Uplift Universe - Image Entry: Donglu Yu

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206823612_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206823612_large.jpg)

Just have read some suggested scenes from David Brin's novel to get some inspiration. Here are some sketches to get myself warmed up.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206824784_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206824784_large.jpg)

I made a thumbnail first trying to capture the general idea I have for my scene and did a quick color test.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206828932_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206828932_large.jpg)

Last composition and color study.

[GaeasHerald]

Beautiful colors Donglu. Would be nice to have some elements closer to the camera. Welcomed to the challenge.

[JackZhang]

great color theme, looking forward to it. keep up the great work!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206846499_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206846499_large.jpg)

Added some foreground elements and alien airships into the composition.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Hi Gerardo, thanks for the suggestion! I have put few characters in the foreground, but I am still not very sure how they should be interacting with each other.

Jack, thank you for being here! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206932072_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1206932072_large.jpg)

Kept working with the composition, however I wasn't really satisfied with the aspect ratio, so here is the change that I have made.

[morganvillette]

Good job! Lots of details!
good luck! I'll check your post soon!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207021457_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207021457_large.jpg)

Wanted to put more action in the foreground too as there is much more room for this after I have change the aspect ratio of the composition. So here is the update.

[SergioTosta]

already looks incredible! :eek:

[bl4i5e]

great work already. I think it would be nice if the explosion in the back was a bit bigger (like it was shot from a mothership or something like that) and if we could get the impressions that the spaceships were coming from space and going faster...but its already nice and the colors are amazing. Keep up the good work Donglu.

[na]

Looks great, has an epic feel to it already! Good luck!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Morganvillette, Sergio Tosta, Pearlyking, thanks guys for all the kind words and the encouragement! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Thanks Blaise for passing by, I will definitely keep that in mind!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207305259_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207305259_large.jpg)

I was doodling with the idea of having an alien mothership and few smaller ones coming out of it for attacking the human crew. My next step would probably be coming up with a more defined design for the elements in my image, i.e.: alien airships, dolphins, and the soldiers.

[nethken]

nicely rendered! I look forward to updates. best of luck :D

[Pegahoul]

The composition and the scene is awesome, and those transparent aliens descending from the spaceship is really cool. Great choice of color too. Will be looking forward to this.

[HornlessUnicorn]

Looks very good already. As I understand it's a battle? Or am I wrong?

[HFix]

very beautiful colors! looks interesting already keep posting! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Nethken, Pegahoul and Hfix, Thanks guys for the comments! It is really appreciated!

HornlessUnicorn: Yes, it is a battle going on between human and alien. There are 3 majors groups in my image: human, dolphin and alien. As for now, my intention is put two different relationships in contrast among those groups: alien is trying to communicate with the neo-dolphins as human attacks the alien airships.

[JackZhang]

hope you didn't get the cold from me. best wishes. keep up the good work.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207802542_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1207802542_large.jpg)

I made few concept sketches to get the feel I was looking for. Critics and suggestions are very welcome.

[Gnomeish]

You are certainly amongst the very talented in this forum. I look forward to seeing works like this one progress and learning great things from the people here!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208020161_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208020161_large.jpg)

I started to add more details to the foreground and the sky. Still struggling with the design of the alienship.

[chandro]

i like the style and the mood:)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Gnomeish, thanks for the compliment! It is a great experience for me too, I have learnt so much from many talented artists here. :)

Chandro, I am really happy that you liked it!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208084545_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208084545_large.jpg)

Finally I had a more defined design for the alien airship, will still alter it a bit in a later stage. Critics are very welcome!

[HornlessUnicorn]

Great colours and fascinating perspective, you're still fleshing everything out as I see it - can't wait to see more!!

Cheers,

Dimitrij.

[na]

This is really coming along since last I looked. Now I'm really looking forward to the finished article! :)

[nwiz25]

man! :eek: i missed a lot here! :( .. the colours you've used really raises the dramatic bar!

[Lappisch]

Lookit the details! No useful critique here, but very nice!:eek:

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Dimitrij: Thanks for the encouragement, I will keep working hard on this piece!

Pearlyking: Thank you for coming! I really enjoy how you applied brushstrokes on your Uplift entry, great job!

Neville: Thanks! Good luck for this contest!

Lappisch: I truely appreciate your kinds words! They would help me to push this painting to another level! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

oups...double post...

[bl4i5e]

Hi donglu, wanted to say that the sky, stormy, is really nice and i like the new spaceship you did, amazing work, keep up....cant wait wait to see what youre going to do with the humans. Good job!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208232082_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208232082_large.jpg)

I started to play with the dolphins, trying to get their movements right. Also, I had the feeling that my canvas would be too crowded with the initial human crew, so I decided to reduce the number of the foreground elements.

[JackZhang]

I like today's update.good details on the dolphins.

remember what we discussed before? image is story teller. take a short break, give it a thought. what's the action in between the dolphins and the craft. and what's going on with the human.

Don't work too hard. sleep well.

[LightSovereign]

There really isn't a shortage of beautifull pieces in this contest, really original...its as if the airship is disturbing the water to flush the hidden creatures out.


Not too much to crit, which means all aspects seem fine!!

Marley

[inmaya]

Hello donglu !

I really like the way your concept is taken ! I Love the color palatte that you are using for the background! It's really impressive ! :thumbsup: Keep the good work !

Just a question what is the size of your original canvas in photoshop ? like 4000 k?

Thx

[Gopez]

This is really shaping up to be awesome. I really like the human soldiers in the foreground.

[Ataulfo]

Really good stuff. I like a lot the lights

http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon13.gif http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon3.gif

[MartinNielsen]

Hey. Good stuff for sure :) I like those dolphins as well. Good dynamics in their movement.

[DaVee]

A very dynamic picture with nice colors and many details.
Bravo! ;)

David.

[jeromoo]

Hi Donglu, this is an interesting concept! I feel like as if the aliens are trying to beam the dolphins into their ships. Are the figures dancing around the dolphins one of the aliens? I am wondering why the humans want to attack the aliens. They don't seem hostile here, except the humans themselves? Is it because the humans do not understand what is happening and are attacking out of fear of the unknown?

Perhaps the design of the ship could reflect a similar design like a dolphin, which is why the aliens wanted to communicate or uplift the dolphin. They feel some kind of similarities between the two species. Just my thoughts.

