawing brings a whole new level of capturing life and all its allure making it vivacious to watch, instigating awe in the minds of the audience.

"Guida" - https://vimeo.com/132668364

Life Drawing and The Human Form in Animation - Take on Me

Many animators have adapted a style of life-like redrawing of figures and the human form for their animations, most differentiating in technique and use. I've always been curious how some artists simply nail the drawing of the human form so meticulously and precisely, something that beguiles me every single time. Thus, I went into the possible practice of development and recalled one of the early techniques of animations that are applicable even today - rotoscoping, and how one can practice laying down the main lines that define the human form in a life-like aesthetic. My favorite rotoscope animation is A-ha's animation for the music video "Take on Me", directed by Steve Barron, and it shows how simplicity of minimalistic lines and shadowing can create a solid and believable life figure based off live images. I believe that an effective method of learning solid drawing can be facilitated here, where one learns the contours of the human body through rotoscoping, then applies it through life drawing in order to practice visual analysis. In other words, one's for the line, the other is for the perception. I believe that with this method, one shall be able to effectively recreate different positions in different perspectives of the human body quickly, which is quite effective for animation, whereas this technique does not necessarily have to be used solo - mixed media is the key to exuberance, or so I think

"A-ha - Take on Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914

Flow, Form, and Force - Strike a Pose

Finally, the most time-consuming section of the task for last - striking a pose and focusing on the details of the form. For me, this was the most challenging section of this task because it called for concentration (given the 20 minutes) when drawing forms by sketching out proportional and life-like figures only to be meticulously finished for the sake of life drawing - something I'm not good at as I've said countless many times before. As I assisted by striking poses for fellow peers, so was that reciprocated, making for an in-depth look at shadowing and texture to strike realism in form and shape. For the first drawing I chose using swift ink-drenched brush movements for the shapes (preceded by a pencil sketch of the initial shapes), and followed up with watercolor in order to seal the details in with vibrance, more or less. However, I chose to do the remaining without any color because I realized that color does not add a level of a real-life representation because it is rather difficult to recreate the original colors of human skin because of its intricacy in shading. Thus, the remaining I chose to fill with graphite or pencil shading to add a firm and shadowy texture to utilize the technique that life-drawing artists such as Joe Goddard. However, I got most of the proportions (again, legs to torso ration) wrong, making the figures seem not solid but instead stiff. For example, in my fourth drawing the size of the legs is inconsistent with the body where this time they seem larger, although the body's perspective is like that, without sufficient technique it does not seem like the torso is slanted as I saw it. In my second drawing although the torso seems fine, the legs do not effectively portray perspective as his right leg's knee is towards the camera but there is no focal point there of shadowing and lines that gives off that perspective. I am not very satisfied of these drawings, which gives me motivation to work on this with consequent practice. There are plenty of life drawing events which I can join just so I can better my life drawing skills just a little bit, enough for any future drawings to classify as proportionate, nothing more, nothing less.

Flow, Form, and Force - Push It

Part 3 of the final Visual Language study task - Push It. With this task we are expected to immortalize a form on paper by capturing the essence of a real life figure whilst applying exaggeration to an extent to evoke a persuasive shape that signals a person pushing or pulling an object. As I've probably mentioned before, I am not good at life drawing and have rarely practiced this technique, thus, I am rusty on drawing humanoid figures that exhibit proper proportions - something I plan to fix in due time as this study task had broken the ice of life drawing. All in all, I believe that I captured the main essence of the poses, however, had not "nailed" them mainly because of leg to torso comparative proportions. For example, in the third drawing (labeled "Vlad III") the body is inconsistent with the legs as I started drawing the torso first, following with the legs, all with direct quick ink brush movements. I was not focusing on the faces of my models, thus did not spend that much time capturing the details (since the poses were timed, each 6 minutes). Overall, I dub these drawings successful (I'm mostly satisfied with "Vlad IV" since both the face and the baggy clothes resemble the style of the model, Ollie Ward), however, I will need to work on effective relative size especially when it comes to legs. I also learned that with quick and simple swipes, a persuasive essence of realism can be portrayed, whereas the after details solidify the appearance, but alas, the poses were way to quick to focus on that.

