The swamp witch, Emile Noordeloos (2D)

[Morano]

i would propose some tweaks in compositions -maybe scale down a little "the witch" so she moves more to bottom righ corner- and move the owl to right (1unit) and lower (2 units). YOu should get this way more readable perspective. I guess the owl is about 1-1,5 meter in front of the witch , but now it looks like she is in the background (the owl) . You should get better effect if cover her right hand a little with owl;s wing.

i will give you 5 stars anyway - for that girl in white dress - great idea.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8305/composition8ur.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=composition8ur.jpg)


black grid is divideing picture to 9 parts and 4 "construction points" -usually viewers "reads" images from top left rectangle to bottom right , and that means "the first" construction point of your image should contain something interesting (green circle), main subject even better. then viewer eye will follow as green arrows shows to the bottom right corner of the image , you can "help" the eye to folllow that dirrection with (red lines) perspective ,and that means the withc should be smaller than owl in foreground. Or You can plan this in completly other way ,from bottom (or top ) right corner to left top (or bottom ) side. Think how do you read newspaper or magazine - did you ever realize that left page is always more colorfull and interesting than right>? because automatically when you turn the page your eye spot that "first " construction point -and then follows depending what happens on the page and those directions might be very complicated ,not just from one corner to another.


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3434/zzzz0wu.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=zzzz0wu.jpg)


and another thing - something 's wrong with the right arm . I know your intention was that pose as I did marked red on my scetch - but now it is "read" as marked with light orange color. something is going wrong , the wirst? elbow? light and shadow? It is very difficult angle anyway to draw it correctly. the whole arm goes deeper then a hand come thru foreground ... anyways you have to do something with that because it is very important element of your artwork and it "flashing" when you watchning it. sorry for bad scetch but I switched my tablet to other machine.

[Lonewing]

indeed... very nice piece and i also agree what that guy said :) oh and i love ur monkey :P keep up the good work:thumbsup:

[BlacKeri]

Hi Emile :)

Technically the artwork is really good. All of the elements are done properly and with the right amount of details :D
However, I think it could be further improved by some colour iteraction (especially the red, to me, is quite distracting for now). Another thing to watch out - her hip. It seems way too small to be able to support her entire body. Same for the hands, especially her left one - it's a bit too small.

Btw, I have to say I am in love with her face, the eyes are captivating. Great work on those :D

[OKMER]

Hi whooaa, totaly agree with Morano and Blackeri but it's an stunning amazing image also.indeed the right amount of details and technicly so well done!4* from me!

[Digitalpaint]

@ Tomasz : I knew there was something funny about the arm and the position of the owl. But after a while I got used to it. And as I loved the witch as much as I loved the owl, I wanting to give them equal attention / importance. There was a moment when I came up with the idea that you’ve suggested Tomasz.
But for reasons just mentioned I didn’t go through with it ( but I see now that I should have.) Thank you for your time and great suggestions. :thumbsup:

@ Gem: Thanks !:)

@Marta: The left hand is equal to the right one in size. But the view is a bit obstructed buy the dress and the bracelet. (Nevertheless when that it appears smaller to the viewer it means I should correct this.) You’re right about the hips, I see that now. Thank you :thumbsup:

@ Remko: Thanks :)


I’ve been painting for a year now after a very long period (20 jr) of creative inactivity. I guess until now I’ve been focussing too much on painting technique and too little on composition (among other things.)

Maybe it’s better to split up this painting into two separate ones.

Anyway it was worthwhile exercise and I hope to incorporate all of the newly gained insights in my next painting.



Thank you all for commenting

[Kyena]

I couldn't have said it better myself. The points mentioned by Tomasz and Marta are spot on.

The storytelling is very interesting but my eye doesn't know where to focuse one. Since you got a lot of details in pretty much every aspect if your painting it appears chaotic. Both crits mentioned by Tomasz and Marta will help to calm it down a little.

Brushstroke efficiency is really important. A painting doesn't need all the details you see in a reference as a matter of fact it will work much nicer and will be easier on the eye of parts are simplified :)

[michael-olszak]

Nice attention to detail man. Cool work

[Rudds]

Brilliant! I love the soft but sharp effect you have in this image! Everything is amazingly applied! would love to know how you did this! The details are insane! Everything looks very life-like with a slight comical appearance!

