Master and Servant 2D Entry: Erwin Madrid

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112868958_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112868958_large.jpg)

My theme is a Priest sacrificing a virgin and offering her life to the God of war, so they can win his favor over the battle to come.

[Arc80]

What's up dude,

Welcome. That's a very good start. I like the composition and the gestures of the characters. I'll keep my eye on this.

cheers,
Archie

[KOryH]

Cool,
It's nice to see you here.

[ArmenchiK]

nice man, good luck! nice use of colors

[W-I-L]

i like the time of day... very dramatic... keep it coming

[ErwinM]

Thanks for the welcome everyone.
I look foreword in posting more art.

later,
Erwin

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112953530_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112953530_large.jpg)

So here's a different color pass of the same angle. Just curious to see what mood I will get with cool colors of a sunrise instead of the warms of a sunset.

[nebezial]

go with the sunrise man, mch better and a wider palette of colours:thumbsup:

[marcheen]

nice. i really like this image. i'll be checking your progress. good luck!

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112954606_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1112954606_large.jpg)

Here's a more up to date sunset, just to compare the two.
Before I get attached to this, I think I'll explore some new angles. I'll be back with more sketches.

[Slav]

this one is looking better and better.... if i could suggest something... if you can introduce some kind of veriation in light.... for example if you can have yellowish light fall on the altur and redish light everwhere else... would add quite a bit to the image...

just a thought. looking great!

[Eterna2]

I like the new color scheme

[Maginnis]

hey erwin. i agree with the new color scheme as well. i work with todd rueping out here in massachusetts and he pointed out your entry into this exciting affair. still trying to get him to get going on his entry but he's a busy man lately:) anyhow on of my more critical crits for this piece is the lack of importance the sacrifice has visually speaking. you've got a lot of stuff going on around the action and it doesn't do much to support it, but one up it instead. not sure of the remedy exactly, i have a couple ideas, both being a new aproach to view. first is a lower worms eye view from the lower left area of the pic up to the altar, framed by the followers with the priest forming the central focus and point to the compositional pyramid. another would be the opposite, something from higher above with the priest looking up towards the camera.anyhow that's what i've got:) i like it and look forward to seeing how ti turns out.

[ErwinM]

Hey Kevin, thanks for your input, I'm actually doing a lower angle right now and will post it up on Sunday.
I like the angle of the priest looking up the camera and I think it is a powerful image to get the emotions of the priests eyes, but the problem of that angle is it limits the story. I'm trying to convey this high Priest sacrificing and offering the life of a virgin to the God of war and in return their God will favor them in the battle to come. I couldn't show all of that in a tight frame down shot. I would have to zoom out tremendously to get all of that in camera and in doing so will minimize the effect and purpose of that shot.
An angle that shows the massive army in the background, generals, and other priest are to give reason for the high priest actions. This will achieve multiple meanings and a more emotional story instead of just a cool looking image. So all the stuff going on around the action does support the sacrifice. Their wouldn't be a need of a sacrifice if I didn't show the high priest reasons for sacrificing a virgin. The priest is still the focal point and your eyes will go straight to him because he will be the brightest value, will have the strongest contrast, and will be doing the action.

I've gotten several positive comments about the cool sunrise version and I haven't made up my mind yet, but I'm leaning towards a redder warm palette just because it evokes an immiediate feel of danger.

Thanks for your thoughts

[Arc80]

What's up Erwin,

I've read what Kevin said on his reply about the angle of your piece and i see his point. Usually a worms eye view shot, gives you the feeling of enormousity or shows power of a certain place, person, or event (scene shots and what not). This is a good shot to establish the power and strenght of your character or environment. That kind of composition will be good, if you're main focal point is the priest. It'll really show how powerfull he is and it'll show authority.

The shot that you have now is more of a high angle shot (camera is above the horizon line). This shot usually depicts vulmerability, something bad is about to happen (that's why you see this kind of camera shot is used in horror movies a lot), weakness, and isolation. If you're main focal point is the female who is being sacrifice and to show that vulmerability or her and the rest of the crowd comparing to the priest, then the shot that you have now is working perfectly fine. And because you gave the priest a certain gesture, that differenciated him from the rest of the crowd.

My suggestion is, maybe to zoom in a little bit, so you can show the facial expression of your characters. I like the warm colour of lighting better than the cool one, because it adds up to the emotional content of your piece and supports your theme.
I hope this helps a little bit and i'll definately keep up with your thread.

cheers,
Archie

[ErwinM]

Hey Archie, thanks for your feedback. I agree with you and Kevin about a low angle shot, I'll have more time tomorrow to finish a quick color sketch I've been working on.

thanks for your interest,
Erwin

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113130183_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113130183_large.jpg)

So here's another concept sketch, this time the camera is lower and I made it a stormy day. I was inspired when it rained yesterday.

