The Fallen, John Kearney (2D)

[CGFelker27]

Dang man your work is amazing! How long does it typically take you do create pieces like this?

[K0RR]

Absolutely great!
Bravo!

[Intervain]

JOHN your rendition of skin always leaves me speachless! Done it again :scream: EXCELLENT and that's coming from a person who's not too keen on monsters with hooves LOL But that's just awesome!

[ekah]

Fantastic job on the skin's translucency. Great to see you posting more work. :)

[meshman]

amazing I love it :-)

[Noodles2go]

k, so i never found the whole devil goat man thing scary. But THIS would invoke fear into me. Soooo much evil... absolutely fantastic

[Jeffsimpson]

Very pretty, the skin and fire effect looks great!

[mech7]

:thumbsup:wooow i love the skin and the lava arm

[elnady]

Hey John
Great concept,the rendering looks fantastic!
5*

[Golden Rule]

This is really inspirational, and makes me believe in the capability of skin rendition in 2d. I hope you submit it into a mag or a book, I would really like this in print.

[brkn]

Wow, that is scary as heck, but for all the right reasons. The skin is just fantastic!

[GinoLatino]

This work is incredible!
:eek:
Congrats.

[alredha]

no word can express what i feel! :love:i do love it !!! ... in the beginning i thought it was made with zbrush or madbox then a painting over it.....but to do it from scratch in photoshop!:eek: i say petter jackson must call you in his next productions....well done bravo :bounce:

[SePu]

lovely work ... I really like it !

keep it up.

[PMD]

I am officially blown onto my ass. What a stunner. The skin cape is a stroke of genius, and the light...man, the light. 5*.

[danielh68]

Wow, that's insane. It looks practical 3-D. Amazing job. The character design is truly demonic :thumbsup:

[GreenShellFactor]

First of all, let me say that this is one of the finest 2D works I've seen on the forum. I had to double check and make sure it was in fact 2D and not ridiculous ZBrush. Could you just explain for the 2D Painting noobs out there (well...as far as this site is concerned, me) a little about the process as to what goes in to a painting like this. Sketches? Preliminary saves?

Reveal your secrets!!

~green

[SeifoSid]

that's a 5 star work for sure, like everything in it, how many sources did you use ?

[xjgd4321]

Wow awesome !great job.5*

[Kyena]

You really have your skin treatment down. I can easily tell your pieces about how you paint skin and folds. Really super cool :)

[Sanislov]

fantastic O_o

[mrccrl]

Amazing way to paint!!! The skin that became lava is very great....
Very good job!

[sadicus]

Beautiful color choice! You captured the feel of heat perfectly, i feel my soul burning just for looking at this.

[hanzen]

thats armageddon!

[berniebernie]

holy macaroni !

astounding art !

[AlperGONEN]

wow! absolutely cool!

[winson88cn]

amazing! 5*~

[ClarksonCG]

woooooow....excellent stuff.. a cool monster...the backgroud is concordant..
like the right hand
wish you success!!:)

[Ollarin]

Holy figs...Thats bloody amazing... I really thought it was 3D. Such a perfect painting!

:thumbsup:

[Rwolf]

Very Nice. Almost makes me want to model this.

[Muthauzem]

NO FREAKING WAY!!!

It's so amazing!!!

When I opened the image I realy thought it was 3D and you posted it in the wrong place...

For sure, you're one of the best..

Bye...

[ladokar]

professional no doubt. crazy way to provoke fear:twisted:

Welcom to Artists Directory (http://artistsdirectory.blogspot.com/) My Blog

[sanbalaji]

Thats awesome. I am speechless. 5 stars.

[Ranc0r]

haha WOW OMG so nice! absolutely brilliant

[kengsing]

:eek: :eek: :eek: wow! amazing, especially control of skin color

[jhasse]

great work of art, love the background and the skin very realisty. keep it up

[krisr]

Wow.....stunning. I think this is technically the best piece I've ever seen on this forum. You've done an amazing job capturing the fleshyness. Makes you want to touch it. Five stars for sure.