Amazing work! Should easily receive at least 4 stars! :thumbsup:

[Mirwen]

wow- amazing details - especially her eyes and the staff she holds. Sadly...critics are right. 4*

[plasteredcat]

I'd chip in on the crits mentioning that with such enphasis on details, blurring or loosing the trace in the contours bring down all sense of depth in the overall composition, and makes too obvious the use of certain tools and filters too create certain elements. Technically, this thread is higher above the average piece in these forums, but because of what's mentioned above, it fails from master piece to...well, somewhere else. I bet you're next one will blow us all away for sure, though... !

I'd only add, on the other hand, that it's a pleasure to read forums like these, guys, with a superb artist sharing his art with the community, and no less superb artists adding their crits and comments on it. It's been a blow of fresh air to me in many aspects... Thanks indeed!:thumbsup:

[Morano]

would love to know how you did this! :thumbsup:

well i 'll try to answer that question:

-there was a movie " Shawshank redemptetion" (if im not wrong aboutt that title) - it is a story about guy sentenced to life for killing his wife. after 15 years he's broken from this prison . how? he's digged out a hole in the wall with... the tea spoon.

-another example : you can build your own Calahari desert in your backyard if you just would carry a sand seeds long enough.

In my opinion that level of detail is just a matter of time you've spend on it. Unfortunatelly i do not have that much time in my work ,and even i have to ,most of my clients doesnt care about details - they need stunning ,breath taking illustration ,rather than digital map of human skin texture.for example I have 2 weeks to perform 10 excellent pieces ,and there is no time to any tweaks or adjustment after deadline so i have to plan them very well before I even start to scetch. of course the level of details depend on artwork destination ,but usually they have to be "eye catching " ..hmm thumbnail ,with great lighnign ,color pallete and composition. No one will ever care about zooming them to see if "this guy in the armour has green or blue eyes"

sometimes I can affort to work more on details but mostly I leave that job to my digital camera, i belive it is a right tool to record all the details of sourroundig us nature. Im a just a painter , and my tool is a hand, an eye and a brush stroke.

cheers

PS:when i've mentioned "an eye" it is not a mistake , since i can see only on one eye :) , and a hand is also true since i cannot paint or even sign with my left hand ...but i should add "s" after "brush stroke" , coz i have plenty of them - ha ha

[Oziel]

So great! you have 5 stars from me, keep the good work!

[Digitalpaint]

I wish I had published the witch in the WIP/Critique: 2D forum a few weeks ago where it belongs instead of the 2D gallery yesterday. I feel a bit sad :sad: but I agree with critics: spending too much time on the details and losing sight of the whole. Up until now I didn’t see the mistakes I made with this painting. Probably because I’ve spend too many weeks staring at this one painting.

Thank you all for commenting.
Especially Tomasz: for your suggestions and story. It inspired me and put me right back on my feet again.


I’m going to try to change my workflow and approach, it will be difficult because I just love details.....

[Kyena]

I feel a bit sad :sad:

Oh no, I am sure that was nobody's intention :(

Something that might help too. If you desaturate your painting you'll see that you have a lot of the same value differences. One way of leading and focusing the eye of the viewer is to have the biggest value difference in the center of interest. If you would tone down the colors that lay away from say the witches upper body and part of the owl with the little fairy it might already help to make it appear calmer :) It is most often the most scary part to let go of references and what would be "natural" to increase the look and feel of a painting and make it work even better.

For that matter it is always a good idea to start rough all over the painting and then go into detailing the more important parts and the focus points. That way you don't run the risk to apply the same level of detail all over.

[Morano]

>>>>I feel a bit sad

don't be. I gave you 5 stars , and this artwork is great, You've done good work. All I mentioned are just a tweaks and small adjustment which can improve overall output. But the whole idea , the monkey , tatoo , this girl in white dress are brilliant ,beautyfull and excellent rendered.


