Week Two Cont. - Mood Board

Here is the mood board for the Wizard shop. I included a few images of an apothecary shop as I thought this would be good reference for upstairs. 

I put the links I got the images from in a doc below. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B3B3i8PWtGFl4hixnPmGVNRiiBByQLrBVeHTb09NlfY/edit?usp=sharing 

Week Two

As I was going through ideas for the Victorian House and looking through my previous posts, I came back to the Lello bookshop. Looking at this with the knowledge that I don't have to make a carbon copy and I can add a layer of something else, I began to throw some ideas round on how I could change it as I still think it would be a good place to model.

I came to the conclusion that I could turn the bookshop in to a Wizard store, or something along those lines. I'm more interested in fantasy and magic than I am in horror so it would strengthen the interest in completing it and making it look the best I can. There seems to be a lot of good reference here as well with tons of films but I want to keep the strong Gothic architecture that comes through in the bookshop.

Starting to look at reference, the obvious route would be Diagon Alley and looking at the different shops from Harry Potter.

1

It would look really good to have the shop cramped and just full of junk but it would just be time consuming, making all the different assets, but it could be something I can simple down. I also don't want the shop to be creepy, I want it to give off a mystical feel but still slightly mysterious as it's magic.

2

I think I would keep the bottom floor as a bookshop with maybe a few cauldrons and then have the top floor as more of a potions shop/apocrathy.

Next step is to sort out the block out and get cameras in to show where the main focus points are.


References:
1 - http://www.mugglenet.com/2014/06/exciting-new-photos-from-universal-studios-orlando/#prettyPhoto[gallery]/1/
2 - Photo taken by my at the Harry Potter Warner Bros studio Tour

Week One Cont.

The brief just says 'Gothic' and that covers a very wide range of sub-styles. I think I may have a good chance of finding something that isn't a church. Victorian Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Jigsaw Gothic are all also known as Gothic Revival which began after the main Gothic era (12th-16th century) and became most popular in the early 19th century. The Houses of Parliament is an example of Neo-Gothic. I found a few ideas.

1

One of the first ideas was Strawberry Hill, a villa in Twickenham, London. The outside has been slightly renovated (I assume slightly as the older pictures don't look much different) and is now painted white (Which looks awful). The majority of the interior photos were of a red hallway, which has very intricate ceiling pattern. I don't personally think I would be able to do this room justice which is why I haven't chosen it. 

2

One of the other images which came up frequently, was the library in Strawberry Hill. This would probably be do-able, the only really tasking thing being the frame of the bookcase. But I felt this might be too little. I want to push myself but I want to feel confident that I can make it. 

I thought about it more and decided to look in to something simpler. I searched for interiors of Victorian Gothic houses. I am leaning towards this idea if it's allowed as it allows me to be more creative and I don't just have to make a carbon copy of a boring church. I've thought about possibly designing a hallway/entryway with a staircase and then a door leading off in to a study. It's a fair amount of furniture to design plus the staircase could be a main feature. 

3

As much as I like this idea, I also think it would be hard to get good reference. It seems like most of the images are modern houses that have just been decorated with modern furniture that's supposed to look Victorian Gothic. I don't think it would be accepted as an idea on this premise so I won't dwell on it too much. I'll probably make a quick mood board and present it as an idea but I won't focus on it.

Continuing my search, I next came across a bookstore in Porto, Portugal. Livraria Lello & Irmão or simply known as the Lello Bookstore was created by a Portuguese engineer called Francisco Xavier Esteves. 

4

5

The shop is classed as Neo-Gothic so it would be within the brief. I like to think I would be able to model this as a lot of it is modular and I would just generally like to have a go. Only thing slightly concerning me would be the glass roof but if I can find a good photo of it, I'm sure it would be no problem. 

This interests me so much as it's not where you would normally see architecture of this detail. Plus it's not a cathedral which is a bonus!

References:
1 - https://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/ocs/british_art/photogallery/?image_id=604506

2 - http://londonunveiled.com/2012/09/01/strawberryhill/
3 - http://www.stupic.com/gothic-interior-design/classic-gothic-home-interior-design-rendering-with-dark-mood-wooden-interior/#bc
4 - http://www.panoramio.com/photo/42103252
5 - http://www.eclectitude.com/2012/03/lello-bookshop-portugal.html

Choosing an Era

For this module, we have been given a brief to create an environment or character. The themes for environment are Gothic, Moorish and World War 1.  I did think about a character but there isn't a point of doing one if I want to be an environment artist. 

My first thought was to go straight for Gothic. I love the look of the old cathedrals and the general feel that they give off.

Even though I like looking at the style and have visited a few 'famous' examples such as Notre Dame, Cologne Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral, I don't actually know that much about the history so I looked in to it. I found the main characteristics include:

• The Flying Buttress - They seem to be beams that are unsupported between two parts of the building

1

• Rib Vault - From my understanding, a rib vault was the solution for ceilings being able to support the heavy wooden roofs without having pillars coming from the center.

2

• The Pointed Arch - The Ancient Romans used normal or curved arches on many structures. With a pointed arch which was mainly used with Gothic styles, it allows for taller openings. I think the arches link with the rob vaults which is why the vaults have a similar arch shape.

3

After looking at all this I thought, as brilliant as these cathedrals are, that seems to be what the majority of Gothic architecture consists of. After an awful experience modeling a church before, I was put off.  



References:
1 - http://calarchitecture.com/flying-buttress-gothic/
2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rib_vault
3 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/4427228490/