Breakdown of a town and windmill concept art created for Butterflies, a personal project.
During 2022 I polished the character’s setting and used it to create fresh portfolio pieces.
Software: Clip Studio Paint
This building is Chew’s workshop and home, and the golden gates are a divide between his neighborhood and the (even!) richer part of the town.
While painting I realized I’d like more vertical variation (as in buildings in different heights), more unkempt corners, nature/yards.
However, I’m still happy with how this turned out.
Reference images
Most of my references for this town and its concept art are Syrian architecture, windmills, and Araucárias (Paraná Pine, a coniferous tree).
Observing those references I noted a beautiful juxtaposition of materials and colors (wood, ablaq contrasting tiles, stone, ceramics).
There is also a repetition of archways, columns and passages, and the neutral-toned exteriors with color accents (a wooden balcony, golden domes, or colorful ceramic tiles), and richly decorated interiors.
I tried to bring those contrasts and dynamics into my painting as well.
One of my main references is the Azem Palace, in Damascus.
The windmill’s interior
The windmill’s interior has its separate post.
The building is an artisan’s shop and home, and I made concepts for the blacksmith forge inside the windmill’s tower.
The red room is the blacksmith’s forge inside the windmill tower.
Visual identity
Most of my works for Butterflies have a 1:1 cover image that I made for Artstation.
To accompany those I made a logo which mixes fences, open jaws and a butterflies — elements that relate to the story.
It’s not meant to be used in print and was made purely for fun and organization purposes, so I allowed it to be very detailed.
Long Description
This section has a long description of the town view illustration.
A digital painting of a town with a 3-floor windmill building in the first plane and some block-y, rectangular homes and stores around it. All buildings are made of a similar, light-colored material similar to limestone. A tall wall higher than all buildings is further to the back of the scene, and in it there is a golden gate as high as the wall itself. It has red flags and large gold wing adornments framing it on each side. The illustration has a soft, watercolor-like texture. The building’s rooftops are either slabs of limestone or a dark-teal colored roof tiles. The windmill’s rooftop is a large dark-teal dome on which its blades are attached. Parks, gardens and tall Araucária trees adorn the town.
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