Sunday, 27 May 2012

Design Process - Anubis


Initial Silhouettes
Design Development
Design Development (Morals)
Design Development - Shades
Final Concepts
Neutral
Pure
Corrupt

Design Process - Set

Initial Silhouettes
Design Development
Final Concept

Design Process - Isis and Nephthys

Initial Silhouettes
Design Development
Final Concept
Final Concept


Design Process - Osiris

Initial Silhouettes
Design Development
Final Concept

Research - Influences in the Industry


There are various games that inspired the development of “Dominance”, each one shared a similar creation process in taking influences from existing mythologies. I looked at concept art for each of the series/games and took from their work to influence my own.

-The God of War Series shares an identical process in which they took existing Gods and Goddesses of Greek Mythology and reinvisioning them to a modern design and visual aspect.
Along with the designs being reinvisioned, it also tweaked the story and legends of the mythology as well, a task that I am doing myself as well.

Aphrodite Goddess of Love

Ares God of War

Atropos

Hermes - Messenger of the Gods

Rhea

Hephaestus

Hercules

Helios

Neptune

Kratos

Hades

Hermes - Hero shot

Zeus

http://www.andrewkimart.com/galleries/galleries.asp?MainCategoryID=1&CategoryID=25

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=151884

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Research - Anubis "Entity of the Afterlife"

"One of the roles of Anubis was "Guardian of the Scales". Deciding the weight of "truth" by weighing the Heart against Ma'at, who was often depicted as an ostrich feather, Anubis dictated the fate of souls. In this manner, he was a Lord of the Underworld, only usurped by Osiris."

The jackal-god of mummification, he assisted in the rites by which a dead man was admitted to the underworld. Anubis was worshipped as the inventor of embalming and who embalmed the dead Osiris and thereby helping to preserve him that he might live again.

Anubis is portrayed as a man with the head of a jackal holding the divine sceptre carried by kings and gods; as simply a black jackal or as a dog accompanying Isis.


Anubis had three important functions. He supervised the embalming of bodies. He received the mummy into the tomb and performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and then conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. Most importantly though, Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from deception and eternal death.

Early in Egyptian history, Anubis was a god of the dead. This role was usurped by Osiris as he rose in popularity.

Anubis was the son of Nephthys, and his father was Osiris. One myth says that Nephthys got Osiris drunk and the resultant seduction brought forth Anubis. Yet another says she disguised herself as Isis and seduced Osiris and subsequently gave birth to Anubis.

Sunday, 29 April 2012

Research - Nephthys "Lady of the Mansion"

"It seems that she was originally conceived of as the female counterpart of Set. He represented the desert, while she represented the air."


Nephthys was an ancient goddess, who was referenced in texts dating back to the Old Kingdom. She was a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis as the daughter of Geb and Nut and the sister of Osiris, Isis and the and wife of Set. When the Ennead and Ogdoad merged, Nephthys was given a place on Ra's boat so that she could accompany him on his journey through the underworld.
Nephthys is the Greek pronunciation of her name. To the Ancient Egyptians she was Nebthwt meaning "the Mistress of the House".


As a goddess of the air, she could take the form of a bird, The Egyptians thought that all vultures were female  and that they were spontaneously created from the air. While the care shown by a mother vulture for her child was highly respected, the Egyptians also recognized that vultures fed on carrion and associated them with death and decay. As a result, Nephthys became a goddess of death and mourning.


Later myths claimed that she was the mother of Anubis by Osiris. This came about because Anubis' position as the god of the dead was usurped by Osiris.
According to one myth Nephthys disguised herself as Isis to get the attention of her neglectful husband Set, but instead seduced Osiris (who apparently did not realise that it was Nephthys).



Isis and Nephthys were very close despite Nephthys' alleged infidelity with Osiris (the husband of Isis) and her marriage to Set (the murderer of Osiris).
Nephthys protected the body of Osiris and supported Isis as she tried to resurrect him. The goddesses are so similar in appearance that only their headdresses can distinguish them and they always appear together in funerary scenes. 
Together Isis and Nephthys could be said to represent day and night, life and death and growth and decay.