5/25/2017 ThumbWarDesignIterationCombatSimulation

THUMBWAR:DesignIterationCombatSimulation
byPaulRichards
Updated07/04/09

Tenhut,fellowconceptgrunts!ThefollowingtextisacondensedadaptationofsomerecentworkshopsI'vespokenaton
thetheory/practiceofthumbnailing,andisnotaverbatimtranscript.Oorah!

INTRODUCTION:WARISHELL!

Ifyou'veeverbeeninthemilitary,youknowadvertisementsonlyshowhalfthepicture.It'stheglamoroushalf,theone
depictingactsofextremeheroism,glossingovermuchofthearduousandmundaneaspectsofmilitarylife.Wearegivena
Contents similarlyrosecoloredviewoftheentertainmentindustry:thatitisasortofdreamfulfillmentmerrygoroundwithour
interestsatthefulcrum.Likethemilitary,workingasanartistinentertainmentputsyouintouchwithinspirationalpeople,
Introduction:WarIsHell! advancesyourknowledgeandabilitiesanddropsyoudowninexcitingnewplaces.Therearemomentsofgloryinbothjobs,
butattheendofthetheday,botharejustthat:jobs.
APerfectWorld
Inthemilitary,youserveyourcountry.Inentertainment,youserveaclient.Thisisn'taboutyou.It'sthelessthan
KnowYourEnemies pleasurabletruthyoudon'tseeadvertised.Butifyoucangetpastitandyourselfthere'ssomeseriouslysatisfying
Internal/External rewards.Ifyouwantthese"spoilsofwar"you'regoingtohavetofightforthem.Downanddirty.Toothandnail.There'sno
otherway.
KnowYourAllies
Media/Technology/ Warishell,andso,initsownway,isdesign.Butthere'sacriticaltacticinwinning.It'scalledthumbnailing:theactofusing
Implements tinypicturestocommunicatebigideas.
DrawingFundamentals
DesignPrinciples

FuelForTheWarMachine

PartingOrders

CombatSim1:
VirtualArtDirector

CombatSim2:
VirtualFeedback

Thanks

APERFECTWORLD

Inaperfectworld,therewouldbenowar.Nostruggle.Thumbnailingwouldbeanunnecessarypartofdrawingbecausewe
wouldallbeperfectvisionaries.Savants.We'duseourclairvoyancetoinstantlycraftidealsolutionstoourclients'
problems,andtheywouldshoweruswithpraiseeverytime.

Butthisisn'taperfectworld.We'reimperfect.Moreover,we're"intheservice."

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Ourabilitiesgiveussomecontrolovertheoutcome,butlikegeneralsintheirtentsonthemountain,theclientiscallingthe
shots.AndliketheCommanderInChief,theclienthasthepowertoveto.

KNOWYOURENEMIES

Wewinwarsbycomingfacetofacewithourenemies.Herearethebiggestones,andhowthumbnailingisusedtocombat
them...

Internal

Uncertainty//Theartist'slamentof"Idon'tknowwheretobegin!"needn'tapplytothethumbnailingstage,wherejustafew
loosescribblesconstitutesastart.It'smucheasiertocomeupwithfreshsolutionsafterpurgingthemoreobviousones.
Theareaeachthumbnailoccupiesissmall,soyouareabletocompareandrevisethemataglance.Byworkingaroundthe
page,thedesignevolvesthroughtrialanderror,resultinginseveralvariationsononetheme.Whenyou'refeelinguncertain,
eachthumbnailwillbringyouastepcloserto"theone."

Overconfidence//Thinkingyouknowexactlywhatyourclientwantsrightoffthebatcanbedangerous.Ratherthan
skimmingthesurfaceofyourconsciousness,thumbnailingencouragesyoutodelvebeneathfornewpossibilitiesthatwould
nevercometoyouimmediately.Whileyourfirstinstinctscanbeyourbest,you'llneverknowhowfaryoucanpush
somethinguntilyoutry.It'sfuntosurpriseyourself.

FearofCommitment//Thumbsaren'tcommittal.Ideasthatdon'tpleaseyoucanbediscardedguiltfree.It'saflirtatious
act,soyouneedn'tworrytoomuchaboutthelongterm.Justdon'tbiteoffmorethumbnailsthanyouoryourclientcan
chew!

FearofFailure//"Toincreaseyoursuccessrate,doubleyourfailurerate."goestheoldsaw.Failureisbuiltintothe
thumbnailingprocess.It'sespeciallyriskfreetobedaringatthisphase.Bettertohavesmallscaleexperimentsfailthan
somethinglargerandmoretimeconsuming.Ifyoupresentaclientwithasingleoption,thereismoreriskofrejectionthanif
yougivethemavarietytochoosefrom.Youarestackingyourdeck,hedgingyourbets,creatingabackupplan.