[Jadetiger]

This is one of the most creative character designs I've seen in a very long time. Love the "flesh cape" and the design of the hooves. The arm is quite unique too, but I'm unsure of what purpose it would serve. Bottom line though, amazing job. 5*

--edit
Holy crap, I just realized this was 2d! You get an extra star just for that buddy! *

[roaring23]

This drawing is so good that my drawing isn't done anymore... It just looks horrible next to yours. This is one of the most detailed pieces I've ever seen any you mastery over translucent materiels floors me.

no critique... except for maybe the lack of nipples... naw.

Ever considered taking an apprentice ? :)

[dasomen]

Simply Astonishing ! I love the atmosphere you archive. 5 stars !

[mail]

vrey Coool 5 stars !

[GatorNic]

Incredible color and skin! 5-stars from me! Great job! :love:

[nwiz25]

absolutely sensational! :scream::applause::applause::eek::eek:

totally dumbfounded! :bowdown:

5 amazing stars! :buttrock:

[onlooker]

That is some awesome Photoshop. I thought it was a Zbrush piece.

[ZhangYang84]

i like the concept,its skin feel so good.
congrats!

[Dennik]

It looks so good i feel tempted to ask if you used reference from the real thing!

It sure looks very freakish, which is a compliment of course. :)

[slickgreekgeo]

John, your artwork is nothing short of incredible. You're a pro when it comes to colors, composition, you name it. Stunning work; Incredibly detailed, with some amazing color choices. The skin tones are some of the best I've seen, and that 3D effect you have going on with the cape (where the sun shines through it) is a site to behold. 5 Stars well earned.

[irananimator]

Wooo5*ooow
Really nice job.
I like skin color.
Cheers :applause:

Hamed Katebi

[saint-max]

wooow man its the best well done and am still looking at it.............. u r so good in modeling

I must learn how to paint like you....

:scream:

all the best

[Defonten]

OMG... scary stuff I must say.. Tonns of respect to your technics man. Outstanding job. I thought it's in cgchoice already! Anyways you did great!

[AndyH]

Wow! Very cool!

The skin values are amazing, and i love that snakey lava hand thing!
Nice skin cape too.

:applause:

[Little_Buddha]

:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

this is not possible... your r incredible.

[TeroM]

Wow! Amazing picture :eek: 5*

[kazziu]

I must admit that the first time since i'm on cgtalk my jaw dropped.

[cgoz]

:buttrock:that piece rocked my world.

[atilla]

OMG :bounce: perfect details.Amazing work.

[unicorn48]

very good skin :) and love the lighting

[volcano]

:eek: wow top 1 incredible job congrat. 5 stars :buttrock:

[MVDB]

Are you sure this is 2D? :D

WOW! Beautiful piece! Very good looking skin. great details.

This will give you an award (I think). I'll give you two :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

massive impressive

[shinnokSK]

What can I say.. This is one of the best works that I saw in my whole life. Ultra awesome
:applause:

[plasteredcat]

Almost 3d vibe...! Great piece, amazing... :thumbsup:

[boxy]

Stunning. *****
Boxy

[DarkstaR1st]

WHAT THE ****.... i normally do not comment like this. BUT, figgin' awesome... I really REALLY like it. Thanks for that great image.

Dennis

[tiflos20]

This image is great for me! all perfect, and very good iluminated. fantastic!! 5 stars from me.

[CGTrader]

what can I say.. trully amazing! I comment only when I see something that stands out of the crowd, work that push the limits.. so this is it ;)

[Clearby]

great work. nice feeling. 5s

[PhuongDPh]

great image ! very interesting
I like the skin tone and anatomy ! 5 for you

[ted4ever]

WOW WOW WOW Absolutely stunning image!!!

Great work!!:buttrock::buttrock:

[dinodog-jr]

Crazy detailed image... Heavenly quality artwork.

Love the Lava-twin snake arms alot..

Pls provide for steps by steps to enlighten super-noob like me in the making.

I hope to slash this Monster in GOW 2.. haha..

[DingXun]

WOW! ! !cool ! ! ! Nice work 10 stars !! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I have nothing to say....Are you cray ?...

[DingXun]

Great work!!:thumbsup:

[Mu]

Hi,

So many people praised the rendering and it rocks indeed, but...

The storytelling is what really left me speechless, here.

