marsblaire

[marsblaire]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Is how to do horror.

// My opinion, spoilers for a movie from the 70s.

Having just watched the movie last night, I felt as though I would be obliged to create a post about it and discussing why The Texas Chainsaw Massacre should be the reference point of a lot of horror movies, especially in todays era of horror.

Released back in 1974, TTCM was absolutely appalling to most viewers, with it having been banned from most theatres on its release as viewers had deemed it 'too violent', 'gratuitous and nihilistic' and it may 'inspire violent behaviours'.. Hmm, what movie does that remind me of.

Another horror factor of the movie is that its inspired by real events too, inspired by the acts of Ed Gein and Elmer Wayne Henley, both murderers.

Gein was a bodysnatcher and murderer, and the police have cited that they'd found Bernice Worden's body decapitated in Gein's shed, along with having found a variety of dismembered body parts and furniture coated in human skin.

See the similarities?

The story follows a gang of groupies as they try to explore an abandoned house owned by one of their fathers, before having stumbling onto the Sawyer Family house, and subsequently, Leatherface.

It is soon discovered, both by the characters and the viewers, that Leatherface collects bodies (of humans and animals) and skins them to the bone to create a variety of odd furniture, ranging from human sofas to a lampshade.

The 'final girl', Sally, is left to have a horrific dinner with the Sawyer Family as they eat barbecued food, which is unconfirmed but likely human meat (as it wouldn't surprise me if they were cannibals).

Before then having managed to escape, a truckdriver arriving and accidentally killing Leatherface's Brother, rescuing Sally by throwing a wrench in Leatherface's plans... get it?

As such, she is then able to escape by jumping onto the back of a man's truck, leaving us with the iconic scene.

So, let's talk about what makes this movie the best horror movie ever.

Well, that's subjective, and even I don't think it's the best, it has its flaws.

Starting with the sound design and use of - there is absolutely no music in this movie, none. Unless you include the music sometimes playing from radios, but there's no forced songs from the 70s placed in for filler or sound stings that tell us "something bad's going to happen!".

All the sounds are simply just character dialogue, walking and of course, the chainsaw.

Let's talk about the chainsaw.

Of course, being the main gimmick of the movie, the chainsaw is absolutely horrifying, with the several minute-long, uninterrupted chase scene between him and Sally being filled with only the sound of her running, screaming and the chainsaw revving from behind her.

And, as a comment had mentioned, every time Sally feels so much as safe from the clutches of Leatherface, that hope is almost immediately shot down.

But this is one of the main reasons why TTCM is an amazing horror movie, because it doesn't rely on music and sound bites, all the noises in the movie are (mostly) natural, and it just makes the movie feel a lot more realistic, or as if it was real documented footage.

Another very good reason is for the lack of violence, which, you'll likely be reading that and thinking "what are you on about?"

But I mean, if you compare this movie to any modern horror movie (which I suppose isn't fair because this is from the 70s, but stay with me), let's take M3GAN for example.

I believe, personally, M3GAN might be the worst movie I've ever watched.

The dialogue and acting is sloppy, the gore feels forced and the plot is generic, but I digress.

Most of the death scenes, if not all, in M3GAN to me feel a bit forced.

I suppose they're trying to push the idea that she's a formidable, evil android that's next to unstoppable, especially to the average person, but most of the death scenes to the 'main' characters just feel very unnecessary.

Meanwhile, TTCM balances it out by only using five main characters (not including the antagonists), and each of them gets an equal amount of screen time, making their deaths feel more impactful to the viewer.

Not only that, but the kills are more realistic, citing back to the idea of it being akin to a documentary.

But, could you imagine if The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had music put over it? Or, if it had exaggerated CGI effects? It probably wouldn't hold up as much of a cult classic as it does today.

So, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), 8/10, it easily holds up by todays standards of horror movies and its withstood the test of time, but unfortunately I just wasn't that fazed by the kills (except for the one with the hook) because I'm already damaged.

Definitely worth a watch.

[marsblaire]

moloch

moloch is a long-time withstanding character of mine, having went from being originally ripped as a Sonic The Hedgehog Based Character, his design has drastically changed and improved throughout the years before I've landed on him becoming a weird, forest deity thing.

