[WIP] Enlighten Contest - Temple of the Swords of the Ancients

Macrow

A fleet of human space explorers discover a lost ancient alien temple, in the deeper reaches of space.

Though they are alone there, they are watched...

Amidst the silent surveillance of guardian statues and glowing inscriptions of language long lost, lies a sleeping secret:

Two ancient treasure swords lie in wait, to test those who may find the temple.

Even a mere grasp of one hilt spells the future for the hand that touches.

If the Sword of Destiny is chosen, the gods of destiny will manifest their power of insight and prosperity to whomever chooses it.

But if the Sword of Doom is chosen, the hands of haste will have awoken terrors of forgotten ages, sealed away by the ancients.

The gods hint at which fate is ascribed to which sword. Their light tells all.

...Will hastiness of humanity miss the vital indicant of the gods?

...Or will humanity become enlightened?

Macrow

I don't plan "concept art" much, per se.  With a time constraint, I think better on-the-fly, often with a live design process.

I can assign "memories" to existing art faster than I can draw them.  I use them only very loosely as mental snapshots that remind me where I want to go.

This will give me a wide degree of freedom in the modeling/sculpting process, to craft something original, syncretic, and cohesive, tapping into my sense of direction without slowing down to first draw it.

To be clear, I'm careful to avoid shameful plagiarism.  These boards serve only as anchors of the vibe I felt at the time.  I'm interest in the gist, not the exact designs.

Here are some of my inspiration boards:

Macrow

My overall direction isn't to distract away from the default scene, or deviate too far from the objective in making lighting in this scene shine.  But I do want to provide enough objects that will emphasize my narrative.

My usage of lighting will tell a story of juxtaposition.  The contrast of the cerebral glow of future technology, lost in an ancient world of mystic glow.

Got a few contrasts I'll invoke here:

• sci-fi vs. fantasy
• technological glow vs. mystical radiance
• future explorers vs. ancient history
• humanity vs. divinity
• coolth vs. warmth
• mechanic vs. organic
  
• life vs. death
  
  

It's important to not just tell a story, but have the scene create a memorable scene.  Contrasts serve that end well.

Next, I'll record some of my creation process, to show where I'm going here.