The Hunt – The Environment: The Mountains

Looking at Native American patterns, I noticed that some of them look more figurative than abstract and resemble the mountains depicted in Canadian Landscape Paintings. I like the way the pattern stylisation can be used to depict natural elements and not just abstract ones.
In addition to these influences, I aimed the mountains to contrast with the forest. Whereas the forest represents a natural and safe environment for the bear, in the mountains she is exposed. The mountains are dangerous and unforgiving, so they are made of really sharp lines, which are enhanced in the patterns on the textures.

The mountains on the hunter’s side are made of rocks that appear strong and harsh. On the opposite side, the bear’s mountains are softer and greener and she is surrounded by some trees that represent her world.

In addition to the modelled mountains, these shots also required a lot of matte paintings. To make sure the world surrounding the geometry was consistent, I painted them on a sphere that surrounds the environment. This method also makes the matte paintings slightly curved, which I found quite interesting visually.
The sky is designed so that we gradually move from afternoon to sunset, preparing for the blast of colours coming next.

The following shots are mostly matte paintings. The idea was that they would become more geometric as the bear panics and runs for her life.