Creating digital concept art has a process all of it’s own.

Before turning to pen and paper I considered the user journey map for my BMX builder component, to help me figure out the best scenario to illustrate.

A couple of key points leapt out at me; firstly the use of an “intelligent” sign that would transmit the PWA url using a bluetooth beacon, or perhaps via a scannable QR code. Secondly was the user experiencing the actual app itself, whilst sat at the BMX track.

On reflection, I now realise that my initial compositions heavily influenced which scenario to proceed with; my sketch of the signpost dominated the frame and almost appeared menacing. However, I can implement this into the background of the second composition if I feel it is a better fit than the BMX track.

Having the BMX track in the background will allow me to use it’s lines to direct the viewer back to the tablet, enhancing it as a focal point.

Concept 1 illustrating the interactive sign
Concept 2 over the shoulder illustrating the app in action

A bit of back story; at my previous employment I was lucky enough to be able to use a huge Wacom Cintiq tablet which acted as a monitor and allowed the user to draw directly onto the screen. Going from this technology, to then attempting to use a standard tablet is a very frustrating process and I quickly gave up (made no easier by the fact I’m running Manjaro Linux and having to use Windows inside a virtual machine which creates a whole lot of configuration issues).

First attempt using Autodesk Sketchbook on an Android tablet

I purchased Autodesk Sketchbook Pro for the small sum of 89p for my Android tablet, and set to work trying to draw using a combination of my fingers and a cheap stylus. As you can see above, this method lacks in accuracy and is no substitute for a professional tablet, however it was a good exercise in colour and composition.

My scene will be ‘lit’ by the tablet, so I attempted to use the screen colours to highlight the user holding it. When applying the top-right to bottom-left background gradient, it was interesting that I could use it in both directions; by having the darker colour in the bottom corner it would help contrast against the tablet screen, but by having the lighter colour in the bottom corner it would illuminate the entire area and bring it into the foreground.

My next step is to persevere with the Wacom tablet my Sister kindly lent to me to see if I can get used to the disconnect between my hands and eyes. However I will begin by drawing the scene out by hand on paper with markers, so I have a much better idea of what I am trying to create.