Heyo! It's that time again, I participated in another game jam!

This time, I participated in Otome Jam 2024, which is a visual novel/dating sim game jam.

I decided to join a bigger group this time, I was the background artist!

The game I worked on is called My Dating Agency (I will add the project page link when it launches)

Here's what I ended up making!

First up- The Office

I was asked to make sure the color scheme fit the logo of the game. They wanted everything front-on, especially the chair and the Computer Monitor. Everything else was creative control besides making sure there was a photo/framed picture on the desk.

I had to draw two versions, one with the door open, and one with the door closed. Pretty simple stuff, so I only included the door open here.

In the last week, I updated this background because the tiles were no longer desired.

They wanted a carpet instead, so I used a watercolor brush that was the same color as the chair and added a pink tint.

Next Up, the Cafe/Juice Bar

This one was hard to light for me, because it was supposed to take place in the daytime, and I wasn't completely sure of where else light would be coming from besides the windows on the other side. I ended up editing it one more time in the final week, and I like it a lot more now.

3rd- We have the Bistro/Diner

This one was arguably the hardest one because of the angle I chose and the idea that I'd have to make up the measurements of the booths.

I didn't have a direct reference for this one, and I like that because it feels like this BG is truly mine. I had the most control over this one and what it looked like because I didn't have one main reference to go off of besides color.

This one stands out the most because of the difference between the lighting here and with other BGs in the game, but tbh, it's the only one that takes place at night, so how was I supposed to light it otherwise? 

One thing I really like about bistros, is the mood lighting in the evening. The reason they do this is so that people sitting around you don't get distracting. A dark space with a single light source in the middle of you and another person is meant to make it easier to focus on yourselves and your conversation.

I didn't mention this before, but the game is supposed to roughly take place in Dallas, TX, so I made sure to pull references from real Dallas diners and bistros.

The marble texture is a watercolor brush using different shades of brown/orange that I put on top of each other in a single layer. 

Finally, the Hallway

This was the last one I worked on and it took me the least amount of time because of the perspective. 

The funny thing about this BG was that it felt so personal that I put as much thought as possible into the inside of this vending machine. 

I have a painting IRL that I've not even started beyond the sketch, because the main subject that takes up the most space, is a vending machine. It's the same perspective angle as well, but doing it traditionally is way more intimidating. I have the basic sketch, but I haven't done the items inside because I'm having trouble with the rings inside the vending machine. After tackling this particular background I feel like I have a better understanding of how to finally finish the sketch on my other painting, so I can actually finish it.

Maybe I can show an update when it's done :3

I relearned a lot about what it's like to not be the one in charge and also picked up some new hacks for being faster when I do digital art.

BGs are fun but I think I'd like to try and get back to working on characters soon. I just find studying fashion and costuming to be more fun for me digitally. BGs are great when I do something traditional though.

I think if I were to be asked to do another game jam, I'd want to experiment with watercolor backgrounds that I can scan in.

Anyway, if you haven't already, please give the Otome game a try, and let me know what you think!