During the simulated work experience with Debotriya, I was responsible for helping the 3D props and painting the background. She made the workflow very clear to me and shared many materials with me. Firstly, I made some props for the 3D scene according to the lay out designs which Debotriya gave me, including curtains, the bed cushion, tanpura case, some frames and books. It went well with Maya, and I would draw the background based on this 3D model.
When it comes to painting, we found difficulties with digital drawing devices such as different color displays of the same swatches. Besides that, I made few mistakes on the background details so I need to redraw, such as shaking contour lines, wrong arc of door and bed, wrong proportion of props on the wall.
After redrawing most contour lines with shift shortcut in Photoshop and fix those detailed issues on the scene setting, I was given feedback that this background can be more delicate with more flexible contour lines. On the other hand, more colors should be added to the four corners of the background, fading out at the edge as the lines do. In this way can the whole aesthetic be attached to the watercolor style.
Learning from professional lay out artists she showed me on the Internet let me realize I could have improved the lines from altering the line weight. From the perspective and coloring lessons I have already known these on paper but I found it challenging making full usage of pressure sensitivity to make a difference. In the future I need to practise digital painting more, focus on these subtle and tiny changes which might lead to a distinct outcome.
In brief, I enjoyed helping others with their animation because I could learn from people who had a totally different style from me. Moreover, experienced seniors could remind me of details I tended to ignore in the past. I was grateful for all the lessons learnt from Debotriya’s designer mindset and I should cultivate this and bring this to practice then.
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