High-concept art

Posted by Kerry on April 24, 2008 | Permalink

As children, the Bronte sisters and their brother Branwell created fictional kingdoms with fabulous names like Angria and Gondal, filling notebook after notebook with descriptions of these imaginary worlds. The idea of these making books like this, obsessively filled with tiny writing, drawings and maps, has always appealed to me. When I read the gorgeous Dame Darcy illustrated edition of Jane Eyre, I thought immediately of those books and the idea for the game’s visual style clicked. I wanted it to look like children’s drawings, paper dolls and toy theatres - the imagery of the imagination.

The image to the left is one of my first (very rough!) attempts to get an idea of how the game will look. I simplified my drawing style, deliberately ignoring perspective and trying to make everything look pleasingly two dimensional. I let my lines get messy in places or too bold in others, and didn’t mind if outlines didn’t meet up. I’m pleased with the results - I think that the finished images will walk a neat line between naive and sinister, which perfectly suits the tone of the game.

I’ll post a few more advanced bits of concept art over the next week or two - no spoilers, mind! - and then hopefully I’ll be able to show you some shots of it in action, as I gradually replace the placeholder graphics I’m using in-game at the moment…

Categories: Clouds Beyond Clouds