TOP 10 TIPS FOR ENVIRONMENT ART (FEATURING YOUR ART!)

Summary

In this episode, Tyler Edlund shares valuable environment design tips for visual and concept artists. He critiques artwork from the community with a Pokémon theme, highlighting key design principles like visual hierarchy, rule of odds, depth of field, and balance. Tyler emphasizes the importance of structure, lighting, and scale, offering detailed feedback on submissions. He announces a new community challenge inspired by 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,' encouraging artists to submit their themed artwork by May 20th. Join the Discord for more details and to participate in future challenges.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The video is a tutorial on environment design tips for visual development artists, concept artists, and anyone looking to improve their design and painting skills in creating scenes.
• 🌟 The episode features Pokemon-themed art from the community and announces the next themed challenge, which is related to the game 'Breath of the Wild'.
• 👤 The speaker, Tyler Edlund, is a professional in art and design, with a passion for Nintendo and video games, and he shares his expertise in teaching and critiquing art.
• 🎮 Tyler critiques the visual design of the recent Pokemon games 'Scarlet and Violet', noting the lack of texture and imaginativeness in their environments.
• 📸 He compares the Pokemon games to other RPGs like 'Nino Cooney' and 'Dragon Quest 11', which have more detailed and creative visuals and design.
• 🏆 The community challenge involves reimagining scenes from 'Pokemon Scarlet and Violet', encouraging artists to improve upon the original game's visuals.
• 📐 Tyler emphasizes the importance of design principles such as the rule of odds, visual hierarchy, and depth of field in creating compelling environment designs.
• 🌞 He discusses the need for balance in exposure, suggesting that too much saturation and brightness can be overwhelming and advises on creating a sense of depth with lighting.
• 🌳 Tyler points out issues with scaling in environment design, using examples to show how incorrect scale can disrupt the viewer's perception of a scene.
• 🔄 The video stresses the significance of unity and balance in design, suggesting that too much symmetry can be as problematic as too much asymmetry.
• 🛠️ Lastly, Tyler advises artists to focus on structure when designing environments, highlighting the importance of planning and sketching before adding details.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the video?

The main theme of the video is providing environment design tips for visual development artists, concept artists, and anyone looking to improve their sense of design and painting for scenes, with a special focus on a Pokemon theme.

Who is the host of the video?

The host of the video is Tyler Edlund, a professional artist and designer who also does a lot of teaching.

What specific Pokemon games are mentioned as having lacking visuals?

The specific Pokemon games mentioned are Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

What two other RPG games are mentioned as having excellent visual design?

The two other RPG games mentioned are Ni no Kuni and Dragon Quest 11.

What is the first principle of environment design highlighted in the video?

The first principle of environment design highlighted in the video is the 'rule of odds,' which involves using an odd number of repeating elements for a visually pleasing composition.

What does Tyler emphasize about visual hierarchy in environment design?

Tyler emphasizes that visual hierarchy is crucial in environment design, as it determines which elements are prioritized and emphasized in a scene, guiding the viewer's focus.

What tip is given regarding depth of field in environment design?

The tip given regarding depth of field is to use out-of-focus elements in the foreground to help create a sense of depth, and to further emphasize depth by managing the edges and shapes around the main viewer.

What is one issue Tyler identifies in Corgi's submitted artwork?

One issue identified in Corgi's submitted artwork is the excessive overlap of elements, which creates visual congestion and detracts from the overall clarity of the scene.

How does Tyler suggest balancing light and shadow in a scene?

Tyler suggests balancing light and shadow by desaturating colors, lowering brightness, and strategically placing shadows to frame the main elements and create a more harmonious and visually balanced scene.

What are two key tips Tyler provides for improving environment scenes?

Two key tips Tyler provides are ensuring proper scaling of elements to maintain realism and using lighting effectively to separate components and create depth in the scene.

What does Tyler recommend for achieving a sense of unity and balance in a design?

