PROJECT 1 - Invisible Set Extension 1
PROJECT 1: Invisible Set Extension 1 (Pre-Production)
NAME: Miao Xinjun
STUDENT I.D: 0379525
MODULE: Digital Matte Painting DST60904
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INSTRUCTION
2. PROGRESS RECORDING
2.0 Selected Composition Work:
In Project 1, we needed to choose one of the three composition works we completed earlier. We then used the selected composition to draw five sketches of the same scene from different angles. The selected composition will also be used as the basis for the following stages of the final work. Below is the composition I selected from my three previous works.
- For this scene, my main inspiration came from a fantasy animated short film, as shown in the image on the left. The short film shows characters exploring a magical natural world. I did not directly copy its art style. Instead, I used it as inspiration and created the idea of a horror-fantasy “man-eating forest” scene.
2.1 Draft 1:
I continued to use Procreate to complete this task. Since I often focus on finishing a sketch in one go, most of the process images below are screenshots taken from the drawing process videos automatically recorded by Procreate.
Based on the composition I selected, when preparing to draw the first scene from a different angle, the first view that came to my mind was an eye-level view facing the twisted tree wrapped around the corridor pillars. This twisted monster-like tree is not only the visual focus of the composition, but also an important main element in the scene. Because of this, I wanted to try drawing a frontal eye-level view of it, so that the viewer could see the tree more directly.
After completing the sketch, I used a clear bright colour to mark where a character would be placed in the composition if I added one to the scene later.
2.2 Draft 2:
2.3 Draft 3:
For the third scene sketch, I wanted to show a view looking from outside the forest toward the castle corridor. In this sketch, I used colours from dark to light to separate the foreground, the middle ground where the castle corridor is located, and the background where the forest outside the corridor in the original composition is located. The drawing process is shown in the image below.
I first used dark colours to draw the foreground as a frame for the scene. Then I used lighter and lighter colours to draw the middle ground and the more distant background.
After finishing it, just as I mentioned before, I marked the possible position where I might place a character. This time, the character is placed in the lower right corner of the foreground as part of the frame. This makes the character look like an explorer, and this arrangement fits my idea for the scene very well.
2.4 Draft 4:
When creating the fourth scene sketch, I tried a different approach from the previous three sketches. I drew the scene from a bird’s-eye view, looking down from above the castle corridor. After adding this angle, I felt that the overall scene became more complete.
To show the castle being surrounded and covered by layers of trees, I first drew the building and then added layers of treetops around it. In this scene, I made the light look as if it was coming upward from below.
The upper and outer parts of the image are darker and have lower contrast, while the lower part is lighter and the centre has stronger contrast. I think this kind of lighting can give the viewer a suffocating and strange feeling, which is also the atmosphere I wanted this scene to have.
2.5 Draft 5:
The fifth scene is a wider view. I wanted to draw the entrance of the “man-eating forest.” My idea was to have two twisted giant trees cross over each other to form an entrance that looks like a gate. At the same time, this shape also looks like the wide open mouth of the “man-eating forest,” while the castle can be seen faintly inside the entrance.
To better show the atmosphere of the forest entrance and the visual effect of the deep, bottomless space inside it, I filled a dark base colour under the line art layer as the background. The closer the elements are to the inside of the entrance, the darker they become, and the lower their contrast with the background base colour. In contrast, the elements closer to the outside of the entrance become brighter.
3. SUBMISSION
4. REFLECTION
This project was a very interesting task for me. Based on the composition and theme that I selected, I developed my original scene idea through more detailed sketches and further visual exploration. I also began to plan how the scene could be used in the final animation.
While drawing the scene from different viewpoints, I enjoyed seeing the whole environment become clearer step by step. Each new angle helped me understand the space better. I could almost imagine how the camera would move through the scene and what the audience would see from different positions. This process also helped me think more carefully about the depth, scale, composition, and important visual elements in the environment.
The project was not only about improving the drawings. Its main purpose was to create a clear plan for the next stages of production. By exploring different camera angles and developing the scene in advance, I was able to make better decisions about the future animation. It gave me a stronger direction and prepared a useful foundation for the following tasks. Overall, this project helped me turn a simple concept into a more complete and workable scene design.
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