Unseeing PSF

[Greenham]

Awesome work-through. Look's good so far. I'm not sure if the line that goes up his neck, behind his jaw bone should be so definite, though.

[DArcy1]

Hi Greenham, thanks for your comments. Still work to be done on the face overall, so that line will be smoothed along with some other changes as soon as I figure out how...

Anyway, another small update, the shoulder roughed in along with more shadows on the armour.

D'Arcy

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2140/2221568533_24732855d2_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Hi all

A small update on the uniform, but then I started to wonder about the head in relation to the shoulders. It seems that in my original version the head was up too high (i.e. neck too long) and too forward. I've made an adjustment in image #2 here and would like opinions on what seems right.

Thanks !

D'Arcy

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2231360298_2827013b11_o.jpg

and # 2:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/2230565701_19f37e34dd_o.jpg

[Greenham]

It's looking good so far. What's the mask made out of?

[DArcy1]

Hi Greenham

It's rust :) .

I have probably half a dozen ideas about paintings with rust/metal as a major theme, that I hope to at least start on before the summer.

So what head position looks best to you? I am thinking #2 but that will mean altering the mask a bit at the back.

tks much

D.

[Greenham]

Ah, rust. The texture looks a little 'stoney' to me.

To be honest, I know very little about composition. But, I don't think it really adds much by moving the head in #2. Perhaps it's just my untrained eye.

[DArcy1]

Hi all

I'm trying to get the light/shadows on the face and the back of the neck consistent with the rest of the image, but I think I've gone blind painting over this and nothing seems to look right anymore. Your thoughts/paintover on the shadows would be much appreciated.

Thank you !

D'Arcy


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2147/2251113361_a98ca5bda2_o.jpg

[Viktor M.]

Nice textures and colours, but look at the face - the nose can't be so short. when you draw face, body, animal or something that obey on the phisical lows you must to do the anatomy on the 100% and then to hide parts of her. In this case I sugest you to make finished head and then put the helm over her.

[aldog]

The stone texture looks great.

[Hecartha]

It is a pretty complicated light environment:
-a main light from the upper left corner creates a volumetric light scattered in a dusty or wet atmosphere.
-the contrast between the interior and the exterior is enough to make the hole from where the light is coming from an area light i mean if the hole is rectangular you have in your scene a rectangular surface emitting light
-The volumetric light becomes an indirect light source like a cylinder of light (depending of the shape of the hole from where the light is diffused) which is lighting the whole room (ok, a little bit)
-a little part of the main light source can bounce from the wall or the floor behind your character
Anyway a rusty environment isn't highly reflective~

I've made a little sketch of your scene (http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p76/hecartha/Unseeing-Atmospheric-Study.jpg), I'm not 100% sure but i think everything would happen like this
I've made also 2 sketches explaining quickly the scene:
-the first one (http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p76/hecartha/Unseeing-DirectLight.jpg) is showing where i think should be the reflection and highlight
-the second one (http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p76/hecartha/Unseeing-atmospheric.jpg) is explaining (arg, it is really difficult and i'm not sure at 100%) where the brighter area on your character's face should be because it doesn't seem to be lighted by the main light

To finish i've made a paint over (http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p76/hecartha/Unseeing_paintover.jpg) to illustrate everything~
The rusty texture is not so good, you should show some metal reflection on the salient part of this "armor"

[DArcy1]

Hi all

Thanks for your replies ! Re the nose: Victor, according to my reference photo it actually does fit (I have a small nose !). But I can see why you noticed. The fleshy end of the nose is compressed a bit to fit, but that is intentional. That mask is definitely not meant to be comfortable; more like a penance. You can see that the rest of the head also just fits in, and this assumes that there is no padding, just raw metal against the skin. The bottom of the ear also is hidden (barely) by the edge of the mask.

Hecartha - thank you for your well thought out reply and paintover (Now that I think about it, I was using some of your painter X brushes for this one!). I have now vowed that never, ever, ever, under any circumstances will I start another painting before posting a color and lighting study... I'm going to be thinking a lot about your points and try to get this one done as I'm sick of looking at it. I'll post the finished piece soonish.

Again, thank you everyone :) . It's always nice to feel like part of the community.

D'Arcy

[Hecartha]

That mask is definitely not meant to be comfortable; more like a penance.
Just my thought but your painting has something poetic, perhaps it is because the soft rendering of everything. Now i have just few questions, I'm curious about your scene:
-What is the size of the room, is it a kind of jail or perhaps a monk room?
-I'm thinking about a living human statue viewing your character, is it a kind of punishment? ->for eternity, imprisoned in this body, frozen and hurt by this rusty metal
Now that I think about it, I was using some of your painter X brushes for this one!Surely some brushes made when i was testing painter X, I'm still under painter IX.5 :D
I have now vowed that never, ever, ever, under any circumstances will I start another painting before posting a color and lighting study...I know what you mean :) , good pledge
I think also you have used too much the zoomed view because lot of details which are really good in 50% (skin, rust) are almost invisible in the smaller image you posted (the rust is too soft)

[DArcy1]

Hello all

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, one or two more nights and I'll be done at last. It still needs some fine details like skin pores, a few more creases or a bit of stubble.

Hecartha: I've posted this at about it's final print size, so you can see the level of detail that will be present on paper. Not as nice as the painting size details but a fair compromise. I'm flattered at the idea you found it poetic, I'd like to think most of my work has some of that quality. My other obsession is as a lyricist (which I'm much better at than painting) so poetry is important to me :-)

I also want to thank you again for that paintover, it really helped me to think about the facial structure and where the light would fall. I actually completely repainted the previous face after blurring out all the details I'd put in. I was trapped by them, not wanting to lose them but unable to do what needed to be done to make it right.

There is no backstory per se to my paintings, as I paint from a sense of emotion. In this situation he's in a small room, not a prison though. I see him as a man self-imprisoned, unable to see that sunlight is shining on him, with it's implications of life and freedom. He's trapped within his memories.

I've yet to decide if he will be crying or not, I don't want to be cliche'd and obvious (at least he won't be covered in blood or crying it !)

C+C welcome, as always

D'Arcy


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2225/2273509410_15d852d44f_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

Well, me, not him...

I'm finally done, and have submitted this to the portfolio/2d gallery. Hopefully it will show up soon. Thank you to everyone who dropped by (especially Hecartha without whose overpaint I'd still be struggling). I'd love to hear people's thoughts as to the final work. Here's a smaller version until the gallery post comes through:

D'Arcy


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2280305491_1f573b1510_o.jpg

[DArcy1]

One last thing; I'll be off paying attention to our music site for a while, so no new paintings. I'll still try to stop by the WIP threads to contribute where I can. Anyone who wants to hear our new songs is more than welcome to visit, it'll probably be a few weeks as we've got nothing posted at the moment.

Thanks again !

D'Arcy

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