The “Autumn” Project

Historical fiction told through digital and traditional art.

mockups of laptop, ipad, and phone with Autumn images

An Open Ended Art Project

A realistic art series based on the history of a fictional town called Autumn, Virginia – a community nestled against the Blue Ridge Mountains. The story follows the city’s century and a half long rise and fall (and eventual Renaissance) in its struggle to create a more ideal society.

World Building

150+ years worth of fictional characters, places, and stories developed from my own mind as well as adapted from regional history – all weaved into our own American heritage.

Drawing & Painting

I’m finally returning to my bread and butter, traditional figurative artwork with a focus on realism in much the same style as the great 19th century painters – now with more creative resources.

Storytelling

The artwork will be supported by a detailed backstory, following reoccurring characters that overlap from one generation to the next. A great fire, city rivalries, racial tensions, labor struggles…

3d Design

Using Blender, an open-source 3d graphics program, I’m building whole compositions from the ground up, including architecture, characters, costumes, and environments to be used as reference for drawings & paintings.

Historical Research

Accuracy is the key to realism, and I intend to represent each object in my scene with authentic details. A piece as small as a pocketwatch or as complicated as a steam engine locomotive will be thoroughly researched. 

An imperfect society can still strive for perfection.

Imagining a better world through research and storytelling.

A creative journey that takes you from idea, to understanding, to finished artwork.

  • sepia train station digital drawing
  • 3d model of porch and house
  • 3d model of Victorian marble fireplace
  • man waiting for train cropped

A Culmination of My Passions and Struggles

A thriving city is not built overnight. The project is ambitious, but it’s one worth participating in. Though mistakes are expected, it’ll be a rewarding journey, and the end result should be a beautiful one.

Building in 3d

  • Model or sculpt in 3d space.
  • Create realistic surfaces using material nodes.
  • Add realistic lighting with sun, spot, and mesh lamps.
  • Include simulations – particle, hair, fluid, cloth, smoke and fire, and soft/rigid bodies.
  • Set up a camera, adjust settings, and render the scene.
  • 3d model of Victorian marble fireplace
  • 3d model of Victorian marble fireplace
  • sketch of Dash of Cinnamon
  • photo of hand holding cinnamon bottle
  • figure in green posing
  • color study for Dash of Cinnamon
  • work in progress for Dash of Cinnamon painting
  • Dash of Cinnamon painting by Ricky Colson

Visual Realism

I admitted a long time ago that I do not draw or paint well directly from my imagination. I need visual information to work from, and that is the main reason I have relied on photographs in the past. With plenty of detail in front of me, I can begin to edit and use my artistic license to compose the image in my mind. This has been a crutch, yes, but I’ve learned to adapt to it and make it work to my advantage.

My old way was to come up with a concept just unique enough to be interesting, but still manageable enough to actually  accomplish. I would draw a few thumbnail sketches to get the plan down.

I would have to settle for a location and model that I thought worked best, not necessarily the best that I imagined. This worked out most of the time, but I was still compromising my vision. The next step was the toughest part, every time. I had to schedule a photoshoot, pick out clothes that worked well, and then time it right for the best lighting conditions or fumble around with lamps if inside. This had to be done twice – once for the model, and a second time for the background since I was essentially painting a giant still life with people in it.

Once the photos were taken, I had to search through hundreds of them to get the exact poses I wanted. I would pick out a hand shot from one photo, grab maybe one or two for a specific expression I liked, etc. It was mixing and matching constantly. Then I would maybe sketch out the composition before I jumped into Photoshop to seamlessly blend everything. There would be one final detailed drawing to plan out the right values before I even jumped into painting (always a color sketch first).

In the end, I relied on everything going mostly right. Even with all of the planning, I lacked control…

The newer way gives me complete control. That may be a little dangerous, like drinking through a firehose. But I’ve had time to learn the process over the past two years. First of all, I now have my backstory to give me options for scenes instead of brainstorming out of nothing. I can choose a moment in time or deal with a specific issue in the story. Next, I can either sketch out a composition or jump right into 3d space and start blocking in objects, moving them around, and lighting them like a diorama. I can visualize the scene in its most basic form early on which is enough for me to judge its future success.

The fun part for me is the research. I dive into my books or go online and learn about the history of an object and personalize it for my characters. I build, texture, and place the objects exactly where I want. Instead of my hands carefully adjusting an object an inch or two, as if I’m working on a stop motion animation film, I can place it with precision.

All it takes from there is to light the scene, point the virtual camera, and hit render. I still have the ability to edit the image in Photoshop to stylize it a little. Finally, I paint.

It’s a process with more control, more options, and therefore it will require more time. However, the end result is limitless. In the past, where I might have struggled with the flame of a candle, I can have a whole street go up in a blaze and paint it just as realistically. It’s a jump in technology and opportunity. It’s recreating real life in the way I imagine it in my mind.

Revisionist History

Ever since my mom told me she grew up on the same road in which Paul Revere made his famous ride, I’ve been captivated by American history. It includes some of the most entertaining and fascinating stories while still maintaining relevance today. My goal is not to rewrite history, but to personalize it and bring to light the lives of people who helped shape our great country.

The history of Autumn exists alongside other American cities, with presidents, businesses, and events showing up with the fictional ones. Based on various US cities, specifically ones in Virginia, Autumn will absorb local cultures and traditions and organically grow into the world class city I envision for its future.

Henry Clay Frick drawing by Ricky Colson
aerial map of Virginia
driver wheel animation from steam train

The Project

Autumn, Virginia is neither a utopia nor a dystopia. It is intended to be an optimistic version of our society’s future. By reflecting on the struggles of our past, a balance of beauty, respect, technology, and civic improvement is possible.