Steampunk Myths and Legends Entry: Michael Dashow

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226902995_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226902995_large.jpg)

Hi, all! Thought you could get rid of me for this Challenge? Well, no such luck, I'm baaaack!

Before too many people start scratching their heads, a disclaimer:

Yes, I AM allowed to enter this Challenge, but I am completely and utterly exempt from winning any prizes. Why am I still here then? I have long maintained that there are a lot better reasons to join the CGSociety Challenges that just winning prizes. After all, the ratio of entrants to prizes is, well, Challenging to say the least. But every person entering has the opportunity to receive world-class feedback on their work, make a great portfolio piece and have a great place to show it off, and hopefully make a few friends along the way. That's why I'm still here, anyways. Some of my best portfolio pieces have come from participating in these Challenges and this looks like another terrific opportunity to have fun making a great painting while kibbitzing with a lot of colleagues. And that's what I'm hoping to get out of it.

Disclaimer #2: Yes, I am very much looking forward to feedback from my peers, but anything that happens in this thread stays in this thread. I promise that nothing you say here will have ANY effect on my decisions as judge at the end of the Challenge (unless you're exceptionally obnoxious.) If you give feedback saying you like what I'm doing or you don't, or if you give me none at all, none of that will have any bearing on the outcome of this Challenge. I hope I will still manage to get useful input from folks. And I hope people will understand that my own input in other threads will be somewhat tempered by the need to avoid any impressions of inpropriety. That being said, let's get back to the art!

I'm going for something kind of fun, shooting for the feeling of a young adult novel with a plucky heroine and an over-the-top bad guy (driving the Goliath mark II, giving you an idea of what myth I'm going to pretend I'm adhering to.) It's all still rough, but here's the basic idea.

[Cyberone]

wow dude...looking forward to what ya come up with :)

[Falcorr]

Now thats a first. Judges entering challenge :)

So what about if people just come to your page to praise your art in hopes of winning or something?

How bout getting all the judges to participate. Nice to have you around walrus

[balfs21]

Great to have you in Walrus! I'm looking forward to seeing what you can bring to the task!

Also looking forward to any feedback you give on my thread...

Cheers and good luck!

[walrus]

Hey, guys, good to see you around again!
As for people coming to my thread, they can praise me all they want, but it won't in any way affect how well they do in the challenge. However, I'd prefer to get honest feedback over vacuous praise... but then, that's always case, challenge or no. :)

[Ramitxon]

Hi Walrus, this challenges wouldn't be the same without you. I'm glad you're in, after all this is really supposed to make good images for our portfolios, not looking after prizes. Good luck with yours, I'll keep my eyes nailed to your thread as usual. :beer:

[nwiz25]

hehehehehehehehehehehhehehehehehehehehe :scream: hotdog!! the dude is back!! :applause: :bounce:
i couldn't help but grin :D i just called my friend over and he smiled too! :D
now me wait to see your concept materialize :p
cheers mate! :beer:

[Ivy00]

I was wondering if you would join everyone in making an image Mike :) Good to see you are, I learn a lot from watching your threads. It looks wonderful already :)

[NR43]

Have fun!...

[DarioCoelho]

Excellent start! This entry will surely be fun, both for you and us. :)

[DeeVad]

A Cgs Challenge without you ? I couldn't believe in it
Great you could open a thread on it , Master !

I didn't understand well wich novel your first sketch refer... May be something cultural ?
Curious to discover it ; cause it's fun to watch.

[monsitj]

yeah , glad to see you in this one, you are the great challenger from the past challenge,now you are in the panel of judges ,you still join this one with spirit of the challenge !! hehehe
and I learn a lot from your workflow in the past , hope you contribute more useful tip to us
in this one too ,

[balasa]

hey Michael, good to see you join in on this one. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

[NinjaA55N]

Im so glad to see u participating as well! Nicely said under ur first submission and I couldnt agree more (thats not sucking up coz u r a judge :D)

Awesome idea and sketch, really love the humour in it and the funny bad guy at the back with his hat in the air, so mad while his robot is sliping hehe.. Im wondering where will this chase take place? In some very narrow streets would be nice :)

[walrus]

THanks, folks, good to see you all too!

Blaz, I haven't quite figured out where to set this scene yet. A crowded street is a good idea, but I'm totally open to other suggestions. Anyone?

Deevad - No, I'm not basing my image off of a book, I'm making it look like something you might see on a book, ideally one aimed at young adults. (Unless I change my mind!) As for what myth, I'm really just having fun doing some sort of steampunk image. As I'm not being judged anyhow, I'm not really stressing over which Myth it's based on... but if you like, you can consider it a retelling of David vs Goliath.

Cheers!

[GlenGramling]

I enjoyed watching you work the last challenge, so im looking forward to seeing what up come up with for this one. :beer:

[paperclip]

I didn't see your name amongst the judges- darn it, I missed my chance to suck up. :D I was wondering why you didn't put up stuff sooner as you're usually one of the most enthusiastic people around here. I must say I really like the reasons you put down for entering, I feel the same way myself (my chances of winning: 3940,490 to one, but it's great practice, like you said and feedback, portfolio piece, etc, etc. That's why we all keep coming back, right? Ok, enough of such talk.)

I love the David & Goliath concept, but I wouldn't have known it was David & Goliath for two reasons:

1) Usually in David & Goliath illustrations, they're facing each other down rather than David running off (even though he's neatly putting Goliath out).

2) Goliath is usually far larger than David. :D

3) Ok, another reason...the slingshot? The obligatory gouged-out eye? I just think that to really 'fulfil' the legends & myths thing, it should very obviously indicate which legend & myth it is.....
.....I'll stop being obnoxious now...:twisted:

[Womball]

Ooh your doing a Jewish legend too? I can't decide which one I want to do.

[GonzaloGolpe]

So... you´re one of the judges eh?

....


oh, what a beautiful, excellent and impressive sketches you have here!!! (will it wash?)

:p

Welcome to the challenge Mr.Walrus and have a lot of fun ;)

[JTD]

You've already won our hearts and minds, walrus! :p


See if you can talk some of the other judges into entering and then we can have an unofficial "judge judged" contest (say that three times real fast!).

[GonzaloGolpe]

[...] an unofficial "judge judged" contest (say that three times real fast!).

