Since the last blogpost I blocked out my scene + started working on the first 2 plant assets :)

I picked European frogbit + duckweed because they are both native and very cute.

A basic breakdown of my workflow can be found here. Basically I use Blender for Highpoly + Lowpoly and then bake and do the texture with Substance Designer :)

When you don't want to draw.jpg

Here is my first final asset, the duckweed - I arranged it for testing quickly! :)

Also here is the blockout for the scene!

Think I actually should get back to it and go a bit more into detail!

• abundant mini world
• transformation/ growing (still debating if I should add frog eggs)

Next Steps

• decide if I really want to use Unity
  • initial decision for it, cause companies I want to work for use it
  • but slow workflow, does not look as nice as UE or Marmoset potentially
  • UE/ Marmoset - faster, better result - but Unity nice technical skill to have
• frogbit lowpoly
• further detail blockout
   
  
  
  
  
  

Work Schedule Experiments

Last week I wrote I want to experiment with a new schedule to have more energy/ focus. I honestly didn't work enough this week (like 2-4 hours productive work/ day). Wanna get it up to 4-5 hours consistently.

That said I reached my goals + the lunch workout experiment was successful.

• had no or little post lunch slump on days I worked out on
• BUT: can be a big time-sink depending on the workout (e.g. cycling just takes way too long vs. strength training)
• also gotta watch out for overtraining

Also Tuesday's lunch bike trip lead me to a ruin surrounded by forest which was cool!

Finding an Art Style

For the artstyle I have two competing interests!

1) I want to have sth. that fits the style of the companies I would like to work for.

BUT

2) I want to practice my sculpting skills

So I'm thinking of taking the vibe/ colors/ level of detail from the companies I'd like to work for, but also include sculpting in the workflow.

Here's a very first test with a duckweed plant.

Composition & Tadpole Pics!

A problem with having a terrarium diorama that can be viewed from all sides is the composition.

I looked at some nature aquarium composition tips. But they focus on the view from one side.

I think having a "main view" is definitively the way to go still.

Also the photos of the tadpoles are by Eiko Jones, super inspiring!

Next Steps / Questions

 Do you come up with your own artstyle for pieces? If yes, how do you approach it?

Next steps:

• finish first style test
• glass container research & modeling
• first blockout

Oh also I made a gas planet generator for #Mayterials!

I will be documenting my process for my MA thesis over the next months - making a cute terrarium diorama with tadpoles! c:

Here's a crappy 1st concept!

Art Research

One of my goals with this thesis is to increase my hireability.

I looked at what styles & skills the companies need I want to work for.

• Unity
• sculpting, modeling, texturing
• VFX as bonus skill

Also I wanted to choose a topic I'm personally interested in. Tadpoles + terrariums are both something I have personal experiences with (macro photography, making terrariums). And I made art pieces on terrariums before, which I can use for inspiration.

And I'm inspired by 2D art as well!

Ideal Work Schedule

I will work only on my MA thesis for the next 4 months + personal projects. So all stuff with no external deadlines.

(with the grant I have I'm not allowed to take on any more freelance work)

So I think this is a great opportunity to experiment with my work schedule.

What I learned skimming through some papers & articles:

• there's not one ideal work hour amount, but it depends on context
• there's a point after which productivity per hour plummets
• it's likely that creative/ focused work can be done for less hours a day before productivity per hour plummets
• for me mornings tend to be most productive & after lunch there's a slump
• I want to have time + energy to work on small creative projects next to my thesis

My schedule I wanna experiment with:

• 6 tracked work hours a day max, using Toggl for tracking
• from that 3 hours creative/ focused work max
• exercise or walks during lunch time to lessen post-lunch slump
• frequent breaks, get away from PC in longer breaks
• start work at 9am, no more work after 5pm
• focused work in mornings, low intensity stuff in afternoons

Most of this stuff I experimented with before & I know it works for me. But now I wanna see if actually working less hours per day makes me more productive.

Lastly I want to leave you with a cool mini documentary about tadpoles!

Next Steps & Questions

Next up is to make a style test in 3D & start blocking out the scene.

Have you experimented with your work schedule before? What did you find to work for you?