Scale considerations of Orcrist. Photo via Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Art Collective.
According to Weta Workshop concept designer Paul Tobin, “Good design is in the broad strokes, great design is in the details.” In a recent article on Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Arts Collective, Tobin shared some of the details of his design experience with readers and aspiring designers. Tobin’s credits at Weta Workshop include The Hobbit films, Avatar, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian.
Design options for Orcrist. Photo via Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Art Collective.
Tobin begins his discussion by differentiating between concept art and concept design. To Tobin, concept art is “a visual exploration of an idea” where the outcome is the work of art itself. Concept design, on the other hand, is a visual exploration of an idea through a design process that ultimately goes beyond the design phase into production.
To illustrate his design approach, Tobin walks through some of the process of creating the design for Orcrist, one of the Elven swords discovered in the troll hoard in The Hobbit. Tobin’s explorations led him from the descriptions of the sword in Tolkien’s text, through his own experience in medieval martial arts classes, to historical weapon designs from the cultures that inspired Tolkien, and the designs from The Lord of the Rings films.
Orcrist variations and details for build. Photo via Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Art Collective.
Noting that clients most often want to see something new and different in a design, Tobin stresses that the concept designer needs to work through different options for a design idea, not just variations on a theme. For Orcrist, Tobin faced the additional challenge of designing an Elven sword that would be wielded by a Dwarf, making scale an important consideration. After working through many ideas, Tobin finally tried what he describes as a “wild card idea,” based on the description of Orcist as “Biter,” the nickname the orcs gave the sword. This version had an ivory handle, perhaps a dragon tooth. Peter Jackson loved the idea, so Tobin went on to work out preliminary designs. After more refinement, master sword maker Peter Lyon realized Tobin’s design as the striking sword Orcrist of The Hobbit films.
Paul Tobin shares more fascinating details about the creation of Orcrist in the full article on Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Arts Collective.
Final design for Orcrist. Photo via Muddy Colors: A Fantasy Art Collective.
Pingback: Les différentes étapes de la création d’Orcrist |