Foliage

Create plant life for your world.

Exotic world by Elizaveta_Kostuyk on Sketchfab

Overview

Plants. They’re everywhere. And when you’re building a world, it pays to water that knowledge garden. This week we’re going to dive into the organic, the botanical, and the down-right invasive as we explore what makes foliage so formidable.

Reference & Research

In order to make up your own plants, you’ll need a basic understanding of how they work here on Earth.

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Reference Catalog

Collecting References

Get into the plant mind-set by collecting images that inspire you. Find at least FIVE real-world plants and copy the images to your own card in the Padlet below.

View Instructions >

Brainstorming Project

Now that we’ve fertilized our metaphorical brain-garden with research into real-world plants, let’s sprout some ideas. In this project we’ll dig into a single design, starting with a basic shape and growing it from there.

Part 1: Silhouettes

Using just one color and a solid brush, brainstorm some leaf shapes.
Try to come up with as many strange new leaf shapes as you can.

Part 2: Adding Depth

Take one of your silhouettes and push the design further by adding line art. Set your silhouette to 40% Opacity and use it as a guide as you add detail.

< Hover to see the sketch only.

Part 3: Color Blocking

Test out a few color variations for your sketch. Don’t worry about shading, just think about the base color and block it out with a thick brush.

Part 4: Pattern & Texture

Add repeating patterns in your design to create texture.

Part 5: Light & Shadow

Use a smaller brush to add in the lighting and shadow to your color blocking.

Get Brainstorming >

Template Files

Choose at least one project to complete before next session!