Work: Magicians Nephew logo

For my final MA project I am going to produce some concept visuals and set designs for the first Narnia story The Magicians Nephew.

I will be collaborating with Hannah Purdy on this project using Professional Practise techniques so that we both get used to the way the film industry work in the Art department.

We created this logo to use on our work and images to bring all our work together into a coherent working project; providing it with a visual identity as they would do in industry.

 

Research: Weird looking Plants

To help me answer my research question; “How can the natural world be adapted to create magical landscapes and imaginative worlds in film sets”, I decided to gather some image references of weird and unusual plants...it brought up some unusual things.


This primordial ooze is the Bleeding Tooth Fungus. It grows in North America in coniferous forests. It is definitely an unusual looking thing- like a blog of cream saturated in blood- it’s quite sinister. If I saw one in a forest I would really have to fight the urge to poke it with a stick!

Bleeding tooth 1 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

Bleeding tooth 2 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

This alien-like creature mass is the Chinese Black Bat flower. The black beauty can be kept as an ornamental house plant and gets its name from its dangling fruit that looks like hanging bats. Its mass of tentacles makes it look like an alien-spider hybrid waiting to pounce. To find one of these plants in the wild you would need to travel into the deep dark depths of the tropical forest in Yunnan Province, China. Its strangely beautiful but I wouldn't want to get too close!

  Chinese Black Batflowers 1 accessed 18-01-12
http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

  Chinese Black Batflowers 2 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

  

 These next two “things”are mushrooms; the Sea Anemone Mushroom and the Octopus Stinkhorn. Both of Australian origin and both look like something from an Alien film. They start of as normal looking mushrooms until their tentacles erupt out forming these alien style offspring. 

  Sea anemone mushroom accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

 

  Octopus stinkhorn 1 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

  Octopus stinkhorn 2 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist.html

  

This prickly fellow is the Porcupine tomato plant. Originating from Madagascar, this spiky fiend is covered in vivid orange razor spikes and is highly poisonous. I liked the unusual Orange spikes of this plant which makes it look quite attractive against the dark green leaves.

  Porcupine Tomato accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist_p2.html

  

This tentacle-tastic fungal infection affects cedar and apple trees. Cedar-apple Rust Fungus slowly grows on the host tree until it eventually kills it.

  Cedar-apple rusk fungus accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist_p2.html

Traditionally used in Chinese medicine this bizarre plant has become somewhat of a spectacle. It is unclear as to how much human interference has been involved to create this unique root structure but there certainly are many examples available claiming to be completely Mother Nature’s doing. Whatever the case, these little “fellows” are in great abundance around china and come in all forms and “sexes”.

  Chinese Fleeceflower1 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist_p2.html

 

  Chinese Fleeceflower2 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist_p2.html

  Chinese Fleeceflower3 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.cracked.com/article_18979_10-creepy-plants-that-shouldnt-exist_p2.html

This final wacky plant is called Hydnora Africana. This little pest is a parasitic plant found in dry desert areas of South Africa. It attacks nearby roots and shrubs using them as a host and feeds off their nutrients and water supply. It looks like a vicious creature and apparently smells putrid. I wouldn’t want to put my hand in those jaw-like buds.

Hydnora Africana 1 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.botany.org/Parasitic_Plants/images/Hydnora_africana-SC-6.jpg

Hydnora Africana 2 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22167/37205-eight-world-s-most-unusual-plants

Hydnora Africana 3 accessed 18-01-12

http://www.plantzafrica.com/planthij/plimageshij/hydnorafric.jpg

Nature is...weird!!!

I think this is a clear example of how warped nature can be and how as designers we can take natures design reasonably far and still manage to make it believable. I think I need to have a go at creating some plants and adaptations of real life flora and see how I could bend it to my purposes for fantasy films.

Art: LILYPAD- Vincent Callebaut

"The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, exploring new modes of cross-cultural aquatic living"

http://wanderlustmind.com/2008/06/28/lilypad/

This beautiful set of images is the vision of Vincent Callebaut, a Belgian based architect. At the news that sea levels with rise a meter with every degree that the earth heats up due to global warming, Vincent has created a solution. These floating cities can house up to 50,000 people who could become homeless due to the rising sealevels.

This half aquatic half terrestrial city floats just off shore, harnessing rainwater, cultivating plants and purifying the water. The city is based on a 3 mountain and 3 marinas structure all encompassing a central lagoon. Together the city creates a “...a Floating Acropolis for Ecological Refugees.”

I love this design! I would be the first to buy a room on this floating wonderland. Its organic shape and clean appearance reflect those of naturally occurring lagoons. This is a good example of Biomimicry- using lagoons as the starting point to help solve a human problem.

Lilypad-03 accessed 13-01-12

http://wanderlustmind.com/2008/06/28/lilypad/

Lilypad-01 accessed 13-01-12

http://wanderlustmind.com/2008/06/28/lilypad/

Lilypad-02 accessed 13-01-12

http://wanderlustmind.com/2008/06/28/lilypad/

Lilypad-04 accessed 13-01-12

http://www.designtavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/s7.jpg

Art: Fantasy Island- Heather & Ivan Morison

"The Morisons’ work pushes notions of going green and alternative culture into the realm of alternate reality, largely through their interest in the literary genre of science fiction."