PressuretoImpress//Thumbs,bytheirnature,arenotshowpiecesmorevisualbrainstormingsotheyarenotmeant
toimpress,merelycommunicatebarebonesinformation.What'smore,youneedonlysubmitthethumbsyoulikewhenyou
scanandarrangethemlater,ifyouchoosetopresentthematall.

Sloth//Thumbnailsaretinyandfastandyoucandothemanywhere,withanyimplement.Youdon'tapproachthemwiththe
samementalityyouwithfinishedwork.Youneedn'tgetboggeddownwithdetailandpolish.Youarefocusingonbigshapes,
silhouettevalue,basicreadabilityifitworkssmall,itwillworkbig.There'snoexcusetoskipthisstep!

External

Deadlines//Makedeadlinesyourallybyusingthemtostructureyourtime.Thumbnailsgiveyouaplan,andeliminate
optionsyouandyourclientfinddispleasing.Imagineifyoudidone,tookittofinish,butnoonelikedit.You'dhavetostart
alloveragain,andbemuchmorerushed.

Misleading/ContradictoryDirection//Artdirectorscansayonethingandmeananother,sometimeschangingtheirminds

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completelybythetimeyou'vefinished.Whenyourdesigngoalscan'tbeclarifiedverbally,thumbnailswillhelpyou
troubleshootjustwhatismeantbyexploringvariations."Apictureisworthathousandwords."

Vague/GeneralDirection//i.e.anopportunityindisguise!Again,whenyoucan'tclarifydirection,orthepersonyou're
workingforsimplydoesn'tknowwhattheywant,usethumbnailingasanopportunityto"bluesky"manyviablesolutions.It's
yourlimitedwindowtopitchdesigns.Soaslongasyou'regivingyourclientwhattheyaskedfor,inatimelymanner,you
havelicensetoimprovise.

Yourideasandopinionsarewhatmakeyouagoodconceptartist,notjustyourabilitytoexistwithinaproductionpipeline.
Whileyoumaystillbeintheservice,thumbnailingletsyouhaveyoursayinanonaggressiveway.

Crappy/MundaneSubjectMatter//Seethisasachallenge.Askyourself"HowcanImakethisinteresting?HowcanI
learnfromthis?Improvememory?Tryanewtechnique?"Inyourquestto"removethesuck"fromadesign,you'llalsobe
showingyourclientwhattheyDON'Twant,whichcansometimesbejustashelpful.

Media//Pickingthewrongtoolforthejobcanmakeyourlifehell.Gowithsomethingthatwillfacilitate,notfrustratre,the
thumbnailingstep.Remembertoworksmallandboldly!Don'tbepreciouswithit!

KNOWYOURALLIES

InthislistI'momitting"people",eventhoughtheexperienceandinputofothersisarguablyanyartist'sbiggestally.Ifyou
wanttogetgoodatanythingfast,surroundyourselfwithpeoplewhoknowwhatthey'redoing.

Media/Technology/Implements
=Equipmenttofacilitateefficiency!

paper,pencil/pen/marker(goodforfindingimagesinthemesssameprincipleasstaringatcloudsormarbletileand
seeingthingsinit)
compy(3Dprograms/Photoshop)Bewareofctrl.zandinfinitecanvases.Thereissuchathingas"toomuchfreedom!"
rulers/guides/templates(perhapsnottoousefulinthumbnailphaseastheyslowyoudown)
eraser(again,notsomethingyoushouldbetooconcernedaboutusingalot,asyoucanjustmoveontoanewdesign
ratherthanconstantlyediting)

DrawingFundamentals
=BasicTraining

Thisisakintomarksmanship.Theoryandpracticehelpyouhityourtarget.Todosomethingwell,younotonlyneedto
studyit,buthavedailyritualsactuallyDOINGit.Whatoncetooksignificantconciouseffort,overtime,becomesembedded
inthesubconscious.

"Consciouseffortinhibitsandjamstheautomaticcreativemechanism."
MaxwellMaltz

Perspective//Iwon'tgointothisatlength,butwhatyouwanttogetoutoftherulesofperspectiveitistheabilitytodraw,
withouttoomuchmentalanguish,basicprimitives(cubes,discs,cones,spheres,etc.)inforeshortenedviews.Tocreate3D
objectsona2Dplaneisanillusion,soyoumustfirstfoolyourselfintothinkingyouareworkinginZSPACEthatyoucan
drawintoandoutoftheworkingsurface.

