An art direction document is a visual guide to the look and feel of a game, made to establish a common vision during production. Create an art direction document for your game, using mood boards, original concept art and mocked-up screenshots. Illustrate the environments and characters defined in your narrative design document, and plan the user interface. If you have time, you can start to produce game-ready assets for your characters and environments, and include these in the document.
Please share your art direction document, along with a reflection on the experience of creating it, and highlight any issues or questions that arose through the process. For ease of sharing, we recommend you create your document as a blog post rather than a downloadable file, unless you really want to present it in a special way. Please also try to look at a few other submissions, and leave some constructive feedback on the forum. Would you be excited to play this game, based on the visuals alone? Maybe there is something that in your opinion could be better. How realistic is the scope of this art style within the context of this module? Perhaps you could suggest ways to improve or simplify another student’s ideas. Remember, people can be particularly sensitive about their artistic endeavours, so be honest but tactful. Don’t forget to post your results and experience in your blog too.
Mood board and Inspiration
Real World Art installations, lost but found cities and mysteries
- Fig 1. Doug Aitken 2017 [art installation] Image by Patrick T Fallon
- Fig 2. A diver explores the sunken settlement beneath the waters off southern Greece [Photograph] Handout
- Fig 3. Melkove 2019 [photograph] Wikipedia commons
- Fig 4. Doug Aitken 2017 [art installation] Image by Patrick T Fallon
Artists and illustrators
- Fig 5. RLoN Wang 2021 Xiaomi MIX2 2.0 [illustration]
- Fig 6. RLoN Wang 2021 Impetuous world life NO4 [illustration]
Science Illustration and the Ocean
Ernest Haeckel
https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/bringing-the-ocean-home
Fig 7. Ernst Haeckel 1904, Actiniae Kunstformen der Natur [scientific illustration]
Fig 8. Ernst Haeckel 1904 Prosobranchia, Kunstformen der Natur [scientific illustration]
Japanese Masters of Art
Fig 9. Kuniyoshi, Genshōgo Fighting Under Water 1856 [woodblock print]
Fig 10. Kuniyoshi, Monk Nichiren Calming the Stormy Sea ca. 1835
Fig 11. Kuniyoshi, Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King 1853
Diana Fernie
Fig 12 to 16. Diana Fernie, Ocean in colour, 2018 to 2021 [Underwater Photography]
Ponyo
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Fig 17. Studio Ghibli. 2008. Ponyo [Film, promotional].
Parthenon of shipwrecks
Underwater Museum “Parthenon of shipwrecks”, off the coast of Alonissos island in the western Aegean 2020
Fig 18. Photograph: Y Issaris/AFP/Getty Images
Fig 19. Photograph: Y Issaris/AFP/Getty Images
Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021
Fig 20 to 23. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/feb/10/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2021-winners-in-pictures
Games
- Child of Light
- Abzu
- Metroidvania
Fig 24. Song the Deep
Fig 25. ABZU
Fig 26. Ori and the Blind Forest
Fig 27. Child of Light
Matt Nava Concept Art (Art Director for Flower Journey ABZU and The Pathless)
Fig 28 to 32. Concept art by Matt Nava for ABZU
Concept Art
Quick unfinished sketches in watercolour
Quick sketches
Quick mockups of Phorkys the Robot
Environment
Fig 32 to 44. My own work.
Still to do
- Finish Penelope Concept Art
- Environment Concept Art
- Underwater City Concept Art
- In-game Art assets for Environment
Reflection
My mood board or blog post is a snippet of my inspirations. Ponyo and ABZU are two mediums I enjoy with my son, who also loves robots, fish and the sea. A large part of my ideas to create an underwater game stem from his fascination for all things ocean!
I’ve also referenced award-winning and famous artists, which on reflection, may seem ambitious. The art in ‘Phorkys’ will be significantly pared down from the images here, due to time and skill. I plan to emphasise lines, colours, lighting and details – inspired by the works above – to create that childlike wonder and fascination with the least-discovered parts of our world, our ocean.
