Hi everybody!
Today I wanted to share with you the process of drawing a game’s background.
Right now I’m working on ‘Mystic Seer’, our upcoming spooky game which we told you about not long ago.
In order to create a spooky atmosphere to this game, we must have a combination of three things: a spooky plot, dark graphics and perfect sound effects.
Since I’m in charge of the game’s plot and design, and since the game will take place in a hotel. I decided to draw my inspiration from two different park rides: Disney’s Hollywood Tower Hotel, and the Haunted Hotel which used to be located in Myrtle Beach Pavilion (unfortunately it was demolished in March 2007).
Both of the rides’ background story have helped me to build a new original story which I hope you’ll like.
Once the game’s plot was ready it was time to move on to the graphics.
Some of the backgrounds and cutscenes were heavily influenced by Disney’s Hollywood Tower Hotel, and you’ll also find some familiar items from the original Twilight Zone TV show. I did it because I want people to feel connected to the game right from the start.
While creating the backgrounds, I must pay extra attention for the their lighting if I want to give them a dark and eerie feeling.
I always start with a basic sketch:
Quickly after that I draw on it using a vector graphics editor software.
I used a 3D software (Blender) to help me achieve a more realistic lighting.
Then come’s the difficult part – in this case, make the all the different colors blend well and add textures to the walls .
It’s actually more time consuming than difficult, which is why we can’t use this method in all of our games.
So now that we almost have it all ready (or so we think), it’s time to work on all the small details: add some shine, adjust light and shade on the items and creepy cobwebs. Now we finally have it ready:
In a game like this it is also important to draw the characters with a proper lighting so they will fit nicely inside the game’s backgrounds and won’t seem out of place.
I’m sure that if I’ll have the time I will put more stuff in it, make it richer and add more details.
Six out of the game’s seven backgrounds are ready, and we will start working on the game’s animation and programming next week.
I really want to get this game out as soon as possible because I’m sure you’re gonna love it.
Have a great weekend!
Carmel games story writer and graphic designer