A drawing of moloch's design throughout the years.

With nothing much else to do, I had decided to draw him in class, which may have been a bad decision, as now I'm being egged on to incorporating him into my can design, for better or for worse.

This was the finished drawing - or so I thought - which I was extremely proud of, because the sketched lineart of his style looks really good and edgy, along with the red highlights and background making him stand out and look more 3D.

However, this is where the 'so I thought' comes in.

Whilst showing off the drawing to a friend, I thought that, perhaps I should change the nose, because it looks a bit too flat.

So I tried to curve it out a bit more.. But now it just takes up a lot less space on the skull.

So, I'd attempted to look up some pig skulls for reference.

And of course, the way they're done doesn't actually have the nostrils, it just has a widened gap, so I tried that.

I believe this is the one I'd done freestyle, as the one influenced by the pigs skull was the finished product.

And then, the finished product.

His nose here, as told by Josh, really fits the skull shape and lineart, and it's a shape that's easily replicable and I'm really happy with it.

So hopefully moloch may be more prominent in my work later on, and I can delve more into his pre-existing story, how he came to be, and further flesh out his story now.

[marsblaire]

The Ladder Stitch

So, as mentioned previously on my post, the introduction into sewing, I had noted that a friend had shown me the Ladder Stitch, and I'd noted that I would have to try it out sometime.

This is that time.

The Ladder Stitch is a fairly simple one to pull off, assuming you can keep the folded edges of each piece of fabric consistent, which you will see I struggled with later on.

The first trial I'd performed doing this stitch, to impressive results.

The stitch holds VERY firmly and provides a very nice seal, and it reminds me of an uncrustable sandwich.

So I had attempted a proper shape with this stitch, a pillow (because my friend suggested it), but I had ran into a bit of an issue.

One being the corners, I wasn't sure what to do about the corners.

So I just stitched through them.. But, I'm unsure how well this is going to look within the final product, so I am slightly concerned.

The second issue was of course, the folding, as the fabric I had folded over was starting to grow thinner as I went on, whether that be from me not holding the fold properly, or trimming it too short.. So, I may have to either compensate somehow, or begin restitching it.

But it was at this point where I had essentially given up.

[marsblaire]

Introduction into Sewing

Beginning work into creating our soon-to-be plushies, we had explored two different methods of stitching fabrics together, using the Running Stitch and the Blanket Stitch.

The Running stitch is a simple stitch done by threading the needle in and out of each side of the fabric, creating a simple but effective hold.

So I had started out by cutting two hearts out of felt fabric, which is going to also be used for the plushies for the soft finish, but it also is harder to work with when stitching because the thread is easier to pull through, meaning you'd have to tie a larger knot on the thread to prevent this.

Which, in itself, had its own problem of having needed to be traced with graphite as it would be the only thing firm enough to show (a pencil being too thin to trace with).

But of course, having used the Running Stitch to sew before, I found relative ease in doing this.

However, the issue had arose when it came to pulling the fabric inside out, as you can notice, the hole left is relatively small, and the heart shape is very odd.

So pulling it through itself was very difficult, and I'd even had to pop more of the seam just to pull it through, resulting in me having to stitch over the hole from the outside, which doesn't exactly look neat.

Actually, looking it again, it's not as bad as I remember, but it's still not the neatest thing.

So the next stitch to practice was the Blanket Stitch, which I found a bit more difficulty with, purely because I wasn't paying attention when it was demonstrated, but once I got the process, it was rather simple.

Though, I'm not sure if this stitch is meant to be done along the edges or through the fabric.

But the main idea of it is pulling the thread through a loop of itself (see Stage 3), which I was initially confused about but soon found it simple as soon as a friend had explained to me.

So I did a little trial run, and found that unlike the running stitch, [though you still can be] I had to be a lot more precise when stitching.

So I'd cut out another shape, this one being a circle, short and simple, and attempted the same stitch.

To good results.

Though, I will admit I don't really see myself using the Blanket Stitch again, or atleast for my plushie, purely because of how tedious the process is, and because it's not how I see my plushie panning out (subject to change).

