01 // Project Intent

My primary focus for this year is to increase and develop my skillset in character-based digital illustration, while also learning new techniques in environment painting. I'll be steering this project in that direction by looking to create my own set of animated stills - that might perhaps be used for in-game cut-scenes or loading screens.

Having spent the week giving this project a lot of thought, I already have a strong idea of how to go about this and the kind of results I hope to achieve. I'll begin by referencing a few initial examples that I'll be studying and using as early benchmarks.

Off the top of my head I can think of several examples that have definitely inspired me in the past, and will provide a great starting point for my studies...

Infamous / Infamous 2 / Infamous Second Son

The three Infamous games use a very recognisable style of illustration for their in-game cut-scenes, providing continuity throughout the series. 

Employing a grungy artwork style, the images are edited together quickly, with each shot benefiting from parallax scrolling, camera pans and tracks, and animated effects. The final result gives each cut-scene an animated comic-book look which adds to the game's persona and matches the narrative.

GTA IV / GTA V

The latest entries in the GTA series have used parallax scrolling illustrations within their loading screens to draw focus to some of the most iconic characters within each game. 

By placing each posed character within a suitable environment, an underlying narrative is referred to without imposing upon the portrait, making the digital painting the star of each shot. Each image is beautifully rendered in a realistic style, befitting the game's overall look.

Dragon's Crown

Developed by Vanillaware, Dragon's Crown incorporated a visual style all of it's own by presenting animated digital paintings of notable characters and scenes throughout the game. Although the style was quite risque and mature in some areas, there is no doubt that it has been brilliantly executed, adding a whole new visual level to a seldom revisited genre of game.

Borderlands / Borderlands 2 / BTPS / TFTB

The Borderlands games implement a digital-ink drawing style to illustrate the narrated backstory of each installment, presenting an art style that compliments that of the game itself. The camera pans across the "page" as one drawing fades and/or animates into another as the story unfolds.

A lot could be learnt from these animations.

Darksiders // Darksiders 2

Using an art style similar to the Borderlands animations - though more silhouette-based, rather than linework - Darksiders uses 2D illustrative animation to provide the player with some backstory.