First Ecosystem

 First Ecosystem - Jungle

For the first ecosystem if went with a jungle like micro biome. This first digital painting worked as a proof of concept as well. It was more experimental, but, now I know how to approach the work and the layers of work it takes to finish a biome design. I used the layer system of a forest to add diversity to the piece. The tallest being part of the canopy tree, with a "parasite" species living of it,the smaller trees, the shrub layer, the fungal layer and then the ground layer.

Template Composition (working with shapes)

Based on the inspirations I previously posted on this blog I understood that simple yet contrasting shapes (like edges and curves) were a big part of the art I admired. So, I proceeded to draw in shapes and refining them. I used a brush that gives the feel of a vector like shape but with some rough details and sometimes a messy outline. When I was satisfied I moved on to adding colour. 

Colouring (applying base colours)

For a jungle like biome, I used mostly colours what would be in between the blue and yellow in a colour wheel, with some small details in other colours. I used desaturated tones to act as a base for the colour added by some of the texturing, in order to make these textures pop. I used mostly realistic colours for this one, however I am thinking of exploring them more in the future for other biomes.

Texturing (defining shapes and colour variation)

The software I used (Clip Studio Paint) provides a handful of different textured brushes, however I acquired some more brushes with time. I used about 5 different of them in this piece and I plant to use them throughout the whole series of work.

Light and Shadow (finalising)

For the light and shadow work I used two different layers, the light one uses the “Add Glow” as a blending layer and the shadow I used a dark blue layer with the blending mode “Multiply” and reduce opacity.

Final Piece

I finalized the piece by changing some small details and adding the names of each of the specimen which gives it a more “scientific” and journal like feel.