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Top Mischief tips with Lorin Wood

Learn how talented concept designer Lorin Wood brings a spacecraft concept to life with Mischief.

Learn how talented concept designer Lorin Wood brings a spacecraft concept to life with Mischief.

Lorin Wood shares his tips during the development phase of an original concept design. The subject matter converts a 19th-century covered wagon into a spacecraft for interstellar migration. Lorin uses sketching software Mischief in his concept creation process, exporting to Photoshop for finishing touches.

Purpose for the design

An elaborate narrative isn't necessary, but some concept of why this design exists should be developed. This step is critical because it creates a realistic design viewers will buy into. A backstory gives context as to why it was made, who made it and for what purpose. In turn, this helps you naturally evolve the design.

Points of reference

Though the final design will bear little resemblance to a wagon, I want it to carry the essence of one. I divide the canvas into sections, using Mischief's Pins feature. The canvas is virtually infinite in size, so you can space the groups about, set them with a pin and jump right to them.

Thumbnail your versatility

If you're working for a client, they'll want to see options. Thumbnails are a good demonstration of your versatility as a designer to show them your thought process. But be aware of the stated design requirements.

The concept

I draw a basic perspective grid to guide the design, not shackle it. I then use the Marker tool and select a grey tone a shade darker than the background. I lay out the basic shapes of the craft here, using broad shapes, focusing on proportion, perspective and an interesting angle.

Tone and refinement

I use a darker grey marker and solidify the primary shapes of the vehicle. In addition, I layer in tone to further define the mass and light direction. Just like working with real media, I start light and then add darker tones. Contrast equals greater form change, so continue to cut out the design using the darker marker until you're satisfied.

Introduce highlights

The best way to do this is adding a nice rim light. This further brings the ship into three dimensions. I also add some LED lights next to the cockpit. Their intensity will be brighter than the dull metal hull material.

Export for post-work

Go to Export Image from the File menu and select the Visible Canvas option to export everything on screen as a PSD file. This enables you to have all of the individual layers when you open it up in Photoshop. Remember the DPI value (300 for print and 72 for web).

Final touches

A smart step to take before adding any extra visual effects is to create a new empty layer, and create a light effect using LensFlare Studio. Because flares require a flattened image, I'm going to make a duplicate. I depict the flares with a blue LED hue. They're small but powerful, serving as the equivalent to a candle-powered lamp hanging off of the wagon. I finish off by adding some red beacons and throw a weathered name on to the craft.

Mischief is available to download for Mac OS and Windows. The free version comes with six tools (three brushes and three erasers), a basic palette of colors and an infinite canvas. The full version of Mischief (US$25) delivers the full drawing experience, including preset brushes and erasers, a full color palette with custom swatches, layers, and the ability to export PSD files. A 15-day Mischief trial gives you all the full version's features for the trial period.

Releated Links

Visit the Mischief website to learn more and download the software
See more of Lorin's work on his website
If you're interested in sci-fi sketches, check out Sketching from the Imagination: Sci-fi
Pick up issue 114 of 2dartist to learn more about concepting spaceships

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