An American Traveling Circus
A traveling circus the day before opening...
Update - 21 Apr 2019
My scene is coming together! I have been working on improving the ground material and bringing up the sideshow stage on the right of the frame.
I picked up this great book at a local bookstore titled, "The Circus: 1870s-1950s" It contains nearly 900 pages of fantastic photos, including flyer and banner artwork.
I wanted to include some sideshow banners to my scene, but knew I didn't have the time to paint convincing banners. I surfed the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/) to find some illustrations I could use for my banners and found these two bizarre illustrations:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14771598474/in/photolist-ovjiAj-otFqPW-owmVzz-ovmEWk-roPqqi-i6NffG-ecAWYA-owjGV7-ovj3xU-obZJU4-oe2wHq-ovsRMr-ouoQhE-ow8TuY-qrLpbd-6chiFb-oumabc-oeYh4q-oyeeJ2-obWYs2-ozUayd-oupqr9-tBrjWh-rmPL1N-otECYY-oe1Js1-e8qTrS-owiscw-otv1dJ-e8qThf-f268na-occB4G-oeY1AU-odwLbf-oeRUTc-ouSe2T-65C7e9-a7N3JC-orm5Mf-owMNw4-x6PbVa-oeVqh7-exmYv2-oeYrkH-qeofFt-oe29A1-ov5v8A-d7sRMC-oeSYvP-oskvWu
https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14750912684/in/photolist-otuhqL-owgB57-ouQ9i4-ow8RsS-ovcsC2-odpHeu-6v4WCv-i2XoVy-oeQHbs-otA8pe-ovrau4-of15bL-i8bLJ6-od9949-otFyYK-ow5p4n-odm78k-orBPgo-iYqKem-oeZeQe-55FnsY-oeWUQq-oeTjxd-osGYrb-od9ueE-oyf41r-i82uwd-r8Tc7V-orEtN9-icDeW4-owmkCV-oeUEqQ-oeRoSG-oeZsWf-oeQtcH-r6sUPc-owpe8z-oyc3Qc-f8oxho-oviVga-owrBM7-i7rN7d-i7HyNf-ouBVpJ-ouM18r-tnwVLJ-oyajfV-6v512M-cymc43-i76e47
Then using a combination of scanned images from the book I mentioned, the public domain illustrations, and some very quick Photoshop painting, I came up with The Monkey Jockey and Bat Boy!
Update - 16 Apr 2019
I spent the last week slowly bringing up the level of detail for each asset. I still need to spend more time working on the sideshow stage to bring it up to the same level. My goal is to finish up the props and set pieces currently in the scene before moving on to tertiary details that will tell the story of the performers and crew.
I spent some time playing around in Substance Alchemist to create the initial ground material. The ability to quickly iterate in Alchemist will enable me to refine this as I progress.
I found this great footage from the 1930's that really captures the spirit of my environment. The shot at 13:05 showcase it the best and includes a banner structure that looks similar to what I have been creating in my scene.
Update - 8 Apr 2019
Update #4
I made some progress on my environment over the past few days. I continued modeling more of my hero assets and put basic textures on to get a feel for my scene. I also set up simple environment lighting to establish a bit of the mood I want to achieve in my final renders.
My next steps for the week include modeling the rest of the assets I have blockouts for (cannon, crates, etc.)
I also want to take time this week to experiment with the new Substance alchemist beta to create a ground material that is a mix of dirt and a layer of hay.
Update - 5 Apr 2019
Update #3:
I revisited my layout because I felt the composition was becoming uneven with the focal point being the entrance to the main show tent. I feel this composition is stronger because I have more space to tell the story of the circus being assembled before opening night. I like the idea of the sideshow stage being used as a staging area for all the traveling circus' cargo and props.
Update - 3 Apr 2019
Here is a blockout of the main set pieces and assets in my environment. This will evolve over time, but I believe this is a good starting point for me. I organized my assets in order of importance to make sure I complete the pieces that convey the story first.
Next Steps:
High resolution model/ sculpt of the main assets
Revisit blockout with new ideas.
I went on a walk this afternoon and saw this old trunk on the side of the street. I took a few photos for reference. I think it might be a great addition to my scene. I imagine this could be a trunk belonging to one of the performers in the circus...maybe it contains a clown's wardrobe and makeup.
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Update - 1 Apr 2019
The environment I am creating for the Circus Challenge is a traveling circus in the 1930s Midwestern United States. The scene takes place a day before the opening of the big show. I gathered some initial references to begin the process. My next steps for this week will be to create an asset list, and model the blockout of the scene.
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