I am super stoked to be participating in this art challenge. The theme is one that I'm truly a fan of and have been wanting to make a portfolio piece in and I respect both Experience Points and DiNusty and what they bring for the community. My goal is to have an amazing addition to my portfolio by the end of this with feedback and critiques during the competition to push myself further.
To start out, the art I'm basing my scene off of is this "Mew Meets Mewtwo" artwork by Nayek that really made me want to model it when I saw it.
It invoked feelings of sadness and loneliness that I wanted to capture in a 3D scene. The faded image of Mew looking at its scientifically enhanced and mutated child, the cracks and decay of the technology, the loose wires hanging from the ceiling. All of these depict a warning that technology can bring great strides but can also bring destruction.
I will, of course, be adding to the scene to bring more elements of cyberpunk and flesh out the lab to tell a story and show more abandoned technology. I plan to introduce Team Rocket digital signs that are broken, sink in the area around the pod and add more cables, add a Pokémon -style computer station and storage locker with items from the games, add a main computer station and server in the distance reflecting the same broken-down state the pod is in, and adding a window showing the city that continues to live unaware of this "failed" experiment.
I've started compiling a mood board and will organize it into categories for focuses within the environment, story I'm trying to tell, and feelings I'm trying to invoke. I will also make a core mood-board with a few pieces that guide the primary look.
My next objective will be blocking out the scene while I finalize the mood boards and the asset lists. I plan to work in Unreal Engine, with my models made in Blender and ZBrush and textured using Substance. I plan to really push myself as I haven't made a full scene in Unreal yet and my ZBrush skills still need developing. I can't wait to really start working on this project.
Check back here for future blog posts of my progression!