Fishing WIP

[DArcy1]

A small update, the head is done now, greyscale at least. It will get shrunken when I import it into the main photoshop file.

http://static.flickr.com/114/297765423_ed5344b521_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Another update. Just rough blocking in of colors. I'm making a concerted effort to not overpaint details, because a 300ppi file does print out at about 25% and I'm getting tired of explaining to non-painters that I'm not as skilled as the print reduction makes me out to be. So for the most part I am trying to paint all the detail at 50% zoom. So the image below is my working zoom.

The exception will be the head; I just can't manage that business of capturing the essence of a face with one or two carefully placed brushstrokes, and as you can see from my last post it started really quite big.

Thanks for visiting

D'Arcy

http://static.flickr.com/121/297763739_16f2b9aabb_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Hi all

A small update, more in the way of a question - I have 3 backgrounds that I can't decide between and am hoping for a bit of advice. One is just a cityscape, one is hills and one hills with a suggestion of water in the distance. What looks best? The tall pillar in the background is another building like the one the boy is on.

tks

D'Arcy

#1
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/356552171_9a5bc04bd5_o.jpg

#2
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/356552170_440f0bcf7d_o.jpg

#3

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/356552166_15ac9fa3e4_o.jpg

[AnOldFriend]

Hello Darcy, I think you did a very nice job on the head. Perhaps it is a bit to big on the actual painting? And I would go with the city scape idea or #1. And perhaps Add clouds or something in the upper part of the sky to balance out the painting a bit.

[DArcy1]

Hi AOF

Thank you for replying ! I think you are right about the cityscape idea (of course, the hardest one to paint !) I did shrink the head down by about 1% since I posted this, to match the reference photo I took of my son so I think that's OK now.

The vision is of him on the beam high above the clouds, so no clouds above, I think.

Thanks again, I really appreciate the input :)

D'Arcy

[DArcy1]

One more update, at my painting size of about 50% zoom. I fiddled with the head size a bit but mostly this is a first run at the clothing. COmments much appreciated.

D'Arcy

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/110/366576926_3b26757f5b_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Hello all

another small update, just the clothes. Any advice on finishing up an extra level of detail would be appreciated, this is as far as I can seem to take them right now.

Thanks for stopping by.

D'Arcy.


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/389796603_489d5d0765_o.jpg

[Lilie]

This looks promising, i like the whole idea. :] The boy looks very cute so far, peaceful and playful at once, a quiet playfulness if you will, that's how it reads to me.

As far as detailing goes, i think you could add detailing to the clothes by working on the edges, the trim (i'm not sure if that's the correct english word for it..) of them, small stitches maybe. Maybe a faint painted design on the shirt like a lot of child clothing has? Otherwise, as a whole, i'd sugggest adding reflected lights here and there, particularly since he is outside in the direct sunlight. The clothes' colors would reflect a bit on his skin as the light bounces there. Maybe varying the tones of the clothing too since for now it seems to me that you mainly picked different values of the same color except in the shadows. Don't be afraid to mix in other colors in places to liven it up a bit. :]

Keep it up!

[jumbowumbo2]

Nice piece, I like it.

Your head and clothes don't exactly match. The cloth has a very broken, blended feel to it, while the face has very sharp straight edges and shadows. I like the head, so I'd recommend sharpening up the shadows by adding deeper tones and, as mentioned above, brighter highlights.

I also agree that the first bg should be used (the city image).

Again, I love the concept

[DArcy1]

Hi Lilie and Jumbowumbo2

Thanks for the advice ! I decided I needed to get away from the clothes a bit because I was getting frustrated, so I'm painting the concrete beam right now. It's much more forgiving. Once I get that sorted it's back to the figure :-)

You're right about the detailing, the sort of idea that should have occurred to me without having to ask. I can manage to pull off stitching and a shirt design (gods know he has enough shirts for me to pick from!). The head is just a colorised version of my monochrome version posted earlier, so once I get to that I'll try to bring in more reflected colors from the clothes, concrete and sky to liven it up a bit.

So overall I intend to try to follow your advice! Thanks again for taking the time to comment - I really appreciate it. This will be hanging in my office once it prints out so I want it to look good...

D.

[DArcy1]

One more update, the face and concrete; soon I'll have to deal with doing the clothes again. I'm really happy with the concrete, though. :) C+C welcome, as usual.

tks

D.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/399378323_860f51ba91_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Hello all

I hope someone can help me with a little dilemma I'm having. I'd like to make the figure print out a tad larger, so I've been messing with various crops and adjustments of the background city in relation to the figure. None of these fit with the figure at the focal point of the classical "golden mean". I am trying to find the best compromise between size of the figure and a sense of distance or grandeur in the scene itself. For me the power of the image lies in the fragility of the figure in contrast to the panorama he sits against.

Anyway. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

This is the original composition:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/187/408315921_4fe730c7b4_o.jpg


Here is version #2, that I think I like best:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/408315922_8d479e3f02_o.jpg

Version #3:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/408315918_d3b17aab8e_o.jpg


Version #4

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/408315920_36e0245a03_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

At least I hope he is. This is my painting size, although I did cheat on the face and go up to 100%. Don't even want to mention the hands - I hate painting them, it seems so hard for me to get the proportions right...Time to go think about the city in the background next. I'm already obsessing about perspective lines. C+C welcome, as always.

