First assignment appeared to be twofold, one fold concerned with art concepts such as "How does one capture 'bigness' in a 2D image," and the other fold being the technical, this one about how to work in a 3D emulation environment to create the desired 2D image.
I undertook it with considerable trepidation, as it would involve exploration of a software interface I had previously found frustratingly opaque. Nonetheless, I needed to pull back the veil, so I plowed in, reinforced by Miles's reassurance that he understands that software knowledge is an "oral tradition."
I sought images in which I expected the concept of "bigness" would be strongly reinforced. I sought them mostly where I knew I would find them, in an area in which I am very comfortable: mainstream comics. I threw in a few architectural examples, because that seemed to be the thrust of the assignment, and because their building blocks are so much simpler than the humanoid shapes that are at the center of mainstream comics.
I'd always been interested in The Great Gate of Kiev, based on my many exposures to Mussorgsky's depiction of it in "Pictures at an Exhibition," but had never actually seen an image of it. I searched for "gate Kiev" and found its "golden gate," which I must admit was a disappointment after Mussorgsky's majestic musical interpretation. Nonetheless, it presented me with some challenging aspects through which to learn the new software. Just this morning, after having "finished" the block representation, I figured out how to create the gate's archway with the tools I'd already learned.
The other two were quite easy, though it was much more of a challenge than I thought it should have been to put its two parts together.
Cool stuff, this Maya. Interface appears to be a mess, but it seems to provide all the right tools.
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