10-26-2012, 12:46 AM
Well.. I think it is time to share my process.
First of all: after consulting Dan, I choosed the classical Mayan period as starting point to develop my four character designs.
Day 1: Research
Reading, watching documentaries and making notes (including quick ballpoint sketches, colored with markers)
A) Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya
B) Watching documentaries about the Mayan people:
About the Mayan Empire, part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ml7Co0w22M
About the Mayan Empire, part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n69-Ng_D9...ure=relmfu
About the Mayan Empire, part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCc47vfIg...ure=relmfu
Arte (german only :(), part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfcjiM10oU
Arte (german only :(), part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9OPjBeY6...ure=relmfu
Arte (german only :(), part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRsw_nQrL...ure=relmfu
C) Gathering googled images from 1. Original Sources (pictures on stone walls, paper, ceramics, sculptures,...), 2. more or less scientific illustrations, 3. Maya reenactement (for tourists), 4. Apocalypto.
!!! Before my research I thought the designs in Apocalypto are far away from reality, so much individualism and body modification - but after my research I found out that in fact the designs are pretty good and in fact closer than lots of the reenactement costumes.!!!
Day 2: More research
A) Gathering more images, reading about the Artus Saga on wikipedia, reading about Artus, Merlin, Morgana and Mordred - also on wikipedia
B) Thinking about things
C) Researching bones and skull deformations
D) Night Doodle with mayan skull deformation and blood sacrifice theme.
E) Artus = King (as Pakal II. e.g.) with lots of jade (jade was the most valuable material, more worth than gold), Merlin = supernatural priest, a living soul of an ancestor... maybe I'll paint his body translucent.. he has to have some animal mask/headgear - important animal: the feathered serpent (rain and visions), Morgana = upper class woman with lots of animal symbols that tell that she can transform into them - especially the jaguar is important as a theme, cause it stands for the underworld, Mordred = upper class warrior with lots of evil looking body modifications.. maybe fat cause he loves to drink and eat (gluttony motif).. maybe very sexual cause he loves to have sex with women or rape them (not sure how evil my mordred should be), Excalibur = Spear with a jade spearhead (Exjadebur or so.. haha)
Day 3: First non-rushed study
Priest from Apocalypto (2h, unfinished, will continue it tomorrow). Not sure yet if Merlin should wear a mask or not. I'll do 3 studies from apocalypto priests - 2 with masks, 1 only with headgear and body modifivations. Maybe I should study only with linework the following priest studies, cause color takes so much time. On the other hand, I get a deeper understanding how the mask works when I have to color it, because then I have to think about threedimensional forms.
I got a new source from a historian friend with scans of original codices: http://www.famsi.org/research/graz/index.html
Please give me critique and tipps. I have the impression that my studies and observations take a lot of time and I am wondering if this is really important. I love deep research, but maybe this is not helpfull.
First of all: after consulting Dan, I choosed the classical Mayan period as starting point to develop my four character designs.
Day 1: Research
Reading, watching documentaries and making notes (including quick ballpoint sketches, colored with markers)
A) Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya
B) Watching documentaries about the Mayan people:
About the Mayan Empire, part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ml7Co0w22M
About the Mayan Empire, part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n69-Ng_D9...ure=relmfu
About the Mayan Empire, part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCc47vfIg...ure=relmfu
Arte (german only :(), part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wfcjiM10oU
Arte (german only :(), part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9OPjBeY6...ure=relmfu
Arte (german only :(), part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRsw_nQrL...ure=relmfu
C) Gathering googled images from 1. Original Sources (pictures on stone walls, paper, ceramics, sculptures,...), 2. more or less scientific illustrations, 3. Maya reenactement (for tourists), 4. Apocalypto.
!!! Before my research I thought the designs in Apocalypto are far away from reality, so much individualism and body modification - but after my research I found out that in fact the designs are pretty good and in fact closer than lots of the reenactement costumes.!!!
Day 2: More research
A) Gathering more images, reading about the Artus Saga on wikipedia, reading about Artus, Merlin, Morgana and Mordred - also on wikipedia
B) Thinking about things
C) Researching bones and skull deformations
D) Night Doodle with mayan skull deformation and blood sacrifice theme.
E) Artus = King (as Pakal II. e.g.) with lots of jade (jade was the most valuable material, more worth than gold), Merlin = supernatural priest, a living soul of an ancestor... maybe I'll paint his body translucent.. he has to have some animal mask/headgear - important animal: the feathered serpent (rain and visions), Morgana = upper class woman with lots of animal symbols that tell that she can transform into them - especially the jaguar is important as a theme, cause it stands for the underworld, Mordred = upper class warrior with lots of evil looking body modifications.. maybe fat cause he loves to drink and eat (gluttony motif).. maybe very sexual cause he loves to have sex with women or rape them (not sure how evil my mordred should be), Excalibur = Spear with a jade spearhead (Exjadebur or so.. haha)
Day 3: First non-rushed study
Priest from Apocalypto (2h, unfinished, will continue it tomorrow). Not sure yet if Merlin should wear a mask or not. I'll do 3 studies from apocalypto priests - 2 with masks, 1 only with headgear and body modifivations. Maybe I should study only with linework the following priest studies, cause color takes so much time. On the other hand, I get a deeper understanding how the mask works when I have to color it, because then I have to think about threedimensional forms.
I got a new source from a historian friend with scans of original codices: http://www.famsi.org/research/graz/index.html
Please give me critique and tipps. I have the impression that my studies and observations take a lot of time and I am wondering if this is really important. I love deep research, but maybe this is not helpfull.