I like the dramatic stormy sky. It feels like their God of war is present and watching them. I also added some doves flying in the sky to symbolize a soul is about to be transported to the after life. The virgin is also pure so she should be wearing white. I don't think I will have the high priest thrusting his dagger down but I thought it would be cool just to see how it would look.

I like the mood a lot better than my previous sketches but I still think I can come up with a better angle. I have another idea and I'll post it up shortly.

[eupee]

this is good man, i like the first concept sketch. The last one would top it if you showed more sky/clouds, with some good lightnig (pretty cliche however you spell it), and centre the main characters a little better, otherwise its great idea. nice paintings.

[Morgy]

You can stand the slab for sacrifices against the other priests:) (vertically)

[Arc80]

This is a nice mood piece. It tells the story, but i think it lacks to communicate the relationship between your Master & Servant. Nice touch on the dove btw. You know, showing facial expression and gestures are always a good element for conveying a relationship between two or more things or people or whatnot. I really like the mood and angle on this piece, but personally, i'd rather see you show a successful portrait of the relationship of your Master & Servant.

cheers,
Archie

[kornel]

Wow! this one is much horribile then the older... I like the camera angle and the diagonal composition too!

keep posting..!

best regards: Kornél

[ErwinM]

Thanks everyone. It's nice to here everyone's opinion. I'll finish up my last concept sketch that will solve all my problems. I've been trying to figure out an angle that would show a moody sky and the soldiers in the background while having a closer shot of the sacrifice. I'll be back with a post soon.

later,
Erwin

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113168542_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113168542_large.jpg)

Here's another concept sketch. I brought the camera closer to the sacrifice and made the soldiers and generals in the background. I've also added a priestess giving the dagger to the high priest. I hope people like it, this will be my final angle and composition.

Thank you everybody for all the input and I look foreward to executing the final painting.

[OrO]

hmmmmm...i don't have a loot of experience in this....but i like both of the sketches..last 2 ones....but the characters are kind of small....what are you using...

[Arc80]

what's up dude,

Hmm... this is cool. i would just add more on the top so the priest hat doesn't get cut like that. Personally, i love your first idea. I think that's more stronger and have a better impact, but it's up to you of course. The colours are working well on all your pieces though. I'll keep checking for updates definately.

cheers,
Archie :thumbsup:

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113300211_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113300211_large.jpg)

I decided to work on the composition a little bit before I start drawing the poses. Hey, I still got time.
I'm curious to hear people's feedback on this one.

[Arc80]

What's up dude,

Now it is much better. The expressions can be seen by the viewers a lot better than the last one. Good touch of halo effect on the clouds. It's a good compositional element to lead the audience eyes where you want it first. I like the gestures too. Can't wait to see more.

cheers,
Archie

[MDN67]

nice pic with a very good ambiance. I like the choice of the color. With this pic you have an superb occasion to play with the light

[NOOB!]

the mood is great!! and the expressions work well!

[ChrisThatGuy]

I like the most recent composition, but i think it would be more effective if the priest had his hands thrown up and head back, calling up to the sky for the god's attention. Nice work.

[calisto-lynn]

this one is much better. i feel its the way the things should be. great colours, you really know how to balance them. nice textures!:)

[KOryH]

Kick ass dude.
I hope you win.
I would hope that you think about getting a job in the exciting world of art someday. It would be a shame to see a talent like yours wasted selling popcorn or something.

L8r

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113470519_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1113470519_large.jpg)

I noticed my concept wasn't clear in who the master was in my painting. By adding a deity gives you an instant read who the master and servant is. It also makes the place feel more like a temple instead of just a slab of stone in a open area.

[cheeeng]

actually i am kinda dlike the concepttual sketches even more. The lighthing is nice in yor conceptual piece and the view makes offering sacrifice right in your face!. THe change of angle now dims the feeling and make it more down play. If that's what you want to achieve it's good. ANyway it's just me that i thought of seeing how the first concept being the final image would be nice. :)

[Arc80]

I kinda agree with CHEEENG. But i know you are going with this, which is still cool. Very nice add on the diety btw. It is definately clear who the master & servant is. can't wait to see more details.

cheers

[Zephyri]

Fantastic concept sketches, great use of light, and a good subject. I really love this latest one, and I think it really pushes the god element, makes you realise it's not the priest who's the master, despite his prominence in the picture. I think you could even crop the picture in a little further, take off some of the stairs and a little of the deity statue and get closer into the characters, if you move the guards up a touch, and it wouldn't get rid of any of the important storytelling components. The stormy weather is definitely the way to go too, adds so much mood. Have you ever seen it after it storms, when the sky is still pitch black on one side, but then the sun gets in under the clouds and illuminates everything with a really strong side light in orangey tones? That could be one way to combine the storm and the sunset, which I kinda liked because of the bloody connotations red and ornage have.

wow... pardon my essay, this piece is very inspiring, I can't wait to see more.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114157601_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114157601_large.jpg)

All right so it's been a while. I had to take care of something but now I'm back. Here's the first of several drawings I'm going to be doing in the next couple of days. Hopefully I'll start the final painting on Monday.

