The Journey Begins Challenge (2D) Entry: Daniel Helzer

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141606602_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141606602_large.jpg)

Today, I decided to build upon the left middle thumbnail.

As I sketched away, a little story began to play in my head. It's basically a journey over a mysterious giant wall.

I actually spent a few minutes and typed out the initial paragraph or so. It's very rough, but I figure it might help illustrate the story.

--The Skies Beyond Azhur Stone--

There is a place...a mysterious fantastic world, known as Phormistra. And, in this world, there's a beautiful forgotten garden that stretches for many mountains. The inhabitants of this garden have lived happily and peacefully for many millennia. Their lives were simple and generous.Very few vices existed, since the River of Life provided for the needs of everyone. All the rivers and streams and ponds and lakes were children of the River of Life. It had existed since the dawn of man or as far back as their stories were told. Such stories are not told as much anymore despite the magic and mystery that has always surrounded the river. No one...not human, bug or furry creature, had ever discovered the true origins of the river. The people of Phormistra only knew where it entered and ended, but not where it began. Since time existed, the River of Life gushed forth from the Wall of the Gods in a spectacle of rainbows, mist and music. One could stand at the peak of the Azhur Stone with a monocular or a keen pair of eyes and see there was no hole or chasm in the giant wall for the water to spout from. In all its force and grandeur, it just appeared out of nowhere, just a few paces from the Wall and itself.

In ancient times, the people of Phormistra honored the River with worship and gifts, just as they did with the Wall. Both were wonders to behold for the River of Life never ebbed and the Wall stood limitless in length and height. But as generations past, the gift-giving, the worship, the stories and all things bearing tribute to the River of Life, became less and less. All creatures grew accustomed to the constant nature of the river, despite its unending bounty and love. And soon, its magic was taken for granted and forgotten for many many years.

It was the 2nd day of the 28th month when Lizzy the Drone darted her way through the cliff-top town of Mumbling Luck, announcing the most alarming news...

[danielh68]

Here are my initial thumbnail sketches:

http://www.danielhelzer.com/journey/thumbnails.jpg

[Rebeccak]

Heya danielh68, it's great to see you in the Challenge! Best of luck, can't wait to see what you do! :thumbsup:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Xillion]

well. the last sketch is at least catching. The story fits nicely. I think you should pay lots of attention to composition to guide the viewer through such a complex and rich environment. Very good work so far.

[Ramitxon]

I find it fascinating, also difficult to render, but the sketch you have posted is very good. I hope to see more soon. Good luck.

[Vahn]

hiho daniel .. welcome to the challenge :D

Your sketch looks very promising :thumbsup:

[BrutalMonk]

Really nice work Daniel, its great to read a full story about the idea, with the sketch you made its awesome! Keep it up and lets see your fantastic colors ~~

Good luck for the challenge

-D

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141685901_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141685901_large.jpg)

Hello everyone. Thanks for all your comments :)

I felt the concept was a little cramped and that there needed to be more space for the viewer to take a breath of air. As a result, I enlarged the canvass vertically and everything seemed to work better from that point forward.

[mindofka]

Beautiful composition, love very much the medieval, Bosch style in a way.
I'll stay updated, falling in love with the piece :)

[paperclip]

I really like the texture and values of this piece. Combined with some cool rich colors, this will turn out to be a very good painting indeed. :)


subscribing.

[beelow]

Pretty strong, piece Daniel! I would try to put the center of focus on those characters at the bottom because I seem to keep looking at the top of the compo, unless u intended that. It is the extreme light to dark on those cliffs which frames the piece! I see that u have some nice pointing elements going on here in this image. Really nice attention to getting a pretty solid compo going,good luck dude!:thumbsup:

[lanternkid]

i love the subtle lighting; it draws your attention to the figures really well. the reflected light on the butterfly wings gives it a really nice atmosphere too, homm~

[W-I-L]

it working very well mate.. love it nothing wrong at all.. cant wait to see colour

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141780384_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1141780384_large.jpg)

Just an update...

[danielh68]

Mindofka - I'll take the Bosch compliment and run with it! Thanks for the kind words :)

Paperclip - Yeah, I'm just concentrating on values for the moment. I want a solid foundation before I begin to actually paint. Thanks for the good word :arteest:

Beelow - You're right, the family is the focal point; however, I do want the eye to move up and outwards from that point forward. I think there's enough drama/emotion between the characters that the intended focal point will be the viewer's first contact. It will become stronger as I begin to actually paint it, as well. The focal point will have richer colors, contrast and more detail to attract the eye. Thanks for the insights and keen observation :thumbsup:

Moonlantern - Thanks, I really appreciate it :)

Wil - And a "thanks" to you as well :)

[Slav]

lovely image. good luck man.