An imagine if someone´s not a native english speaker... Please prepare a bib!!:D

[walrus]

Theresa - Okay, skip the part about David versus Goliath. I confess: I'm not basing my image on any myth. I'm not officially in the competition so i just don't care! I'm just going to enjoy doing a fun steampunk image. :P Thanks for the pictures of your neice and nephews - have you seen them in preson, or are you just reveling in the photos on the interwebs?

womball - You're welcome to David and Goliath, as I'm not actually really doing it. (Not that it would matter, as more than one person can do the same myth, and I'm sure someone's already trying David and Goliath.) What about the idea of a Golem: That would be cool in a steampunk setting! I can't think of other Jewish myths offhand without going back to the Old Testament, so I'll be curious to see what you do.

[JackZhang]

Good to have you back Michael! and good to know that you can't win any prices. muahaha!

Good luck!

[paperclip]

I haven't been able to see them yet, that's one of the downsides of having an international family...but I believe they are coming next summer, so I'm looking forward to that. Their aunts and uncles on this side of the pond came together this weekend to baptise the new children with Guinness, as is the custom... Ok, back to the issue at hand!

Well, I think it's coming along swimmingly so far, I like the idea of having them in a crowded street, with people jostling them and being pushed about. Wait a minute, though, how about an underwater one? Now THAT'D be a challenge. :scream:

[Goro]

Damn it you're here again!?? :P
Glad to see you around. Bring it on!

[Womball]

There is Eezikel's vision of the cherubim (I doubt I could do that in time), Jacob wrestling the angel (hopefully a seraphim, they are really cool looking), Jonah and the giant fish, Tower of Babel (I'd probably need years for that!) There might be more. The golem is a possiblity, although it seems too obvious. I haven't checked out all of the Tanach.

[Jassar]

ahaaa!! I was wondering when you would open your thread :)
Thank god your not counted this time ( as if I have a chance of winning in the first place lol! )

Cheeeeers!

[paperclip]

Damn it you're here again!?? :P
Glad to see you around. Bring it on!

Don't worry, he's not entering, so there's hope for the rest of us, by which I mean you. :D

[Thaldir]

Well, I'll be...:eek: ...here's someone I really wasn't expecting to see in this Challenge. For a moment I did a double take thinking you had left the jury.


Some of my best portfolio pieces have come from participating in these Challenges and this looks like another terrific opportunity to have fun making a great painting while kibbitzing with a lot of colleagues.

Looking at past experiences I'm tempted to say that some of my worst portfolio pieces come out of the challenges (too much thinking, maybe? ;) ) but I definitely second everything else. Looking forward to what will grow in this thread.

[walrus]

some of my worst portfolio pieces come out of the challenges

Seriously? Well, if you ever unleash one of your best pieces here, everyone had better watch out!

[mdavid]

Hey Mike, it's great to see you in this one. I'd think that anyone who's followed you and your threads over the years can rest assured you'll live up to everything you promised in your disclaimers. So now we can safely drop any suggestions of me trying to please the judges (something which I have a hunch I haven't been doing much of lately anyway) let me say congratulations to you for being on the panel!

Now on to the task at hand: your first sketch is delightful. There's a sense of movement and energy about it which is mighty appealing. Bring it on!

[Spyndel]

Im glad to see an entry from you! It wouldn't have been a real Cg Talk challenge without you here.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226994558_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226994558_large.jpg)

Thanks, Mark. I had no idea what you meant by that comment 'til I visited your thread... Wow! Such a hullabaloo! (But of course I couldn't leave well enough alone and had to weigh in too. Anyhow, good to see you here.)

Thanks to other folks for dropping in too. Jack and Goro, your comments are so, um, heart-warming, thanks for stopping by!

So anyhow:
Here's another take on the layout. I liked the humor and adventure in the first try, but the camera angle was, how shall we say? Boring! So I'm trying a lower angle to really make the Goliath steam-mech imposing. There wasn't any room for another walking-bot, but how many do you really need in one piece? So instead, here's the monocycle, a one-wheeled steam-powered motorcycle! At first I just had a girl on it and was about to post that, when I got to brainstorming with my wife, and ended up with a girl sitting side-saddle on the back firing off a blunderbuss. It's not quite as funny as the last piece, but there's a lot more tension with the big mech looking meaner and bullets flying everywhere... but if anyone has any good ideas on how to combine the best of both concepts, I'm interested!

[Goro]

Walrus! Again! Get closer with the camera! :P
The lower angle is great but it would be way more dynamic when you rotate the one wheeled motor cycle more towards the camera and also a lot closer to the cam. It's hard to see the depth between the robot and the motorcycle. It would be also cool to see some
dust particles flying into the camera from the bullets that hit the ground. Keep on rockin'

[MartinNielsen]

Hey old friend. I'm pretty late here I see ;) So wonderful to see you participating afterall. Your work in these challenges are always so nice and inspiring, even though they differ from my own style :) Welcome back.

[paperclip]

I agree with Goro. In addition to his comments, I'd say the person holding the blunderbuss looks like she's beside the bike and not on it. But I think the perspective is far better, much more dynamic! If you want more humour...the armour of the big guy is a great palette. :twisted:

[ChrisNoeth]

Great action piece. I really look forward to your next steps!

Best,

Chris

[walrus]

Well, the pose may look awkward because she's sitting side-saddle, and covered with a poorly-drawn dress to boot! But those are all excellent suggestions. Thanks for always keeping me on my toes, Goro! Back to work for me... more sketches to come.

[musi]

Is the bot's body looks like a skull, or is it my imagination?!

Like the fun and humor of the idea, but it's kind of far from the legend itself, let's say, loose interpretation :)

Seriously, I just want to sign to your thread to watch your wip.
And I guess this time there is no reason to wish you luck...

[NinjaA55N]

Im with Goro about the camera geting closer to the action, and maybe the girl on the back doesnt need to shoot the big monster.. she is there to spill the oil on the road behind them, so the robot would keep the silly pose from the first sketch :) And while sliping and falling down, the robot may still be shooting, and the bullets would fly everywhere (extra dynamics in the pic)

And the one-wheeled vehicle for two is a great replacement!

[andreasng]

this new one is much cooler than the previous. a bit more action packed, and way more believable. the oily idea kind of reminded me of wacky racing games. The monocycle looks cool. I have to say its very much like steamboy, but then again, any monocycles reminds me of steamboy.

looks cool. good luck. and i'm looking forward to seeing this piece.

cough* i love robots cough*

[Darksuit]

Looking Forward to What you come up with Mike!