[Arc80]

Hey, very nice design of the outfit and i'm liking their expressions. More update dude.

cheers

[ErwinM]

Thanks Archie,
I plan to do several more drawings, once I nail down the drawing the painting should move along fairly fast.

thanks for you interest

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114409198_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114409198_large.jpg)

Here's another drawing.

[Arc80]

Dude, i know there is 25 days left till the challenge ends, but.... JUST PAINT THE DAMN THING and stop making me wait :twisted: hehehe, JUST KIDDING. Line art is looking good as always bro.

"Ahem" paint "Ahem" must see painting.... :argh:

cheers

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114501546_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114501546_large.jpg)

Here's the final drawing. Time to start painting.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114508385_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114508385_large.jpg)

So this is an early stage of the sky. Right now I'm figuring out where I want my diagonals to be.

[Arc80]

Hey dude, nice line art. For the colours, i'll wait till you do more updates on it. LOoking good, looking good.

cheers

[abourabe]

very nice concept and really excellent pose I like it
good luck !

[arLutiK]

Nice mood in your scene , very good work :thumbsup:

[werezoo]

I really liked the warm colors you were using earlier, but this has some nice mood as well, great design over all, cant wait to see it finished. good luck.

[willow408]

i love the feeling and colors that youre currently using. great composition. keeping my eyes on this one.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114593459_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114593459_large.jpg)

Hello again. I did some more value grouping, worked on the sky a little bit, and made the high priest more dynamic.

[artjunkie]

DUDE! Sorry I've been missing out on this thread. Great work! Love the changes you've made to the composition... nice dynamic, epic feel to it. Wonderful paints, too... it looks a bit monochromatic right now, but I know you're not finished. Keep going! This is going to be awesome.

Cheers!

[Squibbit]

this is a great composition ... and you can paint too !

man , that god was so angry when i saved that girl
from that slab of stone. It's probably still taking revenge
on that priest , making his porridge turn to sand all of a
sudden n stuff

[Octothreat]

Great composition and colors! Keep it up:thumbsup:

[Art2]

Great composition. Excellent sky too.

[grf]

Some nice composition here! It feels very cinematic. Excellent stuff!! :thumbsup: Is your light source going to be the dim light in the clouds or something more intense, like a fire outside of the viewer's field of vision. ...or something? I think artjunkie is right. Color-wise it needs a little more pizzaz. Some warm colors to contrast with all that blue....

Keep it up! :scream:

[ErwinM]

Hey R Frederickson, I posted a quick color key a while back that you could see over in my challenge page if your curious to know how I will be lighting this painting. My final painting will be fairly close to it, lighting wise. Everything will be cool lit from the top and I will place two torches, one on each side of the sacrificial stone and that will under light the priest and the diety.

Thanks for the compliments!

[grf]

Ah, good! The torches will do exactly what I was referring to. Cool.

[Vectorius]

very nice ambiance!! :thumbsup: good work..maybe you should add some crow in the sky...and maybe the woman who goes sacrified may look more scaried...Good luck!!

[Arc80]

THat is looking nice. I can see hints of other colours, but i agree with ARTJUNKIE. It's a bit too monochromatic. Some warm colour would be nice... maybe around the god ;)

cheers

[demonicoz]

This is a very delicate and beautiful piece of work. Great choice of view and perspective. Great atmosphere and love the sky and background.

[KOryH]

well it's 2 in the morning and no update.
I guess I'll have to wait to see this one later.
BTW I really like your last update.
The work you did on the priest is cool.
and the sky is looking mush more believable.
my only suggestio would be to get some more structure in the heads.
they seem to be falling out of perspective a bit.

keep it up E!

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114766526_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1114766526_large.jpg)

I worked on it just a little bit. I made some changes to the high priest. The folds now seem to look like there wrapping around the form. I'm still searching to make it more dynamic before I commit to adding patterns and texture. I haven't really worked on the virgin and the diety yet. I also added some torches to under light things. A suggestion was made to add a crow in the back, I'm actually going to paint some doves flying like in my previous color key I did two weeks ago, but I'll paint that in way later....bla.bla.bla...
what time is it?

[KOryH]

Hey Allright.
Great work so far I like all the subtle things you have added.
still look out for tangents and form on the figures.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115024697_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115024697_large.jpg)

I decided to add some rain to see how it would look but I might tone it down a little. I painted a new head on the virgin and the angle feels right but her body still needs a lot of work. I still have a long way to go....

[KOryH]

Nice!
I like all the stuff you have added.
and the change to the virgin head really makes a difference.
It feels really nice.

