Magic Alley

One more from the magical world to go with my Magical Castle cross section.

Case Study

All my favorite art comes from working within limitations. Here are the parameters that I gave myself on this one:

• 2.5D "dollhouse" Perspective - all perspective lines are parallel. Represent distance by using size (far thing small) and fog (far thing muted and simple).
• Every region must work as its own independant composition.
• Even though there are tons of mini stories, it must have a focal point. The main focal point will be defined by lack of detail (contrast to the excess detail everywhere else), strong lighting, and a subtle spiral.
• Connect all regions to each other, ideally by having characters transition from one region to another (snake in the window), or by having characters from different regions interact with each other (sea monster). Light and air spill from one region to the next. Windows and doors are bisected by the cross section.
• Physics rules like weight still apply, but they're flexible (not all gravity has to point downward).
• Simple characters with simple expressions that can be read from a distance. No eyebrows!
• Limited, muted, somber color palette to contrast with the chaos of... everything else.