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Bemindfulofthe3axes(denotedin3Dprogramsasx,yandz).Workinginall3createscontrastingplanes.Flat,mushy
drawingsresultfrompayingmoreattentionto2ofthe3axes,orworse,only1.

DrawingPrimitives//Whateveryou'rethinkingofdrawingcanbemadelooselyofprimitives.Thinklikea3Dmodeler!Draw
objectsinsideboundingboxesifithelpsyoukeeptheminperspective.

Yourbrainasa3DModeler:
Superimposethe"gizmo!"
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alter"fieldofview"(basicallythedistancebetweenyourvanishingpoints)
extrudegeometry
bevel
stretch
scale
twist
bend
pullpoints
rotate
clone
slice
stencil
usebooleanoperatorssubtractgeometryfromgeometry,addgeometrytogeometry

Thisseemseasy,butisHARD,sopracticeit!

Overlap//Overlapshowswhat'sinfront(outlinethickestaroundthingsclosesttoyou)andwhat'sinback.Usedraw
throughtogetoverlapscorrect.Inadditiontogivingyoucheapdimensionalitywithaminimumofperspectivetricks,overlap
freesyoufromdrawingwhatever'sobscured.Oftentheviewerwillfillinthoseobscureddetailsthemselves.Payattentionto
overlapthatoccursWITHINobjects.Makealloverlapsobvioustoavoidtangents:lines/objectsthatappeartotouchor
intersectawkwardly,weakeningyourdepthillusion.

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DesignPrinciples
=NavSystem

Layout//Usethepage!Manythumbnailsbeginasabstractshapesfilledwithdesign.Theirperimetersaredictatedbythe
shapesnexttothem.Bylimitingthesizeandshapeofyourcanvas,youreducetheintimidationof"toomuchfreedom."
Don'tworryaboutcrowdingyourpageinthis"puzzle"layout,asyoucanalwaysuncrowdthe"pieces"afteryouscan.
Anothernonmilitarymetaphorwouldbeacookiesheet.Trynottowastethedough!

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Silhouette//Seethedesignasawhole,notasindividualparts.Doesithaveinterestingcuts(ins,outs)?Whenyousquint,
canyoustilltellwhatitis?Inthegraphicbelow,IrealizedI'dmissedanopportunitytoconveyinfoandimprovesihouette
valuebynotshowingtheoutlineofarobot'sclawedhand.

PointofView//Viewinganglecanmakeadesignlookdynamicorundynamic.Someviews,likeprofiles,giveless
informationthanothers.ChoosePOVsthat"sell"yourdesigns.Providescalecuesthatshowhowbigsomethingiswhen
necessary.

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Readability//Readabilitycomesnotjustfromstrongsilhouette,butfromintelligentdistributionofdetail.Tryto"snipe"
detailonapiece,puttingitwhereitcounts(focalpoints)."Machinegunblasted"detailcanobliterateyourbestintentions.
Withthumbnails,themoreinformationyouputinearlyon,theeasiertakingittothenextlevelwillbe,butconcernyourself
mainlywiththebigstuffit'sokaytoimplydetailasmentalnotesforfuturerendering.

Connections/Transitions/Caps//Othergoodplacesto"snipe"detailareatthesepoints:theplacesthatholdyour
concepttogether.
Connections=wheretwosimilarpartsmerge
Transitions=whereonethingstopsandanother(ofadifferentkind)begins
Caps=whereshapesterminate

Thiswillbringsoliditytodrawingsandplausibilitytodesigns.

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Rhythm/Gesture/PointsofOrigin//Howdoesyourdesignflow?Dothelinesofrhythmleadyoureyethroughtheimage,
toitsfocalpoint(s)?Dorepetitivedetailpatternsoriginatefromadistinctpoint,contributingtotheflow?Dotheyradiatelike
sunrays,rippleinconcentriccircles,etc?Inthebeastheadbelow,weseefourpointsoforiginforrhythmicdetail:
1atthesnout,dartingupwardpasttheeyetotheear
2atthecenterofthechin,withstubbleradiatingoutward
3attherearofthejawpleatsofskindroopingtothepinchintheneck
4attheedgeofthemouth,wheretheskinarounditiscreased

Onamoremicroscale,youcouldsaytheedgesoftheeyesarealsopointsoforiginfordetail,asaretheopeningsofthe
earsandnostrils.Keepyoursniperscopeattheready!

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Proportions//Thisissimplypushingthesizeofshapesastheyrelatetoeachother.Haveyounudgedadesignasfaras
itcangobeforeitstartstolookridiculous?Tryusingboundingboxestoforceyourproportionsbigger/smaller.

