A Brief Guide On Terraforming

You are reading A Brief Guide On Terraforming. (These titles are just getting longer and longer.) This article is attended to steer you in the right direction when starting to make a new planet. In general, successful planets will have most or all of the following components.

### **Drawing The Circle**

One of the biggest complaints that I hear is, “I don't know how to draw the circle.” And in my brain I’m thinking, “Well, you are screwed, since that is the first step to drawing a planet.” And the other hemisphere of my brain is like, “Hell, I don’t even know how to draw a perfect circle.” Internal monologue aside, here are some things that can help you draw the circle

1. Just draw the circle. (No matter how awful it looks.) Repeat. Practice leads to some improvement and you won’t get any better unless you engage with the making the drawing first. The more you draw them, the more confident you’ll become at drawing it.
2. Get a pair of compasses. They only cost about 8 bucks, and is essential if you are doing this Archimedes thing full time.
3. Go into your kitchen, and open up your cabinets till you find something that is circular shaped. Then use that object to trace the circle (This can be almost anything, but my personal preference is a coffee mug or the lid to a gravy pot.)

(If your planet is shaped like an L or T, or some other odd shape that is not round, it will never be a real card.)

### **Elemental Design**

The obvious choice for designing a new planet is choosing some kind of element (Earth, Wind, Fire ect.), and basing the planets “identity” around the chosen element. Unfortunately for designers, Chaos Galaxy has already used all of the standard elements that first come to mind. Giving you the challenge of having to think of something new, original, and fresh.

### **Be Intentional.**

Everything that you put into the image must have a reason behind it, unless you are following the “Rule of cool”.

### **Color Harmony**

IT MATTERS!!! Heck, It matters so much! That I'm not even going to try and write about it, since that will take up an entire article all on it’s own. Luckily for me, Rikard made a lovely article about it in 2015, here is a link https://zevendesign.com/color-harmony-hulk-wears-purple-pants/

(Don't use every crayon in the box, if you do, you are just shooting yourself in the foot.)

### ***The Tilt***

*One of the best things you can do while making your planet, is tilting the images axis by 23.5 degrees or more. So that the eternity of the image can fit on a card, and fill in as much empty space as it possibly can. Not only that, but having planets do this makes them feel more organic, matching what one would expect from a planet.*

### **The Cherry On Top**

Just like a cake, you must put some sort of prominent feature on your planet. Which is something that is typically placed at the top of the planet (Or bottom in the case of Baro.), it usually is a landmark or some form of structure that immediately catches the eye. (For example, Ralantis rising out of the ocean on Palicium, the turn key of Copex, and the power plant of Nuklarr.)

### **Little Bits, Little Bits, and Extra Little Bits**

Adding small details like clouds, gems, floating ice, skulls, and even ghost, can liven up your drawing and make it seem more dynamic. Just don’t go overboard.

### **IT’S ALIVE!!!!!**

Each planet should have some form of sentient life living on the planet. (Unless you are making something like Robron.)

### **Patience Is key**

Take extra care and attention to make the illustration successful and have a high-impact. In other words, take your time. This is a challenge, not a burden, there should be no rush.

### **Legends Of Yore**

Give your planet some spicy lore that hooks in player’s. Within reason of course. (Don’t make it the Mary Sue planet in the multiverse.)

### **Blah, Blah, Blah, Advice**

To help you avoid that dreaded failed first planet drawing and draft, always ask for feedback. Take feedback to heart and improve your planet from there.

### **Leave Your Mark, While Still Fitting The Mold.**

Developing your own style is key to gaining a reputation and making your planets stand out among the rest. Now, if you're just copying what the art director (Boss) wants then you will never get ahead. If you want to experiment or bend a rule, go for it, just don't drastically break the mold and ruin the tone of Chaos Galaxy.