Chapter 9 Art Composition

Objectives Consider the impact that art has on video game design. Assess how the art in a video game will be viewed or experienced. Outline the elements of art and the principles of design that apply in imagery for video games as well as other art forms.

Art Influences Image design is usually more art than science A game artist is the specialist who creates the visual elements of the game Specialists in art have strong skills in drawing, coloring/rendering, and sculpting/modeling They should also have a strong background in art history and the cultural influences in art

Art Influences (Continued) Art history and culture should be considered when creating game art Historical periods of art include Medieval Renaissance Mannerism Baroque Neoclassicism Romanticism Realism Modern art Contemporary art An art movement is a particular dominant style or technique

Art Influences (Continued) Cultural influences are those characteristics unique to a geographic region or the people of that region Common cultural influences in art are Religion Family Government Natural resources Environment Activities

Art Presentation Presentation is how the art will be viewed or experienced The medium is the material used to create the artwork Tools are the devices used to create the artwork A game artist may typically work with digital media and tools

Art Presentation (Continued) Concept art, sketches, and mockups may be completed using traditional media and tools The background of a virtual world may be a scene photographed from the real world Motion-capture devices and 3D scanners are also commonly used to record the real movements of a person or to convert a real object to a digital model

Elements and Principles of Art The elements of art deal with the individual features needed to compose artwork The principles of design govern how to effectively combine the elements of art to compose a pleasing work of art Traditional artwork is created without the use of computer technology Digital artwork is created using a computer

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) There are seven elements of art Shape Form Line Color Value Space Texture Each of these elements details an aspect of a single attribute of an object Shape is a defined area in two-dimensional space Shapes come in two different varieties: geometric and organic

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) The assembly of 2D shapes to represent a third dimension is form Form shows measurable dimensions of length, width, and depth for an object A line is the path between two points and most often used as a boundary to create a shape Lines can be straight, curved, looping, or organic

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) The combination of hues applied to a line or shape is its color Colors are defined using a color model The total spectrum of colors a given model can create is called the gamut Value is the use of light and dark to add highlight, shading, or shadows Value is also used to create contrast

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) The area or volume in a scene is the space Space may be physical or virtual Variations in form and color create texture, which is an uneven surface Tactile texture is an irregular surface that can be physically felt, like sandpaper Optical texture is creating variation in what you see

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) The principles of game design include Movement Emphasis Harmony Variety Balance Contrast Proportion Pattern Unity Applied action is movement In game art, movement is typically done through animation

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) When a designer draws attention to an object, the object is given emphasis Using similar elements is the principle of harmony The purposeful absence of harmony to create visual or contextual interest creates variety Objects arranged such that no one section overpowers any other part creates balance

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) Balance may be symmetrical or asymmetrical An element of balance is proximity, or how closely objects are arranged Proportion is the size of an object in relation to the other objects around it In game design, proportion may be exaggerated to make something more noticeable or prominent

Elements and Principles of Art (Continued) When an element is repeated, a pattern is created In video game design, patterns occur in both visual layout and in gameplay All of the elements and principles of art work together create unity When something has unity, it appears as a single piece and not an assembly of different parts

How can colors be used in a video game to make the game more appealing to a particular audience? What are some ways that movement can be shown or implied in a video game that does not have a lot of animation?