>>> much time on the details and losing sight of the whole. Up until now I didn’t see the mistakes I made with this painting. Probably because I’ve spend too many weeks staring at this one painting.

yeah ,that might be true, all You have to do is to pay more athention while the painting is still on very basic progress, play with layers, make few different versions to campare which one is "readable" better etc. It is far more easier to do that on scetch level than almost finished piece with lot of details. Another good idea is to leave your work ,take a walk, go to visit your friends and then come back and take a fresh look at it -this would increase your chances to spot any problematic area of your work.
is not that easy - we get usued to our work very easly and fall in love in our characters very fast.I struggle with that problem over and over again myself. But unfortunately we would like to show our work to other people , let take care about it so they fall in love with our characters too. All our achievments and hard work could be useless when viewer simply doesn't understand what excactly is he/she looking at.

another example: since a while i m writing my own novel . while typeing i do not care much about what keys im pressing ,because i just want to write it as fast i can before the idea vanish. when I reading this it seems to be ok
-i wrote it
-it is my story so i love it
-i have this story in my head so i do understand what im reading even if sentence doesn't make any sense -" then sh go and thr was a guy but they gone"

but what would happen when i try to publish it?
-no one would understand what is all about
-no one going to love my characters because they don't even sure if there are any. who is a "guy" or "sh" ?
-it's a another crap

do you have a problem now? i don't think so. I saw you other work and they are as much good as this one. You did maybe one small mistake here -it is not that obvious what is the main subject of the image -therefor people spot things like "to thin hip " or " something wrong with the hand" - they scanning whole picture searching main subject and follow the details deeper and deeper and they reveals some of details are not perfect.

another example: I think an artwork should have a constrain path ,a manual ,something like " to build a hase you should have some bricks ,some concrete and a plan -first you have to put all your bricks in rows as shown on plan and attache them to each other with concrete..."

the same way should be image readed -
" a witch on a magic swamp-> she is beautyfull but her eyes scares me->but the monkey is so funny, she can't be that bad-> she let the owl to fly -> my god look at that girl in white dress- > there is so much magic-> o yes, she is a which ,so she have to be magic,she has a magic staff -> wow! interesting concept with a face inside glass sphere..."

i think we have now something like this:

" a witch am owl a girl in white dress

magic staff monkey colorfull background

----> choose one "

of course all these are just examples and theory , as i said before i think your work is great , i just posted my thoughs hopeing other people reading your threat will learn something because there is plenty artist here who think they would become famous when they put some "leather texture " on their character -well guys - is not THAT simple.


>>>I’m going to try to change my workflow and approach, it will be difficult because I just love details.....


one thing doesn't have to exclude the other.

good luck ,and never give up

best

[Morano]

It is most often the most scary part to let go of references and what would be "natural" to increase the look and feel of a painting and make it work even better.



HOLLY TRUTH!!

I have a suggestion to moderators of this forum- can we open a somekind of "CG BIBLE" here? we could post there golden thoughts like this to help many beginner artists to understand their job better?

[Rebeccak]

Emile,

Some interesting crits here, but everything is opinion. I think that your work is masterful in its rendering and I am always glad to see a new piece of yours - rarely do we see work as carefully thought out and finished as yours, and worth as much study. :) An honor to see your work on these boards, and I can't wait to see your next piece!

No piece is perfect, but I still give you 5*.

Cheers,

-Rebeccak

[irananimator]

Woow Emile
really nice work.
Good luck

Hamed katebi

[Dianae]

Great work Emile! I do agree about the composition , right arm of the girl and hips but the piece itself remains excellent.
The way you've rendered the leather and fabric are amazing, very very well done! I love the colours, her eyes are to die for!

Maybe you could try to work a little bit more on it applying some of the points that have been mentionned... it would be a masterpiece!

Right now, it's still a very very good painting and I'm very impressed by the way you've done the litte monkey :) This little dude himself is worth 5 stars :)
so... 5 stars from me

[Weeks]

Cre8iv, your painting is .... AMAZING .... ! :eek:
I'm very impressed about the way you paint with PS (globla composition, colors, realism...).
And specialy with the program that i feel too slow for me. But when i see the quality of the strokes...WhaaaaaHa...!

Do you use any special brushes ?

Keep posting for our great pleasure... 5 stars.

Cheers,

Weeks

[Thunderbear]

Oh.. I must say, all the detail! Ppl can say what they want about that arm, and the comp whatever, I love it! I browsed all your work, and your attention to detail is amazing! Looking forward to what you may come up with next! :bounce:

[CoreyArtE]

Wow one of the best works I've seen in a long time. Are you working pro? You dont see stuff like this everyday.

[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.