10
May
2010
Palette: Splinter Cell Conviction
5
May
2010
Uncharted 2 Art Book Unboxing
To say that I’m ‘a little bit keen’ on Naughty Dog’s awesome work on the Uncharted franchise, would be a mammoth understatement. I think that I’m mildly obsessed with Uncharted - I have played Uncharted Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on each difficulty, poring over the details and taking vigorous notes.
A friend of mine, who knows full well my obsession with Uncharted, linked me an article on CGSociety regarding a certain Art Book.
This wasn’t an ordinary art book, it was the Folio Edition - bound in leather, packed with images and delivered with a certificate of authenticity by way of Registered post.
Complete with gold seal, the certificate is signed by Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells (Co-President), Amy Hennig (Creative Director), Robh Ruppel (Art Director) and Erick Pangilinan (also Art Director). The certificate is signed using real ink – which is always a nice touch.
The production values of this book are glorious – a faithful testament to the stunningly lush environments of the game (which inspired my ‘palette’ exercises looking at colour schemes used in games).
This book is an absolute treat for a true fan like me. So I thought I would share the love around through photographs. Behold!
Was delivered to work. Agonising wait until home time.
Sealed in plastic to protect it from the elements in transit.
Closeup of the intricate gold phurba icon and lettering.
22
Nov
2009
Dexter for iPhone
Fig 1. Blood splattered title card - first of more splattering to come.
Jeff Lindsey’s inspired Showtime series DEXTER is an absolute favourite of mine.
For those not familiar with Dexter, he fills his day as a forensic analyst with Miami Police Department, focusing on blood-splatter. In his spare-time, Dexter satisfies his blood-thirsty “Dark Passenger” by performing ritualistic killings of victims who themselves are guilty of murder.
Dexter meticulously orchestrates his kills and leaves no forensic evidence – following the “Code” of his father with a strong focus on remaining un-caught.
I admire the writing, production and actor performances – all of which are subtle, deliberate and significant. Continue reading
11
Mar
2009
Installation: Cartography
Creators: Steven Cullen and Katy Andrews. My contribution to this project was ux/ui design, production design and scripting.
fig 1. 3D translation and rendering of the gestures 'drawn' on a canvas.
Cartography is a tangible artefact promoting a playfully collaborative environment. Putting participants in the role of an explorer, Cartography invites them to chart out newly discovered lands.
Using simple gestures you can create islands and contribute to a virtual world which grows and evolves as more people engage with it. Participants use a quill inlaid with a magnetic switch which activates the canvas. Drawing on the canvas renders the line.
Two types of line define the island. The outer line encompassing other lines, constitutes a flat island. To chart island topography, participants drew ‘mountain’ lines. Please refer to fig. 2:
fig 2. The drawing surface and gestures.
The phsyical set-up of the installation was themed as though looking out a window. The rendered island (as illustrated in fig. 1.) was rear-projected onto the screen behind the window. The charting canvas was also rear-projected into the ‘blotter’ on the table when the quill was lifted. Please refer to fig. 3.
fig 3. Physical set-up of the installation.
3
Sep
2008
Team Fortress 2
Fig. 1 - Team Fortress 2 - The Team
Team Fortress 2 originally came as part of Valve’s “Orange Box” collection. This shotgun blast comprised of five games: Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode 1, Half Life 2: Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 (TF2) – now sold separately.
TF2 (and Portal) are stand outs for me. Visuals in the game are very appealing and while it looks like a first-person-shooter cross with a Pixar film, it can get a little messy. The aesthetic is something to be marvelled, a far cry from first glimpses – which was along the same lines of Counter Strike mould – boring and generic (please see Fig. 2).