All the best and have fun! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: Really had fun to discuss the concept of this piece with you today!

LightSoverign: Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts of the painting with me, gave me lot of sparkles for coming up with a storyline for this visual play.

Jonathan: Thank you for coming and your support! I am still working with a canvas of 2900 x 1300 px which is half of the final size. At the current stage, I still don't want to be caught up with too much details yet, so trying to keep the working space small.

Gopez: Thanks for approving the changes that I made for the foreground!

Ataulfo: Thanks for mentioning about the light, I was working on it during the weekend, guess it is worth it. :)

Martin: I am pretty happy with the dolphins too, my initial thoughts were to have about 30 of them with a smaller size, but finally I decided to just take few and really work on the pose.

DaVee: Thanks for coming! Good luck to you for this challenge!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208322142_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208322142_large.jpg)

I had a very constructive conversation with Jack Zhang, and decided to do some facial studies for this piece in order to enhance the storytelling elements, i.e. the nymphs being shocked because of witnessing the dolphins getting captured by the alien ariship. I took time to study Steven Hägg-Ståhlberg's wonderful artwork Abduction for this purpose.
Here is the link for Steven's painting:
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=137&t=444358

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jeromoo: Thank you for giving me all those precious feedbacks about my work!

I had my initial concept inspired by David Brin’s Uplift Universe. However, I didn’t pick a specific scene from the novel. Instead, I selected few concepts from this series to come up with this image. The Neo-Dolphins are the uplifted species belonging to the human race. The alien is capturing those dolphins for the purpose of spying on human race to learn more about the Uplifting knowledge. The human soldiers are trying to counterattack the rivalries. The nymphs belong to the sea, being shocked and disturbed by such incident. I am using those figures to add more emotional tone to this piece.

Now that you have mentioned, I also find that the alienship and the dolphins do actually share some kind of similarities. You are right, maybe this fact can be another reason to explain alien’s curiosity for those neo-dolphins.

Thanks again for the input and have lot of fun with your entry too! :)

[JoPu]

Hi:wavey:,
Nice color and environtment atmosphere, very inspiring.:bowdown:
Good luck with the challenge

Uplift Universe Entry (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?threadid=616597)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208405945_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208405945_large.jpg)

I find I did enough study of composition and color until now, so started to paint details seriously.

[scala]

Wonderful piece that Battle . I want to see more .

[HornlessUnicorn]

Hi Donglu! It's coming along nicely. Love the dolphins!

You've chosen quite a challenge - water. Don't forget to think it all through, how light passes through it and how water reflects light how it bounces off etc.

Keep it up, great work!:)

Dimitrij.

[MartinNielsen]

Those water splashes are great :bowdown: Nice speculars.

[JackZhang]

great first pass work. keep it up!

[LightSovereign]

Im falling in love with this piece...Its gorgeous!..loving those dolphins~

Marley

[Gopez]

One word: AWESOME!


I likd it from the start but this just keeps getting better. Keep it up.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jopu: Thanks for coming!

Scala: Thank you for the support!

HornlessUnicorn: Dimitrij, so glad that you liked the update. you are aboslutely right about water, I really have to study them carefully.

MartinNielsen: Thank you!!!

Jack: I have the feeling that I will struggle hard with the water.

LightSovereign: Marley, your words are truely appreciated!

Gopez: Thank you for the encouragement!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208516023_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208516023_large.jpg)

I kept working on the water. Always have the feeling that I didn't put enough effort to explore the potential of custom brushes in Photoshop, so after I read a great tutorial written by Linda Bergkvist (http://www.furiae.com/popup.php?text=brushtutorial), I decided to do some experimentation with the brushes while progressing with my painting, here is some details of the water at 100% resolution.

[JackZhang]

that's some crazy water going on. Loving it!

[MartinNielsen]

Very nice. And yes, custom brushes is the stuff :)

[scala]

Très beau ballet nautique . En attendant la suite .

[Ferx]

Hey Donglu, really cool environment and light on your image :thumbsup: , and nice concept :) I like a lote your image, great work and looking forward for more updates! Cheers!! :D

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: the "crazy water" was the Friday morning gift for you. :P

MartinNielson: hehe, yup, really enjoying the experimentation with custom brushes.

Scala: Merci d'etre venu et les mots encourageants. J'attends aussi la suite de ton dessin! :)

Ferx: Thanks a lot! Glad you like it!

[jeromoo]

Great dolphin rendering! The water splashing is coming along nicely. Since there will be a strong beam light coming from the alien ship above them, I would suggest putting some strong light reflections on the top part of the dolphins.

Keep it up, Donglu!

p.s. wow you can speak french!

[Jaba153]

yo Donglu ti' poisson! awesome water splash effect..crazy... i have just a small crit in that close up ..is the second dolphin from top to bottom has another dude just behind him makes difficult to read it looks like freaky dolphin with two bodies in one..or maybe its just me who have freaky visions...anyway c 'est super beau!

[nwiz25]

top notch! :thumbsup: the tiny specular details n splashes really add it up! :p
i totall agree with jeromoo, the light/reflections on the dolphins should bring the whole scene in ;) very epic indeed! best wishes to you! :thumbsup:

[SuperXCM]

Hi!

Nice work here, i really love the color, and the concept, no crits right now, just waiting for more.

Keep it up!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jeromoo: Thank you for the advice! You are totally right about the reflection light, I will modify it for the next update! Hehe, yeah, I went to a French high school before.

Jaba: hehe, quelle attention au moindre des details! Merci d'etre venu. I will correct this freaky double headed dolphin for sure! :P

nwiz: Thanks! Yeah, I do agree with Jeromoo's suggestion for the reflection light too, I will definitely put that in mind.

SuperXCM: Thank you for the encouragement! it is very appreciated! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208714845_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208714845_large.jpg)

It was hard for me to visualize the feeling I want to give to this section of the painting if I just keep working on the splashes, so I worked on the waves and the splashes simultaneously.

[JackZhang]

.......
I give up...

[HornlessUnicorn]

Hello, Gonglu!

The water looks great, love how it develops.

One little critique: the tail of the dolphin needs a little work (the curved "heart shapes") - take a look at some photos and you'll know what I mean.

And a question: what's on the head of the dolphin? (the central one) Is it some kind of hardware? Or is it another dolphin behind him?

All the best and good luck!

Dimitrij.

