Preserved Topic: Elvish Fighter/Mage

This image is based on a scene from a story that I am writing.

I thought I might get some good C&C from the inmates at the Asylum..

Thanks.

In the Garden of Dorcathos

very nice.

Pretty cool and I can see why you like it and I do too... and here it comes... but. You have to rework his chest. If it's just my eyes... never mind but you have, as I see it, unitentionally of course, created one of those illusions that is easily inverted... and what I see *first* is not a full chest but rather a cavity... I have to focus/refocus... several times before I see what you want me to see. anyone else?? or is it just these old eyes? But I do like it... =)

NoJive : I believe that would be her chest..you need to get out more.

The tree textures need more contrast. The one on the left is a good start, but needs depth.
On the character, (nice outfit) but it seems to be pasted on. It needs shadow at the edges, and a few contours to look more * clingy*. The face has that Poser lack of expression, in a spell casting situation she should be more focused, intense. Her right boob seems a cup size or two larger than the left and are either too siliconed, or the halter is too tight. Give the poor girl some room to breath.

All nit-pics, it`s a great start. just needs finishing touches.

LOL^ What can I tell ya. The chest reminds me more of a sunken skull than a chest... male *or* female. =) but I will try to get out more.

and that hand holding the sword...is there a thumb there, cause you could never wield a sword the way that sword is being held...it'd just fly out of your hand.

Mucho Thanks..

I'll try to de-accentuate the breasts.. everyone seems to feel the same way.. less is more.. lol

The background is being reworked.. appreciate the crits.

The left hand does have a thumb.. it's being pointed to by the middle finger. I'll see if I can work it so that it looks better though.

Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas!

Well, let's see what we can do to further the hordes of friends that I make here weekly...

For a poser model, it looks okay...for a painting it starts to lack. It dies out mostly because you're painting what you think you know...not what you can see.

Your gold is yellow, right? But does gold really appear that way, especially in the face of an overpowering white light, and yet the ambience of mist in a dark forest? Why are your trees brown, because bark is brown? Variance in the colour of trees is important for any type of realism. It's affected by the lighting around it. Now if this is a night scene, in a forest, with mist and that glowing sword, I'd say your light would cast in greys and blues....but then that's secondary to the idea of just keeping it consistent.

The rendering is "soft" and it lacks depth. Your tones don't show any absence or appearance of light, or even the reflection of the yellow "glow" off her hand. The spots of yellow that you globbed on her thigh and the side of those balloon-esque breasts don't look like falling light because they don't follow the contour of your shapes. The texture of the vest and pants is alos a touch bothersome. It seems flat..where are the contours, where is the contrast? Your shades and shapes look okay (aside from the breasts) but the depth is dead in the water. Note her light sources and the environment. Would she be that evenly and greatly lit? Would shadows cast onto other areas? Would her environemtn be that bright on those back trees when there' no light elsewhere? Would the mist show up as bright clouds of even puffs without shade, tone, or shape?

Her eyebrows look like they were painted onto her face, and the shapes of her features are perfectly symmetrical. All these things are giving it that soft and "colouring book" feel. It's as though a photograph was taken, and you just coloured over the stuff you wanted changed. It happens...and this isn't to be discouraging.

References are great things. Find photos of the kind of environment you want to portray. Notice how the light reacts on foreground objects..now think..think...think...progress! Don't paint what you think you know..colour is absolutely defined by what is around it. Gold is not yellow...Silver is not grey...and trees aren't brown..it's all about the surroundings. Think depth..think dynamic..think contrast and imagine the contours and lightfalls of your foreground shapes. Be subtle with your background at times, but be blatant with your lighting in the foreground.

Paint what you see...and what the viewer will see.

Dig?

Hope it helps.

Peter

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The Edit... A quick overpaint for illustration.





[This message has been edited by DarkGarden (edited 12-23-2002).]

DG, I love reading your posts, I always learn great stuff.

DG did a great job of improving the lighting/shading of the scene.

What it needs on top of that is an increased richness of color and texture.

The whole thing (even with the paintover by DG) comes across a bit lackluster. Part of the problem is working with a poser model in the first place I suppose...as all the ones I have seen seem to have the same 'coloring book mannacan' appearance...

I would highly suggest studying female breasts a bit before continuing as well.

Thanks DG.. very informative. I "dig" where your coming from. I can definitely see the lighting improvements snd depth in your revision. I don't care for the extreme lack of color and the texture on her skin, but the rest looks a lot better. Thanks, I'll save your comments and refer to them in the future.

Oh, and if those are breats then they need to be reworked...cause no breats starts out that far down on the chest. They normally start above the level of the armpit, not below it as you have there. THe fact that you have them starting below the armpit is what creates that illusion of the caivty in the chest.

"I would highly suggest studying female breasts a bit before continuing as well."

Man... why don't I ever get suggestions like this....

*drac wanders off to study breasts anyways*... ... ...*a faint voice can be heard in the background*

"It's for art darl'n, I swear..."

[This message has been edited by Dracusis (edited 12-24-2002).]

Well...DG did some work, showing you, WebWyvern, how you could continue to improve not only the pic, but your own skills...and others have done some work, trying to help you improve your skills...so...you could do just that, now...others have, and have gone far...you stand at that point now...the question is, if you will continue...or not.

Frankly, it never fails to make me wonder, why some do not go forward, when they have the chance...as you do here...a rare opportunity, to receive advice from some really talented members...and individuals...

Well, it's up to you...