The Journey Begins Challenge (2D) Entry: John Barry Ballaran

[beelow]

Welcome back, John, good luck with ur enrtry!:thumbsup:

[Arc80]

Welcome again pre. Kulang pa tayo. so hintay natin yung iba bago mag Bakbakan (Gloc 9 style ba), hahaha.

balik ulit ako. Ingatz

[Squibbit]

welcome to another one, dude, have fun!



.

[Vahn]

yo welcome & have fun :D

[jbballaran]

beelow, Arc, Squib, Vahn... Great to see you guys again. No concept at the moment. I'm freegin' trashed with work. Arc, tutulog pa ata yung iba :P Will try to post some concepts later. Tnx for the welcome :thumbsup:

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142707786_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142707786_large.jpg)

Time to get into this game...

The concept I wanna work on is about a circus that shutdown coz of a depression that hit the country. Set in about the 1800's or something. The sideshow freaks have been going from town to town, amusing "townies", with their appearances. Now they need to go into town without the circus to find regular jobs and blend in with society. Their true journey is about to begin. Will society accept them for who they are and what they look like?

The emotion I wanna evoke is both fear and sadness and perhaps even pity. The colors will be desaturated to give that old photo look. The appearances of the characters will be scary and their skin tones are gonna be pale, and each of them will be disfigured in their own little way. But their expressions will be that of fear, sadness, and anxious anticipation.

The characters: the lobster man will be upfront smoking a cigarette, the bearded lady/girl follows, along with the obese twins, the man with the elongated neck, the world's smallest 2 headed pony will be ridden by the world's smallest man, there's a wolfman in there too, and the world's tallest man will be carrying a pinhead on his back. The figure looking out to the group near the arch will be the ringmaster who's taken off his hat, feeling like he failed his performers. The circus tent is being taken down at the background and the arch with the name of the circus at the entrance will be boarded up to give the viewer a hint that the circus is closing. Some circus laborers (roustabouts) will also be walking around, carrying stuff to the wagons.

Sorry this had to be a long read. I was in the mood for typing :P CnC welcome.

[Arc80]

Finally, something to see naman. Ang tagal bago mag post meng. Yeah, i'm liking the idea behind it and the mood that you are going for. This will be interesting to see pre. So dalian mo sa update. Okay yung subject matter mo :thumbsup:

balik ulit ako. ingat

[elgrozni]

I love that mood :D, amazing

[makaron]

that crowd will be fun to watch the progress off... :)

[jbballaran]

Arc80:
Hehe, sensya na pre, tambak sa trabaho e. Tagal ko ng kating-kati magsimula :P

elgrozni, makaron:
Thanks, for droppin' in guys. I'm excited to work on this too :)

[MichaelCTY]

The concept is good and interesting for me,I am gonna wait for ur other sketches of more work in progress mate,cheers;)

[jbballaran]

Tnx Michael. Will post some more work as soon as I get some work load off. Feel free to crit away as I post. Cheers man.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142859379_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142859379_large.jpg)

Thought I'd actually "conceptualize" and draw all the possible looks of the characters rather than just draw out this image of them directly from my head. Might get something interesting in the end. It's also fun, and I missed doing sketches on actual paper.

Dont know whether to veer towards a more realistic approach to their looks or more stylized. Sketching down these faces might help me decide in the end.

Sorry about the cropping of the image. Suggestions welcome.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142885300_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1142885300_large.jpg)

More head sketches. Sorry again for the cropping. My sketchpad is bigger than how much my scanner can handle. And I'm not one to waste sketchpad space, so this'll have to do ;P

The first vision of this dude in my head is this badass, face on my hair, cigar-smoking dude who's been to a couple of fights due to people teasing him about his deformity. He'll have a couple of scars and stuff. He's also the lover of the bearded lady, so they'll be holding hands in the pic. A bit of 90210 there for you's.. :P Be back 2m. ~peace

[beelow]

Nice sketches dude, keep them coming, good luck again, I will be watching from a far!;)

[penartist26]

whoaa nice sketches u got there man ;) gudluck noypi's :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[jbballaran]

beelow: Hey, tnx bee. Will keep tabs on your piece too. Ciao! :)

nards26: Yo, noypi :P Tnx for droppin by pare. Glad you like the sketches. Bisita nalang ko sa thread mo ~peace pare! :)

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1143088016_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1143088016_large.jpg)

Whoa. A lotta pips have joined in since I last visited. Lotta updates too. Well, I'm still doin my best to sketch these in between work... Gettin' a pretty good idea on how the character's faces are gonna look like...