Tyler recommends creating asymmetry within a symmetrical framework, breaking up repetitive shapes, and strategically placing elements to guide the viewer's eye and create a cohesive, balanced design.

What structural advice does Tyler give for starting and finishing an environment scene?

Tyler advises blocking out the perspective, drawing a grid, and planning the structure with perspective to ensure consistency and avoid structural issues that can undermine the effectiveness of the scene.

What is the theme of the next community challenge mentioned in the video?

The theme of the next community challenge is 'Breath of the Wild,' inspired by the new game 'Tears of the Kingdom.'

What is the due date for the next community challenge submissions?

The due date for the next community challenge submissions is May 20th.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction and Theme Announcement

Tyler Edlund introduces the video, focusing on environment design tips useful for visual development artists, concept artists, or anyone interested in improving their design and painting skills for scenes. The episode features viewer art with a Pokémon theme and a challenge announcement at the end. Tyler briefly discusses his love for Nintendo, video games, art, and design, despite his limited history with the Pokémon franchise. He critiques the visuals of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet for their lack of texture and imagination, prompting the Discord community to reimagine and improve these environments.

05:00

🖼️ Example of Good Design: Arnie's Artwork

Tyler showcases Arnie's colorful artwork as an example of good environment design. He praises the use of the rule of odds, visual hierarchy, and depth of field. The main character is emphasized through framing and value structure, creating a visually pleasing layout. Tyler suggests further enhancing the depth of field and highlights the importance of triangulation in design.

10:01

🌳 Overlapping Elements in Corgi's Artwork

Corgi's artwork is used to illustrate the principle of maximizing overlaps in environment design. Tyler notes that while the visual path through the picture is effective, the overlapping elements create a congested appearance. He suggests spacing out elements strategically to improve clarity and depth. Tyler emphasizes the importance of balancing light and shadow and demonstrates how to adjust exposure and saturation for better visual impact.

15:01

🏙️ Scaling and Lighting in Justin's Artwork

Justin's cityscape artwork highlights issues with scale and lighting. Tyler explains how inaccuracies in scale, such as oversized trees, can disrupt the scene's realism. He advises using atmosphere to separate elements and create depth. Tyler also suggests adding details like docks, boats, and roadways to enhance the environment's continuity and sophistication. He recommends observing lighting references to avoid a flat appearance and achieve better light and shadow balance.

🌟 Unity and Balance in Kau's and Tabor's Artworks

Kau's and Tabor's visually striking artworks demonstrate the importance of unity and balance in design. Tyler appreciates the symmetry but suggests breaking up symmetrical elements to create more interest. He advises toning down certain aspects to emphasize key features, using lighting to frame important elements, and adding wildlife or other details to enhance the scene. The balance of elements is crucial for a cohesive and engaging environment.

📐 Importance of Structure in Ashton's and Super Arts' Artworks

Tyler discusses the importance of structure in environment design, using Ashton's and Super Arts' artworks as examples. He stresses the need for solid perspective and consistent structure to avoid inconsistencies that can undermine the artwork. Tyler recommends blocking out perspective, creating grids, and doing thumbnail sketches to ensure a strong foundation. Proper planning and drafting are essential for creating compelling scenes.

🎮 Next Challenge Announcement: Breath of the Wild Theme

Tyler announces the next community challenge, themed around The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. With the upcoming release of Tears of the Kingdom, he encourages viewers to create art inspired by the new game. The challenge deadline is May 20th, and submissions can be posted in the Discord link provided. Tyler expresses his excitement and invites the community to celebrate the franchise together through their art.

Keywords

💡Environment Design

Environment Design refers to the process of creating the visual aspects of a setting, which can include landscapes, buildings, and other elements that make up a scene. In the video, it is the central theme, as the host discusses various tips and principles for improving one's skills in this area, particularly in the context of painting scenes for visual development artists and concept artists.

