New Project - Forest Matte

[Suirebit]

sketch looks good...can't say much so far, post more :)

[JJASSO]

it would be nice if you post all you WIP Images, show a frame from the actual footage too so we all can see what you come up with . :)

[nickmarshallvfx]

Hi Jaime - Yea i will definitely post some WIPS as I go. I've got another concept for this shot that Im doing at the moment to give the guy some options, but ill post that too along with WIPs from the real matte.
I should be able to post up the complete shot when its done, or if not then I will be able to when he releases the finished project in November (I think). I have no idea what the rest of the film will look like, I've only been drafted in last minute to do 2 mattes, but im using it as an oportunity to push myself as its the first time Ive had the opportunity to see my work composited into an actual shot.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Nick

[nickmarshallvfx]

Ok, so here is the second sketch on the Forest theme. I went more towards a fantasy type of landscape on this one, so he can decide whether he prefers the more realistic or more fantasy based concept and then i can start on the final matte.

Again, comments much appreciated!

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/9681213/270956433.jpg

Nick

[nickmarshallvfx]

Well, its been decided that the second sketch was more in the area they were looking for, so that is the one I will continue with. Some small changes will be made for the final matte, like getting rid of the waterfalls and possibly some changes to the sky, but other than that, it should stay as it is now.

Anyway, I just got started on the actual matte, so as promised, here is my first WIP pic:
http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/271412937.jpg


Obviously not got far yet, just the distant mountains and valley floor, and the FG mountains will need the most work to look photoreal I think, but its a start.

As always, your c + c is much appreciated!!

Nick

[RQuack]

Yeah, I think the 2nd was a stronger peice. Good luck with it!

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thanks RQuack, I appreciate that. Ill post up some more WIP's as I move forward with it.

Nick

[nickmarshallvfx]

Not got too far, having some difficulty getting my photo ref to work with me, but here is where I am at the end of the night. Need some sleep now :)

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/271522113.jpg


C+C appreciated!

Thanks

Nick

[Suirebit]

haze is too gray and the hiil looks too flat imo, bring in some shadows and highlights on it and also color , maybe some cyan shadows and/or yellow highs :)

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thanks Suirebit.

Im having to be careful with shadows and try and suggest form with my highlights, because the sun was right behind camera when the footage was shot (awkwardly). Its proving quite difficult to get eveything looking three dimensional with such an unforgiving lighting situation, but im trying to work around that as best I can. When I add in the cliffs to the mountains again it should help to show form, but ill try some other things too.
With the haze, do you suggest more blue, or...?

Here is a small update. Not much more to show at present coz ive been busy with lots of stuff, but should have lots more progress soon:


http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/273660939.jpg


C + C still welcome. Im taking all comments very seriously, and its much appreciated.

Nick

[nickmarshallvfx]

Went back and worked on the saturation of the distant hills. Need to work some shadow back into the one in the middle now to give it some more variation and believability.
Been working on the clouds today. Still need to do some corrections on them, but they're nearly done now so Im gonna get stuck in to these foreground hills now :)

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/275159083.jpg

Comments welcome as always :)

Nick

[JJASSO]

t is looking good but I thing there's one big issue with this image, in the edge of the hills you have one specific pine shape that is very recognizable, eventhough the trees in the whole hill does not belong to that shape, it looks really weird to me, I think definitely those hills will look better and more beliavable if you leave the round shaped trees in the edge

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thanks Jaime

Your comment about the tree line is dead right. There is a lot of work to be done there yet to make the shape of the trees fit with the tree lines. When I imported the tree texture into PS, to get it into roughly the right size, I masked it to the shape of the hill in the concept, but of course my custom brush that I used for the concept was a pine tree and it turns out that the trees i am using will be completely different, so i will have to do a lot of work there. I think I will make the tree line similar to how Chris Stoskis looks in his palace painting on his 1st gnomon dvd.
Im going to try and get some dimension into the middle mountain next, and then after that I will attack those tree edges and see if I can get that looking realistic. Scale will of couse come into play a lot then too because of the relationship in tree size between the right mountain and the left mountain, so ill have to be careful with sizing.

Appreciate the comments. Ill try and update hopefully tomorrow with some progress on your point.

Thanks mate

Nick

[Inlakechh]

Looking cool so far.

I agree with Suirebit that you need to modulate the hills with light and shadows and some more detailed depth values. How about adding some variation into the wood with rocks that stick out and some spaces without any trees ? And ah yes the pine shape at the edges ... keep it up :)

[nickmarshallvfx]

Thanks Marco, appreciate the comments :)

In the next few days I hope to have this matte wrapped up. I am going to add back in the rocks that were in the sketch, that should help to break up the trees somewhat. Also, I will do as you mentioned with light and shadow to show more interesting form. I will have to be very subtle with this, as the scene is completely front lit, so too much variation will throw off the lighting, but I agree it needs something. Those tree lines will come next too. I painted in some tree line into the distant mountain there, and im pretty happy with how that turned out, so hopefully it will help the other mountains too.

Here is a small update. More to come soon.

http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/276140049.jpg


Thanks again!


Nick

[nickmarshallvfx]

Another small update:


http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/8478362/276872783.jpg

Smaller update than I had hoped, but i did another quick matte painting the other day for another shot in the same project. It was only a quick sky replacement, so it wasn't difficult, and i came back to this with fresh eyes, so its all good http://www.mattepainting.org/forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
Still lots more to do obviously. Started to work on those tree lines with the help of Vue. Started playing with the cliff faces again too, jsut because ive been dying to put them back in ever since i covered them up in the concept with the photo ref.
Of course, the more i refine some areas, the more i notice that other areas are beginning to look painterly again. Oh well, im sure at some point ill say 'stop!' and call it done. Long way to go yet though!

Cheers!

Nick

[Rockhoppermedia]

How did you integrate the rocks into the trees, I can never quite work out how to do that?


Plus it is looking good

Rich

[nickmarshallvfx]

Hi Rich

Well, my only avice would be to take a look at references to get in mind the right colours and the shapes / ways that real cliffs show through trees. I always start with a sketch, coz then you know that you have worked the colours out before you bring in the photos. Then its just colour correcting the photos to match your sketch. Simple really, just takes time to get it looking right :)
Im still not happy with these right now. There are some things that keep popping up in references that I want to try and paint into my matte manually to add some extra realism, and really set the cliffs in there.
Lots and lots of painting to do...

Nick

[RQuack]

Nick- It's looking good! Like you said, spend a little more time with the cliff sides. Like what you did with the river, more overlapping trees will help that set in better. And maybe a little more separating the pines on the right mountain away from the rest of the vegetation texture. Nice work. :)

[Rockhoppermedia]

Cheers nick for the sage advice,

I am having a go now

rich

[Suirebit]

How did you integrate the rocks into the trees, I can never quite work out how to do that?


Plus it is looking good

Rich

Watch dylan cole's tropical dvd to find out how ;)

[Rockhoppermedia]

I dont have a credit card and have no way of ordering the gnomon dvds. I really really want a set. But until I have finished suing my bank I cant get hold of a set.

Cheers Rich

Broke

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