[Arc80]

Naks, some really nice facial studies. Its definately giving us a hint of their personalities. I like a few of the sketches a lot. Lalo na yung pinaka unang post sa facial sketches. Astig pre :thumbsup: Okay meng, keep going. Walang critzs at the moment. Hintay na lang ako mamaya, hehehe.

Musta nga pala dyan sa pinas?
Ingat

[individium]

i love sad concepts with old photo look and pale figures thats like my style. circus freaks is a real extraordinary concept goodluck with it. also hand detail is great dont forget to use it:buttrock:

[jbballaran]

Arc80: Musta pinas pre? Heto parang impyerno :P Parang painit ng painit habang dumadaan ang taon. Kakainis lumabas dahil sobrang alikabok, kapit sa pawis mo dumi nitong bansa natin :P Pero on the other hand, masaya parin naman. Same old, same old :) Abang abang nalang dude :)

individium: yo man, tnx for the encouragement, glad you like what I'm workin on here. Hope I live up to the concept. Will check out your thread later. :)

[artvandeley]

I like your concept and mood.
But i think you have to build up the contrast between the rather quaint setting and the look of those freaks. Would make it easier to understand what it means to not blend in .
Your drawings are good so far but i would like to see you really going crazy with it :argh:
You can always take it back afterwards.

Way to go,man, this will be interesting!

[jbballaran]

Yo artvandeley.

The background is the circus man, and it was the only home they've known all their lives, so they should look like they blend in it properly. It's the town that they're about to visit that's going to be in contrast with their look. But of course the town's not in the picture :) Anyway, your reaction has given me a hint that I should properly tie them in with the look of the circus in order to portray that that's the only place they can belong.

And about my sketches, I guess you're not finding too much variations in the faces. You're right, I should go crazy. But I havent sketched studies like these in a long time and I'm just starting to loosen up. Need more practice :)

Thanks for the CnC man. I appreciate it :scream:

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144060964_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144060964_large.jpg)

Probably need 2 rethink how I come up with head designs. I'm not gettin' much variety this way. Too much details in them already. Need to simplify. It's fun sketchin' like this though. And since I started it this way, might as well finish with it. Barely got time to update. Lots to do at the moment. Will try to push thru with the lineart within this week.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144078396_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144078396_large.jpg)

Well, here's the final batch. Getting a bit bored with these sketches... Wanna start the lineart :P Got a pretty good idea of how these guys'll come out.

Will probably make the world's smallest man asian, since asians are pretty small dudes compared to caucasians. The man with the elongated neck will be african, like he's a part of those tribes that insert rings on their neck, forcing their it to go giraffe. Will throw as much variety to the characters as possible to make the scene look really interesting. With regards to their wardrobes, I'll just google my way to references.

Since nobody complained about the composition, I'll pretty much stick to the layout of the character's dominion over the piece. Probably add more roustabouts coming out of the circus behind the ringmaster. He looks a bit too lonely back there. Also move the giant a bit to the right. Looks a bit heavy on the right part of the image.

CnC welcome.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144097035_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144097035_large.jpg)

Not too sure if I can pull off a funky perspective like this. But I guess that's why they call it challenge. Next up: lineart details (easier said than done ;P)

[MichaelZHsee]

cool, u have all the facial feature studies for the characters,i like the idea alot too,maybe u can also try out landscape format for another composition test:)

[Arc80]

Yeah man, try a horizontal composition, just like Michael said. I think it'll be interesting to see a more medium shot of them. It might actually grabs the viewers eyes a lot more if the focus is more on there emotions/facial expressions and what not (dehins ko sigurado kung na ge-get mo yung sinasabi ko, so let me know).

Anywho, kung mainit dyan sa pinas, masyadong lumalamig na dito sa states. Spring na dapat ngayon, pero mag snow paren this week. I guess this is a good sign of Global warming huh..

ingat ka dyan pre. balik ulit ako. nice facial studies as always

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144266705_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144266705_large.jpg)

Tried out MichaelZHsee and Arc80's suggestion of a landscape layout.