💡Visual Hierarchy

Visual Hierarchy is a design principle that establishes a clear order of importance among the elements in a composition, guiding the viewer's eye to the most important parts first. The video emphasizes its importance in environment design, using it as a criterion to evaluate and improve the submitted artworks, such as in Arnie's piece where the main character is clearly emphasized.

💡Rule of Odds

The Rule of Odds is a design principle suggesting that odd numbers of repeating elements are more visually pleasing than even numbers. The video mentions this rule as a good practice in environment design, exemplified by Arnie's artwork where an odd number of characters is used to create a balanced and interesting scene.

💡Depth of Field

Depth of Field is a photographic term that describes the range of distance within a scene that appears acceptably sharp. In the context of the video, it is used to discuss how out-of-focus elements in the foreground can enhance the sense of depth in a painting, as recommended by the host for Arnie's artwork.

💡Maximizing Overlaps

Maximizing Overlaps is a composition technique where elements in a scene overlap each other to create a sense of depth and complexity. The video uses this concept to critique Corey's artwork, suggesting that while overlaps are good, too many can lead to visual congestion and a lack of clear visual path.

💡Balancing Light and Shadow

Balancing Light and Shadow is crucial in creating a realistic and visually appealing scene. The video discusses the importance of not overwhelming a scene with too much light or too many saturated colors, as seen in Temu's artwork, and instead recommends finding a balance to create depth and focus.

💡Unity and Balance

Unity and Balance refer to the harmonious arrangement of elements in a design, ensuring that no single element dominates to the detriment of the overall composition. The video praises Kau's artwork for its balance but suggests adding more asymmetry for a less predictable and more dynamic scene.

💡Structural Help

Structural Help implies providing assistance or guidance in establishing a solid foundation or structure for a design. The host uses this term to advise artists on the importance of planning and sketching the structure of their environment designs before adding details, as seen in the critique of Ashton's and Super Art's pieces.

💡Pokemon Theme

The Pokemon Theme refers to the specific aesthetic and design elements associated with the Pokemon franchise. In the video, the host uses this theme as a basis for a challenge, encouraging artists to reimagine scenes from the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games, highlighting the need for improvement in the game's visuals.

💡Breath of the Wild Theme

Breath of the Wild Theme is the theme for the next community challenge announced in the video, which is based on the popular Nintendo game 'The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'. The host invites artists to create artwork inspired by the game, showing the video's connection to Nintendo's style and the broader context of video game art.

Highlights

Introduction to environment design tips for visual development and concept artists.

Special episode featuring Pokemon-themed art and a community challenge announcement.

Discussion on the visual shortcomings of recent Pokemon games, 'Scarlet and Violet'.

Comparison of Pokemon visuals with other RPG games like 'Nino Cooney' and 'Dragon Quest 11'.

Emphasis on the importance of visual hierarchy in environment design.

Use of the rule of odds and creating a dynamic scene with visual triangles.

Advice on maximizing overlaps in environment design to create depth.

The significance of exposure and balancing light and shadow in scene design.

Critique on the lack of visual hierarchy causing visual confusion in design.

Importance of scaling elements correctly to maintain scene credibility.

Suggestion to use lighting to enhance depth and separate elements in a scene.

Recommendation for creating continuity and depth in environment scenes.

Highlighting the importance of unity and balance in design composition.

Tips on using structure as a fundamental starting point for environment design.

Announcement of the next community challenge with a 'Breath of the Wild' theme.

Encouragement for artists to participate in the challenge and celebrate the franchise.