I got sucked into that image like by a magnetic force, you are sort of disgusted by such a masterful display of pain and hate (that's what I "read"), but you can't help watching it and exploring every inch of that world.

I can practically see him tormenting every newcomer into this world with his snakewhip-arm (sick idea, man!) yelling accusations for his own ruined existence at him. If this was a cover for a graphic novel I would want to get all volumes.

Speaking composition, I find it intruiging how the horns, the diagonals of the flesh cape (ewww,... *is sick into the trash bin by the side of his desk*) and the spirals of the claw all direct you back into the image whenever you run the risk of leaving the canvas.
I was thinking this is iconic composition, but with a twist here and there, leaving the perfectly balanced principles of that composition method behind and replacing them with little twists which strongly support the agony of the character depicted.

Powerful storytelling. I am in awe.

[wolfbane]

Comon Dude...! U r almost snatching the jobs of us 3d cg artistes man.... Ur work is as good as 3D man... Its almost a perfect subsurface scattering example ... gr*t work simply love the skin :D ...

[APD-Jack]

What can i say? 5*

(I love the skinny cape :love:)

Congrats

Keep it that way

[seedo]

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

that is so great cool piece

:applause: :buttrock: :eek:

[selenaart]

Now that´s an art I haven´t seen in this site for a wile! BRAVO!:buttrock:
It´s absolutely gorgeous down to the very last pixel!

[thekapow]

i only have one thing to say.. it's amazing.. im like, paralysed..
this is so ****ing nice.. i love you work dude, im hoping that i might one day'll be able to draw and create art like you..:)
love it..

cheers

[wickedCHILD]

just,just photoshop?It's really incredible!!!:eek:

[kiboSVK]

hell lord with nice snakes nice idea and art amazing details:thumbsup:5*

[wickedCHILD]

it's great!
used only photoshop?GENIUS!

[Bell7]

Incredible concept, detail and skin colours, amazing lava effect. 5*

Just out of curiosity, how long did it take and do you have any wip shots?

[dxk123852]

:eek: :eek: :buttrock: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
woooooooooow~!!!
Great work!Great work I really love it ~!

[Spc]

Amazing work.
5 stars!
:applause:

[EyeForComplexity]

Totally cool...super amazing.

[J-K]

Hi everyone, I'm a little overwhelmed by the response, I didn't even realise it made it on to the front page until an hour or so ago (thanks for that). I'd just like to thank everyone that bothered to leave me a comment, your time is valuable and so it means a lot!

This is going to be a hefty reply and unfortunately I doubt I'll be able to answer all of you individually. I will do my best, though, and if I miss you out then please just know I am incredibly thankful!

CGFelker27: Hi, I actually have no idea how long this painting took because I've been working on it on and off for a few months. If you look at my portfolio you'll see a couple of images done for ImagineFX magazine called 'Triffidia', they took around 9 days so I hope that gives you an idea.

Intervain: Hey there Magdalena, I appreciate your comments, as usual! Made me laugh when I read that you don't usually like this kind of image - well that may be the case but I plan to convert you! Mwahaha :D

Ekah: Hey! Long time no speak.. how are you? Thanks a lot for your comments, I've appreciated your feedback for a long time now :)

Noodles2go: Haha, I'm glad you felt that, it was definitely my intention to make the image as creepy as possible. Ta..

GoldenRule: Hey, I have had a few people ask me if I'll be selling high detail posters but I haven't decided whether or not it's worth it. I will probably submit the painting for possible inclusion in a few books. Hopefully it makes it, if not then get back in touch with me and I'll try and sort a poster out.

Redha: Wow, I too hope Peter Jackson gets in touch with me - lol. Highly unlikely, but thanks again for your kind comments. I have been tempted to give this a go in ZBrush, which I absolutely love!

PMD: Hi Phil, glad you like the light and that's a wonderful compliment coming from yourself. You have some beautiful paintings.

GreenShellFactor: Hi there! The process changes from picture to picture. It depends entirely on circumstances and whether or not I have been commissioned. This one is a personal piece and started out as a sketch. I had the conceptual ideas and the colours down fairly early, they appealed to me and so I went ahead and began to refine it. Obviously I don't have a lot of space to go into great detail, but I can point you in the direction of ImagineFX magazine (they have lots of free tutorials for download, including some of my own). I've done a lot of work for them and you will find they have some very insightful tutorials from many other artists, too. Highly recommended!

