Strange Behavior (Illustration) Entry: Mats Minnhagen

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188119290_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188119290_large.jpg)

Hi everyone, this is the first concept for my strange behavior painting. I had this idea of painting giant soaring fishes that are being used for cargo transport though the sky between vertical oriental cities. In a world where floating fishes and sky-high marketplaces are completely normal, the "strange behaviour" comes through one rebellious fish's refusal to do what's expected of him. He's trying to get away and crashes into one of the houses, tearing down wooden bridges and market stands.

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188119949_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188119949_large.jpg)

Ok, I know you're supposed to submit these entries one at a time and wait for feedback, but I've already done most of the painting. I was offline and inspired, and thought it best just to carry on. Feedback is still very welcome!
This is the "lineart" stage. I didn't really do any lineart, but I did mask out all the major elements, and might as well show that instead.

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188120483_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188120483_large.jpg)

I wouldn't call this lineart, but there seems to be no category for coloring WIP:s.
I've started detailing the house fronts and the fish. The city should be bustling with life.

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188121104_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1188121104_large.jpg)

This is as far as I've actually come at this point. The painting is almost finished, but I want to let it rest a while before I submit the final version. I'm pretty happy with it, but I've done everything in a stretch and can't trust my own judgement anymore. If it's still good in a few days, I'll call it finished.
Any feedback is welcome!

[Ferx]

Mats, that is a cool painting! great work man!! I´m very imppresed and like a lot your illustration, nice!!:thumbsup: I think, perhaps a more people on the dock, I feel a bit empty city and cargo dock, only a comment:) . Again great work!! :beer:

[Minnhagen]

Thanks a lot Ferx! I think you're right, needs more people. I'll definitively add some.

[Zork]

very very good concept, I like it. I'm waiting for more. :)

[krrrk]

wow mats

that looks good
nice piece, reminds me stylewise of the research stuff myiazaki did for "howl's moving castle"
like the style
i agree with the fact that it needs more people in the streets/on the docks
a bit more chaos, people running off scared, or something like that
good luck
waiting for more:thumbsup:

[Shinji]

Wow
Good idea. You have many time for add more detail.

[Noisetank]

I love it, the main fish looks desperate to escape. I have no critisism at this point looking forward to the next image.

[MrFreeman]

:applause: Great work Mats

One of my favourites - love the composition and crazy idea.

Looking forward to seeing the final Version :thumbsup:

[MDN67]

Wonderful pic with many incredibles details, good joob, really

[olipaf]

wow! great job on that one...don't why but fish wandering through a city has always a great appeal to me...the imagery is quite powerfull...and this one more so...
cheers to you.

[OKMER]

wowww,great indeed!NO crits from me!absolutely strange atmosphere man!Looking forward to your final.Cheers!

[MatejaPetkovic]

I agree with them, excellent work. I saw your portfolio, great stuff.

Cheers

M

[ashiataka]

Hi, Concept is so fantastic. Watching the progress will be cheerfull. The perspective is very well done. Colours are so good for the concept and I'm sure it will amazed us when it'll finished. Have fun and good luck! Cheers!

[guero]

Hi Minnhagen. This is also one of my favorite images, but let me drop my 2 cents.

You feel like the image is finished but from my point of view it seems like a really good sketch. I think it needs lot more detail, but there's a catch your image has such a unique look and feel extra detail might destroy that feel. Let me try to break it down.



Overall - someone already mentioned that it needs more people. The image feels claustrophobic but at the same time empty because nobody is there



Foreground - definitely needs more detail, even though the image feels space more depth wouldn't hurt. Detail is one of those things that will help to separate each area. Focus on the foreground character('s), also the bridge needs lot more detail. Fruit display on the right side of the hanging bridge seems out of proportion or maybe those vases make it seem so. The fruit deserves more detail as well just to distinguish what it is.



Middle ground - Crazy fish is the focus point, even it looks great more detail wouldn’t hurt. The eye of the fish is too loose, so as fishes fins give them some translucency. Everyone is asking for more people but now that I’m looking I see them but since they are nothing more than a silhouette and in the shadow underneath the fish holding it down by ropes it was impossible to find them. Proper definition of light will fix it but I’ll get to it later. Also include a riders on top of those fishes someone must steer them like a airship. Ask yourself what would the riders do in a situation when fish gets out of control. Do they stun the fish, use magic, throw harpoons with a line at the nearest object to stop the fish?

Left side - i see 1 woman on the balcony, add more people lurking from the inside of the window. There is huge commotion people would be interested but cautious at the same time. Have them stick their heads out of the windows, gasping in horror and anger. Don't make those people amazed at the event since this is their daily life. Also add detail to the ladders and the like they are all free hand drawn. If you intensify the lighting from the inside of the rooms it will give you nice opportunity to set a new light source which you can use to add detail.