The scene just got more complicated. But I like it better. Had to fill in the added space so I thought the roustabouts (laborers) arent going to be walking around carrying stuff to trucks anymore. They've stopped working when the performers came out and are now giving them a final applause for an awesome performance they each gave in their beloved, fallen circus.

The red rectangle around the characters is the established focal area. That's where the most contrast, details, interesting colors, textures are gonna be in.

I'm just not too sure about the big guy being in the middle like that. Might move him a bit to the left to avoid this. I'm just a bit worried that the left side of the image might get too heavy since I'm still planning on putting a ferris wheel up there on the background. Please help me out with this if you got suggestions. Thanks!

[THECLYKE]

This Is Amazing


I Love This Idea...and Your Tech Skills Are Amazing...
Keep Up The Awsome Work.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144284160_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144284160_large.jpg)

THECLYKE: Thanks for the shoutout dude. I try to do my best :)

Once again, here's MichaelZHsee and Arc80's layout suggestion. My last post is therefore a waste since I tweaked the placement of the characters just a bit in this post. But progress is progress.

I exchanged the places of the wolfboy and tall dude. Pretty simple solution to my problem a while ago. Hard to think when you're head's screamin' at you to go to sleep :P I also moved the two sweethearts upfront a bit forward and will probably push them a little more coz that space at the bottom left's kinda getting to me. And I took off the pinhead guy who's suppose to be hanging on tall dude's shoulders since tall dude's already way off the focal area and therefore already has a bit of a problem getting attention. The pinhead dude's therefore unnecessary.

Will wait one more day for constructive crits if you guys got more. Then it's off to the lineart stage for me. I'm really itchin' to start :) Thanks again Michael and Arc!

[ShigueS]

:cool: I´m curious to see how this will look in the next step! The idea is just crazy... these character are weird... circus guys. Really cool!

[jbballaran]

Hey tnx ShigueS. Checked out your blog, your art's fantastic. Love the style. Why arent you in this contest with the rest of us?

[SpiritDreamer]

Hi....John...:)
Really like this concept that you have come up with....if you are going for realism, you might
check out some old photos from ...P.T. BARNUM...should have what you are looking for in
the way of references there....you might think about putting in the conjoined twins from SIAM.
Think their names were Chen and Chang or something like that...could put a diferent emotion
on each of their faces...could have their emotions torn between going, and staying, all in
one body...might be an interesting play on emotions....just a thought...or two rolled into one..LOL!!..:eek:
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE PROGRESS ON THIS PAINTING...GREAT CONCEPT..:thumbsup:

PS...don't be bogarting that computer too much....let your little sister paint on it once in awhile..LOL!!...:)
REALLY AMAZZZZED by her PROGRESS.

TAKE CARE
Glenn

[ShigueS]

Hey tnx ShigueS. Checked out your blog, your art's fantastic. Love the style. Why arent you in this contest with the rest of us?

Hello! Thanks! Well, I´m a little intimidated with the high quality of the works here. But I´m gathering some courage to begin something. Thx again and good lucky!

[jbballaran]

ShigueS:
Goodluck to you too man. I'm sure you'll feel right at home here.

SpiritDreamer:
Hey tnx for droppin in. I see you already know my sister Lyneran. Yeah, she's workin' really hard man, she's already surpassed my knowledge in so many ways in a lotta stuff. That anatomy thread's really somethin. And yeah, you're right about the computer thing. I'm about to get my own computer sometime next week. Will just have to save up again for another Wacom :)

About your tips, yeah I've already downloaded some images offa google. PT Barnum and stuff sometime around the 1900s. And about the Siam twins, that's a good idea. I tried picturing them in the scene, but found that they might be a bit redundant now that there's a pony in there with 2 heads. I wanted to put an animal in there so that it'll break up the human figures dominating the picture. That going and staying mixed emotions going on with the Siam twin's really funny man :) But I want them all to have no choice but to leave the circus since it's closing down and have that forced emotion show on their faces.

Checked out your portfolio by the way. That's a really cool collection man. I admire people who have the courage to use hi-saturated colors and still manage to make their paintings look good.

Anyway, tnx for the cool ideas. Glad you like the concept ~peace!