SeifoSid: Hello, I had a folder full of snake photographs that I studied before attempting to paint them. I didn't use reference for anything else and I believe it probably worked out for the best in this case. I wanted to keep everything as coherent as possible which meant I couldn't source the too many of the elements, and besides, it's good practise to just go with the flow and see what you can come up with! Cheers :D

Kyena: Hey, appreciate your comments, as always!

Muthauzem: Heh, I might do a 3D version one day, although I reckon it'd take me too long to complete! Anyway, thanks :)

Krisr: That's a wonderful compliment, thank you so much.

JadeTiger: I am really glad you like the design! I had a vision of his arm being like molten lava and yet 'energy' at the same time. Being able to transform and move in any way possible, I think it would make an awesome weapon! Thank you, and all the best.

roaring23: Cheers, I am happy that you liked the subsurface scattering effects. I too often feel like my work isn't complete which is why I keep chipping away at it. I think it's probably a good thing in the long run, even if it does torment us! As for nipples.. well, I just thought they'd make him a bit er.. I dunno! :D Didn't feel right xD

Dennik: I've had a few dreams that might be responsible! Thanks :P

SlickGreekGeo: Hey George, your words mean a lot. It's incredible to get that kind of feedback and I really appreciate it so thanks for taking some time out to reply.

Defonten: Hope so! It would be nice..

AndyH: Hey Andy, how's it going? I can't believe how long it is since we last worked together. Time passes by so quickly! Anyhow, congrats on the fact Ballistic have embraced your characters, fully deserved and they look fantastic.

MVDB: Hi Michael, I won't deny it, it'd be nice :)

ShinnokSK: Wow! Cheers

DarkstaR1st: Well if that's the case, the privilege is all mine! ta

Shetonas: Haha, cheers man, I'm honored :D

Dinodog78: Yeah, it'd be cool to have a go at him in a video game, althought I'm not sure I'd fancy my chances! As for steps, I once again would like to point you in the direction of ImagineFX mag, there are plenty of steps on their website, all free too!

Mu: Firstly, allow me to thank you for really taking the time to write your reply. It's obvious that you have *really* looked at the image and gone past the superficial rendering which is an absolute joy for me. I am so pleased that you bothered to analyse it in the way that you have. I thought carefully about some of the compositional elements you so eloquently mentioned and my goal was to go for an iconic painting. I'm not sure if I have achieved that, but your words will leave a lasting impression on me! Thank you for your time and your response. All the best. :)

Wolfbane: Haha, until last year I worked mainly in 3D :D

Selenart: Cheers, that's a very kind comment!

TheKapow: Hey, there's nothing stopping you, just a bit of hard graft! I'm sure you'll achieve your goals as the passion is strong - Cheers!

Bell7: I think I pretty much answered your question further up and I'll be posting some detail shots in a sec! Ta

Right, now to apologise for the massive reply and to underline my gratitude once again!

All the best,

John

[J-K]

Hey, just thought I'd add a few detail shots for anyone that's interested!

http://www.j-k.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Temp/The_Fallen_JK_CA_Detail_01.jpg

http://www.j-k.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Temp/The_Fallen_JK_CA_Detail_02.jpg

[gaiXyn]

the way the skin wraps back into the horns is what really got me...I thought to myself, "he must of been born with horns then, for the skin to be attached like that"...as appose to them growing out afterwards.....and that's saying if he was "born" in that sense at all :eek: .....everything else I wonna say ( the skin, lighting, anatomy ) has already been said better than I can explain.....but I'll say this.....you are one of the best artist I've seen on CGTalk. Thanks for sharing.....

ltr-

[MoonVisionStudio]

WOW! Superb detailing, textures and technique. Awesome character to boot. The lighting is incredible... the only thing that could possibly be improved on is the story telling. Magnificent image overall.

[PavelPetrenko]

Amazing work! :thumbsup:

[STANER]

Amazing work! :thumbsup:

I totally agree with you, its really Amazinng piece of art.
At first i was thinking that this must be a 3D work.

[loocas]

Man I love it!