Model - Dan

Model - Ollie

Model - Stacy

Model - Brenda

Flow, Form, and Force - Like a Puppet on a String

Similar to the previous section of this task, this one purges the effective practice of Squash and Stretch, one of the 12 Principles of Animation (the previous section being more along the lines of Solid Drawing, the initial step of it anyway). In comparison with the previous task, I chose to omit using charcoal for this one hence I wanted to try out new media with which I can effectively capture motion. Overall, I believe that all of the drawings portray that sense of exaggeration in movement and emphasis of contra-proportion stretch to convey the cartoonish conventions of characters. Furthermore, I added outlines on the shapes I drew to make for a more flexible motion, where they add the focal point of what's happening. For example, in my first drawing (labelled "Vlad I"), done with quick ink brush movements, the lines around the character give a feeling that he is literally stretching out as if his proportions are changing vertically, giving the movement a more dynamic flow. Or, in my second drawing ("Vlad 2") where I tried to recreate the pose before me by reconstructing it with basic shapes, the lines above the head resemble those used in old Mickey Mouse animations where Mickey diverts his attention to something else - all relevant to the simple facial position that I based off my model's head position. Although I'm satisfied with the drawings, I believe that there is a big opportunity for further improvement in terms of capturing semi-realistic bulkiness of characters, as when I drew with the graphite (last two drawings) I had a difficulty drawing out the pose in an articulate and solid manner, making the body shapes a little stiff and improper - something to work on, given time.

Flow, Form, and Force - Rhythm Is A Dancer

Section number one of the final task - Rhythm Is A Dancer. Through this section we are to capture movement of a real-life model and draw the crucial lines that signify the motion. Since we have to produce a minimum of 4, I wanted to have each motion differ vastly from every other for the sake of versatility. Also, the poses are very limited, thus I must abstain from details in order to capture the motion that is to define a concrete and persuasive flow. Reading thoroughly through the task, I thought that the most effective tool to capture movement for this section was charcoal, since the smudging can add blur to the motion, making it seem rapid and flowing. Overall, I am very satisfied with the drawings that I produced hence I believe that with basic stick-like armature shapes one can effectively capture exaggerated movements that define the basis of a cartoon character - something I think I did successfully. For an example, in the second drawing (labeled "Vlad 2"), the curvature of the character's back line calls for proper exaggeration and removes unnecessary stiffness of movement, making it seem like a ritual dance of some sort is being performed. An example of motion blurs to mimic fast-paced and sudden movements would be the third drawing (which is not labeled) where a kick and punch is being done - the blurs on the main points of the action signify that that part is moving in a burst fashion, adding flexibility to the action. Overall, I believe this to be the most successful of all sections of this task because based on this I can build basic shapes of a character (as if this is the skeleton) and then create a solidly drawn character that exhibits life-like twists and turns.

Interior Drawing: Fenton - The Dart Room

As the final drawing, I decided to make a one point perspective drawing solely because of the darts on the wall. Along with the bar drawings, this one could finalize the jazziness and liveliness that I wished to represent in my designs, suitable as multiple interconnecting backgrounds for an animation (possible an actual one in the future). For sake of simplicity, I drew this drawing in the classic pencil-watercolor-sharpie technique which gives me an opportunity to focus on smooth movements with brush to add essence to the contour lines which are to be drawn afterwards. The perspective of the drawing allows it to be used as either a general shot that when filled with characters introduces the tone of the bar, or a focal point background where two characters in the foreground place their eyes on the darts, consequently blurring out the surroundings. The color of the drawing is mainly warm, whereas the cold contrasts are either darkened (like the green) or desaturated, making the blend more subtle whilst creating a "wooden" feel as if the bars walls simulate those of olden times (same goes for the texture). With all this taken into consideration, I believe that the background's story focuses on the darts as if they are the connecting point of the story. For example, if two characters were to approach the darts, considering whether they should play, this would be the introductory background of that action, followed by side shots while they are playing darts. Because of the absence of light, this background can be manipulated with post-production lighting effects which would place an emphasis on an object/element wherever the light is exposed.