Transcripts

hello folks and welcome today we're

going over some environment design tips

these will be great for visual

development artists for concept artists

or for anyone looking to improve their

sense of design and painting when it

comes to painting scenes this particular

episode is going to be special because

I'm going to be featuring your art and

we're going to have a Pokemon theme also

stay to the end and I'll announce the

next themed challenge we'll have and

these are of course all over at the

Discord link below

[Music]

alright so I'm Tyler Edlund I love

Nintendo I love video games I love Art

and Design I do it professionally I also

do a lot of teaching

I don't have some big history with the

Pokemon franchise itself I dive into

some of the games with my kids but I do

enjoy them nonetheless but I did notice

with the recent releases scarlet and

violet that the visuals were kind of

lacking both in in regards to their

technical presence and even some of

their the imaginativeness with them as

well as you can see here are two

screenshots from the game it's all right

right it doesn't get your creative

juices going uh the first one it looks a

little better than the second one here

but but again it lacks texture they

overall feel pretty bland there is again

a technical aspect with these with and

I'm not going to get into that for this

particular video and that's why I task

the Discord members with the challenge

this month it's like what ideas could

you have to reimagine or to improve some

of the scenes and environments from

Pokemon scarlet and violet so we're

gonna really look at that

um and as you know like yeah it's it's

not always just about style because I do

think if Pokemon is a stylized game it

is for children but I think there's a

way to do that well there's a way to do

that better here are just two

screenshots from two other awesome RPG

games that are very similar

stylistically to the Pokemon franchise

both Nino Cooney and Dragon Quest 11.

