Samuel Watts L3 Games Design Unit 78 - Digital Graphics For Computer Games: HA1 Task 3

PIXEL ART

Pixel at is a form of digital art, to create pixel art you use software known as raster graphics which can be found in applications such as Photoshop. The main use of pixel art can be found in old games due to the limitations found in the consoles. Games had to be created using pixel art as it used up less data. Pixel art can be seen quite sophisticated or very easy. E.g. the old Mario games, the designs in that are quite simplistic with each piece of pixel being easy to identify. However, you can have pixel art such as the image below

Which has gone through a high amount of art work using different coloured pixels to make the image seem as realistic as a cartoon can go. Pixel art is commonly divided into two subcategories, isometric and non-isometric. Isometric is used when the artist wants to create a 3-D effect with their pixels animations. Non-isometric is when then artist makes a plain 2-D drawing using pixels. Non-isometric is usually seen when the player sees nothing but a straight picture in front of them. They can’t see any art that gives a top down view, a side view, a bottom view etc. They see a flat image, whereas isometric pixel art is the complete opposite.

A big game which uses pixel art is the 1997 game made by Konami known as Castle Vania symphony of the night

Other games which use pixel art are: Doom, Duck tales, The legend of Zelda (old versions), Final fantasy etc.

CONCEPT ART

Concept art is where artists draw illustrations of ideas that may or may not be used in the final product of a game, film, animation, comic book etc. It allows for more ideas to be generated and helps to develop the characters, environments and stories that the final product will use. In other words if we take a video games main character, he or she could undergo many different transformations of looks until they find the ideal drawing that they wish the finished character to look like.

During the beginning stages they will do quick sketeches that aren’t detailed or coloured in, they will then choose a few of which they like and begin to detail them while changing the style up. Once they have found the right style and amount of detail they will add the finishing touches of colouring the art and in. Concept art can also show you how each feature of the character was made as they will sketch the body parts out as if they have taken apart a toy and label what has gone onto each design of limb. They will also draw the characters in different poses and showing many different facial features.

Every game will have to go through the stages of concept art.

TEXTURE ART

Texture art is the surface art of an object or drawing, it can be both 2-D and 3-D and is used when trying to create a texture on the exterior of something e.g. the fur of a cat can be known as a texture. When it comes to the 3-D and 2-D aspects of texturing they have different names. 3-D art can be known as physical texture, this is texture that can be felt by touch.

Visual texture is illusion of having physical touch, it’s where the artist paints a picture using his tools E.g. a brush and paint to create something like grass. If you were to look at the painting you’d notice that the texture was grass but when you touch it you can’t feel the grass, only the paper and paint that the artist used. This is known as visual texture.

Video games will use visual texture to create their games as it is not possible to touch the textures physically in a video game. Companies will hire texture artists to draw different types of texture for them such as bricks on the ground or in a building and leaves on a tree.

All games will use texture art.

BACKGROUND GRAPHICS

Background graphics are the parts of scenery that will be seen at the back of a scene, it can consist of different objects and visualisations such as buildings, sunset, the ocean, a jungle etc. Background graphics can consist of 3-D and 2-D effects and be involved in both types of projects. In 2-D art in video games then the player will notice the background art since that is all they can see behind the player, let’s take rayman legends for example, in the jungle levels you will see a lot of trees and foliage as the background. This is because it needs to suit the setting and environment. It also helps to add detail into the game.

In a 3-D game it is much harder as they need to create 3-D models for the background since they will most likely be involved into the game to become the foreground. There will always be a background that the player cannot reach and this does the same effect as a 2-D game, it’s to add detail and make the game feel more alive. Let’s take ultimate Spiderman for example the buildings in the background are there to give the player the city environment, but if we controlled Spiderman and ran towards them then they would eventually become the foreground buildings and there will be more buildings behind it that then become the background. Since all video games are limited to a certain amount of area to explore in a 3-D video game they will only allow you to explore so much, if going towards the edge of an area that is you cannot explore, you will be able to see background animations that will never become foreground just like in a 2-D video game.

Every game uses background graphics.

PRINT MEDIA ART

Print media art is the process of creating a piece of art on a device like a computer or tablet, once created you print the art off onto a canvas or piece of paper. Media use this such as newspapers and magazines since it is easy to edit pictures and text together using hardware from computers. There are numerical ways on how to use print art and they can either be really simple or really time consuming. One way is to use tools to imprint onto objects by engraving into them, another way is to etch into them, a third way is digital prints which is just using a normal printer, a fourth way is Monotyping which is drawing on a smooth non-absorbent surface and many more.

Print media art for video games is another way of saying box art. The game case that the disc comes in for a game uses print art to make it. Artists will draw the box art on a computer making it detailed and adding needed or relatable images such as the character, setting, maybe the villain and other elements which relate to the game and the genre. It also helps to market the game and if done right can attract a bigger audience.