As we unveil the beauty of the Lootian Lore, the Department of Arts and Creations has been working on the Government land stories. We have already published completed artworks for the Isle of Talos (region H001, H002, H003, and H004).
Today, I will cover mainly one story generated for District H001, titled “Kempe’s Humility.” This story covers the process and the idea behind its final representation. At a standard level, each district owner is assigned a text snippet describing an expected storyline, which the owner must follow to produce the artwork.
Each district is carefully crafted to be part of a grand narrative from the LDHNS, making every story in Lootverse consistent and unique. In addition to interpreting their unique stories, owners can produce art in any form, whether static or motion.
For Government Land (districts owned by the administration, partners, ambassadors, and curators), we decided to go for Comic style renderings in Black and White. Being an Anime Manga enthusiast inspired and guided me in making a scene that fully describes the story and its anticipated climax.
What makes a great story artwork?
In my experience, the following are key ingredients:
- Story
- Geography
- Perspective
- Art Technique
This structure could have many more base elements, but the key ingredients guarantee a strong foundation in your art process. The final result will correlate with the original plot description.
Story
When you understand the epoch and story of the district, you should be able to connect the characters’ actions with the emotion evoked. Is it a descriptive story? Do we have a fight going on? Or is it as simple as a conversation being held at a diner table? Your story is king. Hence understanding every element is essential.
H001-1 Description:
After defeating Annuler and securing the world, Kempe cast his bow, known as Niefel’s Bane, in Lootverse. The bow landed in Hell’s Bucket, embedding itself in an underwater rock formation next to what was to become the Devil’s Pipe. It remains there today.
What do we take from this description?
From the snippet above, I see Kempe as the protagonist, and the goal behind his action is to secure the world through “Niefels Bane .”Here, the artist can interpret the action independently since narrating the description is quite complex. The artist’s task is to allow the viewer to navigate the scene swiftly.
Rather than present the protagonist’s action, I portrayed Kempe dropping the “bow” into the deep waters of Hell’s Bucket. Additionally, storyboarding allowed us to introduce the moment’s seriousness in the first frame and the last frame showing a “positive” aftermath (the Defeat of Annuler).
Geography
As you proceed, you should be able to locate the story in the district. Consider your district’s terrain, weather conditions, and surrounding environment. Is it located near a river? Can the story be based on a mountain top or cliff? The idea is to optimize the location to provide an engaging story.
In the case of “Kempe’s Humility,” we know that the scene would be around the edge of Hell’s Bucket, in the center of H001, Isle of Talos. We also gather elements of earth and water that would be key.
Perspective
Now that you understand the story and location, you can visualize the story’s frame, that is, from which direction or coordinate is being viewed. A story is considered valid when the length between the ‘scene’ and ‘point of view’ can proportionally fit in your district. At this point, it can be represented as a pin on the map.
Art Technique
Concerning your art technique, the options are endless. From physical drawings to digital paintings, one can effectively illustrate the story with the following steps:
- Understand your source of light. Although basic, it will guide your composition, allowing you to segment your grid to maintain good eye movement.
- Gridding your canvas. You can use many layouts and grid systems to ensure your elements are placed in a suitable space. For example, the rule of thirds in a 3:5 ratio grid can be very effective in Landscape scenes with multiple foregrounds and backgrounds. Moreover, the grid will help you locate focal points from the overlappings. You can research grids from professional and old masters in the art industry. You will see grids used at least once in their process.
- Sketching. My favorite part of the creative process is sketching. Considering depth and proportion, constructing simple shapes and lines before adding detail will bring your composition together and help you visualize the scene. Consider sketching as the skeletal layer of your craft, adding reason and a better foundation to your next step in creation. Even if you are into photo montage and manipulation, sketching your way before rendering helps you understand your story’s elements and characters.
- Choosing the right colour palette. In this story, I chose a grayscale rendering to achieve a comic feel to the artwork. However, other colors can inspire one to add more realism and finish to the art. Distinct colour hues can portray different emotions. For example, red and other warm colours would suit an action scene, whereas blue and cold colours would ideally be used for light scenes.
In Conclusion
The above notes are guides that could help creators make stories of Lootverse. The plot story function is a part of Lootverse’s long-term vision. One must pay close attention to the regular updates of this world. You must also maintain your drawing style or montage to ensure originality and express your talent globally.
Read More: Design Journal: Creating the Lootian Demons
