Creating value sketches for a final concept composition

I am making a series of preliminary sketches for a final environment composition. The reason to start with only value sketches in black and white is to be able to visualize the areas of the composition that should spark the most interest in the viewer. It has been hard though for me getting an accurate view of perspective for these compositions, so I am probably going to be using a perspective grid to get a better idea of where architectural objects in the scene fall into place more or less correctly.

For example the first composition I did with the design brief of simply a “temple in the jungle” has a few elements that I think bring interest to the viewer. The temple at the focal point of the scene has a very elongated shape, inspired by buddhist temples like those in Myanmar and Cambodia. I am considering redoing this one closer to the viewer for one that is larger in size and wider to create a greater impact. The intent is to also keep some other temples in the background that add to the harmony and general interest within the scene, being careful not to make it too repetitive or predictable.

A general rule of thumb is to keep compositions interesting by not creating a very predictable sense of pattern and repetition, like keeping the same distribution of objects on both sides of the scene. This can be broken by creating a more dynamic scene by using a more engaging angle.

The next example that could be potentially interesting is more of an interior view of a temple with an ancient sort of stone head at the center of the scene. The scene may look a little cramped and bare, but the scene does have some elements that could be reworked. Something that does work in the composition is an interesting angle that is leading towards the lit head at the center, making it easy to “read” visually by making emphasis with the impression of lighting that is falling from the sky.

The sense of space could be reworked, by moving to the sides the large pillars to the left that are supporting the structure, and perhaps adding more details so they don’t look as bare and simplistic as they currently do…