The First Shapes of a World
Year: 2016
Thumbnails & Color Maps from the Planet Archive
Before the forests bloom and the towers rise,
a world must be felt in silhouette.
These thumbnails aren’t just sketches — they are the very first senses of a place.
The rhythm of mass and void. The dance of light and shadow.
Here, color schemes don’t decorate — they dictate.
They carry temperature, distance, memory.
Each panel asks:
What if you had only one second to recognize a world?
What is Thumbnailing?
Thumbnailing is how worldbuilders think with shapes.
These small, simplified sketches aren’t meant to be pretty — they’re visual tests.
They ask:
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Does this silhouette tell a story?
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Can a landscape feel ancient, without showing a single detail?
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Does this shape invite the viewer… or warn them away?
By stripping scenes down to their essence — form, contrast, and color —
thumbnailing helps decide what a world should feel like before deciding what it looks like.
It’s not decoration. It’s direction.
Worldbuilding starts here.
I don’t just design spaces — I compose atmospheres.
Before every 3D scene or story beat, there is a shape.
And that shape needs to mean something.
Liked what you see? Let’s bring your vision to life!
…and thats it for this page.