[ramy badie]

I really like this idea a lot, I feel like it would be more dramatic or sad or emotionally compelling if the workers were just going about their business, and maybe just one child or something standing and watching them go, as if everyone but one lost interest. Just an idea though. I think that if you do dark colors you should add a splash of bright color just to contrast and make it more like a circus or something. Hope these are helpful suggestions :)

[Arc80]

Hehe, i guess dehins mo na get yung sinasabi ko :arhg: Okay lang, this comp looks good overall. I definately like the horizontal comp than the vertical one. Its good that you're showing a nice backdrop as well.

balik ulit ako. ingat

[jbballaran]

ramy badie:
interesting suggestions.
I did want the workers to be minding their business and ignoring the performers, but I thought that it's just a little too harsh already. Too much badluck that it might seem unrealistic. U know,,, man gets pushed over 3 story building; man lands on dog poop; man gets hit by a truck at the bottom and gets tossed to a railroad track; doesnt get runover by a train, but it suddenly rains, and he gets hit by lightning... I dont want it to become something like this if u get what I mean :P I mean, they're freaks already; the only home they've ever known is closing down; and they're going to have to blend into a "normal" community which is going to be really hard considering their appearances... Having the people they have lived with ignore them might be too much. Anyway, I thought having the workers applausing boosts the weirdness of the piece even more. They're all applausing but they are all sad. It's a goodbye applause.

About the kid being the only one paying attention to the group suggestion: The ringmaster's just at the front gates still wearing his costume, with his hat down, feeling like he has failed his performers. He's going to look completely devastated, no cheezy clapping for him. That might give off more of the same feelings that you were suggesting with the child. He knows it's going to ba a hard life for his performers from now on.

Color suggestion's cool man. I'll try and push it towards something like that. Dark mood with splashes of bright colors. We'll see how everything develops.

Sorry for the long read. I love suggestions like this man. Pushes the full potential of the image. Hope you got more in the future. Tnx! :thumbsup:


Arc80: Actually medyo hindi ko nga nagets :P idea ko sa suggestion mo tsong, izoom up some more sa faces nila, or something like that? I'm gonna have the lineart focus and zoom in some more to the 2 figures upfront to emphasize the faces of those two characters (lobster dude and bearded chick). Parang ganun bayun? Ano ba yung suggestion mo? Baka makatulong :) Pero glad you like this layout pare, I like it better myself, sakto yung suggestion nyo ni Michael :thumbsup:

[ramy badie]

No problem man we can help each other out through this contest :) I know I need just as many suggestions as you do, I'm just glad I can help. Hopefully you can make use of some of what I said.

[jbballaran]

yeh, visualizing our stuff's only half the fun in these competitions. Interacting with the rest of the artists out there's the main thing. Will check your thread out later man. Tnx :)

[Elrond56]

What a unique twist on the Journey Begins theme! It's inspiring to see artist still joining the ranks on this on. I have to be a part of this . . .

Can't wait to see the characters develop . . . it's circus time*)

[jbballaran]

Yeh man, join in. It's a party in here :scream: Tnx for checkin' out the piece. Glad you like it :)

[bandro]

whoa those are some interesting and complex perspectives looks more dramatic than the earlier sketches maybe you could add some cool lighting to complete the composition

good luck buddy!!!

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144621454_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1144621454_large.jpg)

bandro: tnx for the encouragement bro. Glad you like the perspective.

Anyway, I really wanna pull this painting off in Painter. Looked for some brushes and man it's just ridiculous how you can create some awesome strokes and textures with the brushes in there. Used an oil bristled brush for this face and I'm lovin the brush. Might use this one, but still havent seen all of em. I'll play with the program some more. Getting excited at coloring when Im not even done with the lineart :P

Anyway, wont be posting much after this. Got some work to finish up and I still need to complete a piece that my best friend asked me to do months ago. She's getting ready to kill me I think... So thought I'd post a lil sketch preview of things to come :P WIll still be visiting though. Tnx for all your support ~peace

[warpy]

nice style, the face looks like something realy familiar heh..

[Slav]

working with painter i found it to be restricting, nowadays i mostly work in photoshop just because of the level of control you can achieve with it.

although the image is cool i think painter as a 2d solution is holding you back. try maybe tinkering with some options to help you break up the generic look of the brushes, or go back to what you know in photoshop. :arteest:

[jbballaran]

warpy:
wazup warpy. Familiar eh? Who? Anyway, he probably wont look like any of the characters. Just a sketch. Glad you like it man.