Keep it up!

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115025688_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115025688_large.jpg)

Here's a work in progress close up of the figures. They still need a lot of work and I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with the priest's face, but I am happy with both the female faces :).....sort of.

[MDN67]

very nice pic with a strange ambiance, very good work on the details:thumbsup:

[Mythmaker]

Looking great! The palate and lighting is working really well. Good atmosphere too.

It kind of reminds me of the Jade Empire wallpaper I'm currently using on my desktop!

Keep it up! :)

[nailuj]

wish I could paint clouds like that!! Impressive piece!

[JakubFromOz]

yeh dude definately change the priests face he looks like he is scared, or in shock hehe like the costumes really nice, i think its the priests eyes that need to change to make him look more menacing just a thought, love the ancient feel to the scene
and the clouds how they rotating looks kool, gives the scene an impending doom type feel keep at it :D

[ErwinM]

Hey thanks guys! Hopefully I will find more time to finish this the way I want it to be done, because I still have a lot of detail to do...

[demonicoz]

Your piece is incredible mate, i love the weather effects. You could almost feel the howling wind. The females look fantastic, especially the one on the altar. I can see why you are not sure about the guys face. I think you need to decide what type of guy he is. Is he devious, or a fanatic or a megalomaniac? Focus on his character and you'll crack him. Hope that helps, but overall its a brilliant piece of work. Good Luck!...demonicoz

[arkinet]

looking good pre, maybe add more transparency on the 'offerings' dress or mas revealing yung form nya, coz if m not mistaken its raining right?

[ms@zx]

its truely a breathtaking entry here.gone through all the skeches as well as the color concepts and i'm impressed with the quality u have pocessed here.the latest one is indeed the best of all.just alil crit,the facial proportion(the nose) of the hooded women behind the master is slightly off to the left.but i like her expression though.love the way u had the structur blured in the foreground creating a better sense of depth.the atmostphere is very well done,fit perfetly with the stormy clouds and rain~good luck
:thumbsup:

[Arc80]

"Ahem" someone finally visited my thread... :D THanks bro.

Whoa...dude...someone's been busy. Check you out, with that nice rain effect and look at the faical expressions. I LOVE IT... and you added a warm lighting. That's AWESOME dude :thumbsup: My eyes just went straight to where the actions are. Keep it coming and i'll be waiting for the finla piece :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

cheers

[PeterPuppet]

Oh boy, this is great! That rain really gives so much energy to the picture, it´s awesome. Keep it up!:thumbsup: I love his "fanatic" expression a lot :)


peace, pete

[Miyagu]

just found your entry: wow.. this is brilliant! :applause: no crits.. best luck to you!

[KOryH]

WOW,
I just saw the details.
Great job, it's really looking fantastic!

I can't wait to see how this turns out.

[ErwinM]

Thank you guys! This gives me much more fuel to finish this painting. A lot of people seemed to respond well to the rain I added.

To

ms@zx - Great eye, I'll fix her nose immediately. Thanks

KOryH - Thanks for noticing the bad perpective on the virgins head, and I'm glad you like the new one.

Arc80 - Hey Archie, sorry I haven't dropped in a line before but I have been checkin it out.

To everybody else thanks and I look forward in my next post.

Cheers

[dekal]

gooooodddd luckkk!!!

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115197898_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115197898_large.jpg)

So here's the latest painting of the virgin. I turned off the rain layer so you can see my meticulous brush strokes.

[Vectorius]

That's cool man! the woman look very great! nice work:thumbsup:
See you soon!

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115373027_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115373027_large.jpg)

Here's the latest priestess detail. It's still a work in progress and I turned off the rain layer so you can see the detail better.

[AlyFell]

Great entry Erwin! Beautiful paint work! I hope Indiana Jones is just around the corner to rescue her! :) The girl is beautiful but doesn't look very upset about the possibility of impending death though... but the expression of the priestess is excellent! Woohoo!

[Zephyri]

Looking at this piece as a whole really gives me chills... there is such an amazing sense of foreboding, all the elements working in harmony, I really love the addition of the doves in the background, and your close ups shows what attention you've paid to even the smallest detail. This piece is just impressive all round really, can't offer any crit! Can't wait to see it finished though, keep up the great work!

[KOryH]

It keeps getting better.
You know I normally like the slutty girls, but these are pretty damn fine too!

[Arc80]

Looking good bro. Naks, ang taray nang muka nya. Great facial expression. It definately goes with the piece. And why must you sacrifice a magandang babae?...why :cry:

cheers bro. INgat

[andreasrocha]

This is wonderful work, Erwin. Very good...the only thing that I don't like is the wheel out of focus. This is usually something associated with a photo camera effect like motion blur, and I don't think it works well in paintings unless you are going with ultra realism. I think you should turn it back into focus, and you'll have a winning entry.