[GaeasHerald]

Wow, this is comming along nicely Donglu. The finished image will be great!

[Gopez]

This update is AWESOME!
Keep up the great work

[decosouza]

I have no words Donglu...The water, the dolphins, the sky.. wow! forgive me if I have nothing useful to say to you. I just need to say something about this amazing work. Impressive!!

André de Souza

[jeromoo]

Great, this is coming along very nicely! Water is looking very dynamic indeed! Keep going, Donglu!

[artizakO]

interesting perspective, water details are amazing..really looking forward for your final image.
..good luck! :thumbsup:


_________________
UPLIFT

[Jaba153]

blaaaaaam!!! awesomE watersplaash effect..i guess the dolphins in far positions are not totally finished yet..

[JackZhang]

How was your brain storming last night

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: :P You are having a break for this Monday night! Hehe, I was brainstorming hard and fell asleep. :P

HornlessUnicorn: Thank you! I will study more reference pictures. Oups, I just realized that I got another dolphin photoshop layer hidden behind the central one...you know, my photoshop file is getting a bit messy after a while...blush...Thanks for pointing that out. :)

GaeasHerald: Thank you for the kind words!

Gopez: Thanks for the encouragement!

decosouza: Thank you for coming and your support!

Jeromoo: Thanks for the support! I want to say Congratulations again for your amazing entry!

artizakO: Thanks, I will keep working hard!

Jaba153: Merci. You find the dolphins in the background are not detailed enough? I almost finished working on them, do you have some advice for me to improve them?

[neudecker]

Donglu this willbecome one of the greatest boulots here!
Stunning!
...and I love it!

[Thaldir]

Very nice choice of perspective and color palette. And I like the composition too :thumbsup:.

I find the dolphin on the far right leaping down a little bit distracting, you could try to see how the scene looks without it :).

Keep it up !

[Ataulfo]

http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon3.gifhttp://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon13.gif

Hi Donglu
Hard work is being rewarded. Lights are becoming amazing.
Good job.Want see that finished.

http://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon3.gifhttp://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon13.gif

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208841208_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208841208_large.jpg)

I made a first pass for the female figures. Below it, it is showing how my whole composition looks like until now. Suggestions and critics are very welcome, since at this stage, I am afraid to get lost in details, I do feel the need to step back a little.

[Zazill8]

i think thats a good idea to step back, your design is amazing. :buttrock: tell me though how do the humans and aliens interact. thanx

Will

[MartinNielsen]

This is getting better and better. Great work and no crits. :applause:

[Jaba153]

hey donglu for the two small dolphins in the background ..i think they can get a bit more the sky color..reddish-oranges values can give more depth..also the dark values in those dolphins can be pulled out..that always help also for depth trying to keep different values of dark from back to foreground....

[Donglu-LittleFish]

neudecker: Thank you, it is very kind of you!

Thaldir: Thank you for the comment, I lowered the far dolphin a bit to make it less distracting. I will consider to adjust its color contrast or if I leave it in the scene or not during the final refining stage. I will keep your opinion in mind!

Ataulfo: Thanks for coming and your support!

Zazill8: My inspiration was from David Brin’s Uplift Universe. Selected few concepts from this series to come up with this image. The Neo-Dolphins are the uplifted species belonging to the human race. The alien is capturing those dolphins for the purpose of spying on human race to learn more about the Uplifting knowledge. The human soldiers are trying to counterattack the rivalries. The nymphs belong to the sea, being shocked and disturbed by such incident. I am using those figures to add more emotional tone to this piece.
I didn't put the laser beams in yet, maybe that is why the feeling of the human soldiers counterattacking is still lacking.
Thanks for passing by!

MartinNielsen: Thanks for you continuous encouragement, it is highly appreciated!

Jaba153: Merci mille fois! Your feedbacks are really useful, I will keep this in mind for sure! :)

[jeromoo]

Coming along great. I suggest that you try adding some greater shadowing on the nymphs where the beam light does not reflect on? The dolphins are great examples of this, thus they look more solid and tangible than the nymphs. Or you can try to make the nymphs glow like fairies. The alien ship has a cool design, but from the whole composition, it seems that the ship is not big enough to accommodate all the dolphins. The sky is a great dramatic piece of work!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jeromoo, thanks a lot for sharing your thoughts! I will play with the contrast for the nymphs for the second pass. As for the airship, I think you are right about its size. However by enlarging it, I am also afraid to unbalance my composition and hide the sky too much. I will play with it tonight and see how it would turn out.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208925987_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208925987_large.jpg)

I have made the airship bigger, as a result, I also reworked on the cropping and made few color adjustments here and there.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208949398_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208949398_large.jpg)

Taking a completely new direction for the airship as I find the original one blocking the view too much.

[Ataulfo]

Hi Donglu,

I think the new spaceship desing is better ( the back is better, i liked the circular front), but i prefer the old direction of the spaceship because it was looking to the dolphins.

U are really doing a good job.
Keep it up.
:beer:

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208957231_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1208957231_large.jpg)

Thanks Ataulfo for your comments. Effectively, many colleagues at work told me that they prefer the original style better. The second one is just too "stargate". I am going back with that old one, but I want to push it a bit, found few reference pictures of scorpion, I will try to intergrate them together so the ship would have more depth to it.

[HornlessUnicorn]

Hi Donglu :)

Looks very beautifull :) I also tend more towards the original ship design, you just need to flesh it out more (which you'll undoubtedly will do anyways :) even without my "smart" remark).

Keep up the great work!!:thumbsup:

All the best,

Dimitrij.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209008633_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209008633_large.jpg)

Finally I am done with this new design. Tried to keep the "alien" look from the old one, but adding more depth to its volume. Also did few minor placement and color adjustments to some visual elements within the painting.

[scala]

The scorpion space ship get strength , (il pourrait être plus fin pour l'aerodynamisme je ne sais pas ) but I'm gonna wait en tout cas toujours un bel ensemble

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Dimitrij: Thanks! Here is the new design, what do you think of it?

Scala: Thank you for the feedbacks! I will consider the option to make the wings thinner during the final refining stage, I am going to work more on details for now. Merci d'etre venu, c ben gentil! :)

[HornlessUnicorn]

Dimitrij: Thanks! Here is the new design, what do you think of it?


I like it, but it's still very rough and you still haven't worked out the symmetry (or do you want to make asymmetric design? I mean the wings in particular.)