Right Side - Detail, detail, detail, without close look I didn't notice that the fish is rubbing against the walkways, ladders and balconies. The overlook was also due to amazement with the fish itself. If you add the detail more debris and more defined lighting everything will fall nicely in place. Now I notice falling people, people trapped in the ropes and the like but since it is so loose i didn't notice it before, this is good and bad. Good because it always give the observer something new but bad because it's so loose. The first fish is attached to the middle one by a rope which leads into nowhere, again detail.

Got to go, i'll finish my comments tommorow

C-ya

[Nickillus]

Wow!!
First time I've glimpsed this and it's outstandingly good. Lovely work.

[NinjaA55N]

U gave me goose bumps when I first saw this image. Its monsterous, spectacular, full of power. I didnt jump into details and start looking for mistakes coz as a whole it works very well. Maybe later ;) Hope to see final image soon!

[dondixon]

WOW man! this is totally cool! I love it.


D

[Minnhagen]

A great thanks to everybody who commented so far! It's fantastic to get such response to what you do and it really encourages and motivates me to carry on with this painting. A few days have passed now since I worked on it so it's time to look at it again with fresh eyes...

Several of you have thought that it needs more people. I definitively agree with that now, it's supposed to be a lively city but for all its detail it's still strangely empty. I did put in some people on the walkways and in the windows, but I made them only as silouettes, not wanting them to draw to much attention. I'll reconsider that.

There's at this point three things in the picture that bother me. First is the level of detail. As guero pointed out (thanks for taking the time Derek, much appreciated!) the rendering is still pretty sketchy. I guess I'm aiming for the rendering style where you hint detail rather than paint it. But that's a tricky balance to find - I don't want to leave the painting looking unfinished, but neither do I want to overdo the detail and make the image stiff and crammed. I'm thinking the foreground needs more detail, maybe another character, and from there I'll just have to feel my way.

Second thing is the dynamics of the image. The problem is that it's peaceful and chaotic at the same time. The mood is tranquil, the caravan of fish slowly floating though the air. Then one of them crashes into the house, but he's not moving very fast, he's slowly scraping the side the way a wayward balloon might have. Yet it causes chaos, panic and destruction. Is the mood peaceful or is it chaotic? It's contradicting and confusing, and I don't really know what to do about it (guess I should have thought about it a little earlier). If anybody has a good idea, I'd be greatful!

The third thing is the colours, and that's a part of the above. I'm not happy with the colours as they are now, it's a little to much brownish grey. But I'll have to decide on which mood I'm going for before I start repainting. Bright, happy colours that speed things up or solemn moody colours that make the city feel age-old and epic and the fish caravan part of the Order of Things? Which approach would be more in line with the challenge theme? The strangeness comes from the fish itself (first approach) but it also, more subtly, comes from fish's refusal to get in the line of perfectly normal floating fish in a perfectly normal vertical oriental city (second approach).

Anyway, I hope to get some time to ponder upon this in the weekend. I'll be back soon. Thanks again everybody!

[imperioli]

Cool... Nice work. Love it :)

[Noisetank]

Second thing is the dynamics of the image. The problem is that it's peaceful and chaotic at the same time. The mood is tranquil, the caravan of fish slowly floating though the air. Then one of them crashes into the house, but he's not moving very fast, he's slowly scraping the side the way a wayward balloon might have. Yet it causes chaos, panic and destruction. Is the mood peaceful or is it chaotic? It's contradicting and confusing, and I don't really know what to do about it (guess I should have thought about it a little earlier). If anybody has a good idea, I'd be greatful!


It depends on how you want to look at it really. If a caravan of fish is a common sight then I guess one crashing would be as dramatic as a regular fruit truck crashing into a building etc. I dont think you should sell it short by anymeans the fish is huge and the idea of loosing control of one (especailly one with cargo) sounds pretty intense. Personally I would have all the characters under and around the fish in the panic, the caravan men quickly trying to regain control while keep the other fish calm. and then any other characters who might bee out of sight going about there daily business. You could even put a coffee shop infront and illustrate some more relaxed characters.

[graphicgolem]

looking for good indeed! agree with others about more people activity - it might also be nice to add some indication of the cargo these fish are carrying? Something strange maybe...brilliant loving the look

[Istmo]

Oh, it´s coming along cool! I like so much your work. I wish you good luck with the challenge!:thumbsup:

[gpepper]

Just a cool concept and a great composition !

[guterrez]

hey man, I have to agree with most comments here; this is definately a great picture and idea, but it could get really awesome with some more time
details: I don`t think it needs much more details, just finish the stuff more you already have here
colors: that`s one of the weakest points imo at the moment
you don`t have to take pure colors from a rainbow to make the scene living; I`d try to color up the main fish and the focal area around him
I guess a more intense color will also make the scene more dramatic but at least you should make the foreground darker and the background lighter to get different layers in the picture


the perfect line of fishes you talked about is neither in the focus nor really shown in this pic so I would just go for the fact that a huge fish is going mad, people scared run away, panic, blablabla
maybe a little child who points on the fish, the mother pulling it away and such stuff

can`t wait to see what you make out of this, cheers

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1189441409_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1189441409_large.jpg)

I've had a bit of time to work on this again, and here's an update. Thanks everyone who commented so far!
I've experimented with having another character in the foreground, a woman carrying a bag of fruit. I'm not too happy with her, and consider removing her again. I'm planning on adding more people in the background, or at least make the ones already there more distinct, but haven't gotten around to that yet.
I also tried to enhance the depth by making the background a bit bluer.