Keep it up.

[O.Martin]

As Steve Jobs says: "Insanely great!" :thumbsup:

Wish I had your skills :)

[nailuj]

u sure know what you are doing , there is nothing much to comment but just sit back and enjoy your work in progress! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[ms@zx]

great..she looks way better now.. :thumbsup:

[demonicoz]

Really nice work, the detail is very good, have you changed the expression? it looks a little different. Cant wait to see the whole piece again, could well be on your way to a winner here bud. Amazing sense of atmosphere, keep it going dude.

Check out mine and let me know what you think :
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=234420

All feedback very appreciated!!

[arkinet]

looking good pre... cant wait to see the whole image:thumbsup:

[TheFirstAngel]

Top Notch character design. looking forward to more! No crits that far, just keepup the great work! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[lutzw]

Wow, you seem to speed your composition up & into the right direction with a booster rocket---just let it fly! Stilistically, very impressing. Topnotch, actually.

One issue, though ... in one of the earlier versions, the priest's robe's front garments were split into two parts. Now, the drape's too drab me thinks! ;) How about jazzing it up a bit with some embroidery, or a charm or amulet fastened to the belt?

Cheers,
:) <- Lutz

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115630467_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115630467_large.jpg)

Here's an update of the entire image.

[Miyagu]

just stopped by to :applause: looking great!

[authentic]

Very good composition and colors. Great ambience too. Nothing to crit.

[Arc80]

Bro, i tried... wala kong makitang mali :cry:
:bowdown: :bowdown: :buttrock: That's all i could say.

Ingat pre. will be waiting for the final image.

cheers

[MDN67]

it's always a very good pic with an excellent "blue anbiance", the sky is great. Good work

[Tranchefeux]

Hi ErwinM,
Congratulations for your image final, which are very neat
by its execution and refinement of the colors, all the best for the
prize list. :applause:

[calisto-lynn]

beautifull! :)

[ldgree]

Very good work and nice colors love this image ^^

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115717241_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115717241_large.jpg)

I wanted to say thanks to everyone, your comments are very helpful to me and I can't wait until I finish this. This is taking longer than I thought.
Anyways here's a close up of the priest. He's about 80 percent complete. I still need to define his patterns and I also changed his hands. 8 days left....wish me luck:)

[Vectorius]

Yeah man!! your caracters are looking good!! good expression...good work:)

Good luck!

[ms@zx]

welldone erwinM!an excellent masterpiece~http://cgtalk.com/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif

[walrus]

Thanks for the close-ups Erwin, the details are really great! Wonderful work on the hands and faces - always some of the hardest things to get right and you've done them quite well. My only comment at this point would be that the fire in the braziers seems a little dim and fuzzy, so maybe you just haven't gotten to that part yet? Sharper and bright colros may help convey fire better, though of course sparingly so as to not offset your wonderful color composition. Good luck!

-mike

[KOryH]

well I gotta say this is really getting good.
As you know a little punch may help with the final impact of the image.

Keep up the fantastic work

[SEL]

Wow, this is really fantastic and a powerful piece! I saw this from the begining but never got around to the new updates until now. Its quite wonderful to see where youve taken this! Great job, and goodluck finishing it off! Really wonderful!

SEL

[GhostInTheMachine]

very good. i like the expression on the face of the woman with pillow, she feels the cold as well as expresses her reserve. it looks cold and wet. very cool. i hope you work on your god more, i think it looks small and close rather than massive and infront of the alter.

[cabertevon]

Erwin. Wow. I really felt bad that i found your thread this late. But any way you really did a great job.

Congratulations.

[O.Martin]

Looking very dramatic! :thumbsup:

[Goro]

wooaaa! Can't believe I missed this entry....
Everything looks stunning. Charakters, Environment, Mood etc
apsolutely nothing to crit!

Good luck on this one!

[calisto-lynn]

good work on the hands!:thumbsup:

[THECLYKE]

Erwin Madrid has entered the Master and Servant 2D.

Challenge Page (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/masterandservant/view_entries.php?challenger=7292)

Latest Update: Final Coloring: priest_close_up
http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115717241_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115717241_large.jpg)

I wanted to say thanks to everyone, your comments are very helpful to me and I can't wait until I finish this. This is taking longer than I thought.
Anyways here's a close up of the priest. He's about 80 percent complete. I still need to define his patterns and I also changed his hands. 8 days left....wish me luck:)

this is HOOOTTTTTT......GIVE ME SOME ADVICE MAN...CLICK THE LINK TO MY 2D M&S
:eek::eek::eek::bounce::bounce:


http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=239415

[duddlebug]

Just thought i'd add myself to the list of people thinking this looks fab...

There's some great technique here and i think the muted palette is spot on. I reckon the unlucky lady on the altar could look a little more uneasy... is she awake..? But apart from that i can't find anything whatsoever to crit.

