2. Chapter 9
Art Composition

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Elements and Principles of Art (Continued)
There are seven elements of art
Value
Space
Texture
Shape
Form
Line
Color
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

11. Elements and Principles of Art (Continued)
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12. 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

13. Elements and Principles of Art (Continued)
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14. 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

15. Elements and Principles of Art (Continued)
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16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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?

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