Normally minimalism is a very purposeful aesthetic: how can you convey the most with the least amount of information? I look at your scene it it doesn't feel minimal so much as it feels unfinished, here is why:
There is some texture detail on some models, but not on others
The texture detail varies in frequency, the hay bails have far more texture than the rest, making it all look unfinished
You have some scaling issues, the hay bails are huge! it makes the barn feel small.
The road is floating about the green grass which just looks a little sloppy.
The color scheme has everything over-saturated and bright, it would look better with some hue shifts.
If you want to go for minimalism I think there are some things to consider:
Select a limited color palette
Set rules for how you want things to look, this applies to everything from scale to shapes and textures.
You can see for each of these, how there is a very distinct visual style even though they would all fall under the banner of "minimal" I did a minor paint over of part of your scene, which I think shows how a simple hue-shift can make it look more interesting:
So I gave it a go, minimalising my colour pallet, and honestly prefer it how it was, but gave me a chance to try something new, obviously it's not brilliant as it's my first time doing it and I know it'll take practice, but it was good to try something new.
If you wanted to try a nighttime scene this works, except the barn is the same brightness and it throws off the whole scene a little bit. Just a note, just because some of the example scenes are monochromatic, doesn't mean you have to monochromatic as well, the color palette can be limited in other ways.
Something I also forgot to mention the first time around, is that I think your scene is too big, creating a lot of empty space that isn't very interesting. Shrinking the space and rearranging some of the pieces could help make it more interesting. The question that should be ask is what is the focus of the scene? Once you figure out that, you can arrange things in such a way that your attention is directed towards the main focal point.
If you wanted to try a nighttime scene this works, except the barn is the same brightness and it throws off the whole scene a little bit. Just a note, just because some of the example scenes are monochromatic, doesn't mean you have to monochromatic as well, the color palette can be limited in other ways.
Something I also forgot to mention the first time around, is that I think your scene is too big, creating a lot of empty space that isn't very interesting. Shrinking the space and rearranging some of the pieces could help make it more interesting. The question that should be ask is what is the focus of the scene? Once you figure out that, you can arrange things in such a way that your attention is directed towards the main focal point.
Yeah I decided to go for a nighttime-ish scene, and I know that to but as my first try I thought they would be good inspiration as it's my first go at it. And originally there was going to be more in the scene but never had the time to add such details.
I have no experience when it comes to such scenes, but I think a website such as Adobe Kuler or Paletton might help you when it comes to generate and play with different color schemes.
I have no experience when it comes to such scenes, but I think a website such as Adobe Kuler or Paletton might help you when it comes to generate and play with different color schemes.
Oh man I completely forgot about Paletton! Bookmarked for future use. Thank you.
Replies
Normally minimalism is a very purposeful aesthetic: how can you convey the most with the least amount of information? I look at your scene it it doesn't feel minimal so much as it feels unfinished, here is why:
If you want to go for minimalism I think there are some things to consider:
Here are some good examples of minimal 3d work:
model
model
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/JDoDv
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/23Vzy
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/km5Dl
https://ooblets.com/
You can see for each of these, how there is a very distinct visual style even though they would all fall under the banner of "minimal"
I did a minor paint over of part of your scene, which I think shows how a simple hue-shift can make it look more interesting:
I hope you find this helpful!
So I gave it a go, minimalising my colour pallet, and honestly prefer it how it was, but gave me a chance to try something new, obviously it's not brilliant as it's my first time doing it and I know it'll take practice, but it was good to try something new.
model
Something I also forgot to mention the first time around, is that I think your scene is too big, creating a lot of empty space that isn't very interesting. Shrinking the space and rearranging some of the pieces could help make it more interesting. The question that should be ask is what is the focus of the scene? Once you figure out that, you can arrange things in such a way that your attention is directed towards the main focal point.