Going into 2026…
A reflection of going into the creative space
An…attempt at a self portrait
I suck
Like damn, I really do.
I’ve never really been good at any kind of art, 3D or 2D, especially 2D, just look at that beautiful self-portrait I made on New Year's Eve.
But Haydn, why are you even bothering with 2D art when you talk about 3D on the front page?
Good question, me, the answer is simple, I want to create original designs. As it turns out, 3D from imagination is pretty damn hard, and when searching for references, I always get slightly envious of the imagination and creativity of others out there.
Whilst generative AI could fix this issue of creating references from a splurge of words from my jumbled mind, art is one of those domains that I dont want to use AI for. AI is a tool, something that can help you find that excel formula you so desperately need, that piece of code on the tip of your tongue, that email to your boss that you’ve been putting off, but what it shouldn’t do is take away the humanity from humans.
So off I go, trying to learn how to draw in Procreate and model in Nomad Sculpt and Blender.
But why?
These stupid animals that’s why.
Black and White 2 Creatures
Image courtesy of Gamespot
Black and White, and by extension, the second one, were two of my favourite games growing up as a kid. If you don’t know the premise, essentially, you are a God leading your people to prosperity against other civilisations and their gods. You can be good or evil, and your creature and city change to reflect that. The most important aspect is that your creature can poo on people. A* game design.
Unfortunately, the Black and White IP is stuck in IP purgatory and, as such, can no longer be sold or developed.
So back to the original point, my goal for getting stuck into the creative world is that I want to make a game inspired by this IP.
Unfortunately, that goal is a long way away, as I have no creative skills and can barely code.
So tutorials for now and making small games that help me towards the final goal.
And maybe a cute little mushroom model along the way. In fact, here’s one, free of charge.