But I think I preferred the original design, maybe you should just detail it and used as a base. I especially liked the “nose” or “snout” of the ship it worked really well with the “tractor beam” idea.

I’m sure you’ll work it out:)

Great work!!

Dimitrij.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

I like it, but it's still very rough and you still haven't worked out the symmetry (or do you want to make asymmetric design? I mean the wings in particular.)

But I think I preferred the original design, maybe you should just detail it and used as a base. I especially liked the “nose” or “snout” of the ship it worked really well with the “tractor beam” idea.

I’m sure you’ll work it out:)

Great work!!

Dimitrij.


Dimitrij, Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the airship, they are really helpful. Nope, I didn't want to make an asymmetric design, as you said, it was still rough, trying to block out the volume in perspective. I will see what I can come up with it. Thanks again!
Donglu

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209097952_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209097952_large.jpg)

I know that at this stage, I should probably just focus on refining the details of this painting, however I feel that I have to do this major change in terms of both visual and concept: no more airship. It is an gigantic alien monster trying to take in the dolphins as the human crew is counterattacking. This change should tighten much more the relationship between alien, human and a third species: neo-dolphins.

[LightSovereign]

Narrative is a little more agressive now, isn't it?.

What i liked about the earlier version of your artwork..before wings were added to old design, was the whole focus was on the mysterious Light from the craft disturbing the water..

It created something very unique, and made you imaging what is happening..But now with all the craft in it, That aspect i loved seems to have lost importance with all the firepower and new ship designs..which is a shame..Perhaps instead of a small craft you could fill that area of the ship, as 1 giant entity?..

Any yays, just some ideas, i hope this doesn't discourage you :).


thanks, Donglu

[DaVee]

Many improvement since i came there. as i saw you try a lot of things before to choose the gigantic alien. It's more agressive indeed, but it's look great.

David.

[HornlessUnicorn]

I'm really sorry to say this, but I don't like the latest idea. I don't want to iritate or discourage you Donglu, you made great progress and this is a great idea, but I think I have to tell my honest opinion.

I think you were on the right path before you changed the ship (original ship). I just looked at that image and like it a lot. I don't think you need to change that much really. Just work out the design of the ship a little bit.

I hope I could help and didn't iritate you :)

Sincerely,

Dimitrij.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

LightSovereign, Dimitrij: I have to admit that I have really struggled with the concept of this piece. There are aspects about the earlier version I do like about too, however, I feel the last change gives more emotional impact on the image, no matter it is positive or negative according to different tastes and interpretations, and which I have absolutely no problem with. In fact, during one of my conversations with Jack, I said this reality is the joy and the pain of being an artist. What I am certain about is I am going with the direction of alien creatures instead of an airship. As I can understand so far, what is provocative about the latest change, is the big contrast between the "mysterious", relatively peaceful interpretation of the alien-human relationship with the aggressivity of this last one. I am just going with the feeling now, and see what is going to happen. I really do appreciate that you guys shared with me how you truely feel about the change, thank you! :)

David: Thank you for following my work progress and your positive comment about this lasted change. good luck for the challenge!

[JackZhang]

it's your first challenge, as well as your first person work progressing with me. Just do your best. I'm proud of you no matter what.

detail and color are your skills, design perhaps is not at this moment. show the best of you.

[MartinNielsen]

Personally I like the old concept better. But if you prefer this new design, I will encourage you to continue with it :) During all my challenges I have received many different ideas and suggestions, but in the end I have always chosen my own ways. My entry is finished now, and I have no plans to change that :)

[Dragneye]

I feel for ya Donglu... yes, the struggle between an artist's eye, and mind, is a wondrous, yet sometimes trying, dramatic play. Tis the nature of our 'beast' :-) and I am struggling with it also with my entry.

Ultimately... you must trust your 'feel'. Just make sure your finish represents what you internally feel best with. Enjoy the ride :D

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: Thanks, it is very sweet of you. :)

MartinNielsen: Thank you for telling me that, I think most of the artists lived through this stage where you just have to be determined with what you really want for a piece of artwork and hold your idea tight. I know the early design does have positive points, but I know that I won't be happy to go back to it now, as I have other ideas sparkling in my mind.

Dragoneye: Thanks for your understanding and kind support, I still lack lot of experience to handle this kind of situation. However, I am truely enjoying this whole experience and to be able to communicate and exchange ideas with other artists. That is really the best part about this challenge. Good luck for your entry! :)

[MartinNielsen]

One important point here is, that people have already seen an almost complete work with the ship. You have only just started working on the new design, and this can cloud peoples judgement. With your skills I'm sure you can come up with an even better entry :)

[HornlessUnicorn]

Of course we've all been at such crossroads ourselves and sometimes it's not easy to decide what to do. But YOU have to decide and as I said earlier in Martins thread you hold the "brush" so it's absolutely up to you, no matter what anybody else thinks or says.

I just felt that I should voice my opinion, because I care and would like to help if possible.

Just as an explanation: My dislike of the new design was based purely on visual appeal and maybe Martin is right that it's still an early concept. Don't worry too much at this point just don't ever give up... as a matter of fact don't worry at all :)

By the way this is also my first contest around here and in such a format (with WIP and all). At the beginning I found this a bit iritating as well at times. But now I wouldn't miss this experience for anything. It's not about who winns or who's better it's about this marvelous global community of very talented artists!!

The best of luck!

Cheers,

Dimitrij.

[Kerem]

Your work is really amazing! :thumbsup:

[Jaba153]

Hey donglu!...i don't have crits aboutdesign or ship choice it really belongs to you,you have all the ingredients to make a wonderfull image...but in matter of that u have to make some sacrifices..i mean now important is more about the "framing" ,the composition..i think u have to scale up the aliens..so sacrifice will be the sky or,and the alien itself..i mean scale up like 300% ...maybe even more ..it means that u not gonna be abble to frame the whole body of the alien and you gonna miss a lot of sky...but u also can just "suggest" that alien with only the hand on the top right corner andextend the abduction light to the top...so for the understanding of the design of that alien hand u still have in the far background the same aliens doing also abuction i think it's ennuff to understand whats happening...i don't know if u can really understand me...if not can write in french it will be easier for me...
anyway good luck i can see that everybody is really amazed for your paint skills...but u are right..changes...are always good!