Splendid.

[beelow]

Really, really cool compo. I have not comments. just probably a few drool puddles to create...:drool: :drool: :drool: anyways Great Job!:thumbsup:

[Samuraikuroi]

Very Nicely done! :thumbsup:








Master & servant (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=226306&page=1&pp=15)

[d logan]

this pic is awesome. You said it's in it's final stage so you're probably tweekin it up. Remember to get some of those highlight reflections on the knife nd thegold stuff . You probably want to keep that moody feel but try some dramatic contrasts in those key spots, like the face of the priest or his knife.
Anyway I know what you capable of so I know it will be great.
Daniel Logan

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115975933_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1115975933_large.jpg)

I have a black and white adjustment layer on top of everything that I often turn on to check my values if anyone is curious. This is something I do regularly and I also like flipping the canvas horizontally to check for drawing and design problems.
Now I have to work on the diety and the torches.

[vinegaria]

damn, this is one of the best entries i've seen so far.. my skills are definitely too weak to add any constructive comments here, i'll only say that i think some more lights from the torches would be nice, but you're gonna do it anyway as far as i understood..

i have 2 questions though (might've been asked before, if so - i'm sorry, just didn't have time to read all replies)..

1. what program do you use to paint?
2. how was the rain done? i mean - with what brushes, is it the standard layer or some other (like screen or anything).. just been curious, 'cause the rain looks really natural and convinvcing..

well, umm, greetings :D

[ErwinM]

Hi Vinegaria, thanks for stopping by and checking out my entry. Thank you also for the compliments. To answer your questions, I use Photoshop CS to paint. I sometimes use a custom brush but mostly 90% of the time I use the round brush with pressure sensitivity and I also play with the roundness of the brush by making it more like a calligraphy brush.

The rain isn't final, I'm still going to make it more real. What I have now is just a stand in and the way I did it was I made a bunch of small dots that veried in size and in opacity. After I covered the whole image with white dots I added a motion blur with the angle in diagonal. I also created another layer with the same dots but this time I flipped the layer to add variety. With this second layer of dot's I added a different angle and motion blur.

That's how I created the rain and I still need to finesse the edges a little bit to make it more convincing.

Cheers

[vinegaria]

thank you for explaining!

i thought it might be done with the diagonal angle blur, but these different size dots must be the thing which makes the rain look more real, i guess..

well, good luck with finishing it :)

[flyingP]

I was actually going to reply to this last night but my wife interrupted me with something :rolleyes: your post in my thread reminded me though (oh and thanks btw) . Anyway love the drama in this, great composition, my eye gets pulled right in to the areas of interest. The expressions on there faces are super and the whole mood just works really well, there is story in this, so anyway a big :thumbsup: from me. :D

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116067322_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116067322_large.jpg)

Just a little update before my big update. I changed the Virgin's leg because the old one seemed too complicated and I had some problems with the joints of her body being covered by the Diety. I had to make sure the drawing was right on so your eyes would complete the rhythm of her silhouette. I also enlarged her a little bit because she was looking tiny compared to the Priest and Priestess. I'm also in the process of simplifying things and editing detail I don't need.

[Arc80]

Great mood pre. I really like what you've done with it. Hmm... i'm not sure what you should take off in terms of details, but i think you have enough there to interest the eyes of the viewers. AWESOME JOB :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :applause:

cheers

[xric7]

wow...:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
great painting!!
overall is look excellent.love ur ambience a lot.:thumbsup:
cheers.

[nailuj]

great work erwin!!... Could u be an angel to show us a simple tut. on how to paint great clouds like what u have done?. :)

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116147790_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116147790_large.jpg)

I'm not finished with the dagger yet but here's what I have so far. I also did some changes on the Priestess.
Oh man, 4 day's left. I better stock up on Red Bull..haha

[Tariq12]

Erwin, this piece looks awesome man. The very best of luck for the final man. :thumbsup:
T.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116155030_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116155030_large.jpg)

Here's how it looks with out the rain and doves flying in the background. I will now focus on the rain and birds, it should be fun.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116246378_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116246378_large.jpg)

Allright so I made some major major design changes. I repositioned the diety and made everything bigger. I mentioned 2 or 3 weeks ago I was going to repaint the priest face but I was avoiding it all this time until now. I realized If I don't change his face I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life. So the biggest change I made today was to repaint the high priest's face. I just wasn't happy with the old one, he seemed to wizardry, so instead I made him more like an Assyrian high priest. I hope you all like the new changes because I like it. I'm not finished yet, I still need to make the rain better but It's a good start. 3 days left, I better buy more Red Bull..hehe.

[Squibbit]

yep, that Assyran beard looks cool, I liked the wizardry type
too, but this is a fresh change. Funny about that type of beard,
I remember them from asterix or something, they look so weird,
not bad ,I always kept wondering at their design.Heh. Rain looks
good too, as well as the rest :)

[Fish-KAart]

It has turned out! Well done Class work :thumbsup:

[camtheman]

looking good, the mood is so dark and sinister. good luck in the challenge.