[TheFirstAngel]

hehe wasn't sure if i've subscribed already, so best of luck and enjoy! go mike go mike! :D

[Elendil_le_Grand]

I really like your style. Your sketch is really good ...
I can't wait to see the next ;)

[SONIC-X]

great sketch dude.It reminds me of Wild Wild West in a way almost.

[walrus]

Thanks, folks! Strangely enough, I've never seen 'Wild Wild West' (thought I remember some sort of mech from the trailers years ago) nor 'Steamboy' (it's been on my list for ages, but I never got around to it.) So I can honestly say they weren't an influence. Noth that one-wheel bikes are my idea, I found some cool images of the kind you sit inside while researching Steampunk stuff. And walking robots are always cool.

Cool idea about spilling the oil from the first sketch. i hadn't thought of that (just because blunderbusses are also cool) but I'll give it a try and see how it looks.

Musi - Yes, it's a skull, and no, I'm not really making any attempt to do any myth at all. But it's a moot point for me. Don't follow my bad example, kids!

[Slav]

hey Michael thanks for dropping in. i always watch your threads but rarely have anything to say. i really like your early sketch for your myth, mostly because the updated one looks kind of rigid, i know it will be worked out with more work but that's about the only thing i can point out. thanks again for all your tips!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227080254_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227080254_large.jpg)

Here's another attempt, with the perspective pushed even more... linear perspective too, with some extreme "fog" to show the depth a bit more clearly (hey, this will be London, after all!) Haven't had time to try out much else just yet, like the grease mentioned above, but I did try cramming it all into a portrait orientation... Fail. As for this, I probably shouldn't have the bottom of the wheel resting on the bottom of the frame. Bad Mike!

[Elendil_le_Grand]

It's better for sure ...
More strong ...

[balasa]

i really like this layout better, it has a stronger impact that the last one. although i do want to see the oil thing back

[Cyberone]

this thread seems to be where all the old friends come to gather for the past challenges :0

looks good :)
to needs more vicky and less punk for my liking....lol

man i had to edit this post twice ...i should really learn to type....

[paperclip]

Way better! :bounce: Just make the guy driving the motorbike a bit bigger & bulkier (maybe even have the motorbike so big it is cropped out by the frame, thus exaggerating its closeness?)

I LOVE the bot in the background, perfect hugeness level! :love:

[pimeto]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226902995_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1226902995_large.jpg)
i like this concept more :)
One of the best ive seen on the challenge so far!
Keep up man!

[walrus]

Thanks, Pimeto, but that first sketch didn't work for me on a few different levels: First, the camera angle is boring. That's always a first instinct of mine, to just do a plain straight-on camera, and I'm really working at improving that. But also, there was no dramatic tension in the piece. Good guys winning = hooray! Good guys' life at stake = Uh oh, what will happen next!?! (which is much better for book cover art, all in all.)

Don't worry, everything in this piece will get much more Victorianed-out! (Aha! Light bulb! In typing that, I just realized what Simon meant by "more vicky and less punk!") Simon, these are just the very rough shapes. I've spent the last week just gathering references, and as I refine everything, we'll see it look more period. My blunderbuss is already looking more authentic, and you'll notice I swapped the traditional motorcycle steering column for some hand-cranks. I'll keep moving forward with that!

(Oh, and good to see you here again, too!)

Theresa - It was really late at night that I posted this, and only then did I notice how I had the monocycle driving around upon the bottom of the frame. I like your idea of cropping it, that really would push it forward even more.

Thanks, folks!

[Cyberone]

haha...."vicky" is cyberpunk slang for neo-Victorian....

im a tad worried here that most ppls dont even know what steampunk means...hahaha


it seems to be too much steam or too much cyber....and
not any "vicky"...lolz...this is in reference to not your posts but to the world at large :)

[walrus]

Well, I haven't read a ton of steampunk myself but I've always appreciated the aesthetic. I hope for my own entry to relatively authentic, and to educate myself on what that even means as I go. It'll make me a better-informed judge also, so I'll have a better idea of who's "cheating" on the genre or not. :)

As I was researching the topic, I ran into a nice speech by Bruce Sterling (http://steampunkworkshop.com/bruce-sterling-users-guide-steampunk) on the contemporary Steampunk community that I thought was interesting. Also, for those looking for more authentic references, I've found the blog Brass Goggles (http://brassgoggles.co.uk/brassgoggles/) to be a great resource and a fun read!

[Cyberone]

ill share a secret....but don't crash their site by spreading the word out of this thread...

here (http://www.steampunkmagazine.com/)

haha

[angel]

Hi Michael! nice to see you here again. I like the latest sketch you posted, the perspective is nice and gives a good sense of scale. On the other hand the oil spill concept kinda goes with your whimsical style more maybe if you can somehow incorporate both ideas.

[OKMER]

Jack Zhang:
Good to have you back Michael! and good to know that you can't win any prices. muahaha!
Mhouhahah:D:D:D

HI, Good to see back here Mike!!!
Great start man, like the dynamics in this idea & sketches.

Could be fun making the pilot watching his wheel, surprised by the fact he sees a screw falling out:D
Subscribed ofcourse!

Have fun Mike!

[paulwdavidson]

Howdy, dude!

Looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table this time.

Paul

[Goro]

way better!
But I think you could push the angle even further....the two elemenst of the drawing look
still a little bit static side by side. You could make them overlap more like that maybe?
hope you don't mind the paintover...

http://www.area-56.de/pics/cgtalk/steampunk_walrus_op.jpg

[walrus]

Of course not, I always appreciate a paint-over! Thank you for taking the time to show me what you are thinking. It's interesting with the overlap... Unfortunately the more the monocycle gets right in front of the walking mech, the more I have to turn the female character with the gun back to face it, not just cheat her sideways. Hmm, I'll have to thing through that. But I really appreciate the great suggestion and rework of the last comp. Thanks!

[daw]

good luck man! - this looks great!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227328775_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227328775_large.jpg)

I've made my layout even tighter as Goro was suggesting. (Funny thing was, I had a layout just like this in my sketchbook. At first I rejected it as too cramped!)

Anyhow, the problem with moving the characters to right in front of the fantastickal walking contraption is that having the girl hold a blunderbuss becomes impractical for the layout: To aim at it, she'd have her back to the camera. So I was showing my wife the layout and asking, "How can she combat it without facing backwards? What other means could she use." Talia thought for a moment and then started to laugh out loud. The second she started, I somehow instantly knew exactly what she had in mind - have I mentioned how on-the-same-wavelength my wife and I are? Yes, the good old slipping-on-a-banana peel gag! Only, here, the girl has a whole batch of bananas. (Don't ask how she got them in Victorian England. It's a long story involving an airship and some pirates.) anyhow, she's eating them as fast as she can so as to discard the skins to trip up the mech.