Slav:
I dont know man, I'm kinda going the other way with your comment. I guess it's all a matter of personal taste. For me, I think photoshop looks too digital. Even if you customize the brushes, it still can't create the kind of movement and "rawness" you can get out of Painter. I think Photoshop suits an image with more futuristic stuff in it. But this image I'm doing is set sometime in the 1900's or something. Might give it that extra lil kick with the Painter brushes.

Just check out the sketch I made, it almost looks like he's shaking in anger or something. Of course, the main characters will be a lot more detailed and smoother than this guy here. I'm thinking of applying this brush effect to the background- the workers who are going to be clapping for the performers. I will probably start blocking in Photoshop, and lightup the image in Painter to get a more traditional look to the picture.

[OliveBeard]

Wow! Incredibly angry looking! :)

Good luck; it's a looking great!

[jbballaran]

Tnx OliveBeard!

[Elrond56]

and I check back in to see the progress of the characters and am amazed . . . love the style, the way you lay out your faces I feel like it's Darwin's theory on evolution . . . this is one of the most disturbingly interesting pieces of art I have seen in a long time. Seriously . . . it reminds me of Goya's later works.

as for Painter vs. Photoshop, I say it's the artist not the brush that creates the vision . . . so explore and the adventure continue *)

[paperclip]

Try and make them human as you can- instead of them all going off staring in space, get them to chat to each other, maybe a couople looking back to make sure no one's watching and so on forth. Remember- they're only different on the outside, they'll still react to situations the same way you or I would. Try not to make the focus of the painting 'Hey, look at the funny looking people!' but the story. Push the story aspect as much as possible.

Bear in mind that there are people who look like that out there in the world and, well, there's a reason why 'freak shows' closed down.

[jbballaran]

Elrond56:
Whow. Pretty amazing how you describe what I'm working on here. Not too sure about all that... Long way to go in developing my skills, but I appreciate it man :) Glad you like the concept of it all.
This Goya dude... First time I heard about him. Not really an art buff. But I checked out his work, and yes, that's the kinda mood I wanna portray in my image. Well, something like that atleast. Really, dark and weird and stuff. Might look to him for inspiration. So thanks for bringing that up :thumbsup: I completely agree about the Painter/Photoshop bit.



paperclip:
How's it hangin? :) Interesting points you're bringin down. Yes. I need to make them look as touchy-feely as possible. But I still need to be able to show that "freaky" side of them through their expressions and looks. As well as make them look scared that they're leaving their home. So I want the viewer to get scared of them a bit, but they need to look scared too... Pretty challenging mood to portray, hope I live up to it. I got this vision of them in my head that they're somewhat dead, zombie looking... Like they're in shock of what's happening. But now that you mentioned it, I will try to balance it out with the idea that they are still human.
Anyway, will try to lay it out with the lineart. Hope to get more comments from you in the future regarding this "human" side of the freaks.
BTW, it's considered badluck for the performers to look back while they're on a parade. Just some lore I picked up while researching.

[individium]

hi john, i liked the face close up. continue with painter in my opinion, the natural brush look is looking cool, i can tell that i looked for someone using this kind of textures, everyone is making smooth surfaces clean work etc... using similar styles (including me(i'll soon post it:) )) this hard brush feeling is really something, whole picture with that style will be very good but we need more updates:)

:drool:we need updaaaattesss:drool:

see you dude:beer:

[jbballaran]

hi john, i liked the face close up. continue with painter in my opinion, the natural brush look is looking cool, i can tell that i looked for someone using this kind of textures, everyone is making smooth surfaces clean work etc... using similar styles (including me(i'll soon post it:) )) this hard brush feeling is really something, whole picture with that style will be very good but we need more updates:)

:drool:we need updaaaattesss:drool:

see you dude:beer:



Hehe... You're right there. We do need "updaaaattesss!" :scream: Really itchin' to do something with my lineart, but work's in the way at the moment man. Will try to post something within this week though... Thanks for liking the style by the way. Of course the end process will look a lot smoother than this guy here, but pretty much the same. C yah round individum!

