The Mushmoon Tower
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I wanted to tell a story of a mushroom creature discovering a mysterious moon tower in the woods!
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Work Process
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My first inspiration was from the game A Short Hike. I wanted to achieve something as charming yet simple, with decisions on where to hold back detail being intentional and working towards a cohesive and quaint visual story. From this primary inspiration, I found the toy series Polly Pocket. This matte plastic aesthetic achieved the creative and stylistic visual I sought for in games, but this time in real life. I then knew I wanted to emulate children’s toys to create a bright and fun look. In terms of overall design, my primary inspiration was based on the game Monument Valley. Drawing inspiration from the artist M.C. Escher, the game creates captivating surrealist towers that have attractive colours and depict awesome heights. Additionally, I also took inspiration from the games Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both games create quirky fantasy structures that go from strange to unbelievable. I also turned to looking at real-world structures that contained a good mix of the surrealist, quirky and weird, and artificially vibrant style I was attracted to for this project. My mind was drawn to the whimsical corniness of the Filipino perya, which are local amusement parks. The combination of all the references I gathered became a fountain of inspiration for the sketches and experimentation I would later create. Through looking at different kinds of art in different mediums and materials, I was able to form a solid idea of what I wanted to do.
I wanted to take my time iterating and developing different kinds of structures, shapes, and visual cues in my sketches. Once I had a cohesive ideas of what I wanted to do, I went straight to figuring out how to implement the style I wanted to do on Maya.
Shape Experimentation
Experimenting with Illumination
Developing the Character: Shiny Eyes and Rosy Cheeks
What kind of story do I want to tell?