[dubbilan]

Det er mycka cool! The composition really caught me in the little thumbnail!
I like that girl with the fruit basket, maybe she's not quite surprised enough, maybe she's hidden too much in the composition, I don't know... but I like her..
Nice idea, I suppose they are like ballons, the fish?

Good luck and keep it up!

[unf0rg1v3n]

minnhagen, excellent painting. I love the detail, the paint strokes and the colors! my only comment would be about the concept; the concept of "strange behavior" isn't as apparent in the composition, and at first glance it seems like the fish are invading this town. Maybe the addition or removal of an object or person could bump up this idea. just my 2 cents.

[abscnth]

Thats a very cool concept Mats! I really like the depth of field and the viewpoint. I think you should keep the girl with the fruit, she is a nice detail and quite subtle too. I adore the orange that you have got going on in there it contrasts very nicely with the blues and purples. One minor crit, the fish in the far background looks a little flat, not chunky like the others. Look forward to seeing an update my friend.

[ashiataka]

Hi Mats, You've progressed so far and it looks great. You have an unique style. Keep up the good work.

[Jeffparadox]

This is a great painting, i really like your style. It's a pretty strange behaviour too, no critique on the paint job... nice color scheme, good luck!

[Minnhagen]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1190458777_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/19/13901/13901_1190458777_large.jpg)

New update! This time I'm pretty much done, but still want to let it rest a few days before I submit the final image. Thanks everybody who commented! (The girl stays in the picture).
Dubbilan - Yes, the idea is that the fish contain light gases, helium or something like that, and float through the sky like balloons.
jpmonroyal - Thanks! Interesting point, might look like the fish are invading instead of being used as transport animals. I think that's going to be hard to avoid, though, with them causing panic and destruction.
abscnth - You're right. I made some adjustments to try fix it.
ashitaka, jeffparadox - Thanks a lot guys!

[TheFirstAngel]

hot stuff :D keep it up
cheers

[authentic]

Ewcellent colors and composition. Congrats.

[dinodog-jr]

it's lovely & spectacular.

Feels like a scene from a movie.

Will you add more cinematic lighting effetcs? It might make more stronger focus to the Giant Fish.

Maybe the fish eye can be detail more to show more obvious expression?

I am enjoying this. Looks like a winner-piece to me.

[SideAche]

Really nice work!!

[minminxu]

wow.....good idea and awesome start....the picture is great......mr. Minnhagen.. :scream: ...good luck and keep it up......:bounce: :bounce:

[abscnth]

lovely work my friend, I would be more than happy mate... the very best of luck to you

[ScribbleScratch]

Great work Mats!! I love the painterly quality, the point of view, and composition. Have a story for whats happening here?

[nwiz25]

yup yup .. count me in! :p .. i totally agree with ScribbleScratch :D .. your work has got that nice painterly feel .. colour and texture .. even the details rock too! ... im eagerly waiting for your story :p
lovely work my friend!
good luck to you! :thumbsup:

[olive2d]

Wow! incredible scene...one of my favourite.
great work! :thumbsup:

[HFix]

great composition, love the concept...personally i think there should be more light comming into the forground, like rays of sun maybe...i feel the forground is dull and dark in color...again this maybe be a personal astetic...

[Minnhagen]

Ok, I've waited a few days and decided that I won't make any further changes. Even though HFix's suggestion about more foreground light is good (thanks!), I think I'll leave it as it is.

I've realized that I have to add a story to my final submission, so here it is: In vertical oriental cities, gas-filled floating fish are commonly used for cargo transport. Being very docile creatures, they normally create no fuss. They glide slowly though the crowded markets, letting themselves be steered by their drivers to their docking stations deep within the city. But then once in a while a fish panics in the narrow passages and tries to get away, shaking off the little people climbing all over it and tearing down wooden bridges and market stands. Such behaviour is considered unacceptable and most strange. This painting depicts one such event.

Many thanks to everybody who commented on this picture!

[Hiun]

This is simply amazing. I don't have the words my friend to express what I think of your art. But to say the least this is a Superb piece:thumbsup: Beautiful work:bounce:

[Hideyoshi]

fantastic in the most direct meaning of the word!
Very imaginative and nicely painted! :)

[AshCR24]

good work. very fun, very bustling. this is a very "complete" looking image. nice additions by adding the extra figures and details.

[Istmo]

Impressive and strange work. Good luck to you!:thumbsup:

[Raccoon-Dog]

Stellar piece you have here, love the colors.

[gpepper]

excellent final ! Congratulations Mats !:thumbsup:

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