BigIntoSmall/ThickIntoThin//Thisoccursinnature.VARIETY(akathespiceoflife)CREATESINTEREST.The
oppositeofvarietyismonotony,representedbyrepetitive,uniformshapesandrigidparallels.Contrastingshapesare
important.Bewareof"cloning":2+identicalobjectsinexactsameperspective.

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Asymmetry/Symmetry//Avoidingapurelymirroredlook(differentonthefrontthanitisontheback,differentontopthan
itisonthebottom,ondifferenteitherside,etc.),createsvariety,whichinturncreatesinterest.

PsychologyofShapes//Whatimpressionareyoutryingtogive?Whatdosoftshapessayaboutyourdesign'sattitude,
vs.angularones?

PsychologyofValue//Whileyouneedn'tgonutsrendinglight/shadowonthumbnails,somelocalvaluecuessayalot
abouttheircharacter.

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Materials//Whatisthephysicalmakeupofyourdesign?Keepinmindavarietyofmaterialswillincreasevisualinterest,
butthisissomethingtokeepinbackofyourheadwhilethumbnailing,andaddressmoreinthefinalimage.

Functionality//You'llneedtoreferbacktoartdirection,butfunctionalityindesignmeans"Doesthislooklikeitcouldserve
itsindentedpurpose?"Don'tgettoohunguponmakingeveryconnectionsolidatthethumbnailstage,butavoiddecisions
that"cripple"itsfunctionality.

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Imperfections//"F**kitupalittle!"isamantraIpickedupfrommycurrentboss.Distress/wear/wrinkles/dentsin
"functional"placesgivesasenseofhistoryandcharacter.Carbonscoringonablaster,nicksonabattleaxe,etc.

FUELFORTHEWARMACHINE
Beforeyourollout,gasup!

Visualization//i.e.daydreaming.Getyourimaginationcookingbeforeyourpencilhitsthepaper.Startwithsomethingin

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yourmind'seye,evenifvagueorsimple.Onceyouputitdownonpaper,itwillspurotherideasandontheflythinking.Your
visionwillchangeandbranchoffinnewdirections.Newsolutionswillpresentthemselves.Whereyou'vegoneleft,goright.
Whereyou'vedoneconcave,doconvex.Whereyou'vedoneround,dopointy,etc.Haveaninternaldialog."Toincrease
variety,Ishould..."

Observation/Memory//Buildamentallibraryof"stockimages"youcanuseduringvisualization.Youcandothisby
drawingfromlife,studyingphotos,andjustactivelyobserving.Passiveobservation,whereyouseethingsbutdon'tabsorb
anything,isamissedopportunity.

Reference//Refshowsyou"correct"whenyouneedit,helpingyoutoavoid"samefactorysyndrome",whereeverything
youdrawlooksmuchlikethelastthingyoudrew.Don'tletreferencehinderyouearlyonorallowyoutoprocrastinateby
assemblingreamsofit.TheInternetisn'tgoinganywhere!Consultitlater.Byrelyingmoreonimaginativeapproximation,
you'llgethappyaccidentsyouwouldn'tgetbyadheringto(orbeingcontaminatedby)reference.

Inspirationalimages//Otherartists'workremindsuswherethebaris,andshowswherethosebeforeushavedaredto
tread.Aswithreference,processit.Interpretit.There'sabigdifferencebetween"RIFFINGON"(takingwhatyouneedand
leavingwhatyoudon't)and"RIPPINGOFF"(takingtoomuchorworse,copyingdirectly).

PARTINGORDERS

Planwiththehead,drawfromthegut!Usetacticalstrikes,butdon'thesitatetoactoninstinctintheheatofbattle,guerrilla
style!Lastly,fromonelowlymaggottoanother,alwaysrememberyourrank:you'reintheservice!

COMBATSIM1:VIRTUALARTDIRECTOR
[seegraphicbelow]
Stringtogethersubjectmattertoformartificalassignments!Timeyourself!You'rebeingwatched...

ExpandedList:COMINGSOON

COMBATSIM2:VIRTUALFEEDBACK
Whatgoodwouldyourrandomassignmentbewithoutsomeequallyrandomfeedback?Revise/compromiseyourdesignas
instructed.AndforGod'ssake,hurry!

ExpandedList:COMINGSOON

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THANKS

ThanksandpraisetoTonyArechiga(DivergeWorkshop,Dallas),TravisBourbeauandAlexAlvarez(GnomonWorkshop,
Hollywood).YoureffortandencouragementlaunchedThumbWar!

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