[FrozZT]

wonderful sketch! Its very clear that hes about to start a journey.. Hope to see it in color soon! :) Good luck and have fun..

[Zycho]

Amazing sketch work!! Can't wait to see this in color :thumbsup:

[GrM]

This is great! You've captured a very wonderous and wimsical feel with this so far. This feels perfect with the contest theme, you seem to have all the elements, and it works. I can't wait to see some color on this.

If I have one critique, it looks a bit too busy (at this grayscale stage). In a way the composition is doing well to lead my eyes to the characters, but somehow I feel distracted by everything thats going on. Like I said, this is only grayscale, so maybe once its in color I'll feel less distracted. It isn't too hard to find the focal point, and you have this well framed by the cliffs, roots, and plants.

[MVDB]

Hey Daniel, glad you joined the challenge..

concept looks very cool!
can't wait for more!
Best of luck to you.. ;)

[danielh68]

MichaelMotion - many thanks :)

GrM - I agree. That's one of the big reasons why I enlarged the canvas from the initial concept, to free up some room and let some elements breath. It's important that I keep many of the elements to stay true to the half-baked story in my head, which consist of a selected band of riders departing for a journey over a giant wall. In any case, I totally understand your point and I intend to keep things controled a great deal by the use of color placement. For instance, the background has many plants and such which can be bewildering, but the whole background will be treated in a high-key pastel fashion. I plan to use just three of four of the highest values with a very limited pastel-like palette. In this sense, all the plants and stuff will harmonize and not stand out individually. Hmmm, I hope this makes sense@ :) Anyhow, thanks for the good word and the insightful comments :beer:
Zycho - Thanks, I plan to color soon. I'll start first with the background. :)

FrozZT - Thanks, I'm happy it has captured that feeling. :)

Slav - Thanks a bunch, Slave :thumbsup:

[Squibbit]

'ey Daniel, welcome to the challenge, real nice sketch there dude :thumbsup:


.

[umbrellasky]

Hey Daniel, beautiful sketch!! I really like your idea. Keep it going, realy nice work!

[Ravena]

Hi Daniel,

you have very good sketches here, the last update is very detailed and already shows much over a great atmosphere.

Ciao,
Ravena

[rkeith0275]

I really like what you have so far. I can see what others have said about being too "busy" or have too many elements, but from what you have described about what your plans are for color I think will make it all work out. I look forward to seeing it. good luck.

[Lync]

wow. I love it. It has a beautiful feel to it. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with colour.

[nebezial]

excellent value work and the composition works nice, maybe imho a lil too closed from the sides..but that is merely a mater of taste:thumbsup:

[Pat-Piper]

This is going to be a nice one...no crits....good work Daniel!

[Vahn]

great sketch daniel :bowdown:

nice values & and cool texture already. Hmm as much as i like the rocks on the left side i dont really get the feeling of the beginning of a journey. Because the group of characters is framed and because of the dark values in the foreground theres a strong feeling of shelter there...as if the party just stopped there on their way and now all the curious little creatures come to have a look :) The problem is i really like the style, i like how you did the texture on the rocks so far and i think the overall composition works very well this way ...so i take back my doubts and ignore my feelings lol :D

on the other hand when i look at it and think about the butterfly-mounts it becomes very clear that this is a farewell ... so forget what i said up there :D :D

[slickgreekgeo]

Talk about dynamic composition, this is awesome. I'll def be looking forward to how this progresses.

[danielh68]

slickgreekgeo - Thanks, much appreciated

Vahn - Thanks, Vahn. I understand what you're saying. However, it's fairly in sync with the story: The father is expressing, what could be, his last goodbye to his wife and son. He, along with others, must make a long perilous journey to transcend the Wall of the Gods.

With that said, I will probably change their positioning a little. I think I will have her face pressed against his chest with his right hand buried in her hair along the back of the neck.

Anyhow, thanks for the kind words :thumbsup:

Pat Piper - Thanks, Piper

nebezial - Thanks...yeah, I will probably make a lot of tweaks as it progresses. I appreciate your insights :thumbsup:

Lync - yeah, I need to find time to do a few color studies. Hopefully this weekend. Thanks for the comments

rkeith0275 - I'm hoping what I said will work too! :D If it doesn't, perhaps I will just start something new. Anyhow, many thanks Keith.

Ravena - ...and a "thanks" to you too. I really want a strong distinction between foreground and background to help create a distant atmosphere. :thumbsup:

enialadam - "Thank you" :)

Squibbit - Thanks, Squib :thumbsup:

[anzibon]

really diggin your composition! bg is totally believable and unbelievable at the same time.

good stuff,
~B

[cLos71]

This is coming along really nice! Keep it up :thumbsup:

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142121117_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142121117_large.jpg)

I applied some preliminary color to the background. From the onset, I wanted the background to be composed of bright and cool hues. Basically a high-key composition. On the flipside, the foreground will eventually be a darker warm spectrum. Hopefully, this contrast will force the foreground to advance more and the background to recede.