So what do you all think? Too silly? Just right? Does this method of combating the enemy's robot have appeal?

(and, of course, how do you like the new layout?)

edit: oops, I just noticed my yellow's misregisterred in places. sorry!

[Goro]

hahahaha now that's tight walrus!
I love it! Especially her expression....trying to eat the bananas as fast as possible instead
of just throwing them away haha that's ace.
And I think the composition works waaaaaaay better now! Looking good man!

[mdavid]

Well, you've probably guessed already that I love the bananas idea. For me, that joke was so unexpected, yet it seems to work beautifully. If I was being chased like that, that's what I'd want to do. And the new composition is superb. It is powerful and beautifully balanced too and just perfect for portraying the imposing scale of the Goliath. The only thing I could suggest is that the Goliath could be bent forward very slightly at its 'hips' to suggest that it is leaning in towards the chase. With its driver so high and distant, I'm thinking he might currently have the appearance of overlooking the monocycle

[Amirgdx5]

Hay man :D love to see that sketch boosted up :)
as for the "world-class feedback"...well, i havent felt it yet !!

Have fun,as always :beer:

PS_I would like to see some part of the girl`s leg,it would give it a sexy look as well as the funny part along with the action feeling :thumbsup:

[walrus]

I would like to see some part of the girl`s leg

right now it's totally hard to read, but she's sitting side-saddle and the bananas are in her lap. I'll try to make the legs more readible. I'm also not sure whether I'll keep the driver of the monobike a chubby man or now. My wife suggest making the driver another young woman. Or I could make it a cute guy. What do you all think?

as for the "world-class feedback"...well, i havent felt it yet !!

I thought Goro's feedback and paintovers in this thread have been "world-class." As for feedback on your own thread, I can't say - maybe you haven't been making world-class mistakes like me? :)

[paperclip]

I love the banana skins. :D I think this composition looks far better, the drama is ultimate. :D I'd like it if the girl was looking up at the robot, would lead the eye better into the picture. Looking BACK, that is, not up...give more of an illusion of how far away it is...??

EDIT: Make it a cute guy! I'm thinking a Leyendecker 'Arrow Collar Man'-esque fella...unless it doesn't fit into what you're trying to do. But us ladies deserve eye candy as well. :love:

[Spyndel]

Looking great! Im torn between the oil spewing version and the bananas. I think the oil works better towards the Steampunk theme, but I like the banana gag better. The banans bit is also a little more exciting, because the peels in mid flight give the piece a lot of kinetic energy. Bananas it is then.

Good luck, and don't take this the wrong way, but I sure am glad you're not eligible to win anything this time. ;)

[Amirgdx5]

:) i say go for the cute guy :thumbsup: and i hope i do some world-class mistakes soon :)

and thanx for the world class feed back!! :arteest:

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Yeah really cool work man ;)
The concept is good and your last test works well :)
Keep up the good work !

[walrus]

Theresa - thanks, that's a good idea (about her looking a bit more back.) As for a cute guy, it's also an interesting idea, but I think a conventionally handsome gentlemen might work at cross-purposes to the funny situation I'm trying to depict.

Spyndel - Taking it the way you intend it, thank you, that's very kind! :)

Amirgdx5 - You're welcome, hope it was helpful.

Elendil_le_Grand - Thank you! Yours is looking nice too.

[Amirgdx5]

It truly was :D

[paperclip]

Weeeeelll....you could make him over-the-top handsome and fit him out with shining armour (or armor as I think you yanks spell it) and a monocle. :D

Maybe the only over the top thing here is me...oh no...:argh:

[Rupy]

Hey Micheal,

I love the angle you took on the last shot, looking forward to see your progression, and how your final will turn out, cheers!


Rupy
__________________


Steampunk (illustration) (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=278&t=694324)

[oneandonlyDiscoStu]

hehehe billiant work :cool:

[balasa]

I love what you did with the new layout and with the girl. it feels a lot tighter and the scene just felt a little bit more like a movie chase scene. the banana peel touch is just classic. I cant wait to see what the characters look like in the final design

[NinjaA55N]

thats it! Start coloring it :D

and I couldnt stop laughing.. not just to the banana idea, but also to the airship and pirates story, hahaha..

[stylize]

nice!! i love the humor element and the composition:)

[collings]

thanks for the good laught walrus :D the layout works great, looking forward to see some more advance painting now :) Keep it up.

[JackZhang]

ROFLMAO! I love the banana idea. Your work always carry a slice of humor! Boy I cant slow laughing. Good one indeed!

[silenceimpaired]

I can't wait to see your end image. Your images are always very entertaining! I'm still working out my layout, if you have time and care to comment feel free to!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227588868_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227588868_large.jpg)

Well, now that I've got a better layout, time to figure out who it is in this scene. These aren't final character designs, just some sketches along the way to work through some character shapes, proportions, wardrobes, poses, etcetera. There'll be more. Hope you like!

[ysvry]

fantastic sketches , good luck to u.

[Slav]

looks awesome. really love the guy on the right at the bottom there.

[silenceimpaired]

You can see how far into the details I read for the contest. Oh well. :) I have really enjoyed the images that you have made for these contests! I am glad that you are participating. (No... not buttering you up, I don't expect to even make it into semi-finalists. lol)

I just want to get my cursed perspective right on my drawing! Grr. Any more comments appreciated.

[paperclip]

Lol @ the roly poly guy, you got his expression spot on. Don't change it!

[ChrisNoeth]

Really nice! The humor already is great! :)

Best,

Chris

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227680416_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1227680416_large.jpg)

Well, here is some sketch development for the pilot. It's good to do lots of sketches: sometimes you end up with something better than your original plan... and sometimes the additional drawings just help prove that your first instincts were the best. I think the latter is true in this case. I like #1 and #2 best (although #1 is not a final costume) and they happen to match my layout sketch the most closely too.

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Like 5 and 8.

And just a quick word to say i like your drawing ;)

[Intervain]

haha - he looks butch! Love it:cool:

[paperclip]

I'm still rooting for the original, because I'm obnoxious like that. :D

[walrus]

Nah, don't be sorry, I think it's the right choice in this case. I also think that #1 is pretty close to the original, too, maybe slightly different goggles and seen leaning back more (which doesn't work as well for the composition either.)