[LightSovereign]

Gosh, yea..sometimes i forget myself with my crits..Yea agreed with martin on this on both occassions..take everything with a pinch of salt...

If i came off as dumping my opinion, i give you my whole hearted apology.

look forward to seeing more updates

Marley

[LightSovereign]

and of course i apoligize again, the latest design didn't load for me, i was stuck on the scorpion. (which does rock completely on its own)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Martin: You got a very good point there, the final look of the alien is still not too clear in mind because I was only determined to switch from an ariship to an alien, I will work on the design itself during the weekend! It was very nice of you, thank you!

Dimitrij: Hi, I think that facing critics is one of the hardest things for artists, because they put so much thoughts and emotions into their works. But after those years that I studied in an art program, I have learnt that they can be very useful if one can put the emotions aside and take them in a positive way. I want to tell you again that you were right to voice your real opinion, because that is the true value of a critic. Thanks again for you support all along and the attention you gave to my work, I know what you said was with the best intentions. :)

Kerem: Thanks for coming and the compliment! The best of luck to you!

Jaba: I can see your point, you are totally right about the composition and the scaling up part. Wow, that is really helpful!!! I will see what I can come up with. Hehe, your English is very decent, you made all your points clear. Mille Merci!

LightSovereign: Hi, as I said to Dimitrij, don't worry about it, I didn't take the critics in a wrong way. I know you followed my progress since the beginning, and you wanted to help me with this piece. I sincerely appreciate that you told me your thoughts about the change. Enjoy the weekend! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209225286_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209225286_large.jpg)

After some really inspiring suggestions made by Jaba, I decided to make this new composition. I wanted to sacrifice the sky as less as possible, so I made the aliens translucent.

[MartinNielsen]

Interesting choice. It could work very well with the scene. You still need to work with design of the aliens of course.

[Kerem]

Beautiful work again man :thumbsup:

I surely have respect to the artist's composition & fiction so I hate to say "put it something like this instead of this..." ect. But really really enjoyed and amazed by the scorpion-like creature attacking from sky.

Translucent giants are great idea too - but scorpion-like creatures look much more menacing and they were creating a huge fear on the observer like "my God what the hack they gonna do to the dolphins?!!" when they are drawing the dolphins to their sawtoothed mouth.

Of course last decision is always yours as the artist - these were my humble ideas with all my respect.

Wishing you all the best on your work :buttrock:

[Kerem]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209008633_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209008633_large.jpg)

Finally I am done with this new design. Tried to keep the "alien" look from the old one, but adding more depth to its volume. Also did few minor placement and color adjustments to some visual elements within the painting.

Wanted to add that I mentioned about this desgin. Everything looks hot+creepy+cool on that :D

[Pegahoul]

hmm.. I think I prefer the one with the spaceship... the initial composition seems more focused. Now it's divided between 3 creatures

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Martin: Hi, maybe I will work on the alien design itself more during the detailing phase which I have to start now, because I am kind of running out of time. I usually put 20% of a project time for deciding color, composition, concept, and 80% for details. However I almost used 60% of the available time length to do the first phase for this challenge. If I don't stop, I probably won't be able to finish this piece. So jealous of you that you are already done with your entry, sigh, I am still struggling with it. Thanks for dropping by and followed my progress! :)

Kerem: Hi, I totally agree that the scorpion one has a more menacing feel to it. But I want to go with a more "creepy" feel with the new aliens. I am glad that you like the last design for the airship. I did many designs for this piece, they all have something that I like about, maybe I will use them again in my future works. Thanks for your precious input and support!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

hmm.. I think I prefer the one with the spaceship... the initial composition seems more focused. Now it's divided between 3 creatures

Hi pegahoul, I made this new composition with the goal to show how vulnerable the human and dolphins are facing the unknown creatures. I did some blocking on both compositions for comparison. In the original one, area A and B takes almost the same amount of space in the painting. However in the new one, B (alien space) is much larger and empowering. I won't say that this new one is necessarily "better" but it conveys more the message I am trying to give for this "relationship", size itself of a visual element does have an emotional tone too. But I do agree with you that the new one is not "focused" enough yet, I will try to work on that aspect with color and light. Thank you for the input, it is very appreciated. :)

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/compositioncomparison.jpg

[LightSovereign]

ahhh!, thats a much better composition, and your right, it does make the humans look vulnerable..I see you shifted the dolphins over to the humans more, that reads much better! Interesting to see how you set the composition up in the first place.

And i tell you what, those creatures are fine and dandy..they compliment both the lovely backdrop and the human/dolphin scene..My vote for this comp!

Marley

[scala]

Hey Donglu I just discover the new version , elle plus aérée , meilleure circulation and the idea of invisible alien as in "Planète interdite" is a really good idea

[jeromoo]

Wow, what a huge deviation from the original here. I like the idea of a huge alien 'spirit' sucking up the dolphins into its mouth and the nymphs (you can make them aliens) are dancing around in a summoning state. But this concept can be of fantasy theme as well, so be careful in how you depict everything. The spirit-like alien creature is quite similar to the phantoms in the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and its by no means a bad thing at all. I like to see similar ideas expanded on and utilized in a different way. If you aren't sure which direction to go for, I advise you to pick the one that will make you feel excited thinking about, not the boring one. It will show in your work! :)

[scala]

Hey Donglu I found an image of "forbiden planet" with that invisible alien (http://blogs.indiewire.com/reverseshot/archives/011646.html)
If you like Science fiction you have to see that movie with Walter Pidgeon and Leslie Nielsen yes that Leslie Nielsen .

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Marley: Thank you for the approval of the new composition!

Scala: Thanks for liking the new composition and the alien idea. I never saw Forbidden Planet, but I went to see the image link you gave me, it is very helpful and indeed very similar to the look I am giving to my alien. Merci encore, passe un bon dimanche!

Jeromoo: Yeah, I made a big change and I had lot of stress because of that, but i am happy with this one now and I have to really stick with it for the time left. Many movies came to my mine when I made this last concept, and Spirit Within is for sure one of them. Yeah, you are right about taking the one that I feel excited about. With this last update, at least I feel ready to put hours of energy to do the details, otherwise, I won't be able to survive this. Thanks for all the kind remarks. :)

[HornlessUnicorn]

Now, I say :) This looks much better now! I think it was really worth it. Those semi-transparent aliens look menacing and fascinating at once. Great work, Donglu :)

Keep up the great work!:applause:

Dimitrij.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Hi, Dimitrij, thank you so much!!! I am really happy that you like this update! You made my day! :)

[sweet_bee]

:applause: I like the new composition. It makes the whole painting (in terms of foreground, middle ground, and background relationship)looks more harmonious.

love the dramatic light and gorgeous color+details.
looking forward to see the final version.