List of Figures
Figure 1. Doug Aitken. 2017. No title [art installation]. Image by Patrick T Fallon. Available at: https://www.victoria-miro.com/news/494 [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 2. ‘A diver explores the sunken settlement beneath the waters off southern Greece’ The Guardian Handout. 2009. No title [photograph]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/oct/16/lost-greek-city-atlantis-myth [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 3. Melkove. 2019. Not title [photograph]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yonaguni_Monument_Terraces_midpart_NWW.jpg [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 4. Doug Aitken. 2017. No title [art installation]. Image by Patrick T Fallon. Available at: https://www.victoria-miro.com/news/494 [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 5. RLoN Wang. 2021. Xiaomi MIX2 2.0 [illustration] Available at: http://www.rlonart.com/en/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 6. RLoN Wang. 2021. Impetuous world life NO4 [illustration] Available at: http://www.rlonart.com/en/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 7. Ernest Haeckel. 1904. Actiniae [scientific illustration]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haeckel [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 8. Ernest Haeckel. 1904. Prosobranchia [scientific illustration]. Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haeckel [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 9. Utagawa Kuniyoshi. 1856. Genshōgo Fighting Under Water [woodblock print]. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/63374 [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure10. Utagawa Kuniyoshi. ca. 1835. Monk Nichiren Calming the Stormy Sea [woodblock print. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45287 [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 11. Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1853. Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King [woodblock print]. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45281 [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 12 to 16. Diana Fernie. 2018 to 2021. Ocean in Colour [Underwater Photography]. Available at: https://www.oceanincolour.com.au/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 17. Studio Ghibli. 2008. Ponyo [Film, promotional].
Fig 18. Y Issaris, AFP, Getty Images. 2020. No title [Photograph]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/02/parthenon-of-shipwrecks-greece-opens-its-first-underwater-museum [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 19. Y Issaris, AFP, Getty Images. 2020. No title [Photograph]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/02/parthenon-of-shipwrecks-greece-opens-its-first-underwater-museum [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 20 to 28. Diana Fernie. 2020. The Cut [Photograph] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/feb/10/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2021-winners-in-pictures [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 21. Sandra Stalke. 2020. Hold Tight [Photograph]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/feb/10/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2021-winners-in-pictures [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figurre 22. Tobias Friedrich. 2020. Bowlander [Photograph] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/feb/10/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2021-winners-in-pictures [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Figure 23. Grant Thomas. 2020. Reclaimed by the Ocean [Photograph] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2021/feb/10/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2021-winners-in-pictures [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 24. Song the Deep. 2016. No title [Promotional Art] Available at: https://store.steampowered.com/app/460700/Song_of_the_Deep/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 25. ABZU. 2016. No title [Promotional Art]. Available at: https://abzugame.com/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 26. Ori and the Blind Forest. 2015. No title [Promotional Art] Available at: https://www.orithegame.com/blind-forest/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 27. Child of Light. 2014. No title [Promotional Art]. Available at: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-gb/game/child-of-light [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 28. Mat Nava. 2013 to 2016. No title [Concept Art] Available at: https://mattnava.com/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 29. Mat Nava. 2013 to 2016. No title [Concept Art] Available at: https://mattnava.com/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 30. Mat Nava. 2013 to 2016. No title [Concept Art] Available at: https://mattnava.com/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 31. Mat Nava. 2013 to 2016. No title [Concept Art] Available at: https://mattnava.com/ [accesssed 1 Mar 2020].
Fig 32 to 44. My own work.
References
‘RLoN Wang – Rlonart Official Website’. 2021. [online]. Available at: http://www.rlonart.com/en/ [accessed 1 Mar 2021].
COMPANIES, UPY are proud to be working with these leading and ORGANISATIONS. 2021. ‘2021 Winners – Underwater Photographer of the Year’. [online]. Available at: https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/winners/2021-winners/ [accessed 1 Mar 2021].
‘Dynamic Underwater Photos Look Like Dramatic Baroque Paintings’. 2018. My Modern Met [online]. Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/muses-christy-lee-rogers/ [accessed 1 Mar 2021].
‘Deep Impressions Underwater Art | Original Underwater Paintings & Prints’. 2021. Deep Impressions Underwater Art [online]. Available at: https://www.deepimpressions.co.uk/ [accessed 1 Mar 2021].
‘Miss Scuba: Artists Inspired by the Underwater Realm’. 2021. [online]. Available at: https://www.miss-scuba.com/underwater-artists.html [accessed 1 Mar 2021].