[SpiritDreamer]

Hi ....John.....I agree.....think that the Expressionistic style and brushwork fits this painting,
like a tailor fitted glove....nice job so far....:thumbsup:

TAKE CARE
Glenn

[jeromoo]

Hi John. When's your next update coming? I want to say that the the carnival folk concept is interesting and reminds me of the HBO series Carnivale. Have you seen it? The theme in that show is a bit similar to our contest's theme "The Journey Begins" so this concept also suits it well. I am waiting for you to start on the environment part because I'm a fan of environments :)

[jbballaran]

SpiritDreamer:
Hi Glenn. Tnx for the comment man, will definitely be using Painter for this piece! Hope our PC's up to it :) Take care dude.




jeromoo:
Yeah, Carnivale on HBO was awesome. Didnt really see all of it but the intro with the tarot cards is just crazy. Simple but crazy :) I was actually looking for pictures of the series on the net but didnt find much of it. I really wanted to capture the same mood in that series with this painting. But I guess it'll be a lot more interesting if I develop my own mood in this.

BTW, someone in your thread said that you got into Expose 4. Man that rocks :scream: Congrats on that man, that's just cool :thumbsup:

Anyway, hope I dont disappoint you with the environment I got planned. Tnx for dropping by man :)

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1145223580_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1145223580_large.jpg)

Well, starting with the lines. A bit rough at the moment, but it's better this way. Just to give you an idea. Might get a few suggestions from you guys that I might like, so I dont want it to be painful if I gotta erase the thing :P

Googled me some Victorian era references and sketched out the characters. I picked out some faces from my concept head studies. Pretty happy with how they're looking right now.

Further elaboration on the details:

Arc80 suggested to make one of the characters look at the camera and make it seem like the character's inviting the viewer to join in the journey that's about to take place. I found it interesting and applied it to the lobster man upfront. I gave him a "WTF are you looking at?!?" stare. He's the badass of the group. He's got a cigar in those whacked out fingers of his. Great way to show his deformity off and bring his hand closer to the camera. So there's gonna be smoke coming outta his face and stuff like that. Real badass. Will probably change his hairstyle though. Looks too modern.

I couldnt find any other victorian era type of clothing besides the really nice and expensive looking ones. So the concept of their costume is they're all so conscious of the way they look that they chose their best clothes to give out a good first impression to the townys. Fits in well enough ;P

Bearded lady's crying and got her mascara pouring down her eyes. Thought this would make her look weirder since I chose to make her look somewhat pretty. She's not going to have her beard of course. She shaved it off the night before, and got a stubble form on her chin the next day instead.

And here I am blabbing away again...
CnC always welcome! :D

[SpiritDreamer]

Hi...John......Painter likes to mess up, when you get too many layers going on.
The way I get around that problem, is to save and number versions or steps as I go along,
in the BMP format...that way, if I have a problem along the way, I can always backtrack.
Just thought it worth mentioning....might help you out, and save you a lot of grief..and headacahs...:)
TAKE CARE
Glenn

[jbballaran]

Hi...John......Painter likes to mess up, when you get too many layers going on.
The way I get around that problem, is to save and number versions or steps as I go along,
in the BMP format...that way, if I have a problem along the way, I can always backtrack.
Just thought it worth mentioning....might help you out, and save you a lot of grief..and headacahs...:)
TAKE CARE
Glenn


Good advice :) I'll keep that in mind. I've gotten used to working with too many layers in photoshop and I think it kinda takes out the natural flow of the painting. Will try to minimize my layers from now on. Thanks SpiritDreamer!

[Srulo]

I like the angle, just don't forget to add someone with two heads and a super-power man (or both in one)- It's a must.

[jbballaran]

I like the angle, just don't forget to add someone with two heads and a super-power man (or both in one)- It's a must.

Hi Srulo. I dont know.. They already look pretty crowded in there.. I also dont want the super-power man to overshadow my super-tall dude. A person with two heads might be redundant now that there's a pony in there with two heads. I dont wanna make them look related or anything :D Tnx for the suggestion anyway :)

[jeromoo]

I like your descriptions and ideas about the carnival characters. I think it wouldn't hurt to have a few more strange people added to the company. Like the lizard man for example. I would also like to see the run down carnival carriages abandoned in the background (maybe burned to the ground?)