[danielh68]

cLos71 - slowly but surely. I just applied some color to the background today. At least I have established a foundation for the background to build from. In any case, that for the nice remarks :)

anzibon - That's exactly what I'm shooting for. Thanks, Anzibon :thumbsup:

[danielh68]

edited ...double post

[FlaminGlow]

nice style and full of emotions, good luck.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142135146_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142135146_large.jpg)

Just an update.

[danielh68]

FlaminGlow - Thanks for the kind words :)

[Feimi]

wow, that's looking awesome!

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142221374_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142221374_large.jpg)

Added more color today. Focused mainly on the cliffs. I haven't touched the characters, yet. They will probably be last.

[danielh68]

Thanks, Katrina...much appreciated :)

[Vahn]

looking good :thumbsup:
will you keep the bg lighter or will you have as much contrast as in the fg ?

[jevinart]

what a wonderful world! beautiful perspective and use of color.... i wish i was on that journey!

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142556316_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142556316_large.jpg)

Finally found some time to work on this piece. In any case, I made some changes. First, I removed the bug creatures with draping royal capes. Like a couple people mentioned earlier, the scene was busy. I thought, I could contain it as the color portion proceeded. I was wrong. So, as a solution, I removed the royal beetles and (I think) it really enhance the focal point. Second, I re-painted the positioning of the characters. Now they face the viewer more and it really lets the viewer participate in the drama that’s transpiring. In the story, the father is called upon to embark on a great journey. No one really wants to do it, but it's imperative to their world and survival. The journey is perilous and naturally the wife is upset and sullen while the son is confused. The father makes a vain attempt to console her by caressing her face, but she turns away.

I still have a lot of work to do, the background, characters etc., before I feel comfortable with the hues, temperatures and values. Once, I'm satisfied, I intend to up-sample it to a very large scale and repaint it while focusing less on three mentioned above (hue, temp and value) and more on detail.

[CodeNothing]

awsome piece! Its the childrens book i could never find as a kid!

My only suggestion would be to open up the background a little to show more distant space.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142559666_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142559666_large.jpg)

Just a quick update. A couple comments mentioned that I should expand the canvass some in order to show more of the outside environment, which I did. I just quickly roughed in the new areas to see if I would like it. I was happy with the results.

[danielh68]

CodeNothing - Thanks for the crit. I don't wish to go too wide for fear of having a square layout. However, I did widen the top and width some and , as of now, I really like the results.

Thanks again :thumbsup:

[danielh68]

Well....now, after looking at each of them side-by-side for a few minutes, I'm starting to steers towards the original. The original has that "I'm looking through a key and something strange and fantastic is on the other side" effect. While the revised one no longer has it. Hmmm, I don't know...I guess, I will just let it bake in my head for awhile.

[Vahn]

mhhm dunno ..both are good ... theres not too much difference in effect :)
I really love the colors you used here .. a very beautiful palette ..plz keep that :love:
The new charactre poses are good ... im looking forward the the first closeups :D

[beelow]

Some atmosphere and Depth of Field will do justice to this piece! u Plan on doing that or u sticking with this?? The colors may be to saturated,I think it is that electric blue, but I think that may be what ur going for too! anyhow, good luck with it! :thumbsup:

[ymonkato]

Oh man! I am really liking it so far. It looks so much fun. Great job on the human characters so far.

[NinjaA55N]

really a lovely piece of art so far! I just understand.. did u overpaint all the details from the previous update? on the newest pic update there is missing so much! otherwise I dont have much to criticize.. there is a nice relationship between warm colors in the front and cool colors in the back of the pic, the characters r well developed and the background itself very interesting. its true that there could be more space around there (specially on the left and right of the characters) but please bring those details back! and keep up the great work :)

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142623648_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142623648_large.jpg)

After receiving some additional crits, I began to think differently about the background. While it contained a lot of interesting things, in the broad sense, it made no statement. I wanted something iconic, full of rhythm and can be used to portray some depth. As a result, I decided to have the mushrooms be the main building blocks of the background. The series of mushrooms carry a whimsical rhythm and when I convert the image to black and white, they're very strong and iconic. Plus with the distance between them I can create some depth. Thanks for the helpful crits, everyone.

....in addition, I do plan to introduce a few more flying monarchs but they will be small and faded into the distance. Since I always work on a flattened layer, it makes no sense to include them now. They'll just covered up. Anyhow, thanks again.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142640527_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142640527_large.jpg)

Worked some on the walls, snail and a little on the background. I think I'm ready to upsample the painting to a higher resolution and start working on details.