Interior Drawing: Fenton - Two Sides of Bar

In contrast to the previous drawings, these evoke a more friendly tone, one perfectly fit for a calm background where the closest of friends sit down to make conversation and have a good ol' time. Both in a duality-driven form like the previous ones, but differentiating in styles and procedures, these drawings immortalize the vivacity of the bars in their greatness, and I believe that with the firm colors I've used they can be used as meeting points backgrounds where characters meet up to discuss, either plans or trivialities. However, I believe that they should be used sequentially in an animated series for the space to build character and possess its own intricate story (similar to The Drunken Clam from Family Guy).

In this drawing I reversed my most common procedure for the sake of experimentation where I first laid out the watercolor and followed its movements with a drawliner afterwards. Difficult for capturing accurate proportion, however wonderful for expressionism, this style allows the natural dissemination and combination of fresh watercolors to form shapes and forms, which can then be split apart with a firm line - something I was going for. The texture of the drawing adds a level of naturalness, which I believe can more effectively capture that pub zest than a digital design. Decent, for a first try, but this technique requires a lot more practice to be properly mastered, but it is a start for me. Not to house significant characters, I'd use this drawing as an establishing shot for the introduction of the bar scene, followed by the main scenario (next drawing).

As for this second drawing, I was trying to combine thick ink exposure with desaturated watercolors on top. With a two-point perspective, the whole space seems 3D instead of flat. Much more expressionistic than the previous drawing, this one is set for a developing bond between two characters (hinted by the two chairs), be they lovers or best pals, where problems and situations are generally discussed only to be solved with the ideas concocted at the bar, fueled by the drinks that warm up the entire atmosphere. In terms of lighting and shadowing, the dried up ink movements with a brush on the bottom till create a contrast with the light (hinted by the colorful exposure) coming from behind the bar where all the drinks are stored. Indirectly, by trying to create shadowing I also introduced the dominant texture of the drawing which is the smudged ink on the table and the side windows above the posters which add to the whole natural feel. As for perspective, because the characters would be visible from behind as they are sitting on the chairs, or we are able to see one fully and the other's back if they are facing each other, I felt that the perspective should be from a lower angle to insinuate the greatness and focal point of these characters as they engage in a conversation.

Interior Drawing: Fenton - Hall and Pool Table

Latching on to what I said in my previous post, I chose two substantial shots due to their foreshadowing perspectives. I arranged both drawings in a duality-driven form due to their interconnecting contexts, loyal to the notion that a background is a feasible tool for telling a descriptive story on its own. Both drawings are done in the same style and with the same technique: pencil sketched "skeleton" of the space, followed by ink (the first one being with easy-flowing ink brush movements, whereas the second is done with planned out and precise movements with a drawliner), shaded with pencil to give off a desolate atmosphere, and finished with red ink for a horror/murder contextualization keen on the concept of immobilizing movement in blood. An example of this would be Claire Denis' "Trouble Every Day", where random blood splatters signify the tone and foreshadow a possible future occurrence, keeping the viewer at his prime time alert state of expectance.

In this drawing, I primarily used the pool-table's bulk to add vagueness and obscurity to the entire contextual situation that I tried to create with the background. A murder has occurred in a pub, completely devoid of detail, however, whose procedure has been captured with the blood of the victim being splattered around the space, pacing the movements of the killer and the body. For example, the blood splatter at the jukebox signifies that the main blow was executed there, whereas the markings on the floor (smudged, to insinuate movement) show the movement. However, the notion that I tried to convey was the openness to interpretation, where someone might interpret it as such: the victim had been disabled there, then carried of to another space (which is feasible given my second drawing that continues the story). What I tried to pull of was to use background/element conventions of olden horror and crime movies in one, where nowadays it is highly unlikely for a morbid murder of this magnitude to happen around a jukebox (different times, different conventions). Furthermore, the color white dominates since it is associated with something unpleasantly mechanical (such as the walls of asylums), something unnatural.