D.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/434550838_a9b19fe4e4_o.jpg

[Alabaster]

I agree, I like version 2 as well. I also am banging my head on the keyboard at the genius of using those colored circles as your palette. I've wasted at least 10 minutes of every hour, going into that darn color picker. ;)

There's a shadow being cast on the beam, from the main pillar I'm assuming?

[DArcy1]

Hi Earendil

Thanks for the compliment, although I can't claim credit for the palette idea - I got it from someone else, too :-)

Just make sure you keep it on a separate layer in photoshop so it's only there when you need it.

D'Arcy

[pgill]

I like it alot...only thing for me is that the sense of scale and perspective is confused by the really tall structure in the city scape. I think if the top tier was taken off this would be remedied...and it would still be way above the cloud line!

Cool idea, and I love the pose and expression of the boy...don't know why but he looks really wise!

[Oziel]

Hey! it is looking nice! good technique, watch for the printing on the t-shirt.

[DArcy1]

Hi guys


PGill: He's a raving maniac (and I say that as a father who utterly adores him). That expression was one photo out of twenty :). I will think about that tower height - it shouldn't compete with the beam he's sitting on.

Oziel: Thanks for the compliment; but my brain is mud tonight - did I miss something in the printing on the shirt?


D'Arcy

[w1as]

Thank you for the advice :)

I really liked serenity and I can't wait to see how will this end up!

Overall you rock; your music is awsome:thumbsup:


Keep it metal,

[Jelo]

Hi, I really like the concept, cool idea.

I have some C&C namely that I'd personally think that the shirt and skin are to bluish and hazed. I think they should be stronger in saturation. His not far away to be as bluish as things usually get and under direct sunlight.
I made a paint-over color correction to illustrate my idea, something like this.
http://www.joelart.com/forum/c&c/pain_over_408315920_36e0245a03_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Hi Jelo

You know, I think you are right. Although the final (!) figure is more saturated than the one you painted over, it could still use a bit of color. It's funny what you miss, painting zoomed in as I do. I think I'll wait until the city is done then do some level adjusting in photoshop, pull everything together.

Thanks !

D.

[Jelo]

DArcy1

I was thinking the same thing that you might color correct it in the end. But I just couldn't help my self to point it out just in case.

np! :)

[kanikasehgal]

really liked ur work.....its very nice!!!

keep posting! check out mine too..plz hav a look at my postds n leave ur suggestions!!

[DArcy1]

Hello all

Another small update in my new work. Buildings, buildings and more buildings. I'm starting to hate the very concept of habitation. Yes, we should all just sleep in the woods...

Anyway. I'm just about done the basic structure of the buildings. I'll have to go over them to add some details like windows and texture. Also, a lot of the city will be overgrown with vegetation, still trying to figure out how to do that since I've never painted trees before.

This update is in photoshop, because I couldn't for the life of me make Painter's brushes do what I wanted with the changing angles and sharp edges of the buildings. I'll get back to Painter as soon as I can because one of my goals was to complete a painting just using Painter.

C+C always appreciated !

D'Arcy

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/517188117_0254e68d7c_o.jpg

[Goliath]

Hi Darcy, Try to make alot more contrast on the front buildings, darken the shadows or light the corner edges, it will bring them closer =), or loosen contrast on the buildings behind, if you dont want the front ones stronger than they are.

[DArcy1]

Now on to the vegetation, and the water, fine tune the horizon.

The first pic is an overall view of about 2/3 of the city, the second a detail at my painting resolution of 50-60% zoom. C+C always enjoyed :) .

D'Arcy

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1306/794629320_968dbf290c_o.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/794629336_e7f4b3e757_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Maybe a few minor fiddles but I'm basically done the background now. The city is slowly collapsing, overrun by vegetation, but still mostly intact. I think I'm actually in the home stretch after almost a year - my goal is to get it all done by the 12 month mark.

C+C welcome as always.

Thank you all

D'Arcy


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1421000280_067f840e0b_o.jpg

[nerdyninja]

This looks fantastic and i love the concept! I love number 2 as well and the cityscape! The concrete is looking very good...love the textures you have put on it! Update please!

[DArcy1]

HI nerdyninja

Thank you very much for your comments ! I am definitely in the home stretch now, will post an update soon.

D'Arcy

[nerdyninja]

Great I cant wait!


Also i would love it if you checked out my new thread in 2d wip section. I have the link in my signature..its called Allure. Thanks!

[DArcy1]

Hi all

I think it's almost done! I've incorporated the comments so far, but before I commit to saying it's done and paying the print shop some exorbitant sum of money, I'd appreciate any last comments people have. My major question right now is if I should have some clouds over the city; I've put a few splotches in to represent them but I'm not sure I want them or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

D'Arcy


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/1502499550_66940e599e_o.jpg

[nerdyninja]

I love it just the way it is! I wouldnt put more clouds because right now i love seeing the city and all the little buildings in all its grandeur! Love the image and concept!! Beautiful work! :love:

[DArcy1]

Finally it's done, and I've submitted it to my portfolio and the showcase gallery. I'd like to thank everyone who posted their thoughts and criticisms, I really did try to incorporate them into the work. The link below is to the high-res version of the completed painting which is about 70% of the print size:

http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fishingfinalsmallsx3.jpg

Here are a few last detail shots, at my painting resolution of 50% (I admit to some cheating, his face, fish and flowers were done at 100%):

D'Arcy

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2347/1537935689_0a469158af_o.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/1537935701_1a40fcab18_o.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2096/1537935713_c849475df1_o.jpg

[nerdyninja]

This looks great and I loved following it in here! I will now go to the showcase gallery and show some love! :D

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