Where do you guys get inspiration to build environments and others stuff from scratch? I am not talking about the research but the very foundation of any idea.
I guess it just comes down to what you do in your daily life, from the stuff you read, watch, witness and share with others. Maybe you need to get more out or do different things if your asking yourself this question.
I find that most people know what they'd like to make, but often say to themselves "Nah...someone's already made that before, and they made it so good I wouldn't even want to try..."
Well, that's BS. Make it anyways, even if you think everyone's "already doing it." It's good practice and whether or not it comes out the best is irrelevant: It's a learning process.
For me, I love anything Japanese, so some time in the near future I'll probably end up doing some kind of dojo or whatnot. It's NOT an original idea, but that's not my main priority ATM! What's more important is that I'll have enough passion to actually complete a project like that because it's something that inspires me, and that alone makes it worth it to go through with doing!
Might be not exactly what you were looking for, but at http://www.mattepainting.org/ are some great env concepts, theyre also categorized, scifi, natural, etc. but I like to klick the random ones and then refresh the page
Just write it down. Describe the environment or character in detail, starting from the main idea. You will slowly find more and more questions to answer, and the background will fall into place. Even the most simple idea can groom into a great concept.
Thumbnails and warmup exercises can kickstart the ideation process but I firmly believe that the best art comes from solving concepts from a storytelling perspective. Most of the time 'just make it look cool' is just not enough.
Just my opinion!
Wrong : 'I wanna make a cool futuristic cop. Lets look at Ghost in the Shell and scribble something cool from there!!'
Right : 'I wanna make a cool futuristic cop. What time period does he live in ? Male or female btw ? What is his or her area of expertise ? Does he or she need heavy gear or more of a stealth outfit? Wait, cops today use dog to help them find stuff, so what would be the equivalent in the future ?' and so on. Developing such backstories is a great feeling, and it often stems great designs.
Dig through my sketchbook, or go on ref safari, or dig through past ref safari's. Nothing gets the juices flowing like a day out with the camera and the sketchbook.
Replies
I also like Cowboy Bebop and wouldn't mind trying to recreate that train scene from the movie. It had some nice designs.
Well, that's BS. Make it anyways, even if you think everyone's "already doing it." It's good practice and whether or not it comes out the best is irrelevant: It's a learning process.
For me, I love anything Japanese, so some time in the near future I'll probably end up doing some kind of dojo or whatnot. It's NOT an original idea, but that's not my main priority ATM! What's more important is that I'll have enough passion to actually complete a project like that because it's something that inspires me, and that alone makes it worth it to go through with doing!
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryReferenceConcept
Thumbnails and warmup exercises can kickstart the ideation process but I firmly believe that the best art comes from solving concepts from a storytelling perspective. Most of the time 'just make it look cool' is just not enough.
Just my opinion!
Wrong : 'I wanna make a cool futuristic cop. Lets look at Ghost in the Shell and scribble something cool from there!!'
Right : 'I wanna make a cool futuristic cop. What time period does he live in ? Male or female btw ? What is his or her area of expertise ? Does he or she need heavy gear or more of a stealth outfit? Wait, cops today use dog to help them find stuff, so what would be the equivalent in the future ?' and so on. Developing such backstories is a great feeling, and it often stems great designs.
Hope this helps!