@Braden-Hallett said in Group run through creative environment design week 1 art and feedback:
It's interesting so far how most people start fairly simple, and then by the end of the first page their designs are much more interesting
I've noticed this as well. I think this exercise is great to get out of your comfort zone.
The only problem was that somewhere halfway I created houses that were more suited for a near or on water location... which was not what I was going for. :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_cold_sweat:
I find myself really struggling with these thumbnails, more so with the houses. I am not loose enough, similar to what I think @MichaelaH was struggling with. The problem is that when I try to work loosely, nothing comes to mind and I can't figure out where to put elements so that they make sense. I know these are just illustrations and do not have to be architecturally accurate, but I do not have any mental references to pull from. I had to use references for most of exercise 1, and even some of exercise 2, and I find most if not all of my thumbnails are rigid and really lacking in creativity. I made a conscious effort to loosen up in exercise 3, bu I am still not feeling it. Maybe I just need to review some environment design, or actual reference so I have more to pull from?
My trees and free choice thumbnails. For the free choice I wanted to explore what housing might look like for the first people to live on Mars.
@ErinCortese When I'm stuck I normally just make a mark; any mark. With these thumbnails you don't have to work out the details yet, just make an interesting shape and turn that into a building/tree/whatever.
I also find that using my wonky shaped sketch brush (it's a kind of an uneven diamond shape tip) helps by creating more interesting shapes than a simple circle brush would. If you look at the "windows" on my Mars building at row 2, column 1, that's the shape of my brush. I just used the transparent "color" and tapped to make those.
@ErinCortese It's really hard to loosen up, I'm with you there 
I find that if I start to tighten up I just start making random shapes and line for a few of the thumbnails. I'll usually get something that looks 'like a building'. I think that's just part of the process and why we need to do so many of these You eventually get all the boring stuff onto the page and then you arrive at the more interesting designs. In other words, most of everyone's thumbnails are fairly rigid at first.
Review's always good, but when in doubt do more thumbnails, I think!
@JerrySketchyArt Nice! I'm likin' the nice thick brush you're usin'.
@Braden-Hallett @JerrySketchyArt Thanks, I think I will just keep at it. I agree the thumbnails are important, and it’s never been more clear! It’s nice to know that it is just part of the process, it’s hard to feel incapable of creating something interesting or creative. I was just feeling a little defeated, but I have to suck it up and keep working, lol.
Oops. Realized that I hadn't added my initial house thumbnails here. I had traditional Japanese home shapes in mind while making these.
@ErinCortese Many of your thumbnails are super interesting. You're probably just being a bit hard on yourself. That's something we all seem to excel at! 
@JerrySketchyArt Thanks, but it’s probably because the photos I referenced were interesting 
I feel like I didn’t do much designing of my own. The beached pirate ship one on the bottom left was done without reference, and I happy with that, but again not original. But I really appreciate the positive feedback, it’s not a total loss, I am definitely learning. But I should also learn to be less hard on myself, because yes, I am pretty good at that.
@ErinCortese im digging these actually. Although they leave me wanting some sort of structural elements to help enhance the silhouettes even more. Some of them have them, like the fences and the chimneys and such but more please!
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@Aleksey Thanks!
@Braden-Hallett
Question: Now when you drew the silhouette of this castle gate did you concern yourself with perspective measurements or did it rough and when you moved to the sketch faze 2 you worked on the accuracy part?
Also scrolling through these are so cool and well done everyone! I will post mine here once I complete week 1 which may push into nest week. Oh well.
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Be blessed,
I like doing organic things better than buildings and have a terrible time imagining anything without reference but I tried to make myself do these without any reference. I wish I had the imaginatiion some of you have!
Laurie DeMott
instagram.com/demotlj
@Heather-Boyd said in Group run through creative environment design week 1 art and feedback:
@Braden-Hallett
Question: Now when you drew the silhouette of this castle gate did you concern yourself with perspective measurements or did it rough and when you moved to the sketch faze 2 you worked on the accuracy part?
I kept perspective in mind making the thumbnail, but I didn't bother with horizon lines or vanishing points. At the thumbnail stage it's a lot easier to just make it 'look right'.
Since the thumbnail looked right, I didn't bother measuring anything during the sketch phase either. I kind of used the lines I though looked right as anchor points then tried to stay true to them as best I could.
Seems to work for me
@demotlj I'm really liking some of those building silhouettes! Lots of neat bridges, gates and towers
Exercise 3, this time I had more fun drawing.
@MichaelaH I see a couple of airships on there!
@Braden-Hallett Yeah, than I did well, if You can see them 
@ErinCortese I really like them. I don't mind that they are 'rigid', they look good.
Maybe you need to make a mental shift?
Whenever I feel I can't get anything on the page or create work that is too stiff, I realize I care too much about the end result.
This forum is where we give feedback and to be honest when I saw what was already posted, I felt my work sucked. I was very hesitant to participate. Then, I shifted my way of thinking and said to myself "post it anyway, get feedback, get better".
You also mention that you don't have any mental references to pull from. That's fine. That is what Pinterest is for
What I've noticed looking at your trees is that the trunk is always straight. I was looking for references today and realized that does not always have to be the case. It's these little things that I look for.
@Braden-Hallett @JerrySketchyArt Thanks, I think I will just keep at it. I agree the thumbnails are important, and it’s never been more clear! It’s nice to know that it is just part of the process, it’s hard to feel incapable of creating something interesting or creative. I was just feeling a little defeated, but I have to suck it up and keep working, lol.
