Task 2 - Artistic Styles
Photo Realism: Photo Realism is a form of art that aims to be as realistic as possible. Due to this, art that is photo realistic has a meticulous level of detail in order to gain such a realistic look. It originated in the late 60's, and it is said to be a form of 'Pop Art'. Famous early Photo Realistic artists include John Baeder, Tom Blackwell, Chuck Close and Richard Estes. Photo Realistic art work, is often made using canvas's and in order to achieve the realistic look, it is usually divided into squares and the artist looks at the photo, they hope to recreate and do the colours per grid until the full picture is formed.
 |
| https://portraitapparel.wordpress.com/tag/photorealist/ |
 |
| http://www.onelargeprawn.co.za/2011/07/12/you-wont-believe-theyre-oil-paintings/ |
Photo Realism can also be used in sculptures. A famous example is Ron Muecks Mask II as seen below.
 |
| http://www.likeourlinks.com/in/getclicks/205/31 |
In video games, Photo Realism is very difficulty to obtain. This because Photo Realism in cut-scenes can be pre-rendered. This means hours of time can be devoted to things such as digital models at around 30fps. However, in actual gameplay, the graphics have to be generated dynamically, meaning that even the most powerful gaming computers struggle to maintain photo realistic graphics, especially at 60fps. That is why photo realism in games are usually restrained to cut scenes.
 |
| https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/2lilh9/some_photorealistic_cgi_from_call_of_duty_no_less/ |
Games use Rasterization in order to gain as much realism to the graphics as possible. Rasterization is when algorithm's are put into 3D shapes and displayed on a flat display, such as TV's and Computer monitors. While this was a popular practice in the games industry, a method known as Ray Tracing is now being more commonly used. Ray Tracing is when rays of light are utilized to trace pixels onto a 2D surface. This requires less work than rasterizing and still produces realistic graphics. This is the primary reason why this method is being used more and more.
 |
| http://kinographics.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/ray-tracing-graphics-rendering.html |
 |
| http://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/hellschreiber-fonts.htm |
In order to gain Photo Realism in games, they usually have to utilize 4K resolution. Due to 4K tv's and monitors being rare and expensive and consoles being unable to output resolutions higher than 1080, the majority of 4K ready games are modern PC games most usually from 2013 onwards. For older games, modders on the PC, can use tools to create mods called ENB's. These enhance not only the resolution but all aspects of the games graphics such as textures, lighting, etc.
Cel Shading:
Cel Shading is the process used with graphics that gives 3D graphics a flat look via using less colour during shading. This process is used in games that aim to give off a comic book or cartoon animation look. Two notable games that do this are Crackdown and The Walking Dead.
 |
| http://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/screenshot-comparison-crackdown-vs-crackdown-2-419684/ |
 |
| http://www.mtv.com/news/2464183/walking-dead-video-game/ |
The first Cel shaded game was Doctor Hauzer in 1994. This was produced for a lesser known console called the 3DO. Despite this, Cel Shading didn't really catch on until 2000 when the Dream cast had a game called Jet Set Blast released for it. In 2003, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was released which also featured Cel Shading. Modern Releases that use Cel Shading include The Wolf Among Us and the Borderlands series.
 |
| https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.telltalegames.fables100 |
 |
| http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/07/07/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-could-come-to-new-gen-systems.aspx |
Abstraction: Abstraction is video games is when a game is composed of random geometry based shapes are the main art style in a game. This type of art form has been used in games since the beginning of the industry. Some of the oldest Abstract games include Yars Revenge and The Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 |
| http://gamedesign.wikidot.com/yar-s-revenge |
 |
| http://www.8-bitcentral.com/reviews/2600raidersLostArk.html |
Arguably, the most well known game that features Abstraction as its main art design is Geometry Wars. In order to progress in the game, the player has to defeat a continuous wave of enemies in order to gain points and stay alive. This simple formula is both easy and appealing.
 |
| http://www.giantbomb.com/geometry-wars/3025-237/ |
Exaggeration: Exaggeration is games is an art form that is based upon realism but is somewhat overdone aka exaggerated. An example of exaggeration is the character models in the Dragonball Z video games. They have massive muscles and extravagant hair styles.
 |
| http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2014/01/24/dragon-ball-z-battle-of-z-cheats.htm |
They are meant to be based on normal people, but due to their abnormal muscle mass, they appear overdone, and due to this, exaggerated. Another example of Exaggeration in video games, is Batman from the Arkham games. He is based off a real person, but due to the art style, his muscle mass and appearance is exaggerated.
 |
| http://kotaku.com/sources-warner-bros-knew-that-arkham-knight-pc-was-a-1714915219 |