It looks very 3d-ish, which is awesome for a 2D painting! Double the :buttrock: :buttrock:

I can't think of anything to crit, it's really cool!

http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/rating/rating_5.gif from me man! :thumbsup:

[ikuru]

not my cup this one, but well rendered lava I guess.

[ChewyPixels]

Now THIS is definitely front page worthy! :bowdown: I was wondering when this would show up here. :D

I'm particularly super-impressed with the subsurface scattering effect on the skin and the glowing, molten-lava limbs. A scene straight from hell! :twisted:

For me this is one of the more fantastic images appearing here in a long while. Congrats! :thumbsup:

[Djampa]

Wow man... congratulations ! This one is outstanding !
I just loved it, great in all aspects ! Not only I can't find anything to critic here but can't find how to enlist all the good things you achieved with this piece here.

This is a 5 stars and over for you with this one !

Oh my... More I dig the artwork more I find curious and interesting things.

:applause: :applause: :applause: :bowdown:

No more comments here... I usually don't get "that" impressed.

I have a similar concept and artwork in progress that I can't see the time to take it down, you inspired me to keep that till the end :) Thanks, see you

[andreasrocha]

John, u da man!

[NatriX]

sick man...
probably the best 2d-painting I've ever seen, congrats!

[Ancient-Pig]

Gorgeous work!

My favorite part is the flesh cape :)

[pimeto]

amazing detail and colors.
astonishing knowledge of lightning...
perfect work!

[shattered-fx]

S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G. !

T.H.E B.E.S.T 2.D. I.V.E E.V.E.R S.E.E.N. !

5000 S.T.A.R.S. F.R.O.M. M.E. !


thanks for sharing,

-raffy

my EON entry

The Mercenary

[XTitan]

Brilliant work, extremely inspirational, there's nothing more I can say that hasn't been said already. Thank you for sharing your work with us!

[ha-dou-ken]

Yeah....I don't have anything particularly useful to add...just wow. I wonder how many layers you used though.:eek: You are an inspiration to everyone here. I know you are to me.

[grillosh]

oh my GOD! VERY VERY Beautifull! :applause::applause::applause:

[angel]

Really great work. When I saw it on the front page I thought it was 3d. Congrats!:thumbsup:

[gu]

Incredible illustration!! I like the skin tones you do, not just on this work but every you do.

congratulations!

[waheednasir]

brilliant job John...:thumbsup:...congratulations.

[CLONEOPS]

Cgsociety has to come up with another award for this kind of stuff.The Titanium or something.
This just rates way up into the stratospheric range.
truly gobbsmacking stuff.

You must have just pissed off every budding 2d artist in existance,thank god I can't draw.:)

[Zephyri]

Just stunning... an absolute inspiration, John, you really are! And where the hell is your CGChoice award?

[tlggungor]

Fantastic work...Awesome...and good sss shader

[trence5]

HOLY SH!+ !! that is scary, yet AWESOME work

[SulaMoon]

Amazing work once again ^^

[MrPositive]

That could be the coolest 2D painting I've seen on here, and I've seen alot.

[vlad74]

When I saw the image I knew it was you - the guy who painted the cover of one of the ImagineFX.

Your piece is one of the best painting Ive ever seen on this forum. And you know it too.

And again - you a Master.

[Kid-Mesh]

Just stating the obvious for historical purposes at this point.


Incredible...everything else has been said.

[Brian Whitmire]

Holy crap.....................

[buddythedesigner]

Awesome piece of work, what I dislike is that the tentacle arm is behind left knee, I just found it weird. Nice rendering and details, 5*!

[maurocor]

Amazing work! I love it! The colors are just incrible! Congratulations!:thumbsup:

[paien]

The details are absolutely amazing, you left no pixel unturned. I'm especially taken with upturned claws and the snakes.

[Ivy00]

wow 100% amazing, I am speechless

[elgibery]

good man painting color lighting

[ashrass99]

Oustanding work done in photoshop. I really like the face and neck part. Very hard work done in that area. Cool Man !!! 5 stars.

[Nicoloff77]

Whaooo ! So wonderfull ! A so great work deserves five stars. I love all in this compo ! Again, aa very hard nice work...