I love the top-hat too, Elendil, but I can't imagine how it would stay on his head, plus it would block the girl too much.

Thank you for the comments, folks! :)

[silenceimpaired]

I definitely am hoping you haven't given up! I haven't seen any updates in a few days :D lol So worry is starting to set in, was a little worried that you may be losing the drive to continue!

I like #1 and #5. For the record.

Meanwhile back at the ranch- I have settled on a background I like, more so than my characters... so ya, we'll see how that turns out. :) Keep hard at work! I love your art.

[Darksuit]

I like the expression and the emotional range that your getting on number 1. I like the tophat and the monacle feel that the goggles are giving him on number 8. Number 4, his mustache here has a life of it's own.

thinking about it, but yes you may want to take that Monacle and Tophat idea and use it for your villian. =)

muhahaha.

[Rivenis]

ha ha, looks like i'm a bit late to this party. Anyway, just wanted to say i've been following the progress and the composition and the concept is totally blowing me away. This is gonna kick serious ass when its done. I really like the idea of the rolly polly "gentleman" character, he's perfect for the scene, hope you don't change him. Anyway keep up the inspiring work

[walrus]

Hi, all! No need to worry, Aaron, I'm still in this (or "in this" as my entry doesn't count anyhow.) No, in truth, the day after Thanksgiving (U.S. holiday last Thursday for those of you elsewhere) I accidentally left my backpack with my sketchbook at a friend's house and he doesn't live close, so I won't get til back 'til Wednesday. That had all of my sketches of the female character. Plus was pretty busy with a lot of family stuff (and some freelance concept work) over the long Thanksgiving weekend. So in the meantime, I've cracked open a new sketchbook and have lots of drawings of the walking mech that I've been working on. i'll try to post some new work tonight.

David - Yes, I agree, monocle and top-hat for the bad guy... maybe even a monocle for the walking meck! (Wait 'til you see the sketches, it kind of works!)

Rivenis - Thanks, glad you like it!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228199489_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228199489_large.jpg)

Here are some really rough sketches for the big walking mech. Probably no one can decypher them but me but what the heck, it's progress.

[authentic]

Hi walrus. nice to see you inthe contest. I like your human character. For the mech I wiil comment later :scream:

[Micro26]

I love the concept, characters have awesome expressions and it looks like youre having a lot
of fun with this one.
Have fun walrus :thumbsup:

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228253331_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228253331_large.jpg)

Well, no one had much to say about the mech designs - maybe they really were indecypherable! - but I really liked the walking steam-mech with the hatch-and-hose forming a monocle on the face, so I think I'll keep it. I've incorporated some of the sketches I liked - mech and female - into the general layout. What do you all think of her hand crossing the body to hold the banana close to her mouth? It's not the strongest silhouette, but it expresses that she's actually eating the bananas better than anything else I've come up with.

[Womball]

I like number 5 and 9. i don't think this works for her throwing the bananas. Her tossing arm has no power in it. i think it should be extended more, but arced as well. I think it would be really funny if you had her one arm with the banana wrapped around the drivers neck, like a one armed choke. You could have him turning red and eyes bulging, while trying to drive. I think you would get a stronger pose too.

[Mercuralis]

I like the mech design alot. The monocol hatch works well. :D I think with Thanksgiving going on the US a lot of people were doing the holiday thing rather than commenting (I know I was... and comments on my thread have dropped to almost zilch, too. Oh well).

I agree with Womball about the girl's arm. She doesn't appear to be involved in the same scene as the driver or the giant 'bot, and her arm motion looks careless rather than like a deliberate attempt to stop the thing.

[Olie]

Hi Walrus,

I think what I like most about this (and your other work) is the process you go through in developing a character or scene. Don't get me wrong I love your finished pieces but I love your preliminary work and how you arrived at where you did.

[ace4016]

Heh, just saw the update, and I was about to suggest the one with the monocle; but you picked that one already (because monocles are cool :P). I know this is a rough sketch, but, those banana peels don't seem to be on the same ground plane as the robot and monocycle.

[JaimeCoba]

Im loving this one.

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Like your last update ;)

[Anatomista]

It is amazing! Maybe you should try to force the perspective of the mech's front leg bringing it closer so it would create more dramaticity, like those action movies shots where the car is about to reach the hero, and then it cuts to the next shot where it is distant, wide enough to allow him to save himself, hehehe.

[balasa]

im liking the mech design there. do you plan on turning the monocle part into a weapon of some sort like a cannon. then maybe a claw on the right arm maybe?

[walrus]

I really like the monocle as a hatch, just because it's a familiar shape and doesn't protrude much the way a cannon would. (which wouldn't read as a monocle, I fear.) It's the same way I really like making the mouth out of a furnace door. Just taking the parts I have to work with and forming them into a face, as it were. As for the hand, in some earlier posts, I showed lots of bullets flying around (or at least the little "explosions" (?) where they were hitting the ground near the monocycle. I haven't drawn them in here, but had planned on doing so... unless folks think a hand/claw on the end of the arm instead of a gatling gun would work better. What do you all think?

Anatomista - Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try.

Ace - You're right about the bananas on the ground. I quickly pasted them in from an earlier comp... I'll have to place them better once I get a ground plane in there for real.

Olie - Thanks! That's one thing I love about these challenges, seeing everyone's process... and getting help with mine along the way! (That's why I'm here, after all!)

Mercuralis and Womball - Good point about the throwing arm. I've started working on some new sketches where I extend it more, see if I can hit the sort of pose you're talking about, I won't wrap her other arm around the pilot, though - it's a fun idea, but I really want to convey that she's eating fast as she can. It's already difficult enough to convey both eating and being scared in her expression and pose, but adding in "clinging for dear life" into the mix is just going to muddy up things, if you know what I mean - don't try to convey too much all at once with one character.

Anyhow, thanks for all the comments, everyone! Back to work...!

[Ataulfo]

Hi Michael,

Your Uplift entry was amazing, and this one also will be.
Keep it up and good luck!!

Iban

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228382601_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228382601_large.jpg)

So as suggested before by Mercuralis and Womball, the throwing arm of the woman wasn't really all that strong. I've tried two new takes on it: the left one with the same pose she's been in thus far only a stronger arm hurling the banana in the right direction. And then a second sketch where I've changed her whole body to fit the pose, not just the arm. sometimes you have to go a little further back on the drawing board to make things work - never be afraid to redraw! In this case, I'm glad I did: I think the new pose might just be stronger. What do you all think?

