Mythika: A Clash of Cultures
2
his piece, titled King Of The Mountain, was created for my original project, Mythika Prime. The theme I wanted to convey here was that of conflict: two warriors from opposing cultures are about to wage a brutal battle to claim territory – as well as eternal bragging rights. When designing races and cultures I believe it’s effective to think of each faction as a value statement for a quick and powerful read. For example, the left-hand character is part of The Iron Warriors. This faction represents strength and stability; they’re a group of soldiers who roam the world of Pangea helping those in need. That value statement is expressed in the strong shapes and graphics used in their culture. In contrast, the Warlord and his Marauder culture (over on the right) is the embodiment of wrath and violence, and this is reflected in the twisted and gnarled shapes used in his design. Attention is paid to differentiating the different cultures from each other through the use of iconic graphic motifs, colour and texture, while still having it feel cohesive as a self-contained world. After the design language is worked out for each culture, the puppet characters are then posed and combined in the scene with environmental elements, and effects are used to reinforce the designs of each character. T PORTRAY A CLASH OF CULTURES Colour palette It’s crucial to give each culture its own colour palette, to ensure they’re immediately identifiable no matter what’s happening in the image. Setting a reference of colours and tones is a handy way to maintain continuity. The environment The jagged shapes from The Warlord’s vambrace are repeated in the environment as rock formations, to indicate that this is a threatening space. I want to cast The Iron Warrior as the underdog, so I arch the shape of the rocks toward him like claws in addition to his lower position on the mountain. The Iron Warrior This character is from a culture that’s the embodiment of nobility and strength. I choose to distinguish this race with this graphic, which I feel visually represents the values of this particular culture. The sword is given a beaten and worn textured feel to suggest how long this warrior has been fighting. To create the textures I scan pictures of old metals and paper that I’ve collected over the years. I then apply it to the image on either Overlay or Soft Light mode and play with the opacity until I achieve the desired effect. The Iron Warriors The Marauders February 2012 74 Workshops Derick Tsai COUNTRY: US Founder of design studio Magnus Rex, Derick has worked in the gaming, advertising and motion graphics industries for clients that include Marvel and Disney. He’s now developing original worlds such as Mythika Prime to expand his creative horizons. www.magnusrex.com DVD Assets The files you need are on your DVD in the Derick Tsai folder in the Workshops section. Derick Tsai pays close attention to the details while staging a fight between two warrior races Derick Tsai p o the deta
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A Clash of Cultures
Transcript of Mythika: A Clash of Cultures
his piece, titled King Of The Mountain, was created for my original project, Mythika Prime. The theme I wanted to
convey here was that of conflict: two warriors from opposing cultures are about to wage a brutal battle to claim territory – as well as eternal bragging rights.
When designing races and cultures I believe it’s effective to think of each faction as a value statement for a quick and powerful read. For example, the left-hand character is part of The Iron Warriors. This faction represents strength and stability; they’re a group of soldiers who roam the world of Pangea helping those in need. That value statement is expressed in the strong shapes and graphics used in their culture. In contrast, the Warlord and his Marauder culture (over on the right) is the embodiment of wrath and violence, and this is reflected in the twisted and gnarled shapes used in his design.
Attention is paid to differentiating the different cultures from each other through the use of iconic graphic motifs, colour and texture, while still having it feel cohesive as a self-contained world. After the design language is worked out for each culture, the puppet characters are then posed and combined in the scene with environmental elements, and effects are used to reinforce the designs of each character.
T
PORTRAY A CLASH OF CULTURES
Colour paletteIt’s crucial to give each culture its own colour palette, to ensure they’re immediately identifiable no matter what’s happening in the image. Setting a reference of colours and tones is a handy way to maintain continuity.
The environment The jagged shapes from The Warlord’s vambrace are repeated in the environment as rock formations, to indicate that this is a threatening space. I want to cast The Iron Warrior as the underdog, so I arch the shape of the rocks toward him like claws in addition to his lower position on the mountain.
The Iron WarriorThis character is from a culture that’s the embodiment of nobility and strength. I choose to distinguish this race with this graphic, which I feel visually represents the values of this particular culture. The sword is given a beaten and worn textured feel to suggest how long this warrior has been fighting. To create the textures I scan pictures of old metals and paper that I’ve collected over the years. I then apply it to the image on either Overlay or Soft Light mode and play with the opacity until I achieve the desired effect.
values of this particular culture. The sword is
The Iron Warriors
The Marauders
February 201274
Workshops
Derick TsaiCOUNTRY: US
Founder ofdesign studioMagnus Rex,Derick hasworked in the
gaming, advertising andmotion graphicsindustries for clients that include Marvel andDisney. He’s nowdeveloping originalworlds such as MythikaPrime to expand hiscreative horizons.www.magnusrex.com
DVD AssetsThe files you need are on your DVD in
the Derick Tsai folder in the Workshops section.
Derick Tsai pays close attention to the details while staging a fight between two warrior races
Derick Tsai pays close attention to the details while staging a
UNI79.tut_anno.indd 74 12/13/11 11:33:31 AM
PHOTOSHOP
CUSTOM BRUSH: TEXTURIZER
I used this custom brushalong with metallictextures to create thecharacters’ general wear and tear.
How I create…
A BATTLE ON A MISTY MOUNTAIN
1 Character posesThis scene is composed in a
spontaneous matter without a sketch. I have a rough idea of what I want so I basically start posing my two side-view puppets, until they’re arranged in a circular composition with a clear antagonistic relationship towards one another.
2 Mountain shapesThe jagged mountains are basically
one solid shape repeated three times with different texture applications and slight distortions. It’s amazing how much spatial depth you can suggest using just bold graphic shapes, texture, atmosphere and the sharpness of edges.
3 Ominous cloudsI create the roll of clouds by cloning
one cloud shape and then repeating it over and over again, reducing the scale and blurring the edges to create a sense of depth. It’s a very stylised look and suits my purposes here, but the effect can used in regular paintings, too.
Artist insight A clash of cultures
February 2012 75
The WarlordThis character’s faction, the Marauders, is harsh by nature. Their design is characterised by this graphic, which resembles twisted shrapnel with sharp edges. When designing the graphic, I start with a line drawing, fill it with flat colour and then add the appropriate lighting for the material I’m trying to simulate. I finish by adding various textures for additional visual interest. To further emphasise this faction’s war-like nature, they’re clad in scales and wear brutally jagged armour.
UNI79.tut_anno.indd 75 12/13/11 11:33:42 AM