[michael-olszak]

cool piece man. this looks like like a 3d scene man. very nicely done.

[degerardo]

:bowdown: friend, all my respect`s

- colour palette!
- style!
- idea!
- feeling!
- EVERYTHING!!! etc.

5***** for this great work! :applause: :applause: :applause:

[sameergadve]

:twisted: :scream: :D :applause: :thumbsup: :eek: AWESOME dude...John Kearney thanx for sharing this...

[Digitalism]

very good work! cool style

[samisan333]

wooooooooooooooooow. ...... increadible
u r great man
coooooooooool......:)

[exigolight]

wel, i have no words to say. brilliant is not enough.

keep it up.

[Cral]

awesome work :bowdown:

I want a poster of it :eek: :D

[Ihab]

Man you r the best . u realy did a greeeeaaat job :applause:

Bravo,

[shy-guy]

My god,its being a long time since i post a comment in the gallery but this is outstanding... i was literally speechless when i saw the whole image. Congrats, you have too much talent.:)

[vivien82]

oh my god!!! This is absolutely amazing! How long did this take you? This is so good that I don't even know what to say! i'm going to shut up and stare at your painting now..

[siamakcgm]

very good! this is the best creature i have scene ! amazing !!! you are good !******************************************************
:eek:

[caveman2005]

to be continue???

[JLipscomb]

I don't scare too easily, but after staring at this for about 10 minutes, I'm going to go hide under my bed. Amazing work.

[yolk]

! I like . .. photo shop . haha good ! :thumbsup:

[phillip74]

Awsome job man, I especially like the fire snakes.

[ArturA]

Suuuuuper! Work has very much liked! Deserves the award!

[vANON]

very(!) inspiring piece. you've got a new fan ;)

[Jassar]

Simply great! great skin... almost like a 3D image..

Cheers!

[ArneK]

I'm joining the choir of praise here: Absolutely amazing work! The attention to detail, design, composition and pure craftmanship is very inspiring to see. The lightflow on the skin and how you've managed to simulate subsurface scattering just using brushes in Photoshop is truly great. No wonder this image has taken a long time to finish :)

[canavar]

very very good. awesome man! we want to see sketchs and early time versions :deal: :scream:

[JPGargoyle]

FANTASTIC! *****

Man, I wouldn't like to be on your shoes when you're having a nightmare :P LOL

I also thought at first look that this was 3D with SSS.
Awesome.

Best regards.

[dimitrios_c]

WOW, I love the molten lava arm, it takes the image to a whole new level. :applause:

[RalphDamiani]

This texture work is one of the best I've ever seen. Seriously! I can't find a single flaw from the creative concept, to the lighting, shading, background. Everything screams quality. 5 stars!

[RomanS]

WOW
No idea why you have 4 stars on this piece.
This is a 5

[Geser]

Really great work! 5 stars from me

[jerry4DD]

:thumbsup: Wow, that is scary as heck, but for all the right reasons. The skin is just fantastic!

[Dianae]

It's the most amazing painting I've ever seen, the lighting, composition, colours and volume are simply PERFECT!
It deserves much more than 4 stars (and even more than 5)
Excellent work, this is now my favourite artwork ever :)

[StefanStavrev]

Definetly one of my favourite digital paintings ... :thumbsup:

[Orbits]

I Love This

Very Good Stuff

[infinitebuzz]

its amazing man..... wow...... keep rocking........

[v2vishal]

Great piece of work.

[a1ph0r]

Just stunning :eek: !

[NAKOOT]

very very nice & terrific ...
http://foolstown.com/sm/shrk.gif

[PascalR]

Very impressive and inspiring work.


Well done!

Cheers

P.

[MIKECORRIERO]

Beautiful work John but you already know what I think of your stuff ;)
Congrats on the front page feature.

Mike C -

[Jerusha]

What an absolutely formidable piece! Your detail is staggering and dynamic. Your work continues to blow me away. Please keep up the posts!

[no-fear]

owwww thats great image :scream: :scream:

creature translucency perfect

[selimcobanoglu]

This is a rare image that deserves 5 stars. :thumbsup: Congratulations! One of the best I have seen.:bounce:

[AnimAmaker]

It's such an impressive picture. one, which I could just look at for many minutes.
5!