As I said prior, this second drawing continues the story. The shadowing of the walls adds aesthetic "fulfillment" to the drawing, as I believed without it there would be an emptiness to it as the space would not feel like a space. Furthermore, with the texture of the floor (done by pencil shading over a textured wooden desk), the space comes to life as it seems more furbished. This needed not be done in the previous drawing as the thickness of the ink movements completed the composition of the drawing. The length of the hall might be perfect for a tension building scene as one walks down it slowly with ascending atmospheric horror music in the background, as the focal point is placed at the 1st third of the drawing where a unlabeled door finishes the trail of blood. To give the story a bit more vibrance, I drew hand prints on the wall, a classic trope in horror films.

Interior Drawing: Fenton

The third and final location: The Fenton. As I came to the UK, I got introduced to the vibrant essence of British pubs and all their exuberance as you enjoy the colorful atmosphere with a good drink, good music, and good friends, and as this captured my attention, I decided to draw the pub I've been to the most. The main reason why I have chosen to draw this space is because of the atmosphere that it carries, along with the plentiful perspectives that I can draw in. The colors are generally bright, however, I think that The Fenton would have a significant context for some black and white drawings where only elements are in color to serve as an emphasis. For this sequence, I shall let the dynamics take me over - I won't focus on one method of drawing, but will try several for every drawing as I go along, one being the black and white concept (which I got in mind immediately as I decided to draw this space). Throughout cinema history, there have been so many films whose main backgrounds (or supporting ones) have been bars and pubs, plenty differentiating in tone. For example, in "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels" the pub serves as a space of conglomeration, one that is associated with the main characters' concoction of ideas (perhaps, a thinking space), whereas in "Casablanca" the bar serves as a romantic setting that drives the two main characters on the same resonance plane (plus it being a noir movie, the retro aesthetic adds to that 20th century american cultural lifestyle). What I wish to do is to create backgrounds that mirror this cinematographic atmosphere in the world of animation instead of film. Having said this, The Fenton is a perfect place for background design since every room can be fragmented for every other, which gives me a perfect opportunity to contextualize every shot in a different manner without interconnecting similarities.

"Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels"

Telling an Environmental Story: The Four Seasons of Death - Spring

Samurai Jack background designs

Among the plentiful animations with lush and descriptive background designs lies Samurai Jack, a story about a righteous samurai that gets hurdled into the futuristic terraforming of Earth compiled by the hands of the most sinister evil imaginable, Aku. I've always considered Samurai Jack to be a masterpiece cartoon encompassing all aspects of animation, character, story, and context. One of the most powerful elements of the cartoon are its backgrounds which effectively introduce the tone and atmosphere of every situation Jack gets caught in, as well as the overall appearance of a semi-deteriorated Earth due to malicious advancements by the totalitarianist supreme rule of Aku. There are parts of the cartoon where the atmosphere is serene (for example, at every ancient temple or meadow that has been untouched by Aku) or where it is grim (the locations at which Aku has spread his evil). However, one scene from an episode caught my attention because it perfectly intertwines a minor character with the background in such a way that we can immediately identify the character's archetype, and her true intentions. In "The Four Seasons of Death", Samurai Jack treads along a cave like enclosed space riddled with prickled vines, all withered, which insinuate danger. However, the audience's anticipation is broken the moment the space gets transformed into a vibrant meadow, enriched with light and natural colors. As the minor character of a fairy appears from a giant petal flower, the background starts to sparkle as the lighting is increased and the characters bloom and radiate within the space, connoting a sense of serenity and peace. The flow and composition/movement of the space is "legato" - calm and ethereal, which interconnects the fairy with the space, indirectly telling a story about the space. This tacit tone and atmosphere is further consolidated as the fairy comforts Jack with her words and nurturing, however, at that point we are skeptical as to why was the space contrast at the beginning of the scene. Adhering to anticipation, the fairy turns on Jack as he visualises his demise in the hands of Aku, ultimately fending off the fairy's attacks, uncovering everything as a ruse as the background suddenly shifts to its initial state. With this culmination, we identify the background as being illusory as the fairy is seen smiling at the end amongst the prickled vines as Jack leaves. With this transitory effect of background transformation, an elaborate story is told about the hidden malevolent intentions of the fairy character, the deceit of the space, and the unrest of Jack's mind, as what he feels reflects the space around him. Furthermore, with the designs being done with hand painting acrylic, the whole sense of a natural feel is achieved as the background is purely "carbon", so to say. Without the background details (such as the texture of the plants and the blooming and sparkling lighting) the notion would not be the same as the character would seem ineffective in representing what she stands for - that belligerent smile at the end won't have the same effect.

