Day 1: False sense of security

Monday. First day officially back, and everything seems to be running smoothly. The building isn’t on fire, all the PC’s work, everyone bar a few turned up. It’s a bit disconcerting really, I feel like I am being lured into a false sense of security and at any moment reality itself will collapse into a whirlwind of chaos and uncertainty. But for now I will stay on my toes and hold back on any blissful ignorance as I am expecting this year to be intensive both now and very much toward the end in the inevitable anxiety inspiring Final Major Project.

But back to the current point in time, the syllabus has been readjusted since last year and is pretty much on point. I mean I have a few complaints here and there but I feel like that is just me picking holes. It is a good curriculum with good briefs and a good thought out simplistic structure. To be honest without trying to sound to negative, I wasn’t expecting this. But I am glad it has changed and evolved into what it is now.

I don't have any images to show this week so heres some inspirational stuff. (Marcin Klicki - Witcher 3)

So for the third year the curriculum revolves a series of briefs designed to exercise your skills in specific areas of interest, and although they don’t cover all areas and are still marginally unrefined. It’s on its way to becoming a flexibly structured first term. Something I am very confident will be both enjoyable and effective in the run up for FMP. So I am going to get the only major gripe out the way, and by major I mean this is pretty minor. I was really, really, really hoping for a creature brief, we didn’t really have a creature project in first year, none at all in second year and once again I feel like it’s an area that has been completely undercut, a shame but not the end of the world.

More cool stuff. (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WdlR3)

Now what does all this mean? I have 3, 3 week briefs before Christmas and FMP. I can choose which ones in whatever order I fancy. So here comes the tricky bit, I like characters a lot. I mean like a lot, it’s one of my favourite areas of design and creation. But, I also like environments, vehicles, weapons, hard-surface, concepting and am mildly interested in UI. This is a major hurdle as I am massively indecisive and really want to make this time count. I have decided to start with partially stylised character as this is one of the few I think I can safely guarantee will be both enjoyable and beneficial, I am also likely to do the realistic character brief at the end as this is possibly the one I am looking forward to the most and is the best project for the direction I am taking. Which leaves one brief remaining. Could be environment, could be vehicular, could be prop based or even concept. Who knows, because I certainly don’t?

But for now that is not a worry I have a project to focus on, and that will be priority for the next couple of weeks. Something I learnt from last year is there is such a thing as over planning and over thinking, I spent so much time last year preparing I forgot that the best way of learning is just to get stuck in and work around problems as they come. Onwards and upwards I guess.