Céline Cariou portfolio 2023

A “ Rising Man” is my graduation project which concludes my two years at New3dge Concept Art in Paris. 

I decided to base my project on the eponymous historical crime novel “ A Rising Man” by Abir Mukherjee which depicts colonial India during the 1920s. It introduces the reader to a british detective, Sam Wyndham, who just recently got assigned to an important murder case involving a british government official.

I chose to take a range of artistic liberties and mostly took inspiration from the descriptions of the place, the gritty yet warm atmosphere of Calcuttas’s streets, its people as culturally diverse as its local architectural treasures. My goal with this project was to showcase my interest for architecture design specifically, be it for large scale scenes or more intimate interiors, the scope of the indian landscape enabled me to explore both.

THE INDIGO MARKET

In the bustling streets of a fictional 1920s' India, nestled at the bottom of a historic building, lies the vibrant and captivating Indigo Market. This market serves as the heart and soul of the local economy, where merchants and artisans converge to showcase their mastery of the indigo dye and create exquisite goods that are coveted both near and far. The historical building  houses the market stands as a testament to the wealth and influence of the local elite. Once owned by a powerful dynasty, it has now passed into the hands of a wealthy merchant who recognizes the potential and charm of the Indigo Market.

The indigo Market presented itself as a challenging location to design as I spent a lot of time exploring layouts and larger scale environments, before settling with this one. I also mixed some elements of Pakistanese and islamic architecture and color notes into the indian feeling, I tried to find a new way to interpret the already highly complex architectural landscape of india and give it my own flair through extensive research.  

Color keys and  value compositions

I tried different lighting scenarios using both my 3d base modelled in Blender and photoshop. I like to do a constant back and forth  between 2D and 3d to not be limited by the technicality of 3d.

I chose to depict the vibrancy and warmth of the Indigo Market through a bright sunlight.

The detective office is caught between the past and the present of a Calcutta haunted by the echoes of unsolved mysteries and the scent of aged paper:

Leather-bound books, their pages yellowed and cracked, lines the shelves and at the very center of the room, the detective’s desk, cluttered with cryptic note, half filled whisky glasses and folders of on going investigations.

I chose to design a detective office as I was highly inspired by the old photographies of pre and post colonial india that I was able to find: the warmth and character of little trinkets and decorated walls, the iconic stained windows, the worn out wooden furniture…. I wanted to convey this homey feeling in a place which is typically portrayed to be cold and lacking of any personality.

For the interior design, my process was the same, I do a constant back and forth between simple 3d block outs and sketching to determin the overall direction. Then I go back to Blender to model my designed assets and play with light: The final step is the overpainting stage where I make the place feel lived in by adding storytelling elements which also give the place more context.

From the get go I had a pretty clear vision for the lighting and color scheme I wanted to use.

Detective desk props sheet

Game art and VFX group project

The Game art and VFX project was initiated by New3dge Concept Art supervisor Aurélien Fournier, during which I, alongside 4 other classmates, where tasked to design the visuals for a made up game pitch based on ancient Egypt called “ The City of Karnak”. The project lasted for 8 weeks and was a collaborative effort through and through.

The most challenging part of this project was the back and forth in the ideation phase, it was the first time that were given such creative freedom but within the frame of a defined art direction. furthermore, the group work helped me to push my skills throughout the duration of the project, my technical and artistic skills, but also my team spirit and ability to take feedback and think on a bigger scope rather than as an individual artist.  

The ancient Egyptian temple of Karnak was once a thriving center of worship and pilgrimage. But according to local legend, it is now cursed and all who enter are doomed to withered into skeletons. The story goes that the temple was built on sacred ground that doesn't belong to the living. 

some early explorations of the world of Karnak, trying different layouts for what used to be the sanctuary of the temple which later on was transformed into a puzzle room for more interaction.

 This shot is an in game shot realised by the amazing Game Art team: D'Andrea Vincent Panel, Estelle Benjamin Kretschmann, DUMAS Jean-Jacques, Moheb Naguib, BELLOT Ludivine and   Armande Lecointre.

Concept Art Team : Regin Wellander, Anne Fichet, Jérôme Bianchi, Noel Martins

I thoroughly enjoyed this project and the effort and care everyone brought along the way was truly inspiring and a very pleasant first team work experience !

personal pieces

this environment piece started as a The Witcher revamp, using the Japanese culture as a core inspiration.

These last pieces showcase my interest for set design and storytelling through keyframes.

The Keyframe project was a one week effort under the guidance of Jason Horley, where little groups of 5 people were assigned to a simple story pitch and tasked to design 2 keyframes each, following a rough storyboard. This project depicted life in the trenches during WW1, I chose the calmer, more intimate moments as this is typically what draws me in the most when watching war movies.

THANKS 

Special thanks to my friends and classmates who made these two years exceptional both artistically and personally: I would have never been able to grow so much in the span of two years if it wasn't for their relentless support and hard work. I'd also like to thank my instructors, Ulysse Verhasselt, Danar Worya, Karine Villette, Paul Riebe, Jason Horley, to name a few who had a lasting impact on me, and the art directors Timo Peter and Nils Carstens for their guidance throughout the Game Art and Vfx Projects and my graduation project respectively. Last but not least, I'd like to address my gratitude towards Aurélien Fournier who gave me the opportunity to study under  some of the greatest of the industry!

Extra special mention to my gremlin gang for their support throughout the hardships of the last two years.