How To Create Modern & Sophisticated Gaming Artwork
Finding Quality Gaming Artwork Is Challenging
Sometimes it can be a challenge to find high-quality gaming artwork that you don’t have to import from Japan and/or doesn’t look like something a 12-year-old would have in their bedroom. (Admit it, those Nintendo Power posters aren’t the most flattering items)
High Quality Artwork On The Cheap
Since you probably won’t find any good gaming artwork that is already to be hung on your wall, you need to think creatively to create your own. So far, the most original and more affordable (but mostly unknown) way to accomplish a modern and sophisticated look with gaming artwork is a photography of game-inspired toys and figures.
What Makes This Technique So Appealing?
- With even an entry-level digital camera, you can achieve high enough resolution pictures for large prints worthy of framing.
- You can arrange your objects in creative ways to achieve all sorts of reactions — from the dramatic to the comedic.
- If photographed correctly, your pictures will have some shadowing and depth-of-field effects that will make your gaming characters looks like they are living in “real lifeâ€. This is something that even the most cutting-edge gaming graphics can achieve.
- With digital photography, you can experiment with a million different variations and then play around with them in Photoshop to create exactly the result you were looking for (or better)
So What To Do If…
- You suck at photography or…
- You are too poor to afford and/or can’t find any cool gaming figures?
If you don’t quite have the skill to create your own unique photography image, you can always scout out Flickr or other sources for interesting photographs that accomplish the same goal.
Here are some interesting examples that I have hand-picked from Flickr that you can either use as inspiration or as your own target for printing.
- Link in the Mushroom Kingdom
- Mario and Luigi’s Escape From Giant Koopa
- Chun Li in the Forest
- Sakura at School
- A Sweaty Akuma
- A Slime in Dangerous Territory
- Link’s Exploration
As you can see, there are lots of interesting possibilities.
If you would like something a bit more in the hardware sector, you can also pull off some nice photography of your consoles or handhelds. Here are some more examples…
It is easy to see that they is some beautiful industrial design to be found in the subtle curves of both the commercially successful and unsuccessful gaming hardware.
With these simple tips and examples I hope that you will now be empowered to decorate your gaming room or maybe even your cubicle with game-inspired artwork that even the most sophisticated adult could appreciate.
If you find any other great photographs (or have some of your own), that you’d like to share, please post some links — I’d love to see them.
I’d like to finish up with some additional resources to get you pointed in the right direction…
Some Flickr Photo Pools to Explore:
Other Room Decoration Ideas:
Photography Tips That Might Come In Handy:
- Depth of Field in Digital Photography
- Planning Your Photographic Composition
- Finding Fresh Angles to Shoot From
- Fill your Frame
- The Rule of Thirds
- Give your Subjects Space to Look into
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I plan on printing arcade flyers on a decent printer and mat framing them to go with my movie cue cards. How can you not love a pong poster?
http://www.arcadeflyers.com/
Another great idea — the trick is finding a copy that is high enough resolution to do it justice.
Great article. I love the hardware shots myself. The one of the Cube controllers especially.
Hey, great writeup. I’m a big fan of game related figurine photography, and that pic you provided of Chun Li is easily one of my favs (was even going to use that photo as the custom artwork on my modded Hori arcade stick. very good shit).
Wow, that Saturn pic is awesome.
Just wanted to thank you for using my Slime photo on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/azyxa/
Interesting article/idea btw.
DaN