The Art of Braid Index
April 20th, 2008
Braid is a time-bending video game by Jonathan Blow, for which I’ve created the graphics. This ongoing series of articles aims to explain some of my thoughts and processes for those interested.
For a one-page overview, visit the Braid page in my portfolio. Also check out Jonathan’s blog, where he posts about Braid and other topics related to experimental/artistic/indie games.
• Part I: Early Abstracts
- Some of the first work I did on Braid were these abstract experiments in color and mood.
• Part II: No Shame in Tracing
- One primitive screen shot receives multiple divergent treatments.
• Part III: World 2 Comes First
- How we settled on the look for the first world, and started to produce useable assets.
• Part IV: Developer Mode
- Behind-the-scenes of how my illustrations are assembled into worlds.
• Part V: The Emotional Experience
- Art is not just visual; it is emotional.
• Part VI: Castles and Flags
- A descent into madness.
• Part VII: The Title Screen
- Wonder where title screens come from? It’s not the stork…
• Part VIII: Tim’s House
- Numerous considerations influenced the design of this key location.
• Part IX: World and Story Screen
- This unique area was built primarily from particles.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:07 am
[...] Art of Braid columns by David Hellman have been posted on Gamasutra, the rest of them can still be found on his blog. Even if you don’t like the particular art-style of Braid, they are a real interesting read [...]
August 9th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
[...] other thing i’ll add is that david hellman’s art is beautiful and perfect. david is a genuinely humble person, and his humility balances jon [...]
August 11th, 2008 at 11:39 am
[...] The Art of Braid has been picked up by Russian gaming magazine Strana Igr … in Russian. Here’s a pdf of the first installment, offered with permission. [...]
August 27th, 2008 at 6:40 am
[...] While I know that none of you are the Braid fan that I am, David Hellman has released artwork from the game. At the very least, they make for great wallpapers. If you’re interested in the process behind the game’s artwork, read up on it here. [...]
September 8th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
[...] gaming magazine Strana Igr continues to publish The Art of Braid … in Russian. With permission from the editors, here are the first three installments … [...]
September 18th, 2008 at 2:31 am
David Hellman you are a genius! Thank you for such a beautiful game. Of every videogame I have played this year, Braid is by far my favorite. Can’t wait to see what you do in the future.
November 11th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Amazing looking style, as was said in the video review this is an important game and kudos for you on making it. Funny I was actually searching for ‘managing risk in game development’ and found this site via some of your old articles you have written.. Glad I did as I have sent all of my artists here to show them what true innovation and courage with a brush looks like..
Well done
November 25th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Hi!
Are you planning to complete this series?
November 28th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
I do have some plans, although I’ve been side-tracked.
The next thing would be to talk about some of the functional objects like gates and switches.
There is also a discarded version of world 3 that few have seen (a nighttime forest).
And I wanted to write about the characters, and show how Edmund McMillen’s designs have a strong influence on the finished game.
Hopefully I will get to some of that!
Thanks for your interest.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Thanks, I am looking forward to see more!
February 24th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
[...] Hellman, the graphic artist behind the masterpiece that is Briad. David has posted several topic’s covering the different aspects and problems facing generating the artwork. It is certainly worth a [...]
March 30th, 2009 at 7:46 am
[...] Braid is a really fun game to play. The developer and art creator wrote a series of blog posts describing the process of creating the game. The index to the blog series is here. [...]
August 11th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Cool game! All of us must play!
January 13th, 2011 at 8:18 am
[...] If you have nothing to do today then you can’t go far wrong than reading through The Art of Braid. Created by Braid’s artist, David Hellman, it provides some insight into the thought process that [...]
October 27th, 2011 at 10:27 am
[...] The Art of Braid [...]
January 11th, 2012 at 2:02 am
I fell in love with the artwork from Braid. So many emotions on so many levels. Do you sell any Braid artwork? I’d love to get my hands on the opening scene with the burning city!
Thanks
March 19th, 2012 at 1:43 am
[...] » The Art of Braid Index Braid is a time-bending video game by Jonathan Blow, for which I’ve created the graphics. This ongoing series of articles aims to explain some of my thoughts and processes for those interested. For a one-page overview, visit the Braid page in my portfolio . Also check out Jonathan’s blog , where he posts about Braid and other topics related to experimental/artistic/indie games. [...]
May 9th, 2012 at 8:43 am
i love the braid.
May 29th, 2012 at 8:53 am
[...] an impressionistic painting. And apparently it was all drawn by one guy no less (Not Jonathan Blow, this guy). Also the art, like everything in Braid, probably contain clues to the the game’s [...]
September 23rd, 2012 at 10:13 am
Wow, a truly fascinating look at one of the most notable indie games of the past generation! I must say this has given me a new appreciation for the subtleties of Braid both in artwork and execution.
The only thing I am left very curious about is the unwritten character animation/art article, that is, if this would ever be finished (Not terribly likely, I suppose, as it was written four years ago, and I wouldn’t ask you to finish it just for me!) Either way, this was an highly interesting read, and looking at your blog, overall your art is very beautiful, so thank you!
October 6th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
[...] If you’ve ever wanted to see the process of art design for a game step by step, there is no better reference online than David Hellman’s nine-part write-up on The Art of Braid. [...]