"The Four Seasons of Death - Spring" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYKV6BdeWp8

Exterior Drawing: Central Village - Referential Photography

Although for this space I was pretty certain of which perspectives I was going to draw, I took photos just so that I have an additional reference along with my initial sketches. One thing I noticed was that neither of my drawings did not match the space layout of the photographs, although I took them from the same position and location at which I drew. I believe that if I were to capture them precisely I would have to measure the pictures and discard sketching by the eye altogether. Safe to say, all of my drawings resemble Central Village's contours, and although the color schematic and background elements are completely contrasted, several peers and friends I asked "which space in Leeds is this?" answered with Central Village. The pictures, I believe, were the most efficient references when it came to precise geometrical drawing of the skeleton, and because I was so skeptical of making a "fatal" mistake during the watercoloring, I printed them out on paper as a mean to start over. Only the first one (the frontal perspective of the main entrance) did I redo, needless to say, that it was the very first drawing I did with that technique.

Exterior Drawing: Central Village - Side Road

The final drawing is the most 3D structured one in my opinion. With this last one I wanted to recreate a space with different visible elements of perspective, one frontal, one back, and one that lies in the midground. The sketch omits the background's original appearance hence I thought that would diminish the other paintings in a sequence (as there are no additional building structures in the background, so the same with this). Furthermore, this is the only drawing that does not piggyback on the concept of a nightmarish setting, which makes it a malleable background piece which is open to testing all sorts of animated characters' movements - pne down the stairs, one on the side of the building, one closing up to the camera with the main road, and perhaps one that goes off screen near the tree. I feel that this would be a perfect background for a Scooby-Doo style chase where the emphasis is placed on the characters' rapid movement and whimsical and chaotic interactions between characters. I believe that the spacial illusion is created with the small grass patch next to the stairs as with the repetitive black lines it appears as a slope, carrying the whole flow.

Exterior Drawing: Central Village - Stairs and Two-Point Perspective

Following the previous drawings, I noticed that I did not draw structures posed from a lower and a two-point perspective. Since the space is ascendingly high, based on the sketch of the very first frame that captured my eye when I got there to sketch, I drew the two main buildings that reach the skies, more or less. In the same style, I thought that this drawing would be the most bottom perspective out of them all, and the first thing I associated it with was a view which places an emphasis on the sun or something occurring in the skies. Initially, it reminded me of Insomnium's "Shadows Of The Dying Sun" cover where a black spherical star is in the center, and such an animated feat can be placed in the middle of the drawing, covering the skies in darkness (compatible with my previous nightmarish backgrounds of the same space). Furthermore, the shading on the windows (done with ink + color on a brush) as well as the vertical cracks on the buildings would increase as the sun would darken more and more, covering the skies. As for the furthest background, I wanted the texture of the sky to mimic Leeds' on a gloomy day, which proned me to use such devoid colors.

My second drawing was from a lower perspective, but one that a small creature would have from encountering a small set of stairs. The 3D illusion is pulled off in this one by the two-point perspective building behind that I've done quite geometrically, despite the thick lines. The windows and small inner details are done with rampant strokes of 0.5 and 0.7 fineliners, whereas all the thicker lines are with a metal wire and small brush covered in ink (same done with the previous one). The depth would be put into an animation the moment a character interacts with the space, where his/her body would be covered by the stairs as he/she moves forward and follows the road after the stairs.

Initial sketches