[GaeasHerald]

Donglu, I like the new concept, but I'd sugget to get rid of the spirit creature in the middle (the smallest one) cause its overlapped with the dolfins and makes the image more difficult to read. Apart from that, everything looks great

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Sweet_bee: Nice to meet you here! Jack talked about you many times. :) Thank you for the compliment and support!

GaeasHerald: Thanks for pointing out the eventual problem with the 3rd alien. You got your point there! I was afraid myself that it would get too crowded, I will try to balance everything out during the final adjustment. :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209352277_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209352277_large.jpg)

I am slowly entering the mood of detailing phase, so here is some updates.

[MartinNielsen]

The detailing is comming up nicely. I wonder how they can stop those big things?

[HornlessUnicorn]

Lovely details!:applause:

Martin has a point - maybe instead of small "machine guns" the humans should operate some major turret guns and/or rocket launchers - whatever. Just a suggestion.

Cheers,

Dimitrij.

[MartinNielsen]

They look so transparent. I wouldn't think bullets could do the trick.

[HornlessUnicorn]

They look so transparent. I wouldn't think bullets could do the trick.

Hehe :) Who said anything about bullets? Turrets would of course be "energy weapons" of some kind and as I said it's just a suggestion... Maybe the idea is also that the humans are powerless against such creatures?

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Hehe, Martin, Dimitrij, I am happy to get this kind of reaction from your guys. This new composition is intended to provoque certain emotions from the audience. It was meant to show how vulnerable, powerless, totally unprepared the humans and dolphins are. It was a conscious choice I didn't equipe human crew with any heavy equipement (There are only 3 of them anyways, even they do have more advanced weapons, the situation still won't be too promising). Even for their costumes, I decided to go with something light. Yeah, this is a fight, but a desperate one.
Thanks for the remarks! :)

[Klasz]

awesome pic
From my point of view, the pic would be more scaring if we feel the aliens ASPIRATE the dolphins and the humans (it is already the case for me, but it could be a little more accentuated) , rather than the aliens firing dolphins and humans.

Just my feeling

Great pic

Good luck

[AlonChou]

Hi Donglu Yuhttp://forums.cgsociety.org/images/icons/icon13.gif

sorry I am too late! hope you don't mind,
I saw all your process, and I have to say your new update is great!
nice details.

I think I have some suggestion,
now the image is looks a little flat, and lack some nervous or tension feeling,
http://along1120.myweb.hinet.net/large.jpg

I think the movement of the alien monsters can be more exaggerate,
and make it more terrific. and the affairs he is doing can be more clear,
like the ray from his mouth more big for express his power,

the human are too small that viewers can't feel about their emotions and feeling,
so I suggest there can be one man turn his head and call with
his mate nervous, and viewer can know how bad the situations is.

the sea goddess is not too clear, maybe make one of them bigger and higher,

about the color, inside the human ship there can be some different color light,
maybe it cause by lamplight, and reflection on the man's face and machine,
so the space of inside and outside can be distinction,
I just draw scratchy, so the color is too blankness,

it's just my personal opinion,
wish you good luck in this challenge,
cheers,

Alon

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Klasz: Thank you! Once you read my story, you will know the reason that why I organized the interactions between those creatures in such way. Now I do have the clear storyline in my mind, I will write it down once I finish the rendering of details. :)

Alon: AHHHH!!! You came! I was sooooo happy to see your reply! Only you know how I keep talking about your awesome artworks with Jack. :D Too bad that I never had the chance to catch you online because of the time difference. That sketch is the gift of the day! Totally rocks! I will see what I can do with my piece tonight, now I can't wait to finish work and run home. Thanks a lot for coming and your support!

[Kerem]

Wow everything is going so great here :applause: - I'm feeling lonely on my topic :D

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209446349_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209446349_large.jpg)

Worked on the texture of the alien.

[DaVee]

Alien looks terific. looks like gozilla a bit.

So Alon give great suggestions to improve your picture: compositing, color, difference between close up and background, human mood.

David.

[nwiz25]

holy cow!! :eek: i think your title update should've been : 'insane' detailing continued :D
me can't wait to see the grand finale!! :bounce:
good luck to you! :thumbsup:

[jeromoo]

It is becoming very interesting now. Alon has some good points there. But again, it falls on you to make your own decision. Keep going, Donglu!

[Kerem]

Wow thats creepy - it looks like there are parasite-like creatures living in the transparent monster :surprised

[TCPortfolio]

Wow, that's crazy! I love the concept, and it's turning out really nice. Can't wait to see the soldiers frantically attacking the beast! Love the colors and the textures...well done. I'm looking forward to the final entry!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Kerem: Thanks for the compliment! You got a really nice entry too, keep it up!

Davee: David, thank you! Yes, Alon gave some really good suggestions, I will keep the new foreground for sure!

Neville: Thanks, you made me blush...I am no match to you in terms of portraying the tenderness and longingness between lovers. Good luck to you too!

Jeromoo: Thanks for coming! You are right, I am still playing with the piece and see how Alon's suggestions would fit in, but I am 100% sure that I will change my original foreground, the new one just really adds emotions to this piece. I am really running out of time for this challenge...

TCPortfolio: Trey, thank you for all the kind words and support! :)

[Ferx]

Hey Donglu, really great details on the painting, superb work :) You have a great and strong concept for sure, love the whole enviroment on your image, great!! :D Cheers mate!

[MartinNielsen]

Very nice detailing :thumbsup: I just knew you could make something wonderful out of this :)

[inmaya]

AHHH ! Soo much changes and update since my last visit ! But the changes you make are the best naturally! I like the sketch that Alonchou give you I think It's a great idea ! I like the composition that He suggest . So maybe you will be able to mix up your idea and his idea to make something great!

Good job and see you next time!

John

[Ataulfo]

Ei Donglu. Dragon alien works really good in image. Really amazing.:bowdown: Much better than the ships. Very good the decision of making it a litle transparent and dont sacrifice the sky.
I like what Along chou have done with humans position. Its more dinamic. Also like thats dolphins which are being absorbed near aliens mouth. Its make the image more worrying.

