Monday

Note：

Basics of Semiotics

Sign = Signifier + Signified

• Signifier: physical sign – sounds, images, letters
• Signified: personal interpretation

Art Bible

• Align expectations
• Communicate aesthetic intent
• Ensure consistency

Principles of Art Direction

• Vision: Line, Tone, Color, Tectrure, Space
• Audience
• Visual Pillars (Link to Class activity 2)

Art Elements

• Line
• Shape
• Form
• Space
• Texture
• Color
• Value

Principles

• Emphasis
• Movement
• Rhythm
• Pattern
• Unity
• Variety
• Balance

Class Activities：

Activity 1:

My Game Art Style：

• 2D Game
• Colorfull, Warm, Cute, Happy
• Cartoon

This is the artistic style I conceived for the game based on the emotions I wish to convey to players through it.

Activity 2:

This classroom activity involved five of us working together to develop three game art pillars based on a story comprising two sentences provided by our teacher.

Story:

In the future, cities lie submerged beneath the sea, forcing humanity to dwell beneath the waves. Oxygen reserves are rapidly depleting, while the surroundings teem with various bioluminescent sea creatures. Humankind must contend with the struggle for oxygen while also bearing the risk of venturing out to explore.

Two members of our team are responsible for sourcing images, while the other three are tasked with drafting one game art pillar each. I am responsible for writing the art pillar for the first set of photographs.

Based on the clues provided by the story, as it is set in an underwater world, the team members found numerous images of submarine cities. Given that the overall tone of the narrative is one of sorrowful bleakness, I believe the environment’s colour palette should primarily utilise blue and cool-toned hues. This not only aligns with the authentic conditions of the deep sea but also complements the story’s somber atmosphere.

Sunlight typically symbolises hope, yet in this tale, humanity’s prospects are bleak. Consequently, the setting is shrouded in darkness, and the light within it is faint.

Following group discussions, we aimed to create a relatively authentic environment. Consequently, when gathering imagery, I selected genuine deep-sea creatures found in the real world. Most of these organisms emit a blue light, interspersed with hints of yellow. Such bioluminescent lifeforms can both blend into the surroundings and remain visible.

Given the story’s setting, humans now dwelling beneath the sea feel profoundly insecure. They regard the ocean beyond their city with equal parts curiosity and dread. Consequently, the design of their protective suits for venturing outside is deliberately bulky. These old-fashioned diving suits, compared to the form-fitting, lightweight alternatives, offer a greater sense of security. The characters’ movements will be cumbersome, subtly conveying the inherent difficulty of such excursions.

Thursday

Class Activity:

Acticity 1:

The three key elements of character design are:

• Color
• Shape
• Narrative

During the activity, we selected our favourite characters from animations and games, then filled in circles with the elements used in their character designs.

1. My favourite character in animation is Embarrass from Inside Out.I believe this character design embodies all the aforementioned elements, possessing her own narrative arc within the film. The overall form of this character is circular/elliptical, reflecting her state of embarrassment. She frequently huddles within her hoodie, her entire posture tense – a shape that aligns perfectly with her backstory. As people blush when embarrassed, the character’s colour is pink, a choice consistent with real-life behaviour.

Embarrass

2. My favourite character in the game is the unicorn from Animals Party.I believe this character aligns with the elements of Shape and Colour. As the character possesses no backstory within the game, it does not fulfil the Narrative criterion. The game’s overall art style is fluffy and adorable, hence the unicorn’s elliptical form and rounded silhouette. The base skin colour scheme also adheres to this aesthetic, with the pairing of white and pink proving rather charming.

Activity 2

Design a character incorporating three elements：

We work as a team of three, with my role being to write the story, while the other two members handle the sketching and colouring.

The character we designed：

The background story:

The inspiration for this character stems from a medieval European royal timepiece. Consequently, numerous gear-like elements feature prominently in its design. Subsequently, we researched various clock imagery, the majority of which employed white and gold or brown colour schemes. Thus, our task involved adopting this palette.

Illustrated Reference Guide to Medieval European Timepieces：

We have designed this character as female, incorporating a skirt into the costume, resulting in an overall triangular silhouette.

Because she was originally a forgotten clock, trapped within the castle for many years, her clothes were in tatters.