How we paint a sunset that never repeats
Every island in Aurvane is painted by hand, but the light that falls on it is not. Here is how the two meet.
By Mira Okonedo · Art and animation
Early on we made a rule: nothing in Aurvane is lit by a texture. Every island is painted flat, in three or four values, and all of the mood comes from the sky.
Three layers of colour
Each scene is built from the same three ingredients:
- A sky gradient that follows the time of day, from deep night blue to ember orange.
- Painted silhouettes of islands, towers and ridges, stacked by distance.
- Fog bands between the layers, tinted by the sky, so far shapes fade into it.
Because the fog takes its colour from the sky, a single change to the sun shifts the whole world at once. One slider, and the archipelago goes from hopeful to haunted.
Why it never repeats
The sun in Aurvane moves slowly through the whole game, and the islands drift on the wind. The same tower is never seen twice under the same light, which turned out to be the best wayfinding tool we have: players remember when they were somewhere, not only where.
We stopped painting places and started painting moments.
What is next
Next time, our sound designer will explain why the lantern hums in a different key on every island. Spoiler: it is because of the bells.