Another stitch I was introduced to (by a friend) was the Ladder Stitch, which is another type of Invisible Stitch used for sealing together fabrics without having the seam be visible.

However I didn't get the chance to use this, so I plan on doing my own trial at some point as a stretch.

[marsblaire]

SPACESHIP Design

Adobe Illustrator is an entirely different experience from Adobe Photoshop, because it has a way more different arrangement of tools and functions within what they do.

Where Photoshop is more commonly used for editing photographs and creating artworks using a variety of brushes and colours, Illustrator is used for, well, illustration.

It's difficult to explain the differences, but I do have a few grievances with the software that I'll further explain soon.

Our task today was to create a simple spaceship design using the shape tool, so this would then be able to be ported into a different software that I cannot currently remember the name of. (It might have been MAYA).

So I started simply with the hexagonal tool and the ellipse.

Now, with these shapes there is a rather fun thing you can do, wherein if you overlap them and then use the Minus Front tool (as seen below, the name could be wrong forgive me), it will then merge the shapes in a unique way.

By erasing the negative space.

This, however, is where my problems had started, because I'm obviously not only unfamiliar with Adobe Illustrator and how it functions, but because I'm a Photoshop baby.

So I had to figure out how to mirror the newly made crescent, which was tucked away in Object > Transform > Mirror, so I could then duplicate and flip it for the lower shape.

And as you may notice, the Hexagon has a little horn, this was done using a fun little tool, Object Creator, which functions similarly to the Minus Front, except you are able to select which images you'd like to merge together.

And I'd sort of toyed around with the way the star overlapped.

Here is when I'd used the rectangle tool to then add some makeshift jets, which I was relatively happy with.

However, that excitement was soon cut short as I was then [essentially] told that the design was lacking, and was told to add some windows to it to give off the impression that it actually looks like a spaceship.

So the windows were added using the ellipse tool and a few lines around areas, and I had to curve them using the Pen Tool.

The same process being applied here to add more detail, along with it looking more three-dimensional.

And I'd decided to stretch the star too, which was just a bit annoying because the Pen Tool had decided not to work the way I'd wanted.

And the finished product was then done, and I actually really like how it turned out.

Though, I'm not sure if it's convincing enough to be a spaceship, I'm still happy with the design.

And a final grievance I have was with the zoom tool, being that it does not work whatsoever, and I had to resort to using CMD and +/-, and having to use CMD SPACE to move around, which, for the longest time, I forgot I could even do.

So, more navigating required.

The palette I plan to (potentially) use for the Spaceship, following the same palette of the Bellona design, which I'm trying to incorporate more of with the project.

[marsblaire]

Using MAYA (for the first time)

MAYA is a 3D Modelling, Animating and Rigging software, used among industries to create 3D objects for movies and games, which is likely popular for its optimisation and range of tools to use.

Similarly used is a software called Blender, but that is less prominent in industries.

Creating a Simple Chair, these were the instructions I'd written out (in simple terms) as they were presented, just incase I forgot.

File > New Scene

Hold COMMAND or OPTION to move Camera, then move axis by holding MOUSE WHEEL

Spawn a Cube

Hold RIGHT CLICK to Display Menu

Use Scale Tool to Resize

Use MultiCut Tool

Holding CONTROL, core the Cube to create Cubes in each Corner

RIGHT CLICK > Face then Select Leg Faces

Modelling Toolkit > Extrude and Pull Legs

Use Extrude to Stretch the Legs

Same Process applied for Top Corner Faces

Extrude and use Bevel on the Middle to create a Cushion

RIGHT CLICK > Assign New Material to Add Colour

And trying out random extruding methods to show off how it works.

Using MAYA to begin with seemed like a bit of an intimidating process, both because 3D softwares aren't my strong suit, and because it was made out to us that it was going to be hell.

I don't think it was that bad, at this point in time, because what we did of course was very surface level, but I can see down the line that there will be a lot more tools for me to delve into and solve how to use, along with going deeper into the tools I've already used.

Not to mention it being a good software to have under my belt, as MAYA has a lot of use in the industry, having been used to create models for different movies, ranging from Shrek to Uncharted 4.