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

This installation was designed and made by Heather and Ivan Morison. The installation is located in an area of woodland in Northwest Wales. The structure uses wood from within the forest so as an old tree dies, it is replaced with a new tree and the wood cut up and used for building new structures, this ecological approach makes the structure look like it belongs within the forest, nestled amongst it brothers and sisters.

The style is based on the geodesic shapes of 1970s utopian architecture and the idea of do-it-yourself handicraft. The shape and structure was inspired by a rock the couple found whilst travelling through America. It reflects the couple’s interest in nature and the fantastical. This links well with my project as they are artists who create natural structures with a fantasy twist.

From the outside the structure looks strange and alien, creating a sense of danger but inside a small wooden stove provides the cabin with a warm ambiance creating an environment of refuge and safety.

I really like the looks of this cabin- its bulging shapes contrast with the organic landscape yet it looks at peace nestled within the trees. I have always wanted to build my own house within a forest. I love the idea of escaping the hustle and bustle of the manmade city environment and taking refuge in a wooden house hidden amongst the trees of a forest. One day I AM going to build my house in a forest!

fantasyisland03 accessed 13-01-2012

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

fantasyisland04a accessed 13-01-2012

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

fantasyisland05 accessed 13-01-2012

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

fantasyisland09 accessed 13-01-2012

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

fantasyisland10 accessed 13-01-2012

http://www.morison.info/fantasyisland.html

Work: First Attempt at Digital Painting

This is my first attempt at using Digital Painting on Photoshop.
I followed an online tutorial to help me produce it and think its turned out OK- its quite simple but I think as a first attempt its not bad. I had to use a mouse to do the drawing because I don't have a graphics tablet...yet. I'm hoping they will improve with a tablet.

Technique: Digital Speed Painting

The way I render images I produce is a collage based technique similar to what’s known in the film industry as Matte Painting. I layer up photographs, textures and colours to produce a rendered image. I want to experiment with some other forms of rendering particularly for producing concept images. I purchased an ImagineFX: Fantasy & Sci-fi Digital Art magazine and noticed that the majority of the concept art pieces were produced by painting with Photoshop. Digital painting uses similar painting techniques to normal painting but with the added convenience of full digital editing capabilities.

The following video is one of the videos I found that shows you how to digitally paint in Photoshop. The notes from the video are listed bellow.

Drawing from your mind concept art tutorial environment magma river

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiSsxumLFjs&feature=relmfu

• Landscape orientated images look more cinematic
• Have an idea of the look before you start but don’t rigidly stick to it
• Don't need to focus to heavily on perspective when drawing organic shapes
• Simple layouts are best when incorporating a Foreground, Midground and Background
• Determine the chromatic value range before you start
• Keep colour values simple- 3-5max with a dominant colour- using an overlay layer filter
• Use contrasting colours to create atmosphere and more striking form
• Values become more washed out as the move towards the background

Here are some more digital painting videos that use nature as their main theme. The second video creates a particularly stunning image of a forest. When I return to university next week I want to try reproducing some digitally painted concept drawings using a graphics tablet in photoshop.

Speed painting - Soul of the forest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJhcbfZv-6M&feature=related

  Green forest speed painting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdcXVcCDrTQ&feature=related

Analysis of Question

“How can the natural world be adapted to create magical landscapes and imaginative worlds in film sets for a younger audience?”

This is the big question I’m trying to answer and at the moment it is proving difficult to get my head completely around it; so to help me and others know exactly what I’m looking at I’ve broken the question down.

Each of the following is based on the Oxford English Dictionary deffinitions (oxforddictionaries.com)

Nature

This is the collective phenomena of the physical world which includes plants, animals, landscapes and other features or products of the earth. Manmade objects and environments are not included in this.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/nature?q=nature

Adapt

To make or modify something giving it a new purpose.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/adapt?q=adapted

Magical

Magical has two meanings which can be used in the context of my project. The first is that magical describes something which relates to, uses or resembles in some way the idea of magic. The second is that magical can be used to describe something beautiful  or something that seems removed from everyday life.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/magical?q=magical

Landscape

The visible features of an area of land which are often considered to be aesthetically pleasing.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/landscape?q=landscape

Imaginative

An imaginative design or image shows creativity or inventiveness.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/imaginative?q=imaginative

Worlds

In this instance, Worlds is used to describe particular regions, groups, periods of history, groups of living things or distinct environment.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/world?q=worlds#world__5

The Younger audience described in my question is defined as age 7-12.

In essence my project is looking at techniques for changing and adapting nature to create landscapes and environments suitable for fantasy films aimed at a 7-12year old audience.

Work: Contra-biomimicry

The Christmas break is over... on with the PGD.

I went back to my previous research into Biomimicry and decided to create some responses. I decided to add a twist to the basic principal of Biomimicry by reversing the two roles of nature and the manmade environment. This created a new theory I dubbed Contra-biomimicry.

Biomimicry:

Taking design principles from nature and adapting them to help solve human problems.

Contra-biomimicry:

Taking manmade ideas or objects and adapting them to create variations on nature.

Each butterfly is made up of a series of images to represent a different concept or theme. Some are easier to spot then others which is one of the things I like about them.

Aircraft:

This series of butterflies are based on aircraft.

 Communication:

 Marriage:

Finance:

Using manmade objects and ideas like communication and marriage I have created some examples of Contra-biomimicry. Nature created using inspiration from manmade objects.