Eden - End of Project Review

At the start of this project i had planned to create 3D armatures of my characters for my final piece, but when that idea fell apart i felt lost. I lost all motivation and didn't know what to do - i was uncomfortable with my digital painting skills and knew that sketchbook work wouldn't be enough. I put my project off until the deadline was only a few weeks away and then realised i had to suck it up and figure out what i was going to for my last project.

I got right down to work and managed to pump out three sketchbooks full of work and eight finished digital pieces. My friend gave me some priceless input and taught me how to keep my original sketch lines in photoshop whilst still being able to paint underneath them. This seemed like such a minor bit of advice for them but to me it was incredibly helpful. I'm very pleased with how all my work turned out as my digital paintings have made me much more confident in my abilities and make me want to keep practicing now. It's just a shame that my poor time management meant i could only produce eight final pieces instead of the whole cast of characters i had designed. However this will be a lesson that i'll learn from for next time.

In this project i have:

• Explored several routes for my final pieces including puppets and digital art
• Brought seven characters from my sketchbook into finished digital paintings
• Improved my digital painting skills
• Performed colour tests to ensure the final character designs have the best possible looks
• Written character biographies and a story for my game 'Eden'
• Learnt an important lesson about time management

This project was challenging because of my mid-assignment crisis but it was also very fun being so free and able to create anything you wanted to. It has increased my confidence in my own work and given me the drive to keep on practicing when i leave university which is very helpful and reassuring as i was having a lot of doubts about whether i should continue with my art. Overall i am happy with my final pieces as I've managed to give life to my characters through colour and character sheets which makes me feel warm and fuzzy, i feel like i'm finally doing my characters justice. I'm also pleased to be leaving university on a high note, even if i will miss university in general. Hopefully the lessons I've learnt from the last three years will stop me from making too many mistakes in the future and keep me motivated enough to pursue a career in the games industry.

Here are a few pictures from my end of year show:

Since this is my last university project i may not update this blog again, so if i don't then i'd like to thank you for reading and following my three-year university learning experience, from photographing building's faces, to scathing game festival reviews to my final project. Thank you for reading :) - Nate.