Background creation process
I said I would make a post talking more in depth about the creation process of ORS background images. This was a very important aspect I wanted to improve coming into the new project, but it's a tricky one.
Creating backgrounds from scratch requires a ton of time, effort and skill. If I had to do it myself, I would take at least a week per image, and the result wouldn't be as nice. To go around this obstacle in GGGB I had to cut corners and use edited photos as backdrops, since that was the only affordable and time-efficient way to go about it. The result looked cheap (because it was) but just good enough.
I wanted to up the production quality with ORS, and my first priority was hiring someone to help with the coloring of the drawings. That was a must. At first I wasn't sure what to do with the backgrounds, and I considered sticking to using edited pictures. After all, the backgrounds, though important, are the least vital element in the enjoyment of this VN (being writing the first one and character drawings the second one). However, having quality art for the background would greatly improve the overall look and polish of the game and I really wanted that. So I started looking for someone I could work with. After a lot of digging I was lucky enough to find GVIO.Art, and I fell in love with their production. I had to work with them, and I'm super happy about it.
Having background art especially created for the game has a lot of pros, but also some cons. The main drawback is that backgrounds cost time and are quite expensive to produce, so I can't have as many as I had with GGGB. I have to be very mindful of where the story and scenes take place, use the scenarios intelligently and plan ahead of time. The pros, however, greatly surpass the cons. Apart of the backgrounds looking fantastic, now I can be very specific about what I want on them, giving the scenarios a lot of personality. This is how the process goes:
First, I send GVIO's team a brief with what I want the background to be like, using photo references as guide and inspiration. Sometimes I'm very specific with what I want and other times I'm a bit more open and vague, and I always encourage them to make their own creative decisions. I'm well aware that controlling someone's creative process can be really annoying for the artist, after all.
After a while, then send me a linework sketch of the background for approval. Sometimes I add some notes, like in this case, but other times they completely nail it right away.
And finally, I get the final result. I can also ask for modifications on it, but I rarely have to do so, and if I want to change anything (lightning, color or some detail) I usually do it myself so I don't clog their pipeline unnecessarily.
Normally I commission backgrounds in groups of 2 or 3 pieces, and the whole process takes around a month to complete.
Do you think the new backgrounds are a vital improvement to ORS? Did you find the process interesting, and it's how you imagined it? Do you want to see more of these? Let me know in the comments :)
Comments (8)
I do like the artwork of the new backgrounds on their own. But in your games, I have to say, I am torn between the new and the old ones fron GGGB. The edited pictures where more minimalistic, being only a backgroud like the abstract ones in modern theatres. You know, they make you focus more on the main art and do not compete with it. They also leave the rest to your imagination. Because of I agree with you that the dialogue and the character-drawings are your main art, I could even live with gray boxes as backgrounds. It never came to my mind to think of them as "cheap". If your games were using common 3D-photorealistic graphics instead , I would have found more detailed backgrounds more necessary. For example like Picassos "Yo Picasso" versus Richard Estes "Holland Hotel" - a photorealistic background would have been distracting in Picassos picture. But having said that: They do not cost you more time and you can even customize them more to your liking, so I do see some strong advantages for them. Anyways, I very much enjoyed the ("logical", artistic and technical) insight you gave and would be happy for you to share more of this - if you have time to spare :) . My opinion does not matter much when speaking of your art, but it is nice if I can relate to your decisions.
With the drawn backgrounds ORS look like a professionally made game, instead of a hobby project. So it really adds to the overall feel a lot. If you had unlimited money I guess the best would be to have properly drawn scenes (kinda like a comic book/graphic novel turned into a game), but this is a great step forward compared to GGGB. Their style fits really nicely into yours too, so the money is very well spent.
The new backgrounds really add to the ambiance of the scene, and I liked hearing about the process. I find reading these little blurbs about the creation process fun and interesting.
They really nailed the backgrounds, they are so good. You may want to speak to the company who did them though, as they have called the game Our Red Sting, and it looks like they've revealed a few undisclosed locations :)
The game is a visual story, so the interior of the scene from life is of great importance.I like that the author shares his creative "torments".
This is amazing. I loved learning about the process behind it. I love the little things, like the cat tower for Lola at the background of the background ;) Yes, I do think the backgrounds are a vital improvement. They add artistic, stylish and professional elements to the game.
It's nice to read about your process. I never realized how much work every little detail takes.
I like that GVIO.Art teases more backgrounds for ORS under their projects. Really looking forward to what's to come. Keep up the good work!