Canal Environment

I began this project back in December 2023. I chose this setting because I live near a canal, so taking real-world references was a lot more convenient.

As the timelapse reveals, the environment went through numerous stylistic changes over the course of the project. It was originally going to be much smaller and in a painterly style inspired by Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch. Ultimately, it became more expansive with the addition of the church tower and deviated more into a Ghibli-esque, toon-like art style.

From the start, I aimed for a more striking contrast between warmer orange colours from the sunlight and colder cyan shadows. Using multiple ambient directional lights, high-roughness materials, and subtle emissive effects, I achieved a flatter, toon-like look that I had in mind.