they were awesome they were amazing a

lot of creativity went into them in

every little texture every little ounce

of design especially ninokuni that game

is top brass when it comes to design and

Aesthetics uh but who's really surprised

by that it was co-created with Studio

Ghibli as well as the popular Japanese

developer level five and of course

Dragon Quest 11 is a very old very long

franchise you know from Square Enix and

it again it does the stylized Aesthetics

very well so with that said let's get

into the art some of these will be

examples of what to do and some of these

will be example of what to avoid

first up we have this awesome amazing

colorful piece from my good pal Arnie

bill in here and this is a great example

of what to do the first awesome thing is

using the rule of odds right like there

is a lot of repeating elements

we have like various types of characters

again a nice simple odd amount of them

often work very well it's a very nice

safe choice to do the other awesome

aspect that I like and again an awesome

principle environment design would be

visual hierarchy this is high up on my

list of very important things so if we

look at the three elements

right like which one's being prioritized

it's very clear in what is being

emphasized here and and that's the key

is emphasis that would be this main

character down here it's not only Being

Framed within this Frame like we could

literally see in our eye the human eye

always goes to an object in a window

that's being framed like that visually

speaking and of course the value

structure most important the values are

very high so yeah having rule of odds

and visual hierarchy is very important

for environment designers

the other awesome aspect that I like

about this is the depth of field not

only do we get the cactuses out of focus

in the foreground and it helps again

really sell that sense of depth so much

that I'd actually probably encourage him

to go a little bit further with these

shapes with some of these shapes or

edges around that main viewer like again

the mountain far in the background I

think that's going to really help

further emphasize that depth of field

another little bonus tip that I like

that Arnie did is not only does he have

rule of odds visual hierarchy and depth

of field but they're actually making a

nice little kind of Trifecta of a design

like when you can triangulate almost

anything in a particular scene surely

it's a way of creating interest because

triangles are Dynamic right as a shape

so when you kind of break things down

visually into shapes and there's a lot

of visual triangles in this particular

scene it makes for a very

pleasing layout personally I would have

just closed the arch but again I think

it's a wonderful piece thank you Arnie

alright so similarly here up next for my

next big tip uh would be from Corgi uh

thank you Corey for submitting your work

I think this is awesome first and

foremost and it does show a lot of

awesome qualities that we looked at with

Arnie's but I do think this is a great

opportunity to to show another major

principle and element when it comes to

creating environment design and that is

to maximize overlaps now this is

overlapping them almost maybe maxed out

too much so we have to have a little bit

of a reservation when it comes to that

so for example we have like a nice

visual path through this picture again

I'm always a huge fan of that it's a tip

in itself but it's getting a little

congested with how these things are

overlapped in place see like this is

overlap this is overlap this that piece

is overlapping that it's overlapping

this right it basically this whole area

here is a big cluster of information and

not to say that is wrong because it's

not wrong but I personally would

recommend probably to space things out a

little and pardon me for my quick little

mock-up here uh it's a little rough but

just to kind of get the point across you

know we move some of the trees out right

over to here we blew these up

have them break that boundary out of the

frame and then of course we can really

emphasize this nice little Archway here

personally I never had the time to move

the character I wouldn't align the

character because that would make a

tangent which is kind of a tip in itself

and when you have things aligned in

certain odd ways in the scene that makes

a form of tangent I'd probably just

offset the character have it be right

there you know but overall I think just

getting again a little bit of a sense of

atmosphere in there and to space out

strategically how and where things are

overlapped will certainly help your

scenes

with these two pieces I want to

demonstrate the importance of exposure

and balancing light and Shadow again

these are both really awesome creative

scenes they're fill of color full of

life and energy I love that but I would

say maybe they go a little too far with

that so like let's look at temu's piece

here first right it is

loud visually it's very loud very high

intense yellows Blues it's all maxed out

in terms of saturation and intensity the

chroma is so I would say like a little

bit of balance with that desaturating

that lower the brightness a little bit

then strategically play some shadows and

seeing help frame their image so for

example this is on the foreground if we

were to make this whole area here kind

of in Shadow that would help frame and

create a sense of depth and

this is kind of what I meant by that so

again I simplified some of the shapes in

the background that just kind of helps

communicate some of that visual noise

adding this whole area in Shadow to

start to emphasize

the main characters here and as well as

the Psyduck it's it's all about balance

so again it's a little less saturated

it's a little less intense overall and

similarly with with this piece it's the

same thing it's it's getting hit by this

very intense white basically everywhere

and it's blowing out all the highlights

in the scene

but again unlike Arnie's the other thing

that this suffers from is a lack of

visual hierarchy right that's kind of

the issue here is is we got like a path

right or if we follow that that that

water or the river I and I think that's

good right visual paths are good but

what exactly is being emphasized around

that visual path here is it these sets

of rocks is it this area right here is

it the Sun and mountains in the

background again it really could be any

of these or maybe none of those all the

same and why I pick those specific

things because light and attention is

being deliberately brought to all of

those components so again you would want

to ask yourself when designing a

particular scene what do I want to

emphasize and how can I balance that

picture to express that so when there's

a lack of visual hierarchy in a scene it

creates visual confusion I don't know

what I'm supposed to focus on here and I

didn't necessarily fix that I did want

to primarily use this to again it's

about balancing EXP closure and I think

