I wanted to create a tranquil, relaxing environment that puts the player as ease and is visually appealing. I did a lot of mind mapping and research during *first semester,* so I already had a rough idea for the composition of the scene, but I didn’t know which art style to create it in. I visited different bookshops and spent time sifting through their kids section. I also searched for online inspiration and eventually found a reference that was exactly what I was looking for (seen on the right) - clean, calm and child-friendly. It had a slightly more mature feel than the typical pet simulator background, but I felt like this fit with the serious theme of mental well-being.
https://dribbble.com/tags/forest_background#
Creating the assets for the environment
Creating the assets for the environment
Experimenting with watercolour effect
Experimenting with watercolour effect
This is a side by side comparison of my initial version and the revised version. I am really happy with the outcome of the new environment. Testing solidified this being the final iteration as ***playtesting v2*** and playtesting v3 demonstrate the positive feedback to the revised style.
Overall, it is much cleaner, less ‘babyish’, and more soothing to look at. These are all the points of improvement that I was trying to resolve, which I think I have successfully done.