#15 - Planning Day

Yesterday was a planning day. Wrote down how to fix the PS1 level, lots of weird stuff right now. Then me and Andy figured out the NES level cutscene. Before it was the prom night, but then they end up playing the NES? Didn't seem right, who would play video games on prom night? :\

So our plan we figured out yesterday was, there would be Debbie (girl), and two friends that would pick Oliver up in a car. They're headed to a concert in town. So we can show some 80's kids being awesome.



Not exactly like that...

Then a bump in the road spills a slush puppy or soda all over Oliver's shirt.

I wanna use the cup from 3 Ninjas. I always see that cup!

They have to take him back to his house :\ but Debbie tags along and they'll signal that they will catch up with them later. 

Oliver goes inside and sees his mom, you see that Debbie and oliver's mom are friends and talk while Oliver goes to change. Debbie sees an older picture of them together doing the science project (the Atari cutscene). Then mom breaks out the Family album like all moms do... 

Oliver comes down to see his mom embarrassing him with baby photos and such. Debbie comes over and shows him some of the photos of him playing plexxus. Almost like "I didn't know you played video games :O"?

Oliver shrugs it off and tries to act cool like "I don't do that anymore!" His mom then looks at him kinda ashamed as she walks away. Oliver gets flushed and embarrassed, then reveals that his still a big huge nerd that still loves Plexxus. He opens his game drawer that shows all his games and toys and whatnot.

Debbie reacts.. Then goes over to the drawer and insists that he shows her. Oliver immediately feels relieved, then they sit down and play instead of going to the concert.

It's tricky showing a story without dialogue or movement. I'll sketch this out and see if it works and communicates well...... But it's probably going to change slightly. But I'm excited that I can show more of an 80's teen scene with this :D instead of just having it inside the house the whole time.

#14 - Painted background

Ugh I didn't do so well yesterday. I spent half the day looking for my tablet stylus. >:\ I ended up using an old one that kept falling apart, so I only managed to paint one background ;(

Gotta focus! I hope I will do better today, I think I might fix a level.

I ended up finding my stylus in my bed covers xD I must have slept with it the night before.

#13 - "Day Off"

I was supposed to take the day off, but I couldn't resist drawing a little. I had just felt like drawing the reaction shots of Oliver through the years. It was nice to have a break from the computer- besides some Facebook..

After Game Reactions

1974 - age 6

1980 - age 12

1986 - age 18

1991- age 23

1997- age 29

We've all seen a game we like getting ruined by the new generation (Cough *Sonic* cough)

Sketched out an additional shot for the first cutscene maybe. Him putting on the transparent overlay on the TV.

Ah gotta hurry, this blog post was a bit late. I'll be probably coloring some backgrounds today!

#12 - More Perspective Drawings

Finished up the backgrounds on the Pong/Plexxus 1.0 level. I playing with the idea of using Sundays to take a break. So far I haven't had a day to do other chores (like clean the apartment.....) So I think tomorrow I'm going to clean the place and have a day off.

(Did a color test on this one.)

The finished Oliver drawings (green)end here... 

(Gameplay Starts)

(ends)

Used This couch for inspiration. That's a good looking couch!

Also wanted to try maybe a different rug. Gotta change it now or I'll have to go back later. I think I like this one! As soon as I saw this, It reminded me so much of older houses- like in the rec room. And my best friend had something like this rug. 

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Mini Perspective WIP

For anyone who is interested, I saved some steps while I was doing a shot.  xD Showing kinda how I'm doing these perspective shots, I'm really starting to enjoy it! I never thought I would ever understand perspective. ( I was kinda sad I never took perspective college, but screw it! The best way to learn is to just do it over and over! Who needs to spend $2,200 for one class anyway?.......)

I sketch something out, that I kinda see in my head. If my brain can't comprehend, I set up a camera in 3D and see how it works.

I use the polygon selector to kind of "find" where the vanishing points might be. I think where the horizon line may be, since it's top-down view, it should be up high. Following the crappy lines I made and see where the lines could converge. Lots of Undo/ trial and error.

This is 3 point perspective so one point leads down, another point is on the top right and the last point is far off the screen to the left

Once I find the lines, I start in another layer, Making the sketch layer red and transparent so I can see better. Then I use the default photoshop brush and SHIFT to make lines. Using Shift you touch one point, then touch at the vanishing point and it draws a straight line. Like the line tool in MS paint.

I make a new layer and keep making lines to the vanishing point. 

Since it's in a different layer, it makes it easier to erase things without erasing other lines.

  

Same process, repeated many times. Maybe tedious, but it's fun. Sometimes I "eye" something if another line is nearby.

Made a pattern for the railings. I wasted a lot of time trying to look for the railing I had at my house, but got lost in looking at old pictures and whatnot -___- Oops.

Used the transform tool- "Distort" - to line up the pattern. Then added more details and such. And Voila! It's all planned out ready for coloring.

#11 - Perspective drawings

Ack, I felt like I could have done more today, but wasted some time on figuring out perspective stuff. But getting the hang of it. I'll probably do more stuff like this tomorrow too.

 I end up putting "Guides" in photoshop to act as the horizon line and the vanishing points. The brush I use is the default round photoshop brush with no pen pressure, so when I hold SHIFT, it makes straight lines. I erase lines as I draw them- and make new layers every so often so I can erase (Or mask out) better.

 I've seen perspective drawings with all the lines still there, I guess it depends on what's most comfortable. Another thing that makes things more comfortable is seeing it in 3D before I draw, so I used Cinema 4D to help establish where the vanishing points would be and how big some things are. Another good thing is building some stuff in Sims for more reference material, helps it become "real" before actually seeing it.

The guides acting as horizon line and the intersection is the vanishing points.

Had some fun adding kid stuff to his room. Some of it include those dumb turkey hand things you make in school, baseball gloves, macaroni necklace. He's supposedly in 1st grade, so lots of arts and crafts.

Also found some great reference material!

OH! And I almost forgot! I still need to add the parents, but the Dad will be holding a camera (In the game you see a photograph of Oliver with his present). I'm no camera person, but apparently the Polaroid SX-70 was a very popular camera in the 70's- released in 1972 (it's also making a comeback in recent history). So this is his dad's camera.

I did a drawing of it to sort of... "Figure it out"

#9 - Why lineart?

More lineart. I guess I should say why I'm going back and doing lineart. It's been taking SO ridiculously long to just sketch something out then directly go into coloring. I spend the whole coloring stage trying to work out details and fix anatomy and worry about everything BUT painting. :\

So in the lineart stage, I have worked out anatomy and put all the finishing details (and get the face expressions right) that I don't have to worry about later. I figure them all now, so I can just focus on painting. Took me forever to figure this out, I thought that since I had to go fast, that I should just rush. Then I thought, rush but be good. No.... most of drawing is "planning" stages. I had just figured that out, and it's 100 times "easier"! I also use this brush so I don't focus on perfecting the line itself. Just getting the details.

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Finishing up the part in the atari level where he gets his hidden Atari, hooks it up and plays Super Plexxus.

Put (parentheses on the missing shots)

(closeup to atari)

(closeup on hand putting in game)

(looks at telephone)

(picks up telephone)

(split screen to wife)

(shows birthday party)

(looking at calendar)

(closeup to "frankie's birthday")