Odyssey: Quest To Ithaka
My entry for the Rookie Awards 2022. This is a series of concept art to turn the Odyssey into a dark ride. It consists of very rough artworks that convey the story and atmosphere of certain ride scenes, characters and vehicles within this attraction.
Introduction:
For our final semester of university, we had to create one big research project. University has always been about the development of 2D and 3D art for games. As a Theme Park enthusiast, this project was the perfect opportunity to finally dive deep and explore the world of Themed Entertainment Design instead.
Some of the work went into a final Artefact Portfolio Book that I would love to share with you as my entry for the Rookie Awards 2022.
I started with a blue sky phase where I figured out what I wanted to make and the theme of the ride. I decided to make a Concept Art series for a boat ride based on the story of the Odyssey.
We only had a few weeks to work on this (alongside another module). So, I had to make a good plan of what I could create within this timeframe. Usually, I like to spend a longer time rendering my illustrations, but I decided to try and let go of that mindset and focus on creating concepts that would convey the mood and atmosphere. As to not end the project with only one piece.
Designing the ride vehicle:
I started off by creating a bunch of thumbnails to try and find a design that I liked. I was pulled towards the very last thumbnail (39) which is a combination of 2 others. But after careful consideration, it seemed as if the flag at the back of the boat could become a safety hazard on the ride. The ride would need to be made in a way that the flag will never get caught in other set design pieces.
So instead I went with number 32, made a sketch and tested out a bunch of colours for the design.
I then gave the boat more depth and created one final image to put into my portfolio.
Designing the main character: Odysseus
Creating my version of Odysseus was not easy. I had a hard time thinking about what this man would look like. I made a reference board, a mind map and even a rough Zbrush sculpt to help me find out who he should be. After all Odysseus is not a god, nor is he described in the story by any recognizable physical attributes.
But as the main character in a ride, he should be recognisable throughout all of it. So I went through a bunch of thumbnails, outfit sketches, and armor designs and came to one final design of my Odysseus. I then made another image out of it to put into my portfolio.
Designing the ride:
This would become the most important part of the entire series of artworks.
First, I had to rewrite the original story to fit the ride and become appropriate for all guests. I then made a rough beat board to help me gain an understanding of the future pieces I wanted to make.
Some of these ideas needed further exploration before settling on one design. I would make 3 thumbnails with an explanation and let my peers help me by choosing which pieces they liked most.
I also knew I wouldn't have the time to make a coloured concept of all ride scenes, so I chose the ones that would convey the most important parts of the story. The entrance was sadly one I had to scrap, but I did want to show the 3 thumbnail versions I made for it.
I made the final concepts of the ride scenes and then decided that it would be really cool to have an isometric map view as well. It shows off yet another skill and hopefully helps you create a mental picture of what this ride would look like.
So here's what you have been waiting for, the final concepts:
Designing the logo:
Of course this project would not have been complete if it wasn't for a nice logo to finish it off. The logo could be used on all my portfolio work to tie it together, but I designed with the idea in mind that it could be on the big entrance board of the ride (and maybe even the potential merchandise).
I looked at a lot of existing ride logos and quickly made a few thumbnails.
I liked the font of D and how playful it looks, but thought that a closed off border would probably look nicer when used on many different things.
I painted the logo in black and white and added colour by using the blend modes in Photoshop. I also wanted it to fit even more to the Ancient Greek theme and added a helmet on the logo.
Thank you for looking through this project. This was my first time doing something for Themed Entertainment Design and I had an absolute blast creating these pieces. I can't wait to get feedback and tips on how to improve further in this field and as a concept artist in general!
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