just bringing a lot of that down right

kind of taking a lot of the white out of

it Reserve whites for really high

speculars on metals and things but like

just bring those colors down a little

bit then choose what you want to

emphasize and position the elements

around your scene to help Express that

all right these two awesome pieces this

one from zuriarat sorry I've probably

been uh butchered your name and this one

right here from Justin art from the city

location in Charlotte one of my favorite

locations Again underdone by the game I

think we can get an awesome lesson out

of these and that would be scaling and

lighting see I love

um what Justin's doing here but there

are issues with with scale and I feel

lighting could really help push that

forward one big tell of this with scale

and when scale is often a scene it can

entirely take the viewer out of it and

discredit the entire scene if we look at

the tree in the background here right

it's like that big so if that tree was

in the city it's going to be that big

absolutely dwarfing the buildings so

what you would typically see in a in a

city of course would be trees much lower

to the ground spread out like that and

it just goes to show you that these are

very giant trees that do feel at a scale

now in regards to lighting I feel

separating elements and components like

this Tree in this foreground with the

use of extra atmosphere back here it's

going to help create a better sense of

visual depth as well as using the

elements in this city to really like

buildings and and the lights in there to

really push that that lightness but I do

think like bringing that component and I

didn't even go all the way with it you

know adding the lights and stuff will

add a nice sense of life to that city as

well from a design standpoint I would

recommend both of these artists to

create a sense of

continuity and depth with these

environments meaning like what would you

see on a port city like this you'd

probably see docks at the bottoms lots

of little boats zipping about I do think

that could help these quite a bit maybe

there could be added suburbs with

smaller buildings and neighborhoods

around the buildings Justin's could

certainly benefit from something another

thing that Justin did really well here

was adding roads going to and from that

City and I think if this had you know

roads coming in and out of it it'd feel

a lot more natural and sophisticated as

well because we need roadways to get to

our cities all right

awesome stuff Justin I would probably

move the focal point a little further in

and then just do a lot more observation

in terms of lighting it does have a very

flat sort of look to it maybe that's

what you were going for but remember

even at night there's going to be

Moonlight there's going to be a direct

light a key light and a scene that's

going to create a sense of light and

Shadow this just has no light and Shadow

and that's what I'd recommend to study

and to get reference of of course when

it comes to painting a scene

all right our next two pieces here from

Kau again sorry if I mispronounced that

and

and Tabor here

awesome these are these are very

visually striking I think they add a lot

of character and depth that the game

could have really used if I mean if this

game was filled with art and

environments that had this level of love

and passion I feel the game would have

been a lot better if it could have

pulled that off these are absolutely

fantastic and I think for my next set of

tips here I'd really like to show the

importance of unity and balance in a

design like look at how we're saying

this this scene is so well balanced

maybe even to a fault in some situations

so what I mean by that is like if you

draw a line down the middle a lot of the

big elements are really just framed out

symmetrically there are some

asymmetrical elements like the tree and

the character and I think it's wonderful

for that but I think going like a little

bit further with that would have really

helped this so like maybe again breaking

up one of the cloud shapes so it's not

the same on both perhaps pushing the

silhouette of this main structure frame

framing it behind a big cloud

like that that will help emphasize that

and then maybe pulling back a little

more of these clouds on this side

to help break it or separate it from

that right side a little bit more but

other than that I mean this is absolute

stunning I love it I think having a few

more birds or a few wild Pokemon in the

background surely would have added to

that as well but again it's awesome

nonetheless and I love this I love the

lighting here and don't and be patient

here with my quick little mock-up on

this because it is roughing in the areas

it doesn't look as nice but what I would

have done with this is maybe tone back a

little bit of these waterfalls so that

the ones that you do keep you can create

a better sense of emphasis with again

that will help a sense of unity with

that so wait for example I took away

some waterfalls here and I think adding

some waterfalls or or taking some away

to add some here to create a little bit

of a a slight emphasis here so that our

eye could travel here and here and to

push the lighting along that path will

also really help that also if you're

keeping the Charizard character entirely

in Shadow framing that character with

some Direct light on a canyon right

behind it is again a great way to

emphasize that which will ultimately

really balance the piece out so yeah

it's it's a give and take process right

and we have to be our our best editor at

the end of the day when it comes to

things if we just keep throwing all of

our great ideas into any kind of

environment scenes then we could

overwhelm the viewer potentially all

right and for my last tips today for

these environments we have Ashton's and

super Arts these are great they have a

lot of potential but surely they need

structural help so for anyone that

struggles on how to start or even end an

environment always go back to your

structure the structure is fundamentally

the most important part to any scene

design

block out your perspective draw your

perspective again and again make a grid

I got videos on that if you need it

because again there's inconsistencies

and lack of structure that really would

fumble you know some pictures like this

no matter how many hours you put into it

so take the time and just plan do

thumbnail sketching and of course draft

your structure with perspective all

right

and guys for my next Community challenge

it's going to be breath of the Wild

theme we're already on the Nintendo

train

the new tears of the Kingdom's coming up

I'm stoked as heck I've already started

working on my fan art piece here so

let's all come together here and really

celebrate this franchise and do some art

that's simply inspired by the new game

alright this will be due May 20th and

you can post them in the Discord link

below thank you guys and I'll catch you

next time