U are really doing a good job.
Best wishes for u.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Ferx: Thank you for the compliment, very happy that you liked it! :D

Martin: Thanks for your understanding and warm support during my earlier struggle for that last minute change, it was really nice of you! :)

Jonathan: Hehe, nice to see you here again. I do agree with you, Alon gave me some really precious suggestions. I will try to do some "mix and match" with all the new ideas he gave me to come up with something interesting. :arteest:

Ataulfo: Thank you for the encouragement! As I said earlier, I will modify the foreground for sure like what Alon have suggested. the best of luck to you with your entry! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209551601_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209551601_large.jpg)

I got a bit carried away with this detailing process. Here is two sections of the alien at 100% resolution and the brushes that I have used.

[JackZhang]

I love the alphas.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209615949_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209615949_large.jpg)

After I got that sketch from Alon, here are the changes that I made to my image!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209679224_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209679224_large.jpg)

A close up of a newly added nymph which is being aspirated by the alien along with the dolphins.

[Ivy00]

Beautiful colors

[MartinNielsen]

Oh yes :) That last close-up could be a complete picture alone.

[DaVee]

The man in close up should be still closer to the camera. To feel better the temper. But it's just my 2cts, do like you want.

Anyway, good improvements.

David.

[jeromoo]

Hi Donglu, I really enjoyed watching your great progresses. I agree with Davee that the main guy in the foreground should be brought closer to heighten the effect. The alien spirits are forming very nicely now. The dolphins and the water is very nicely rendered, but I feel the nymphs still look pasted on because they don't seem to reflect the environment's lighting correctly. The closeup of the dolphin and the nymphs really look great, but they lost all the great details in the full scene. May I suggest bringing that part closer to the humans? But if you feel that it too big a change within this short deadline, please ignore my comments and proceed with what your mind has already dictated.

All the best and be persistent, Donglu!

[scala]

It's time now to finish . Dernière semaine Allez Hop

[Pegahoul]

lol with Martin's comment, coz I did think that this close up is a whole new picture ^^
your painting have so many beautiful details!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: Jia You! 9 days left!

Ivy00: Thank you! Good luck with your entry!

MartinNielsen: Thanks for the compliment, Martin!

Davee: Making the soldier bigger might add more tension as Jeromoo said, however, I don't want his size to compete with the size of the alien in the composition, I am using him to add more emotions to the drawing and guide the viewer into the image, I want the human crew remains in a "weak" position. Thank you for passing by, keep the good work up with your entry! :)

Jeromoo: Thank you for all those thoughtful suggestions. I have tried to bring the nymphs and dolphins closer, however due to the fact that there are too many elements in my drawing, it just didn't work out. The soldiers would hide part of them, yeah...have to make compromises. I still have many sections in this piece to get finalized (I will improve the rendering of the nymphs in terms of reflecting environmental lighting), god, that is taking lot of time! Thanks for the support!

Scala: Yeah, it is raining in Montreal during the weekend, so here I am, sitting in front of my computer and try to draw as much as possible. :P T'as presque fini avec le tien?

Pegahoul: LOL, I don't have enough courage to change my piece again just 9 days before the deadline, I already get too scared because the previous "almost last minute big change" :P Thanks for coming! Keep your beautiful work up! :)

[headtrip]

Fantastic image, great colours and amazing detail. I am really impressed with your custom brushes technique!

Looking forward to seeing the final image!

[scala]

Je ne veux pas t'embêter avec ça mais je trouve que ton premier Alien est un peu moins visible avec toute cette matière . Tu as une semaine pour fignoler.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Headtrip: Thanks for coming and the kind remarks! Good luck for your entry!

Scala: Je vais voir ce que je peux faire avec ca, mais je le trouve assez visible pour l'instant. Merci d'etre venu. :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209930867_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1209930867_large.jpg)

Kept working and doing few adjustments here and there.

[DaVee]

Compositing looks really magnifical now. Light around dolphins is powerfull and vivid.

Bravo!

David.

[JoPu]

Wow! i like the big alien that suck the dolphin, great color:thumbsup:. How about making the big alien eyes more glowing?

Good Luck

Uplift Universe (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?threadid=616597)

[nwiz25]

everytime i look at your work, i wonder how vast the mind can be, your imagination and sense of creativity is absolutely spellbinding... for me i had to rely on a reference image to get going ...

my respects to you! .. artist :love:

[Cyberone]

wow!
love this one...reminds me alot of cloverfield....but with dolphins fighting along side...

love the fire/glow feeling on the big monster...

[Donglu-LittleFish]

David, Jopu, Neville, Cyberone, Thanks you guys for the encouragement!

Yes, Jopu, I will make the eyes glow more! :)

I am currently working on a canvas about 6000x4000, my computer is getting slow, I will downsize it in the end. Still have many elements to polish, but it is almost done! :)

[scala]

Bah oui ce que je veux dire c'est que j'aimais bien quant il était plus transparent tu vois , mais je te laisse faire c'était en rapport avec Planète interdite...

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Scala, tu preferes le monstre plus transparent?

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210079386_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210079386_large.jpg)

This is the the whole painting on which I have worked until now. Many details are lost, but the foreground soldiers are obviously not refined enough to match up with the rest, I am working on it!

[scala]

Yes Oui c'est ça mais je n'aime pas chargé , ça laisse de la place à l'imagination des autres . Le mieux pour comprendre ça serait de voir ma série "Rorch'arts " à partir de Ze Robolympic http://scala.cgsociety.org/gallery/612824/ pendant 3 lignes ou sur mon blog des fois c'est très abstrait http://blogscala.blogspot.com/ .

En bref ça veut dire que l'alien de gauche me parle plus .

Je ne sais pas si je suis assez clair

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210132489_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210132489_large.jpg)

Kept on refining the alien in the bg and some destroyed buildings

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Hi Scala, I think I will make the choice for alien's transparency until the end, I have to use the rest of the time on refining few elements for now.
Merci pour les liens, c tres tres inspirant de regarder tes oeuvres d'art! :)

[JackZhang]

I love today's update! brilliant color! Hang on there, it's almost over

[scala]

C'est presque fini allez on y est presque . Come on

[dustbin1uk]

Ah! I missed this one! You work is breathtaking here! Well done so far!