It's worth noting that Walt Disney Animation Studios also had a role in the optimisation of MAYA, requesting that the User Interface be customisable to allow more optimal workflow, helping it reach popularity among the 3D Animation Industry.

[marsblaire]

The Idea Board 1

Having not wanted to watch the movie this morning, I'd decided to stay behind and practice with some stitching and sketches for my character designs, one of which incorporating my Bellona design, which might creep its way into being the final outcome.

And of course, me realising that I should also incorporate the Brown-Banded Cockroach, which was the creature I was assigned.

Not only that, but also experimenting with the symbiotie design, to which my friend had noted looked like Azazel from The Sandman comics.

Which is a very good point of reference.

Also deciding how I'm to piece together my wooden 'robot' design for Bellona, which I had ultimately decided would be in the sort of format of a statue, similar to Bellona herself.

I also thought it would be cool if the sword design was cut and then stuck over the front of the base, along with me considering how each piece would be cut to ensure a fine and even edge for each shape.

[marsblaire]

Bellona - My Rendition Pt1

Being given the prompts - Octagonal Tiling, a Brown-Banded Cockroach and of course, Bellona Goddess of War - I had decided to try and create an abstract rendition of how I would imagine a sort of Goddess of War.

With sharp edges, and the upper-body and torso being octagons themselves (though not intention, haha).

And lots of reds and oranges.

This was mostly inspired by the 'THING' as seen on my Alien Moodboard, this also has aspects that are akin to 'CORNERED' (aka Mari) a Super Mario Bros Original Character created by Mirarosewarne.

And I thought their design was really effective mostly because of their legs being extremely tall, and the gloves she dons.

She just looks like a warrior.

Though, once again I'm not sure how far I'll be pushing this design before I decide to scrap it, as I don't really have a story to centre her around.

And a sword design I had considered for her, because I thought her design was a bit lacking.

Keeping the abstract theme and the octagon shape in the centre.

[marsblaire]

The Robot Design 1

The first potential design for the robot, taking inspiration from 'THING' from the Alien Moodboard.

Having experimented with the head shape first, I'd decided to give them a more uncanny appearance, akin to a crash-test dummy or a mannequin.

The main gimmick of Spring-R's design is, of course, their spring-locked body, which has the tendency to release and stretch.

[marsblaire]

The First Story Concept

// mention of suicide attempt

Starting out with a story concept (for the astronaut and alien) I had written on the bus, I had decided to sort of force my own insecurities into a prompt about an astronaut for the project, however I don't think I'll be using this going forward because it's a bit cringeworthy.

Quote,

"Even if I scrap idea (which is likely) Symbiote infests a persons body without them ever knowing, and plants malicious and self-sabotaging thoughts into their head, breaking their psyche Because of this, other humans reject this person, rendering them and isolated social outcast, fuelling their depression It���s then when the symbiote embeds the idea for the person to end their life by launching themselves into space via a makeshift spacecraft, however this is merely a ploy for the symbiote to return to its home planet With the attempt proving unsuccessful, the person is left stranded in space (maybe?? Idk why they wouldn’t die) and the symbiote detaches itself, adventure ensuing"

The symbiote design is intended to be a manifestation of negative thoughts, so I had the idea to make it look really slimy, evil and gross.

Though, as you can tell from the two drawings of the human, that idea, to me, seemed really cringe.

So I'm not sure if I'll be using this going forward (atleast not without having tweaked it).

[marsblaire]

Plushie Inspirations Pt1

Plushies are a very prominent thing in the industry, specifically target towards younger audience, however they can also be created as Collectibles or Merchandise for Movies, TV Shows, Games and Mascots.

One popular example which I find really distinctive and fun: Deddy Bears.

A play on the name Teddy Bear, Deddy Bears are a brand of soft plush bears that are Halloween/Horror themed, ranging from a were-bear and a pumpkin to a ghost and devil.

These also come in a variety of keychains and miniatures, with the packaging for the smaller toys being cardboard coffins and the larger being body bags, each with a tag labelled as an Autopsy Report giving information on them - their names, smells and personalities.