[paperclip]

I really do prefer the right hand one- it has a stronger storytelling element to it.... plus I really like the look of panic in her face!

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Yes the right one seems to be more expressive ...

[yoff]

Definitely more urgency in the right hand one (where she is throwing with her left hand). I guess this is partly due to the facial expression, but it is also because she seems to involve her entire upper body in the task. So my vote is for that one :-)

[Womball]

I like the rightmost one best. More dynamic and better action lines. Great expression too. Did the choking pose not work?

[walrus]

Ah, it seems unanimous then... good! :)

Womball - No, sorry, I didn't try it. As I was trying to explain in my earlier post, I thought that including the choking action was adding too many things for her to be doing all at once - eating, throwing, panicking, choking. It's a fun idea, but I don't think it will work with everything else I'm trying to do. Thanks for suggesting it, though! :)

[LORDvesalius]

Yes i agree,the right one, no doubt.
And i love the expression on her face, really desperate.... this is turning out great, as always, Mr. Walrus.
Thanks for sharing it with us!

[ebrowning]

I was hoping to see you here! Looking forward to another wild ride. And your entry looks excellent- I agree with the other posters, the one on the right really nails it. Looking forward to "talking" more:)

[Goro]

The thing what I liked about your first concept is that she is so much in panic that she is trying
to eat the bananas as fast as possible and her cheeks blow out.
Now she still has the panic in her face but the layer of humor is gone. I would love to have
it back.
I would suggest to work on the facial expression again and make the pose maybe a bit
more clumsy?
And I would definitely suggest to make her look at the bot and not to the driver.
Because the danger comes from behind. On the right hand sketch it looks like she's
yelling at the driver "what the hell are you doing" or something like that. I can't see the
connection between her and the bot.

Characters are looking cool! I prefere the driver on the left drawing. Looks a lot more dynamic.

[molossus]

Great characters!
I do prefer the lady on the right. The way she trows the banana does fit best with the driving direction. As if she didn't calculate the lost of balance while trowing on a rapidly moving vehicle. If possible I would go for the dress of the left one. Because at the moment the drivers right hand and part of the steer is on the same line with blue'er part of her dress which makes it perhaps a bit more difficult to "read". For the driver I really like the left one being strapped in and leaning back. He looks more determinated...

looking forward to the next ones!

[lynch]

nice action especially on the last one.

[yoff]

Goro you are brutal...but right. There really is an issue with the face though...looking at the robot, being visible by the camera expressing and eating at the same time...could a review mirror of some sort help?

I do like the silhuette mentioning the shoe.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228550109_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228550109_large.jpg)

Thanks for the input everyone... especially the "brutal" Mr. Goro, who always gives me the best feedback. (I'd love to catch you for lunch again some time, if you have any time off over the holidays or something. Can't make it down during weekdays any more, now that I have a job, though!)
Anyhow...

Totally valid point about her expression, direction, and the mouth. So here are a few new versions. Now her mouth is more full and she's facing the mech. A & B have the pilot leaning forward - which I think would be more necessary to balance the monocycle with her on the back - and C has the leaning back "Harley Rider" version of the monocycle pilot. And all three have different versions of the mech (all with monocles!)

Oh, and I know the banana she's throwing doesn't read well against the mech in the line art. I think it may work with color and value, when I get there.... I still need explosions and bananas on the ground too.

[cabertevon]

Impressive work as always!

[Amirgdx5]

I go for Robot`s B exchanged with C :) so "C" i love the fact that she is a lefty just like me :applause:

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Maybe the b is better ...

[SynthOrange]

I like the arms and shilouette from C, but the 'face' from B much better.

[Anatomista]

I like B. The driver leaning forward is a smart point of view, it feels more like he really wants to flee. Congrats!

[Comlock]

Nice to see you joining in Michael!
I always have fun looking trough your progress because you include so many cool details and alternatives in your concept drawings. Very inspirational

Lots of improvements on your last post! :applause:
I like "B". Her silhouette reads better compared to "C" also
Good too see that you raised the robot higher in the composition as well.

I'll try to squeeze out some small suggestion:

You can always push the robot even further up in the image. Just to make him feel even more superior, threatening and big for the image. it will also increase the contrast in terms of height difference beween the robot and people on the bike.

The bike with the two people are on one half on the image. Maybe move them a tad closer to the center so they are not completly splitting the image into 50/50

Also, maybe you could move the bike and girl a tad closer to the camera. I think it might be cool if the guy is leaning more forward. That way his face would be even more closer to the camera. And thats cool, hehe *two thumbs up*

Tilt the camera a bit sideways so the background\ground doesent get too parallel on the picture frame. Should help things seem even more dynamic.

trying to put my words into a sketched crappy example:
http://www.comlock.net/drawings/suggestion.jpg
Just sugestions. So take what you want from it ^_^

Im sure youre gonna do great! All the entries you have done has been awesome so far.
Good luck! I really would like to see this one finished as well! :beer:

[Goro]

looking good walrus!
But I have to agree with comlock. If you make those few adjustments to the composition
it's gonna be "really" cool!
I like b too

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228633859_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228633859_large.jpg)

Hi, all. Thanks for the opinions and suggestions! Seems like almost everyone liked the face on 'B,' but I thought that SynthOrange had a great idea in combining the arms of 'C' with the rest of 'B,' so that's what I did.

As for the rest of the composition, Comlock, I really appreciate your adding a detailed post but especially your taking the time to paint a layout for me! And they were excellent ideas and a good layout, so I've tried to see how it works with my line art and configure things to work with those shapes. I feel like it turned out pretty good so this is how it all worked out. I couldn't match everything exactly - your monocycle pilot pose was just pushed a bit too far forwards for me - but I did push him farther up. Here's how it sits. Hope you and Goro and everyone else like it and think it works...

[Amirgdx5]

looking good :) but you cropped the frame!! more empty space is needed :applause:

good job :D

[walrus]

I didn't crop the frame at all! I just resized and repositioned the objects in the frame. Where do you think it needs more space?

[Comlock]

Looking good=D

I was looking back at your earlier pre-visualization.
you got some really beautifull and clear silhouettes in "A" and "B"
it reads very well.

And some of that got a bit lost now. Might be better if her left hand was in no contact with other elemens of the image to get that clarity. So maybe you should move the robot more to screen left...Or the bike and all more to screen right .... Or maybe change change the rotots left arm pose.. etc..

female's pose looks a bit to "profile-ish" for something that is happening almost behind her right now.
So getting a bigger distance would make it look more right. If you had to change her pose to match the action happening behind her you would probably loose her facial expression anyway.

