L'été c'est frais
What better way to cool off on a hot summer's day than with a frozen treat? That's the theme that inspired this fun seaside scene. From there, we imagined different variations of the same setting: realistic, 2d and plastic renderings.
This is the case study of a stylistic exercise we thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, it all started with the design phase.
Our playful characters each have their own unique personalities that distinguish them from one another, while bringing them together with their shared touch of eccentricity.
The idea remains the same from one design to the next. But when you look at one drawing after the other, you become aware of the subtleties that make them dinstinnguish from each other.
There are many ways of interpreting an artistic concept or design. While the design itself guides the shapes of the characters and set, it's the visual references that guide the precise ways in which they are brought to life in 3D.
The silhouettes differ only slightly, but there are still noticeable changes in the modeling, particularly in the eyes, the arms and the fine details of the ice creams. Although this is not where the styles differ drastically from one another, these differences in the 3D models are of great importance and give each style added impact.
Realistic
In this execution, the goal was to create materials highly inspired by reality. The image remains cartoony, but the abundance of fine details and the realism of the textures, as well as the lighting, give this rendering a striking style.
Some examples of visual references that we found inspiring.
3D... 2D
In this execution, we used Arnold and its toon-style rendering. Then we repainted the image to give it a neater, handmade finish.
Some examples of visual references that we found inspiring.
Plastic
Finally, the plastic version of our summer scene. It's closer to the world of motion graphics, very mordern. Much more sleek than the realistic render.
In addition to the materials, you'll notice some more graphic elements than on the other versions: the water line that follows the surfboard, the muscular arms of the horn-halter, the round eyes, and so on.
Some examples of visual references that we found inspiring.
Credits
Laurence Brunelle, Olavo Chagas, Nicolas Cloutier, Michael Coutu, Patrice Ferron-Craig, François Hogue,
Alice Lepoutre, Andrey Lizunov, Sarah Séguin, Simon Takerkart, Benoît Thérriault, Yu-Han Wang
Alice Lepoutre, Andrey Lizunov, Sarah Séguin, Simon Takerkart, Benoît Thérriault, Yu-Han Wang
Thanks!