[Mephisto03]

Thats Amazing! If I could ever make the movie I have in mind, i'd love to have my Satan as evil and dynamic as this. Its pure evil! 5 Stars!

[gangus]

Hi John

First, let me say excellent work and congrats on the best of gallery. well deserved

I absolutely love the lighting on the underside of your subject's legs -cast up from the flaming embered whip. Can I ask- do you do lighting studies with any 3D programs to help guide you with this- cause it is just brilliant. I'll use low poly models now and again to get a general idea that I find helps, but the lighting in this piece is simply top shelf (right next to the peanut butter)

I also love the way that you render skin- it is so translucent and glossy- you have even painted in some subsurface scattering from the light shining through the thinner areas.
Very cool!

If I could make one minute crit about this piece (despite the fact that it is truly 5 stars all the way) Is that he seems a bit rigid in his pose- more in the upper half of his figure. The legs and everything have a nice flow to it, but he is flexing with a level of tightness that makes him feel like he is posing in the mirror after doing a few sets of ten reps with some weights. Having his whip come in along held tight to his side and then wrapping around the leg farthest from us tends to flatten his figure a bit as well.
Now please don't think that I am nitpicking- really it is a masterful piece- I just thought I would try and give you something to take away from this for the next painting you do.

Respectfully,
Gangus

[ekah]

Ekah: Hey! Long time no speak.. how are you? Thanks a lot for your comments, I've appreciated your feedback for a long time now :)

I'm doing well although not as productive as yourself. :D Hey, you're welcome. Another well-deserved entry in the Choice Award Gallery. :)

Time for some crit now that I've had some time to digest your superb painting skill. I want to echo Gangus' comment about the pose. It's a bit like a karate stance at the moment. I think it would have been much more effective if you had pushed the pose to one extreme - either cringing/clutching or in a more fluid action. However, these are just minor crits. The shading alone cancels out any criticism I may have. :)

Will look forward to seeing more from you.

Regards,

Anna

[dabarltrop]

This image is awesome, it's one of the best things I've seen to date. Looking at it my first impression is the strength of your forms, proportions, skin complexion, etc. are stunning. I would have to render a 3D model to guide me for something like this. I like the sense of an old master in the pallette and setting too.

I have one question though: Was the choice to make this creature, seemingly male, but without visible genitalia, a deliberate and conscious one? And, if so, why?

[Golden Rule]

I think this is an iconic stance, there is a lot of symbolism and hints of things that are to come. Another pose would have been too obvious imho, it would have made it more like an action piece, and I don’t think that is what this is at all. It looks to me like his hand is beckoning evil spirits. A traditional masterpiece for sure!

[J-K]

Hi, thanks to everyone that has continued to post, any feedback is greatly appreciated. I notice there have been a lot more questions and comments so I shall once again do my best to answer them!

Binder: That's a wonderful compliment, thank you.

Djampa: Hey, how are you? :D Thanks for posting, I appreciate your kind comments! I am glad that you have decided to see your project through to the end, hopefully I will get to see the results when you're finished. Will you be displaying the final painting in your portfolio?

Andreasrocha: Hey Andreas, cheers. Love your latest work, btw :)

Ha-Dou-Ken: Hi Isaias, I used quite a few layers, but I regularly collapsed most of them (once pleased with the results). I did keep some layers separate, though, the snakes remained on a separate layer so that I could easily paint behind them in order to keep the continuity. Thank you for your question and your compliments!

WaheedNasir: Hey! Long time no speak and my God your digital painting skills have improved! There's no substitute for a traditional eye, eh? :D Cheers

Cloneops: lol, funny post Christopher, ta for the message :)

Zephyri: God Sam, you're making me blush - haha. Anyhow, I got an award - woo! All your doing? I reckon so ;)

Vlad74: Hey Vladimir, I am glad you recognised me as the same artist. Thanks a lot for your complimentary post!

Cral: A few people have asked the same thing, I might look into making posters available on my site sometime soon. I'll have to look into it - cheers.

Shy-guy: Nice of you to post with such a kind message, cheers.