My M&S:

http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=227140&page=6&pp=15

[Speaky]

Hi Erwin, first time I've seen your thread and you've got a great entry here. It's got a very dramatic feel to it, I like the colour scheme and the warm lights. The rain is well thought out and executed, in short, I like it a lot. :thumbsup:

[KOryH]

great update.
I look forward to seeing the final.

[Miyagu]

wow!!! keep going - this is GREAT!

it looks sooo professional! :eek:

[arkinet]

pre, galing galing ng ulan mo, paturo be hehehehe... looking great pre, IMO the priests beard looks a lil heavy, & the right arms robe edge's too blurry... pero overall its still great, you can ignore my comment... hala red bull tsaka kape, ma high ka nyan pre :scream: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

pinoy power!!

[kiboSVK]

One of the best pic I ever seen, GREAT WORK man. Good luck at this competition. :thumbsup: :eek: :bounce: :buttrock: :applause:

[Arc80]

I have to agree with mang kepweng... i mean, arkinet, the beard is a bit heavy and it's somehow not affected by the wind or rain. Other than that, your rain effects is f...king SIIICK pre. Astigin meng and with that warm light coming under. Very nice lead in. Ang Galing talaga tol.

Goodluck the final piece mo and Salamat din sa suporta. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :applause:
Pinoy Power!!! count my vote in

[d logan]

that cleaness and detail you're getting with this piece is great . Good stuff.

[ms@zx]

indeed one of the best!i'm in awe!:scream:this piece has soo much to see.every nook and crany looks interesting to me.goodluck mate!:thumbsup:

[Dulshad03]

Great job man, this really well done. You deserve alot of credit for doing what you bro.

[TheFirstAngel]

Damn, that rocks bad ass! keep on rocking! (redbull must LOVE U!) keep it up keep it up!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116323857_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116323857_large.jpg)

Here's a closeup of the new priest face. I'm almost done with the rain. I still need to tweak certain things.

[mmoir]

Hey Erwin,
I just started looking at some of the 2d entries, I must say your image is great:thumbsup: . I really like the stormy feeling you have created and the sky is excellent:eek: . I almost entered the 2d this time and your entry really makes me want to enter the 2d challenge next time.
Good luck with this.

[MDN67]

the level of detail is amazing, i wait the final image, good work

[arkinet]

dali pre... excited na 'ko sa finish work mo:scream: :bounce: :bounce:

[xric7]

grat detail painting!!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
one of the best here.
keep going!!:buttrock:
will wait for final piece.
cheers.

[Tranchefeux]

Hi ErwinM, Bravo for this final and your technical virtuosity in your
painting, all the best for the prize list. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Jezzarts]

Simply amazing work, the DOF is very effective... great atmosphere... Wow!

[KOryH]

mmmmm nice dude.
my only crit would be that the colors are looking a little chalky.
perhaps less white and black values.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116418747_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116418747_large.jpg)

OK I'm about 98.5% done. The biggest change I did was on the perspective of the dagger. I made it point towards the diety more. I also indicated the priest's right leg and finished his patterns.

Does anybody have a suggestion for the title?
I'm leaning towards "Blood of the Innocents".

[arkinet]

go erwin! go erwin! go erwin!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Arc80]

Dude, just put the damn final image, heeheehee. Hmm..."Blood of the Innocent" sounds a bit more vampire kinda story. Think of the diety that you have and the relationship it has with the servants.
Anyway, i'll come back to see the finish piece or if i ever come up with a name before you post the final image. Sige

cheers bro ;)

[andreasrocha]

Alright, Eric! Great piece...the D&D feeling in this one is awesome! Congratulations.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116484692_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116484692_large.jpg)

I'm done. Here's a detail of the final image.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116484843_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116484843_large.jpg)

One last detail before I post my final image.

[ErwinM]

http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116487752_medium.jpg (http://www.cgnetworks.com/challenge/entries/8/7292/7292_1116487752_large.jpg)

My theme is about a High Priest sacrificing a virgin and offering her life to the God of War and in return their God of War will favor them in the upcoming battle.

Thank you everybody for all your interest and keeping me inspired. I hope you all like the final Image. This work in progress challenge has been a new and exciting experience for me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Best regards,
Erwin Madrid

[grf]

very nice work! :thumbsup:

[sgtpepper]

Very nice piece of work, looks very good. I realy like that its raining, for many resons =)Good luck to you in the challenge!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[ErwinM]

Thanks Guys!

[Fish-KAart]

very good. i like this work:thumbsup: Rulezz!

[CoreyArtE]

I love the coloring! I am a sucker for blue stormy skys ! man, great texttures too! I love this one! Best of luck!