Along with another series named Kreepy Kats, and another two yet to come out labelled Kreepy K9s and Forbidden Fruits.

I also, personally, believe that the Deddy Bear plushies are actually more well crafted than the keychains, which could likely be because they're printed and stitched on a larger scale.

Whereas the keychains look..

Cheap.

I would know, I have one.

It gives off the same vibe as modern day McDonalds toys, where they've gotten to the point where capitalism rules and they've stopped caring about quality, so they give you printed paper 'toys' and cheap plushies that have been ran through a printer.

But I digress, the plushies, in spite of their theme, are really cute and cuddly, and the stitch work done on them is actually really good.

On the topic of creepy looking toys, another brand that has skyrocketed into popularity is the Fuggler toys.

Marketed as ugly toys that will ruin your life, Fuggler toys are plushies that are known very commonly for their teeth and eyes.

Having fake yet uncanny looking teeth made of plastic wedged into their mouths, and their eyes looking vacant and soulless, these toys are likely marketed to an older audience (consisting of teens and adults) due to their nature.

Even the name, Fuggler, is alluding to the term 'Fugly', which is short for f***ing ugly, and I see why they say that.

Unlike the Deddy Bears, I don't own one of these, so I don't have any firsthand experience, but looking at them, I feel very grateful for that fact.

And with uncanny toys comes the original.

Furbys.

Furbys are disgusting, tormented creatures that were placed on this earth to enact violence against mankind.

No, I'm joking, but that very well might be true.

Originating in 1998, Furbys are a talking-pet type of toy that interacts with its user through speech patterns, having a built in microphone and speaker that responds with a series of.. Noises.

They have a mechanism inside of their heads that causes their mouths and eyes to move when they speak, or simply when they're idle.

Though, it has received controversy (for lack of a better word) for being suspected to be spyware, and often still responding or making noises even when it has been turned off, further pushing the uncanny aspect.

The fur seems to be glued onto the endoskeleton/mechanism, with no apparent stitches being present, but it just goes to show how toys are actually able to vary in build.

There has also been a remaster of these toys, which has been made way more cute.

I still hate them.

[marsblaire]

The Mood-Boards

Alien, Robot and Spaceship respectively.

These are the mood-board for inspirations and various styles in which I'll draw from and try to reach for as my goal.

Along with the general theme which I'm hoping to follow.

These designs particularly stuck out to me whilst browsing along Pinterest, whether it be because of their shape or simply because it matches what I strive for as an artist.

For example, Doctor Nowhere creates some really weird and abstract characters (seen top-middle of Board 1), or with the style of ULTRAKILL (the red and black images on Board 2), which just look so distinct and cool.

And though I did see quite a few spider-like designs, I'm trying to break away from immediately resorting to that again.

[marsblaire]

Octagonal Tiling

Being assigned the shape of Octagonal Tiling seems like a blessing in disguise, as some of my other classmates have been assigned way more difficult shapes to work with, such as spirals.

But of course, an Octagon is simply an eight sided shape.

Octagonal Tiling is the shape but replicated into a pattern.

Commonly seen in places with tiles, which would often be a kitchen or bathroom setting, though it can also be used simply in flooring.

Though, the term 'Octagonal' is definitely stretched, because it can apply to anything that's eight sided.

What is this.

Or this.

It's technically an octagon, but it just makes me uncomfortable.

But I digress.

The only real instances I've seen of octagonal tiling used in construction and real life instances was of course.. Tiling!

It's not exactly something that's easy to use, and more common tilings of course would be squares and pentagons.

And though it was certainly hard to find any convincing references for octagonal spaceships (especially ones that weren't created with AI), there was a news article citing that octagonal debris had been found in Canadian waters that was shot down by a US F-16 Fighter Jet, because they have nothing better to do.

And that makes me think of the panel from Chicken Little.

Except it's Hexagonal.

[marsblaire]

Research 1 - Artists Pt1

Chris Foss and the Lost DUNE Film

Working with director and artist, Alexandro Jodorowsky, Foss was planned to have designed many of his paintings as concepts for the to-be DUNE adaptation, which was unfortunately cancelled due to budgetary issues and length.