I just hope my comments arent slowing your progress too much down though since you kinda need to go a bit back and forward now, hehe

[Zephyri]

Hey Michael, great to see you taking part too.. couldn't agree more with your sentiments about there being more to this challenge than just the prizes! In my case the chance for my work to pass under the eyes of the god that is Brom as well as the whole interaction thing - there really isn't any better platform to get it than these challenges.

I love the humour in this image the idea of banana skins was a small stroke of genius! The characters are looking great in the last sketch and while you've lost her face a little, I think the over all change was for the better as the story reads better. Only small niggle I have is with the crop of the current composition. The way the wheels and arm are cropped feels more like you didn't quite have enough room for them rather than a conscious decision, and I really liked the earlier sketches where the whole of the action was included. The lines in the earlier sketches seemed clearer, at least where the silhouettes are concerned, though that might be something you deal with by adding atmospheric depth and what have you.

Looking great though!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228679715_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228679715_large.jpg)

Thanks for the suggestions! Here's a new version that is closer to layout 10b but keeps the pilot leaning forwards more from the last comp. I've separated the foreground from the mech a bit more. See what you all think.

[Comlock]

Oh yes! much better :bounce:

[Amirgdx5]

You didn`t!! :hmm: O.K but still it needs more empty space , here i go :

On the left screen of the image,the robots right hand,it kinda drives my eye twords it for being not compleatly visible, the cutted part of it drags my eye to look for the rest of it!!

Or it`s just me :rolleyes: anyway everything looks good :thumbsup:




Ps-my PC has become a colony of viruses!! :banghead: I`m at work now! so i wont be working on my image for a few days :argh: :cry: :surprised

[Imara]

Hey Walrus. The Concept of the top sketch looks really good. The perspective and the expression are very interesting. Its kind of the style im going for. But im really curious to see what you have planned for the final piece. The landscape on your piece "Farewell Kiss" give me a bit of insight of what to go for in my hills. Hope you don't mind? But even though you cant get an award Best of luck to you "ma man".

[walrus]

Thanks for the notes, everyone!

Imara - thanks! Glad you liked 'Farewell Kiss.' One of the things I love about the CGTalk Challenges is that judging tends to be very style agnostic. There are other places I could think of where "cartoony" pieces would never go over well because they all want dark, moody, and realistic art only. And yet every contest here awards a nice well-rounded range of styles, at least as long as they're internally consistent and done well. So I wish you luck with your attempt, too. You, by the way, might consider adding a signature which includes a link directly to your entry so that it's easy for people to find it and comment. (Click on Quick Links in the upper right and select "edit Signature.") I'd love to see your piece, but have to confess that I don't have time right at this moment to go digging for it. Make it easier for folks! :thumbsup:

[M477]

This is coming on very nicely since I last checked it out, I like the new composition. The only thing I would say is that the bike doesn't look like it's quite moving at any great pace, I would be inclined to add some motion to it at this stage and blur the ground and wheel, so that it feels like the camera is tracking along infront of the bike and not planted as if the bike is about to whizz past. It would also help if you had a ploom of dust behind the wheel leading to the background character as this would help show off the great perspective you've got and be another way of leading the eye from the foreground to the background.

[thebest]

cool keep going waiting for some colors :arteest:

[Elendil_le_Grand]

It's better and better :)

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228884648_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1228884648_large.jpg)

Thanks for the comments folks. Here are some female costume sketches.

Matt - You've got some good points. But all of the stuff you mention are details to be added in the painting stage, not elements that I feel the need to add in the rough line art stage.

[Steyn]

You know, considering the myth, I'm surprised you didn't have her chuck a nut or a bolt at him, bringing a little bit more of the David and Goliath in this story....or maybe a monkey wrench...which will go into his works 8D

[Nickillus]

I just know the end result is going to be another absolute stunner Michael - that's a given with you - but it's wonderful to be able to see these development sketches too. A real treat indeed.

[silenceimpaired]

I really like how you make a wide range of character drawings and designs so that you don't get locked into one concept early on, it's something I need to work on. Not to mention it grabs people's attention when they can mention which they prefer. :) My issue is that I like all of them.

In regards to perspective and composition, I hardly consider myself an expert but I love what you've done with the image so far... it has a nice diagonal line from top to bottom that really makes it easy to follow the action.

[walrus]

silenceimpaired - Thanks! I had a lot of helpful input to get the composition where it is now. It's important not to get locked down into something too early.

Nick - Thanks, good to see you here too!

Steyn - Bananas are funnier than nuts and bolts. But I'm not really doing the David and Goliath myth. I'm not actually doing any myth or legend at all. I probably won't win. ;)

[Womball]

The bottom left one has the best pose and overall clothing. Although it looks like her face is trying to escape her head. The one on the bottom right has a better physical face.

[Steyn]

I probably won't win. ;)

Oh pshaw! That's just the judge inside you telling you you're not good enough to win. :D
But in the end, you're right, nothing beats a good slip on a banana peel.

[paperclip]

I like the 'princess bride' style sleeves. I suddenly imagined a banana peel going into the eye of the big mecha and it staggering backwards, a 'hand' over the eye...heh. Anyway, that'd just complicate things even more at this stage. But you know you have a good thing going on when people can imagine what'll happen next in the story....

[yoff]

That last composition sketch really looks good. You might consider adding space to the left and right of the composition to give a better feeling of horizontal motion...I am not quite sure that would work, though..

[morenike]

I don't know how i missed this thread. I like what you've done so far. My eyes a little crossed now from all the reading. I was going to say something about how she's perched on his shoulder from earlier comps but I like it like this. I'd say more steam though. Yeha that's my two cents. enjoying your process

[wildcory1]

Hello Michael
You always bring great life to your characters. Your illustrations are always amazing keep up the good work as always.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1229323329_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1229323329_large.jpg)

With something this mechanical in the picture, I'm not going to attempt to draw all those gears and perspective freehand. That's why we have 3D programs, after all! So here's my rough model of the monocycle. There's actually more to it than this, I only modeled what I need for this camera angle.

[Womball]

So do you paint directly over this model? I like this design, it looks like it could work. If that's the front wheel though, he would have hot steam or exhaust blowing on his legs. Yow!

[walrus]

I will end up tracing this model when I get around to doing final line art, and use the value information for when I start painting. But no, this isn't the front wheel, it's the only wheel - that's why it's called a monocycle. There'd be more of an engine behind the pilot, but i didn't bother modeling it because in my final layout, that part will be blocked by the characters. But don't worry, the pilot will be safe because the exhaust pipes channel heat safely away from him.