[Arc80]

Congrats bro. Very strong finish and one of the best pieces here in the challenge. You definately deserve to be in the finals bro. Goodluck and will be seeing you around the community.

cheers and take care.
btw, did you went to the Academy or Art in SF? just curious to know.

[arkinet]

astig pre:thumbsup: ... best wishes sa judging. kita kits lang tayo sa 3dp.

[BlacKeri]

My goodness... I knew this is going to be good but the final image is just.... so perfect *sigh* :>

[PascalR]

Wow, definitely one of the most impressive pics I have seen on this challemge.
Amazing technique:eek:
Well done

Pascal

[THECLYKE]

I Like The Way The Servant Girl Gives Of The Idea That She Hates Her Job.....good Job On The Character Development

[beelow]

One of the most impressive pieces in the contest, Great Job and Good Luck...Next contest? But anyways....Holla!:thumbsup:

[KOryH]

Splendid , just splendid.
I really admire your attention to detail.
I am glad I got to see this come to life.
It was a good idea that has been fully realized.
I am sure you will do well. You have my vote.

Thanks my friend.

BTW good call on the Apprentice

[xric7]

congratulation.:applause: :bounce: :buttrock:
ur work is real excellent.i love it a lot.very impressive!!one of the best here.:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
best luck in contest.cheers.:)

[KOryH]

Hey did I mention that I liked the way you handled the women?

[ErwinM]

Hello again! I've been getting a lot of nice feedback from everyone and I would like to take the time and thank everyone who have commented me since my last final image post.

R Frederickson - Thank you :)

sgtpepper - Thank you, I'm glad I added the rain too! It was one of those last minute thoughts that I didn't have in my previous sketches but it worked out great.

Fish-KAart - Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

CoreyArtE - Thank you, I didn't originally have a blue stormy sky but I'm glad I did it because this was my first attempt to paint rain and it made things more interesting.

Archie - Thank you, you've givin the most feedback and I appreciate it. Archie, not only did I go to the same school as you, I also know Dino, Leuyen, and Francis. It's a small world huh!

arkinet - Thank you, I like your piece as well, Best of luck!

BlacKeri - Thank you, wow, your comment puts a smile to my face. I try to put my best in everything I do. Thank you very much:)

Zegritch - Thank you, I usually don't play to much with custom brushes but this painting was so big it needed to have a good payoff when zoomed in.

THE CLYKE - Thank you, I'm glad you read that the servant girl hated her job because who knows she might be next. . . hahaha!

beelow - Thank you, Next contest...sure!

KOryH - Thank you, It has been a pleasure conversing with you about all the great and funny potential ideas about this theme. Also I would like to especially say thanks to you for introducing me to this challenge, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have known about this. Thanks.

xric7 - Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

[TheFirstAngel]

Erwin, you just painted one of the strongest works all over the place and i really loved your style from the moment i found it. You painted a huge monumental piece, love all your amazing details, the even most subtile renderings and fantastic dramatic set. congratulations on your brilliant final piece and best of luck now on the final. your work simply rocks!!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Deletedaccount]

Amazing picture, good atmosphere!

One of my favorites :applause:

[TeemuR]

Hi Erwin! Really like your final picture! The priest pose and face expression are the most excellent. The clouds also gives really nicely working compostional flow. Congcrats! :thumbsup:

Good luck with the contest! :)

[Nigel-Q]

nice final. i like your use of colour and composition to establish the mood. nice clean, detailed painting style too.

[sepphora]

ErwinM

Your final image is very very beautiful! The colours, the angle of view, the mood, everything is perfect! It is one of the images that I liked most.

Congratulations and good luck!

[jugeras]

congrats on the end piece. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[ipdesigner]

*pahabol!, congratulations kabayan!
*good luck!:thumbsup:

[KOryH]

It was my pleasure to watch you finish this.
Maybe I will join the next one too.
As you know I got pretty busy and couldn't finish this challenge.
I am glad you got this done. It must feel good to be finished.

Best of luck.

[ErwinM]

Hi there, if anyone is interested I posted a really high resolution image here (http://home.comcast.net/~erwinmadrid/The_Offering.html)

[PascalR]

Thank you for the high res image Erwin:thumbsup:
I already said it, but It looks just great!
Very impressive work.:buttrock:


Pascal

[KOryH]

Dude you got ROBBED!!!

Yours was up there with the best of them.
I really don't know what more they could have been looking for.
Next time.

Oh and BTW... you stole my additional information.

[PascalR]

I agree with KOryH, you should have got a price for your painting :(
Still one of my favourites though.

Cheers

Pascal

[camtheman]

Did they pick the winners? where are they posted??

[MoonVisionStudio]

For what it is worth, and it isnt much, I think your entry was one of the best.

[arkinet]

til next tym pre...:thumbsup:

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