Concept Sketch: Tree and Odd Sled

Well, I haven't done a concept sketch in a while and decided that it was time to just let the imagination run free. I like the concept sketches. It's a way for your mind to just wander and see what comes up.

As usual, I like to start with some sort of geometric shape and see how the landscapes flows out of it. In this case, I worked with a standard design: overlapping spheres. I added more textural detail to it to give the abstract shape some depth and volume.

Once I had the basic "sled"/abstract shape design, it seemed natural to provide a tree and the background mountains. These items seem to be a staple for me and I really should try to branch out into a different design. For right now, I like the look of the drawing. I'll decide, later on, if it's worthy of being painted.

Connection between the trees and the mountain

While playing with more mountainous scenes, I came across this weird concept of the arching bridge. The bridge provides a method of connecting the hard rocky terrain with the more subtle foliage. Below the mountain, we see a smaller scene of a forest with the mountain above it. On the left, we see a more detailed view of the trees from the forest.

Reflections of the sea

"Reflections of the sea" will be an interesting experiment of capturing the reflections of the sky/water on the spheres that move towards the land. The spheres will be shiny metallic objects and reflect, on one side, the water and sky and, on the other side, the land that it is sitting on.

Shedding light on the land

This is a traditional landscape where the right abstract shape will act like a modern curtain against the scene.

To create this curtain "hole" as a focal point, I may do the entire painting as a night scene and create a daytime scene in the curtain... or vice-versa. Will not know until I start the painting.