Behind The Scenes: Medieval Marketplace (Patreon)

I always loved games and especially strategy building games. Ever since I first saw Settlers 2, I have a soft spot for cute stylized buildings, representing all kinds of material needs, from mines and wells, to town halls.

I've already created some game asset illustrations, so at this point, this a series. But every time I set out to make a new one, I'm always surprised how challenging is, to come up with ideas. Game magazines to the rescue! If you can't come up with a new idea on your own, don't worry. It's not easy and everyone is using different methods to spark creativity. Nothing is created in a  vacuum.

So after going through some "best of" articles about strategy games, I had a nice overview of some buildings I might use, but I got inspired by a marketplace structure. Colorful, busy, just something I was in a mood for. 

Visit the full Pinboard here

I use Pinterest to gather references but sometimes, when you enter a keyword to search for something, results can be quite amusing. So after trying some combinations, if you still can't get what you're looking for, try more specific searches, or try something generic and click through the similarities. That's what Pinterest is best for.

For example here, it's enough to enter "strategy game art" keyword and click througt the first isometric building art you see. You will find yourself in a world of similar images and with each click you're closer to find, what you need. It's important to save every bit, that got your attention, even if you won't use it. Make the most out of your time, so you don't have to go back searching for something you glimpsed.

After getting enough material, take your time and study each image. Methodically go through every art and you can even take word notes of things you like. For example some crate, type of roof shingle, dominant colors, anything. These will be your building blocks.

The last step is to take those pieces of "lego" you collected and build something on your own. What was the rough image you had in your mind, when you decided for a theme? When I landed on the marketplace idea, I kind of saw a town square setup, with tables and carts in circular layout, with some items lying on the ground mixed with additional crates and barrels. 

Now take that initial picture in your mind and put a rough layout on the paper, while using the pieces of inspiration you collected. For example here, I replaced the open cart with a wagon, keeping the same idea I had, only improving it using references I gathered.

This way, you can create unique layout based on your initial idea, upgrade the details based on existing great references and then going full circle using your own imagination to modify some additional details. 

You can watch the process video on Youtube