--just noticed I forgot to include the secondary rider on this update. I'll place him back later...

[melkao]

hey original idea and concept! i like it a lot :beer:

[rawwad]

Very nice! It looks better and better, I love colors and characters, keep working :thumbsup:

[beelow]

Now it looks better! Adding that atmosphere really helped out this piece! good stuff!:thumbsup:

[paperclip]

Looking really good!
However...I think the background is TOO BRIGHT and saturated. The background takes away from the characters and the entire painting competes for attention. I think you could either desaturate the background somewhat or make it the focal point, in which you could make the characters a bit darker and desaturated (with a rim light?)

[pogonip]

Ohh man I love it , probebly my favorite one so far !

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142824998_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142824998_large.jpg)

Just worked on the background and snail.

Thanks everyone for your comments and crits, much appreciated.

[GrM]

wow! this is looking great since the last time I checked it out. I love the colors! very interesting picture, this is going very well, keep it up.

[FlaminGlow]

it is so saturated while it looks pale, this is a unique feeling when i look to this image it is as you can say an old new image, fascinating work man full of details too, i know you are not finished yet but i suggest you try to darken the shadow areas a bit.

[beelow]

Looking really nice so far dude keep it up, I am liking it so much now that u did make changes but did not go back on the color choices that u have made! Good stuff!:thumbsup:

[BaronImpossible]

This has a really good fantasy feel to it, almost like an old book illustration. My only crit is that the main characters look a bit lost, they need to stand out more. I'd darken the shadows around them and saturate the colours of their clothing. Keep it up.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142968486_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1142968486_large.jpg)

Moving away from the background for the time being. Now, I'm going to focus on the main characters. I started with the boy's face. I still need to tweak a lot of things, though. Here's a picture of a before image and my progress thus far.

[danielh68]

BaronImpossible - Thanks for the comments. Yeah, you're right...I'm just starting to focus on the focal point now. As I progress, I will apply contrast, detail and saturation to help grab the viewers attention. I really appreciate the good word and crits. Much appreciated.

beelow - Thanks, man. I've just laid the foundation. Now it's just an investment in time...a whole lotta time. Thanks again.

FlaminGlow - Thanks for the kind words :)

GrM - I'm glad you like the colors. I intended it to be a bright colorful piece, and so far, I gotten a positive response from it. Thanks a bunch.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713056_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713056_large.jpg)

I haven't updated in awhile. Here's an image indicating the focal point and general eye flow. At some point, I will add a couple more riders near the arrow, disappearing into the distance.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713341_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713341_large.jpg)

I haven't worked much on the background, just on the focal point. It's hard to see the details since it's small and a jpeg. The actual size is about 25 x 30 inches at 300 dpi.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713490_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713490_large.jpg)

Here's a close-up. I still have a lot of issues to wrestle with, but at least it's progress from my last update.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713841_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713841_large.jpg)

Here's a snapshot of some more details.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713986_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144713986_large.jpg)

Some more detail shots.

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144714333_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1144714333_large.jpg)

I suppose I could work more on the faces, but they are so small to the rest of the composition...no one would really be able to see the nuances anyways. Nevertheless, here's a snapshot of the woman's face.

[Jori]

Oh, yeah, you could work more in the faces, no prob, since it's the first thing we look in a human being. Even if it's small in comparison to the rest of the composition, it's not less important (like the black dot in the middle of a white sheet of paper, the black dot it's what matters the most). So, the emotion of your picture will be helped a lot with the expressivity of their faces.

Sorry for the mess whith my english :D

ps: the faces are already great as they are, aniway, but if you know that you can do even better... no fears :D

[danielh68]

http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1148577535_medium.jpg (http://features.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/12/10588/10588_1148577535_large.jpg)

Here’s the final image for “The Skies Beyond Azhur Stone”. While keeping with the requirements (depth & atmospheric perspective) and recommendations (bugs and little people), I also set out with the idea of creating a fairytale illustration with a baroque style. As a result, I tried to stay faithful to ornate and elaborate details and exaggerated dramatic positioning. Hopefully, I succeeded.

[danielh68]

Here are some large close-ups. Thanks.


http://www.danielhelzer.com/journey/closeup1.jpg

http://www.danielhelzer.com/journey/closeup2.jpg

http://www.danielhelzer.com/journey/closeup3.jpg

[Jakyll]

Wonderful art! I like it much. Can be a cover of a fantasic book.

[danielh68]

Here is a large full version

http://www.danielhelzer.com/journey/finalimagebig.jpg

[Squibbit]

very nice pic , dude, great detail!


.

[paperclip]

This is beautiful and I hope it wins something! :thumbsup:

[danielh68]

Paperclip, Squibbit and Jakyll, thanks for kind words. I really appreciate it.:thumbsup:

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.