The idea behind matte painting is to combine photo reference and knowledge of light, color, shadow, and perspective to create convincing backdrops as setting for film or animated sequences. Having never done anything quite like this before, I found it ridiculously challenging… but fun. I’m definitely feeling more comfortable with Photoshop now!
The first difficulty was actually inciting the desire to illustrate a place that doesn’t exist… I’m discovering in this class how much I prefer reproducing visuals than inventing them. After digging through my subconscious a bit more, though, I realized that there is nowhere I’d rather be than in a cathedral… so why not combine it with the sacred space of a garden?
The painting turned out a bit too Disney/Kinkadeish for my tastes. Maybe I’ll try it in black and white or otherwise aged (age is the legitimizing factor for me). All in all though, it was great having a project big enough to get lost in again. Those are the highs of my design education! This next one took half the time of the first, yet I like the results much better.
I’ll offer, for comparison, my compositing skills of four years ago. I cringe… in a sweetly nostalgic way.
Hey Rachel – It was great to meet you yesterday. Love the drawings. Let’s try to keep in touch, yeah? And, I’m glad to see your compositing has improved so dramatically.
RACHEL LEIGHHHHH!!!!
i just spent the past hour looking through your stuff. haha i was talking to josh little on the phone and he referred me to your page and it’s AMAZING.
it’s good to see SOOO much talent expressed so creatively. you’re crazy.
but if i deduced correctly, you’re in indy?! did u know that i live in the top tip of indiana? im in south bend right now… crazy that we’ve been close all this time!