Digital Matte Painting Task 1& Exercises

 Yang Yang / 0363575

2025/9/26 - 11/14

Week 1 - Week 7

Digital Matte Painting  / Bacherlor of Design in Creative Media

Google Drive

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Exercises：

At the beginning, I attempted to use the Virtual Plain Air method. However, my drawing was still quite rough, and there were significant issues with perspective and proportion compared to the reference image. With guidance and feedback from Mr. Kannan, I identified these problems and made further adjustments to improve the accuracy of the work.

before

after

before

after

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Invisible Set Extensions：

At this stage of my project, I noticed recurring issues with the perspective of extended buildings, particularly in the size relationships between different objects, which affected the sense of depth in the composition. Additionally, because I was initially hesitant to use stronger colors, the contrast between objects was insufficient, making some of the added elements feel somewhat unreal and not fully grounded in the scene.

Following Mr Kannan’s advice, I updated my original sketch, carefully correcting the perspective and boldly using darker tones to enhance the sense of volume in the objects. These adjustments significantly improved the spatial layering and solidity of the buildings, making the overall composition feel more grounded and realistic. This process taught me not only how to use color and perspective effectively to strengthen depth, but also the importance of taking creative risks and iterating through multiple revisions.

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TASK 1

Compositions：

At the beginning, I didn’t fully understand the effect that a composition is meant to achieve. I only knew that dividing a scene into foreground, middle ground, and background could enrich its sense of depth. However, knowing how to arrange elements effectively and create a visually pleasing overall composition was a major challenge for me. When faced with a blank canvas, I often felt stuck and couldn’t imagine any layout that looked appealing.

As I practiced more and received guidance from Mr Kannan, I began learning how to construct a scene by observing reference images and experimenting with the placement and proportion of different elements. Gradually, I could form initial composition ideas in my mind and then translate them onto the canvas. This process not only deepened my understanding of fundamental compositional principles but also helped me appreciate the importance of experimentation and iteration in creative work. At the same time, it gave me greater confidence when starting a new piece from scratch.

I realized that there were significant perspective issues in my earlier drawings, which affected the sense of space and realism in the scene. To address this, I revised the artwork and corrected the perspective relationships. At the same time, I experimented with different composition arrangements to add more variation and depth to the scene. Through this process, I not only improved my understanding of perspective but also learned how to adjust compositions more flexibly, creating visuals that are both logically coherent and visually engaging.

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FINAL

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Reflection

During Task 1 and the associated exercises, I revisited and reinforced my understanding of perspective, spatial layering, and the principles of color variation, gradually realizing how crucial they are for creating a sense of depth and realism in a scene. At the same time, I developed a clearer understanding of composition, building complete maps, and arranging storyboards, learning how to organize each element thoughtfully so that the overall scene appears cohesive and visually balanced.

Through these exercises, my creative thinking became more structured and logical. Instead of relying solely on intuition, I began considering how every detail influences the composition as a whole. This process not only improved my technical skills but also enhanced my ability to communicate visually and narratively, showing clear progress in both my design and storytelling abilities.