The deadline is closing in, so let's start the colouring process! :)

[jbballaran]

Hi jeromoo. Yes, the deadline's closing in, and I probably wont make it with this. I'm working on an entry for a local contest here in the Philippines which will end on the 19th, and I'm still doing a lotta work, so pretty sure I dont have the time. Bugger! :argh: But I will still finish it no matter what. I just wont make the challenge this time :P

That lizardman thing sounds interesting, might provide some really interesting textures in the focal area... And the circus burning down sounds cool too (or rather hot :P).. Kinda like the Barnum Circus burnout during the 1900's huh? I will try to incorporate these ideas in this painting.

I truly appreciate the visit man. We'll just see what happens with this. Goodluck with your psychopath entry again! :thumbsup:

[elnady]

Hey mate

Nice concept
wish you best of luck :)

[jbballaran]

Hey mate

Nice concept
wish you best of luck :)

Sorry man, I wont make it to the deadline. But I'll still post this in the Finished Works section after I'm done with it. Thanks for dropping by elnady! :)

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148102768_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148102768_large.jpg)

Got a lotta workload off. I probably wont make the deadline, but I got nothin' better to do at the moment so I might as well hit on this.

Sorry if some of your suggestions didnt make it guys.

jeromoo: I thought the lizardman just stood out too much from all the characters with his textured skin. So I didnt include him.

Arc80: The lobster man's not staring at the camera anymore coz his stare kinda distracted me a bit, and it just kinda pulled the eyes away from everything else I needed the viewer to see.

Next up: value pattern.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148108074_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148108074_large.jpg)

Here's something I've been meaning to try. Got this technique off "The 7 Keys to Great Paintings" by Jane Hofstetter. A great book, I learned a lot from it. This is my first try on this so I dont exactly know what I'm doing yet.

The whole point is to design a pattern as an underpainting that'll help the viewer's eyes get to the points you want it to be on the painting. It also helps keep the eyes inside the painting and prevent it from drifting off by providing enough interesting values in the focal area and keeping the general, large ones on the borders to box-in the important areas.

1. Notice how your eyes get pulled in towards the bottom left focal area where the smaller, dark shapes are gathered.

2. Applying in on the painting, I already know (Or atleast I'm hoping) that the eyes will enter the bottom left area first where the Lobster man's about to leave the page. Since most of us read from left to right, I added another entry point on the top left. I also added an entry point on the right of the image incase someone starts from there. I think It's better to add atleast 3 entry points since we all look at paintings differently. It's always good to give your viewers options. But of course, dont overdo. Overdoing stuff is what kills most paintings.

Only one value should dominate the design (light or dark). If the value is dominated by dark shapes, the eyes will move through the light ones and vice versa. It's a great way to manipulate the viewer's eyes especially if you've got a complicated piece like what I have here wherein I want to show the viewer a lotta stuff. Dont worry about the middle values as they always show up as you paint. The dark and light shapes dont have to dictate the painting, they should only act as a guide on what stuff should be painted dark and which ones should be light. They dont have to be tangible things (dark shapes can be shadows, light ones can be smoke or fog or whatever). Also dont use perfect geomtric shapes while creating these value pattern underpainting. Keep the shapes irregular and unpredictable as it is more pleasing to the eyes. The whole design should be well-balanced too. Keep flippin your canvas to see this balance properly.

Hope this was interesting. Just felt like sharing. Now to put this thing into practice...

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148135775_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148135775_large.jpg)

Layin down the colors. Going for a theatrical lighting, make it seem like there's a gloomy spotlight focused on the performers. Might veer towards a more bluish overall, I'm not really feeling the green much.

BTW, anybody know how I can select the same color profile I'm using for Photoshop in Painter? Is sRGB IE... the same as sRGB color profile? There's a generic kodak RGB profile in there too. I'm getting confused with this... Photoshop keeps reseting the embedded profile from Painter and it's kinda bugging me. Help with this would be great!

Next up: Details.

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148224429_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148224429_large.jpg)

Sorry if it's murky. Nothin' much to show yet. I'll color-correct after I complete the basic details ~peace

[artvandeley]

I totally dig your idea, composition is great too. I hope you´ll find enough time to finish this. Would be a shame....
Hey, that´s a good point using a value pattern. Never heard of it but makes perfect sense. I have to try this myself.
And for the profils in Painter: First of all it´s not the best idea to work in sRGB ( and yes, bothe sRGBs are the same), i would suggest to use AdobeRGB when you´re working with both PS and Painter. In Painter you have to activate Colormanagement, by going to canvas>Colormanagement you get to this ( in english that is):
http://www.torstenwolber.de/katalog/PainterCM1.jpg

Notice that you have to activate the arrows by clicking on them. For handling files go to
the File-sign in the upper left corner and check the RGB-rules like this:

http://www.torstenwolber.de/katalog/PainterCM2.jpg

Means like:"Import:With embedded profil, use (AdobeRGB)" and Export: Always embed(AdobeRGB)"
That´s it. Some people have to activate CM everytime they´re working on a new image, some not.:shrug:

Thanks for dropping by my thread. Good luck!