With Jodorowsky going on to claim he was sabotaged by Hollywood, as they wouldn't want a movie longer than 2 hours, let alone 14, which the script required.

It's also interesting to note that Salvador Dalí was also planned to have played one of the roles in the movie, in which he'd demanded to be paid $100,000 per hour, to which Jodorowsky had agreed, but had cut down his scene requirements to simply an hour long, substituting him for a mannequin in every other scene he'd need be present, which I just think is funny to imagine.

Foss' conceptual artworks for the movie were wild unique, and, for lack of a better word, weird.

Being very abstract in style and overall just.. Strange, in their shape and thematics.

They all seem to follow the same motif of having a checkered pattern with blacks, yellows and pinks for the colour scheme, which.. I don't like.

It really just looks unsettling, with the pink and yellow clashing rather severely, and of course because the images are from decades ago, they end up looking washed out.

So, for that fact alone, perhaps its for the best that these concepts had never actually saw the light of day.

But.. It still would have been really interesting to see how they would be adapted in the film setting.

Adam Savage - 'One Day Builds'

Adam Savage is a YouTuber who sets himself up for projects of creating different things, mostly from scratch.

A popular example of which was the Poker Table.

He'd set himself out to replicate Teddy KBG's Poker Table from the movie Rounders, to match his themed poker chips.

However, throughout the process he would come to the realisation that he had created the base too small, and during one point of the video (10:04), he stares down the base and simply says, "that's fine." which of course basically means he's in too deep to start over.

(Thankyou brinstarmedia1411 for that comment).

Just look at that proud face.

But it's just strangely admirable that Savage is able to create these projects from nothing (figuratively), and turn out an impressive final product, not to mention his workshop, which is absolutely cluttered with his projects and tools.

An absolute dream.

[marsblaire]

Research 1 - In Media

In Movies

Now of all the things based in or around space, none are nowhere near as iconic as

Star Wars.

The Starships featured in Star Wars are unique to say the least, especially for their time, having debuted in 1977.

They all seem to follow a similar pattern of being based around very sharp edged shapes, some mostly being pentagonal (five-sided).

They retain very sharp edged bases, but if you look closer you can definitely see a lot of built up detail, from the edges and panels, almost no space is left blank unless specifically designed that way (see the wings/jets on the S-Class Admin Shuttle).

The only downside I have with these is the colour palette. It's just grey.

I understand that space doesn't have light and having many colours would likely be difficult to work with, but.. I'd appreciate seeing atleast some contrast.

Treasure Planet

Another iconic movie, and one of Disney's many classics, though it was based off of the original story of Treasure Island.

With an overarching theme of futuristic steam-punk, Treasure Planet solidifies its style as very distinctive and even beautiful, with some of the backgrounds looking just absolutely breathtaking.

Along with the thematics and the whimsical design, the character design is also really great too.

Not one of the characters looks similar to one another, and it makes me think of the saying "dressed for different parties", wherein someone is dressed in an entirely unfitting attire from another.

Not only that, but each design also really pushes the personality of the characters.

Jim is lean and adventurous, John Silver is large and wholesome, Captain Amelia is pointed and quick-witted.

That I feel really helps create a more immersive experience for this movie, and it's definitely one of my favourites.

Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks is, and will always remain, a weird movie.

Even just by watching the trailer, it seems absolutely unhinged.

But of course, the most iconic factor of the movie is the alien designs.

Being primarily done with CGI, and possibly with motion-capture, the alien designs are popular due to the fact alone that they're absolutely horrifying.

They have bulbous eyes seemingly attached by no socket or eyelids, their skin is tight and stripped back to the bone, and of course the most recognisable aspect, their brains.

Their brains not only seep and bulge through the skulls, but they also seem to be fused to the cranium.

It's just gross and uncanny, but it's memorable and iconic all the same.

In TV Shows

Clangers (1969 - 1972)

A wholesome show from the 90s about a family of mice that live on a moon-like planet and eat soup, [The] Clangers uses a very unique style which is often rarely seen in Television, especially Kids TV, Stop-Motion.

