Great having your OGR on here - super encouraging and I'm very happy about it! :) So, Diomira... well, I noticed you didn't include the text about 'all the Gods'... I think that's a really useful bit of info because it throws up lots of possibilities in terms of situating Diomira within a specific culture (and thus all the reference that goes with it). Tia is also looking at Diomira, so I'm offering up my advice there in regards to thinking about those Gods to you, as I think it's a key consideration:
I champion your embrace of abstraction in your thumbnail with the floating cities - there's something dreamy about that image. That said, it's also strongly 'sci-fi' in its first impression. I'm a bit confused as to your rationale for having the city levitating upside down - or rather I'm looking to Calvino for that rationale and I can't find it. For example, he does refer to its streets of lead, which instantly gives us a sense of weight and solidity. As a concept artist hired to imagine Diomira, I don't think you can re-configure the original text so unrecognisably - Calvino might not recognise your vision. It feels as if the 'floatiness' of the city (that soft, gauzy impressionism we get from the description) has become a literal element of your design, and I don't think the text supports it. This isn't Baucis, after all :)
So - I want you to think about the Gods, and thereby think a bit more about the specificity of your Diomira in terms of architectural detail and real world reference and rethink the floating idea, as it's too much of a departure from your source material.
Thanks for the feedback. I guess I did let my concept run away a bit. I wasn't planning for it to look quite that sci-fi, but looking at it again it has been moving in that direction. I do still want the domes to be the most prominent part of the city, I'll try having them at the tops of towers or something with the city on the ground. The thing about the different gods is accurate, I haven't paid them as much attention as I could. I had some vague idea of there being 60 different gods with one for each dome. I can develop that going forward I think. I do want to keep the same general feel and colour pallet (though maybe a bit warmer). I'll have to have a rethink of the compositions for the 3 paintings, having a grounded city changes the first 2 a lot. I'll start making some quick composition test sketches to find out what will work and what I can fit in. Ill also shift the architecture closer to Italian or maybe Turkish.
Me again... I thought some of the stuff here might be interesting to you too: https://frankiesuttonuca.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/my-ogr-invisible-cities.html?showComment=1507229640355
OGR 05/10/2017
ReplyDeleteHey Ciaran,
Great having your OGR on here - super encouraging and I'm very happy about it! :) So, Diomira... well, I noticed you didn't include the text about 'all the Gods'... I think that's a really useful bit of info because it throws up lots of possibilities in terms of situating Diomira within a specific culture (and thus all the reference that goes with it). Tia is also looking at Diomira, so I'm offering up my advice there in regards to thinking about those Gods to you, as I think it's a key consideration:
https://tiawhitehead.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/invisible-cities-online-green-light.html
I champion your embrace of abstraction in your thumbnail with the floating cities - there's something dreamy about that image. That said, it's also strongly 'sci-fi' in its first impression. I'm a bit confused as to your rationale for having the city levitating upside down - or rather I'm looking to Calvino for that rationale and I can't find it. For example, he does refer to its streets of lead, which instantly gives us a sense of weight and solidity. As a concept artist hired to imagine Diomira, I don't think you can re-configure the original text so unrecognisably - Calvino might not recognise your vision. It feels as if the 'floatiness' of the city (that soft, gauzy impressionism we get from the description) has become a literal element of your design, and I don't think the text supports it. This isn't Baucis, after all :)
So - I want you to think about the Gods, and thereby think a bit more about the specificity of your Diomira in terms of architectural detail and real world reference and rethink the floating idea, as it's too much of a departure from your source material.
Thanks for the feedback. I guess I did let my concept run away a bit. I wasn't planning for it to look quite that sci-fi, but looking at it again it has been moving in that direction. I do still want the domes to be the most prominent part of the city, I'll try having them at the tops of towers or something with the city on the ground.
DeleteThe thing about the different gods is accurate, I haven't paid them as much attention as I could. I had some vague idea of there being 60 different gods with one for each dome. I can develop that going forward I think.
I do want to keep the same general feel and colour pallet (though maybe a bit warmer). I'll have to have a rethink of the compositions for the 3 paintings, having a grounded city changes the first 2 a lot.
I'll start making some quick composition test sketches to find out what will work and what I can fit in. Ill also shift the architecture closer to Italian or maybe Turkish.
Me again... I thought some of the stuff here might be interesting to you too:
ReplyDeletehttps://frankiesuttonuca.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/my-ogr-invisible-cities.html?showComment=1507229640355