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210216399_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210216399_large.jpg)

Just want to share some of my working methods here. Personally, I always keep the orginal plate of my painting in the midtone ranges (the bottom image). All the color variations and lighting on the final image (the one above) are achieved by using different and many adjustments layers, mostly with masks. They are great ways to offer yourself flexibility and the possibility of last minute change. Not much time left, going back to draw now, still have the foreground to be refined.

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Jack: Really happy that you liked it, so more about colors for today's update. :P I am so looking forward to get this image done.

Scala: Merci de m'encourager! Tu ne sais pas combien de sommeil j'ai sacrifie pour ce challenge. Je veux dodo!!! :scream:

Mark: Thanks for dropping by and all the kind words! Good luck for your entry! :)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210302170_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210302170_large.jpg)

Ok, I think I am almost done. Any last minute suggestions or comments?

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Just want to share few high resolution details here:

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/WIP23_c04.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/WIP23_c05.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/WIP23_c01.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/WIP23_c03.jpg
http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/WIP23_c06.jpg

[Sachiel22]

Hey Donglu,

your piece looks cool! I like the details, especially the giants. The fourth high res seems to be a image for itself.

Your technique is a bit curious to me, but it works nicely. ;)

Keep it up! :thumbsup:

[scala]

Hey Iv'e got the feeling it smells the last details before the Final image ? Demain Dimanche

[warmhearted]

感觉画面有些乱,许多细节交代的不清楚,还有角色的的动势上感觉有些不太舒服...还有感觉角色的服装好像是中国的解放战争时期的...这些只是个人看法,有些冒犯之处请原谅

[Donglu-LittleFish]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210462871_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/20/15017/15017_1210462871_large.jpg)

Story inspired by David Brin’s Uplift Universe.


The Lightlogers are coming!

The ground shakes, the water trembles.

Uplifting the dolphins without having any approval, humans definitely angered many alien species; Lightlogers are for sure one of them. To stop the humans from the uplifting process, Lightlogers decided to put an end to it: an end for both the dolphins and the humans.

Not only the uplifted species, but also other creatures of the sea are about to face their day of doom. Will the humans be able to change the fate of the dolphins? Will they be able to change the fate of their own?

The ground shakes, the water trembles.

They are coming…

[HornlessUnicorn]

Donglu! Congratulations! You've worked so hard on this one - and it was certainly worth it - very original and fine work!

The best of luck to you!

Dimitrij.

[nwiz25]

fantastic work donglu!! :bounce: congratulations!! :applause: very intricate! :eek: i wish you the very best of luck!! god bless you dear!

[Kerem]

Congrats man! It looks great... I'm very fortunate that I found a great artist like you through this contest. Best of luck mate! :thumbsup:

[dustbin1uk]

A wonderful image!

I've really enjoyed watching this come to life, even if I did only find this thread near the end.

You've also taught me a thing or two as well, and I thank you for that.

Best of luck,

Mark

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Sachiel: Thank you for passing by and all the kind words! good luck for your entry!:)

Scala: You were right, it was the last update! J'etais tellement fatiguee de travailler dessus a la fin. :arteest:

Warmhearted: Thanks for sharing your inputs! I admit that I still have lot of to learn and improve. Hope I can do better next time! Sorry, my chinese keyboard is not working actually. All the best! :)

Dimitrij: Thank you for the support during the contest and precious inputs! I appreciated sooo much! Good luck for your entry!!!;)

Neville: Thank you! You have been a great inspiration to me during the challenge and you just kept impressing me with every single update! All the best!!!:bounce:

Kerem: I feel flattered. :blush: You are a very talented artist, hope to see more fantastic images from you in the future! Good luck!:thumbsup:

Mark: Thanks you for coming and the warm comments. Good luck!!! :)


It has been a very inspiring experience to me. What I enjoy the most was to see that so many artists from all over the world are exchanging actively their ideas, thoughts and techniques, it was truely wonderful. I want to say a big thanks to all the people who supported me during this challenge, not only the people who left me messages on my thread, also my colleagues at work who always gave me very constructive comments and kept encouraging me every morning! Jack, I won't be able to finish this without you, thank you! :love:

Good luck to all the challengers! :D

[scala]

Congratulations You are allowed to sleep . Félicitations

[Banjavor]

My god your visions are crazy :surprised I wouldn't be in your nightmares

[sweet_bee]

:wavey:

:scream: what can i say? Wonderful image and gorgeous details~!

:) I really enjoyed following your entry.

[MartinNielsen]

This ended great. Congrats :)

[JoPu]

Hi,

Cool finishing, i like the big alien and the atmosphere, great fantasy. Good luck with the judging:)

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Scala: Merci pour ton support tout au long! C'est vraiment tres tres apprecie!:D

Banjavor: Thanks for passing by. Yeah...nightmare...it is just fantasy.

sweet_bee: Thanks for your support and all the kinds words! It was very sweet of you! :)

MartinNielsen: Thank you for coming and the kind words! :)

JoPu: Thank you! So happy to see you finishing up your on time! I knew you could make it! :bounce:

[Ferx]

Hey Donglu, love your image and like a lot the style on it, really great!! Awesome enviroment on the whole image and the feel of action is really great achived! :thumbsup: Congratulations for this great artwork! Best of luck!! Cheers!! :)

[scala]

Il n'y a pas de quoi j'ai été très content de te rencontrer . Pour le tampon ça ne seraoit pas une chèvre ? 5 je ne me rappelle plus )
A+
Eric

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Ferx: Thank you so much to drop by! Really enjoyed your entry too! I miss the clubbing days a lot! :p

Scala: Allo Eric! Je suis contente d'avoir rencontre aussi! :D Je n'ai pas compris la partie concernant le tampon. D'ou vient le chevre, hehe, je suis toute perdue la.:shrug:

I am actually out of the town, when I get back, I want to show you the big collection of Chinese stamps I got. Just a little side story, I studied chinese watercolor paintings at a young age, so got plenty of those, I'll share them with you! :wavey:

[scala]

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
Want to see the collection
:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Donglu-LittleFish]

Hi Scala, sorry for the delay, here is my little collection of stamps! Enjoy! :)

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/mystamps01.jpg

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm58/Donglu/Uplift/mystamps02.jpg

[simoncheng]

very detailing works.
amazing overall.
wish to see more works from you.

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