Likely due to the cost, time and effort, Stop-Motion is rarely something used in TV Shows, especially when the entire show is based around the art form.

However, in the case of Clangers, it works more to its benefit.

The mice are made out of stitched outfits and bodices, which are likely done with crochet, and it works well because it gives the characters a very animated and wholesome appearance.

The way they move is noticeably off, but it doesn't look bad. You know that there's someone behind the scenes that had to piece together each individual frame for the final cut, and that just feels more personal.

Plus, they're just adorable, with the way they talk in little whistles and their beady lil eyes, you'd just want to keep them.

Futurama

Being a more interesting case, especially because the show is animated, Futurama tends to follow the case of "It's the future, so anything goes", especially with its characters.

Humans, aliens, hybrids, robots, a tree? PacWoman..?

Futurama's character design is vast, as we can see from the image above, and just like with Treasure Planet, you could point out any character of the lineup and not have them look the same as any other (unless of course, they're designed to be of the same species or family, but that's besides the point).

It's also so interesting to go through the original concept designs for the characters, and how they begin to come to fruition and become the designs we see in the final show.

In Games

Halo

Known primarily for being a first-person shooter and its alien protagonists, Halo stands out to me more for its suit design and it's absolutely stunning scenery.

For a game set in space, you would assume the scenery wouldn't really be all that interesting, but on the contrary, they seem to create a more immersive world using the setting and building on it by creating a futuristic civilisation.

Just beautiful.

And the suit design of the characters is also interesting, maintaining the sharp edges we saw in the Star Wars ship design but applying more shape, defining the musculature of the characters.

'Master Chief' throughout the games.

Of course, we can't talk about iconic games centred around space without bringing up

Space Invaders

Debuting in 1978, Space Invaders is a shoot em' up style game with relatively simple mechanics, you move the ship, and you shoot the aliens.

Utterly groundbreaking.

Of course, I can say that now because we have exponentially evolved games in terms of graphics and capabilities, but for its time, it really was something amazing.

In spite of its simple pixel-art style, Space Invaders is held dearly as one of, if not the most iconic [retro] games, and it has even spawned many newer renditions.

And to finish off, if we're going to be talking about more modern games, we have to bring up

Among Us

All of the memes aside, Among Us is unique for its art style, which of course.. Is very simplistic at a glance.

Courtesy of tasty_geoduck on Reddit, give them some love for this rendition.

But what I do love about the maps and backgrounds is that they're entirely hand drawn, and the effort really shows off.

That's not the only thing, but the characters and animations are all entirely done by hand and digitised.

And when slowed down, the walk-cycle is only really done with four frames.

I suppose it makes sense, because when you have a character design that's extremely simple and easily recognisable, you could make some very easy animations using it, so props to them.

And don't even get me started on the merchandise.

[marsblaire]

Our Journey to M.A.R.S Begins!

With the project of M.A.R.S and the space theme beginning, it's time to initiate our new research and unfortunately leave behind the Pieces of Eight Theme.. thank god.

Starting off with of course, some spaceships and space logos.

The most iconic one of course, being NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

The logo to me is pretty well composed, it says everything it needs to.

The blue circle for a background resembling the space, or a planet, with the specks of white as stars and comets, and the red contrast possibly alluding to a ship soaring through.

Despite that, I do feel as though the logo is very generic, and it doesn't exactly say much else.. It feels flat.

Courtesy of Dreamstime

A similar motif is seen with a lot of these logos.

A lot of blue and the spiral-like shape, signifying flying [stars].

But once again, due to modernism in graphics design, these all suffer just the same from the very flat layout, though this could just be to help push an easily recognisable and replicable design.

Space Ships on the other hand..

The ships have vastly unique designs, yet you can still see some very similar motifs within them.

The jets, the windshields, wings and so on.

I do love the very mechanical aspects of it, and it almost makes me consider creating a more steampunk-like ship...

Oh, wait.

RLS Legacy as seen in Treasure Planet.

Good reference point, I suppose.

But, I can already see that the process of drawing out a ship, especially in 3D, is going to be a very trying feat for me, so we'll bare witness to how I could overcome this learning curve.