I used the same exploration as I did for the environment design module as the model we have to create is for the environment as a centerpiece.

The link to the mind map is here:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFaFtkhlic/7HHNv34Ezi0dK3AaaFrFOQ/view?utm_content=DAFaFtkhlic&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

I broke these down and used pros and cons for each of them before thinking about the theme for both the environment and the 3D asset, I already had a few ideas after the exploration as I tended to lean towards sci-fi and Horror.

Historical

Horror

Science Fiction

Fantasy

The idea that I went with was Horror and the subtheme as Decay, where there is a log cabin and the centerpiece is a gravestone, my plan for this is to get lots of reference images and research decaying gravestones and how snow falls onto objects which will be helpful for when I design and create the model.

Reference images I have for my asset:

The idea I have comes from the last image which is of the Angel of Grief made by William Wetmore Story who sculpted it for his deceased wife who died in 1895, I particularly take inspiration from this piece as I particularly like how eerie it is and how it’s not normally what you would see from an angel statue and in a graveyard so I feel that a decayed inspiration of this tombstone would fit with my themes that I have chosen. I particularly just want to keep the main idea of a grieving angel and the tombstone but add my own details in a gothic horror theme taking inspiration from fiction such as Dracula and also other Religious symbols such as the Celtic cross.

References:

Einarsson Kvaran, E. (2006) Angel of grief, Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_Grief#/media/File:WWStoryRome.jpg (Accessed: 18 March 2023).

Einarsson Kvaran, E. (2006) Angel of grief, Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_Grief#/media/File:Angel_of_grief_-_York_PA.jpg (Accessed: 18 March 2023).

Kidd, A. (no date) Stock photo by Alan Kidd, Bigstock. Available at: https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-235309114/stock-photo-gothic-angel-statue-in-a-cemetery-in-black-and-white (Accessed: 18 March 2023).

Siegel, R. and Typrin, M. (2020) Landmark: Angel of grief, Punch Magazine. Available at: https://punchmagazine.com/angel-of-grief/ (Accessed: 18 March 2023).