Colour

I've given some thought to the use of b&w versus colour. I realized that it doesn't have to be one or the other. I don't think that the high quality that images that modern monitors a can reproduce is being fully utilized. I've been struggling with the whole b&w thing from a "mechanical" point of view. By that, I mean in a strictly compositional basics sort of way. Not only is this very rigid but not terribly artistic. H.R. Giger once complained that people think of his work as very monochromatic but in fact, he puts a lot of colour in his paintings. Indeed, when you look at a good print of his stuff, there is a lot a lot of subtle hues and shading. It's not simply blue and black or whatever.

When you paint seriously, you learn about using black and with some artists, it's supposed to be a no-no. Instead you are encouraged to mix dark hues with colours. This gives you more depth because its not just black, its a very very dark blue or red or whatever. And even with blacks, you have warm and cold hues.

What does that mean for Zlythy? It means that with this realization, it frees me up to maintain the visual strength of purely b&w imagery but with a subtlety of colour that can really add a layer of depth and artistry it wouldn't have otherwise. Some areas or objects may have warmer or colder shades. Not only will this push the sophistication of the imagery, give it depth and subtle contrasts but it will also be useful for drawing the player's attention when necessary.

I consider this a real breakthrough for me with the look of Zlythy and gives me a more concrete and artistically satisfying direction.