[Arc80]

Looking good pre. Akala ko dehins mo na tatapusin eh. Dalian mo meng 5 days. Susubukan ko rin tapusin yung entry ko.
No critzs, everything is looking good so far. Just waiting till you add more.

ingat

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148320494_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148320494_large.jpg)

artvandeley: Hi man. Super big thanks on that mini tutorial you gave me bout the color management thing. The trouble's highly appreciated! :)

Arc80: Baka nga hindi ko matapos tsong e :P Pero bahala na. Ikaw cgurado ako aabot ka, mabilis ka magtrabaho e :P Salamat sa bisita pare ko.

I'll try to make it with this guys, but I dont wanna force it like what I did in the last challenge :P Dont want something half-assed running in the challenge with my name on it this time around. I promised myself that I'll work on this full time tomorrow and stop bumming around... We'll see :) As for the update, the monochromatic mood wasnt working so I glazed some colors on it to try to capture that circus mood more. Details are still eons away from completion... Doesnt look too good for the deadline :P Goodnight challengers zzz....

[penartist26]

hi tsong, whats up? bilisan mo na matatapos na journey natin here,.good artworks u have there,the view is like a FISHEYED view' wonderful! is that a circus characters? cool, wheres the
ape man? the clown guy, the twins,? the dwarfmen? the juggler,or the firo man? i always like circus characters, specially the clown guy, u need to make more characters if u want to make ur canvas full, specially if theres a lot of people applause/clapping waving on them,i suggest you look at waltdisney's parade they're are awesome, the floats the disney characters i also
notice ur characters are looking sad or i guess to shy to see people clapping and waving at them.,even if this the last parade make ur characters smile (EXPRESSION MENG) ika nga
the show must go on, that will make them dynamic, to the eye of the audience.medyo mystery pa dba.hehe colors vibrant colors fading from right to left, a bit darken sa side ng signage mobut still more colors sa side of those people waving at them so it will not looks creepy on them, mas maganda my big circus truck with smiling clownface na superlaki as there float ride, i guess alternative way for ur characters to float on the canvas, i hope my critq can help also thanks for reply to my thread meng.keep it up artist! go for gold! :Dgudluck:thumbsup:

[individium]

good to hear you'll finish it man. hope it happens before this friday, i guess we're both in same condition.

good luck

[jbballaran]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148589583_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148589583_large.jpg)

Sorry guys, but this is it for me. Can't pressure myself into finishing this, got some loose ends I gotta clean up with my freelancing job before I quit and focus my energy on a full-time concept artist job in games.

I'll finish this when I find some free time and you'll just find it posted in the 2D finished section. Tnx for all your shoutouts in my thread and goodluck to all you guys.

nards26: interesting suggestions there pare, but I'm pretty happy with how the image looks at the moment. Will try to see if I can still apply your tips before I call this piece quits though... Tnx and goodluck with WonderBoy!

individum: hope your piece makes it and tnx for droppin by.

[penartist26]

:thumbsup: http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148589583_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10310/10310_1148589583_large.jpg)

Sorry guys, but this is it for me. Can't pressure myself into finishing this, got some loose ends I gotta clean up with my freelancing job before I quit and focus my energy on a full-time concept artist job in games.

I'll finish this when I find some free time and you'll just find it posted in the 2D finished section. Tnx for all your shoutouts in my thread and goodluck to all you guys.

nards26: interesting suggestions there pare, but I'm pretty happy with how the image looks at the moment. Will try to see if I can still apply your tips before I call this piece quits though... Tnx and goodluck with WonderBoy!

individum: hope your piece makes it and tnx for droppin by.

hi john, sayang naggive up kana'? work loads ba? ok next time men gusto kita uli makita with other noypis here' i like seeing great talents ng pinoys here magaling talaga.keep up the good work meng! ingats

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