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View Full Version : Kids v. Trolls process and colors

walrus
05-31-2007, 07:26 AM
Hey, all. I know, long time no post. But that's what happens when you have a baby boy (or a girl, for that matter, 'though I've never had one of those so I couldn't say for sure.) But lots of time on spit-up and diaper patrol, not a ton of time to finish anything but rough sketches... unless I smeak it in after midnight, as I am tonight/this morning!

So I've been working on this peice for months now. I posted roughs earlier in the Sketchbook section, but now it's graduated to half-finished illustration, and I thought I'd show where it is (and get some opinions on colors.)

Here's the initial rough, cobbled together from lots of sketches and Photoshop over-scribbling:

http://www.drawingboard.org/blogs/uploads/w/walrus/1802.jpg

Then I made finished line art:

http://www.drawingboard.org/blogs/uploads/w/walrus/1848.jpg

Next, in Photoshop, I did a greyscale image paintover... but not a value study... More like a sighting pass for a 3D render. I even did a second layer of a lightingg pass froma second light source, the staff:

http://www.michaeldashow.com/forum_art/coupleGreyscale09.jpg

Here's how I layer the layers in Photoshop to get an easily modifyable color comp: I separate the shadows from the above image out into a different layer from the hilights so that I can change their colors seperately. I have a depth layer, and a magic layer (also posted above.) Add in dozens of layers for the colors of everything else in the scene and you get this:

http://www.michaeldashow.com/forum_art/CoupleColorTests01.jpg

And here are the color comps I'm trying to decide between:

http://www.drawingboard.org/blogs/uploads/w/walrus/1967.jpg

(Never mind about the rest of the numbers. They didn't work out.)

So... any thoughts as to which colors you like?

Thanks just for reading this far! :)

-mike
FRENZIEDmind
05-31-2007, 07:38 AM
Oooo cool piece man! I like the character designing and composition. Nice to see all the WIPs images!

As far as color preference, I like #5. I think the opposite color scheme (complimentary) going helps the colors look brighter (the green light with the browns, reds and purples.

If with #7, you were to contrast that blue light with opposite colors like browns and oranges, I think it would look neat as well.

#8 & 9 look neat, but the color scheme isn't that exciting or captivating (the analogous coloring doesn't seem to work with the contextual content... a high anxiety situation).
Byren
05-31-2007, 11:43 AM
Hmm, to me #5 looks the most interesting. I suppose the green and purple seem more 'magical' to me than the other colour combinations.

Great job man, it's looking great!
LothIssen
05-31-2007, 05:40 PM
thats a great technique, layering all the lighing effects like that. Love your style too. I agree with byren, no.5 looks the best to me too. the green highlights seem to sand out so much more on that one, makes the others look a little flat.
Feyd-Rautha
05-31-2007, 07:50 PM
Cool image! Very nice line work.

I'm kinda torn between 5 and 7 as far as the color scheme.

The thing that really jumped out at me though as far as the image as a whole is the girl's pose. Specifically the legs.
I think the thing that is throwing me off the most is the fact that it looks like the ground is tilted toward the viewer based on the position of the monsters and the feet of the characters look like they are standing on ground that is tilted away from the viewer. As if the viewer is closer to the ground when looking at the characters, but higher when viewing the monsters. Hope that makes sense..

EDIT: comparing the rough line art with the final line art it looks like you pretty much corrected it with the boy, but maybe not quite with the girl. Her left leg is what stands out most to me.
Alabaster
05-31-2007, 10:49 PM
Definitely 5! 6 isn't bad either but 7 and 8 are both more monochromatic (greenish) than the rest.

I really enjoyed seeing how you broke down your process.
Vahn
06-01-2007, 10:24 AM
hehe cool. very systematical build up as always walrus :D

I like the composition and the detail. :thumbsup:

None of the color comps appeal to me tough... I like the colors in the second to last wip before you introduced the magic color. Another thing that works for me is the one with only the light from the staff..much more dramatic lighting with that as mainlight.
JTD
06-01-2007, 03:04 PM
I've always associated magic with a kind of blue aura so I'm with #7 so far. Always loved your work though. Your stylistic characterizations appeal to me and your compositions are usually humorous. Great job on this one and thanks again for the step-though! I'll be following this thread.
walrus
06-02-2007, 12:45 AM
Thanks for the feedback, folks!

FRENZIEDmind - I tired some warmer background tones and wasn't happy with the results. It didn't look as appropriately darka nd creepy-ish as the cooler backgrouns, which is why these are all along that path. (that's where some of the missing numbers, 1-4 and 6, disapperared to.) And really good point about the more analagous coloring on the later ones.

Feyd-Rautha - Thanks for pointing that out, I see exactly what you mean.

And thanks to everyone else who chimed in with an opinion... still can't decide, myself, though it's between #5 and #7 at this point. Oh well, maybe I'll make up my mind some day! :)
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