Vivien82: Hi, I'm really not too sure how long it took me to complete as my time spent working on it was scattered between various other projects. Thanks

Caveman2005: lol, you want a painting of the opposing force, I presume? I do have a few ideas in mind, so you never know :D

ArneK: Thank you for taking the time to post such a kind message.

JPGargoyle: Haha, yeah well I'm not too keen on my nightmares either, they are definitely a good source of inspiration though (if I manage to remember them - grr!)

Dianae: Diane, I have no idea what to say to your message, I'm simply gobsmacked, a little embarrassed and definitely overwhelmed! Thank you.

MikeCorriero: Cheers Mike, appreciated :)

Gangus: Hey Glen, thanks for the comprehensive post. To answer your question, I didn't use 3D to help me work out the lighting. For that to be useful, I would probably have had to build the scene in 3D which for me, kind of defeats the object of doing it in 2D. I choose not to mix the two in that way when doing personal work because the enjoyment and challenge is to try and work it out without direct reference. The lighting is pretty inaccurate, I just used artistic license to manipulate it in a way that worked for the elements within the painting. Hope that answers your question!

As for your suggestions, I completely understand where you're coming from and I think you make some valid points (especially the lava arm going beyond the far leg). However, I do think a different pose would have made it dynamic in a way that I didn't want for this particular painting. Maybe it would have been possible to make it look a little less rigid and yet maintain a fairly stationary pose. Anyhow, really appreciate your feedback and I'd like to thank you once again for your kind words. :D

Ekah: Glad to read you're doing well and thank you for taking the time to offer some crits. As I said to Glen, I do understand the points made regarding the pose but my intentions were to stay away from the action pose. Perhaps I could have done it in a slightly different way, though! All the best and thanks for replying again.

Thank you to anyone else that I missed out :)

Cheers,

John

[ekah]

I change my mind about what I said earlier. :hmm: Gabrielle/"Golden Rule" actually makes a valid point about the pose. Perhaps a different pose would make it too much of a cliché that we sometimes expect from such a subject matter.

Anyhow, I should stop hanging around this thread and get back to my own work. :D Keep up the great work.

Cheers,

Anna

[nolxev]

It's perfect, very impressive :eek:

[JackieGriffiths]

Wow, it looks so real! Is it real?

My only criticism is that perhaps it’s a bit too orange - only a bit. It makes it look a bit too futuristic.

On the whole though, great work. I love they way you attacked it with the full 3 prongs (imagination, technique and style).

Anyway, that’s enough from me. I’m off to steal a slice of Dave my husbands pizza before he sees me and scolds me (he can be a real wildman when I steal his pizza.)

[Dianae]

A very well deserved award! I was waiting to see if you would get one or not (it would have been a shame if you had not get one!) :D Congrats!

[elDon]

:thumbsup: very impressing, these realistic colours, at least realistic colours in the sense of a selfpainted, out of sphere, picture. this lightening belch, nice.

but how do you do this? if i try to do so, i have only a comic like style. where do you get this colours?

[jamwae]

That's very nice. The skin especially looks great and adds a real eery quality to the creature. It reminds me of Del Toro's characters, the colonel in Hell Boy and the Baby Eater in Pan's Labyrinth.

Love it.

[mossyoak]

Thats scarier than my sister in the morning! Great work :)

[tsukasaxen]

I love your work,awesome...great mode and lighting composition.nice concept.***** 5 stars.

[MartinPh]

Absolutely breathtaking! Nice challenge to the 3d industry, to come up with a renderer that does such excellent skin! I cannot begin to imagine how somebody can be able to make work like this, but I'm glad you can and grateful for being allowed to enjoy it!

[spasticlizard]

Wow ... just, WOW!:bounce:

[JTLowe]

What can I say that hasn't been said! This is just ausome! :thumbsup:

[djani]

Good work, very good, effects like in movie, but that is 2D, no problem, just continue like this

[Darkside25]

well well, perfect? all my respect!!!

cheers

[willfu]

amazing work :) , although it is depressing as it is too good :|

[Hamlet-ID]

fantastyc ilumination, and fantastyc textures

[b1ggyfry]

insane!! love the skin cape, and arm thingy

[romeo20209]

great work

[pabloarau]

You're a genious, man! Amazing paint! It's realy hard to find words.
Cheers!

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