[yoff]

Even though you are more than capable of drawing lines both pleasantly smooth and persprectively convincing freehand, I am slightly surprised that you did not subdivide the model more to get a nice base to paint on, especially the big tyre...

[walrus]

No, there's just no strong reason to go any higher-poly than this: I'm just going to trace it to come up with the final line art in pencil, and the lined will tighten up and get more curved in that part of the process. And I'll use my final render's lighting and shadows to help inform the painting that I do. But as everything is going to be hand-painted in the end, I don't tend to work any higher poly than i need to. Maybe I'm just more used to doing low-poly 3D art.

[WimH]

Hi Mike,

Nice work so far.
Its cool to see how you let everybody anticipate in this threat. This way everybody can learn a lot.
I like the banana idea a lot, its really funny. Good luck cya

[Try]

Hello Mike.
I love the mono cycle concept! Looks real fun to ride, only maybe a bit hard on your butt with no suspension or springs to soften the ride. :)

I like the way you think about only using the 3d as reference for your final image. But you might save some time if you make it a bit more detailed and throw on some simple textures. Then finish it up in photoshop to give it the same look and feel as the rest.

But who am I to give you advise. :) You are the King of cartoony 2d illustrations and Emperor of these challenges!
Its a pleasure to see you work. And I never stop to be amazed at all the sketch work you put into every detail.
Personally I usually don't feel I have time to work things out like this.
I have more a "hack artist" approach. throw things in and if it looks good I keep it. 3d is more forgiving that way because you can always change the camera angle or parts of the image later.
Most of my sketchwork is in my mind. but the cancas in there is wide and high and it sometimes is hard to squize all the ideas innto a eventually flat image.

Looking forward to seeing more of your great work.

[Amirgdx5]

looking good god damn it!! :D

[yoff]

I see...well there is nothing in your previous pictures that suggest that you will not find the right curve by eye, I just think that that is nontrivial and the computer can calculate it for you...anyway, I love your line art and certainly believe your artistic confidence well placed :thumbsup:

[sgw]

Inspiring as always! Looking forward to this one :)

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Like a lot the last sketch ...

But all in this thread is cool because of your style ;)

[RogerNobs]

Michael, just want to comment on the quality of the drawing: this looks like stuff from a top Disney animator: the drawings are so full of life and focused, with great design sense.
...well I guess you don't need me to tell you that, but I'm very impressed and inspired to try to improve my own drawings.

I'm intrigued to see how you will handle the background in this, and the overall lighting/mood - being 'Steampunk'.

The best of luck with finishing.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230278458_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230278458_large.jpg)

Let's hear it for Christmas break! I have a couple days off of work, and I finished up all of my freelance work for the year! Now I need to cram a bunch of work into what little time we have left. It's not the worst thing in the world if I don't finish by the deadline, given that I can't win anyhow, but it would be nice to finish up with everyone else. So anyhow, here's the 3D mech in progress.

Per - If I just textured this all in 3D, I would have to make a much more solid model... and it still would look too "3d rendered" and not have the kind of finish I want to paint on it. This is all just reference for a painting, not really a 3D work. I also have to completely disagree with you about 3D being more forgiving and the whole process of 3D artists just throwing stuff together and hoping it all works in the end. Composition is the foundation of a good illustration, and disappointingly, too many 3D artists skip the planning stages that could really make their work shine and instead just barrel in. More often than not, their final piece ends up looking like they just threw a bunch of 3d models together and hoped it would all work in the end. It doesn't, or at least not always. They could rearrange things to a perfect composition... but it seems rare that they actually get there.

This is a generalization, of course, but I see a lot of it in every challenge. And there are great exceptions, too: Look at an artist like Daniel Lieske, who is extremely skilled in 2D painting. He knows then right way to approach a composition, so even when he's tackling the problem with 3d (as in the last Challenge) he's got a really strong composition and palette worked out that informs his whole piece. Anyhow, sorry if I sound too preachy, I just strongly feel that working in 3D is no excuse for ignoring basics like good composition, and that pre-planning saves you a lot more work in the end, especially if that final work never actually gets done.

Everyone else - It's late and I don't have time to comment on everyones' notes. Thanks for the nice comments!

[WimH]

Amen! Nice work man, can't wait to see the final image.

[Womball]

I don't think I will finish by the deadline either, but I will finish the image soon after. Work and being sick sucks up a lot of time. I'm liking the modelling so far. Is he going to have 2 giant horns?

Offtopic I did not know you did most of the artwork for Diablo 2. I was checking out your website recently.

[walrus]

Well, I wouldn't say I did most of the work on Diablo 2! A whole bunch of work on it, sure, but we had a good team of talented artists.

Anyhow, they're supposed to be smokestacks, not horns. I'm going to have to make them even taller in order to show up at the angle we're seeing the walking mech - I finished the arms and started posing it all last night. Line art time soon!

[Womball]

I have never seen people do 13 characters with animation for a game before. Usually its just 1 or 4 characters. No animation. I guess there were tons of characters in the game?

So the missing part of the robot is the arms.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230342533_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230342533_large.jpg)

Womball - yes, Diablo II had tons of characters, NPCs, but especially monsters. The NPcs didn't have to do all that much. And keep in mind, this was Blizzard, so we had a long time to do all of those animations!

Anyhow, back on topic: Done with the 3d part of the scene construction. Don't worry, these aren't final colors or materials, just a test. There are still a few problems here and there - I find the tops of the legs too spindly - but I'll fix it all in the painting instead of tweaking the model forever. This is in the end going to be a 2D entry, after all!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230512367_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230512367_large.jpg)

I've got line art.

[i3abden]

I'm looking forward to this one, very impressive :)

[Hideyoshi]

ah nice! Very Steampunk, very action-packed, very Walrus! :)
Looking forward! You nailed the design!

[madshooter]

I like this method of first modeling basic 3d model and then doing rest of the job in photoshop. I used something similar method for my entry. Not exactly but some what similar method except drawing:D.
Very nice concept I like the expression on that fat guys face driving:thumbsup:

[ace4016]

Hooray for vacations! Looks great so far. I think one of my favorite parts of drawing is the line art :P

[mouhannad-qsemi]

great job..

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230706900_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230706900_large.jpg)

From line art to values, much of which is a paint-over from the 3D render.

Thanks for the comments, all! Time's getting tight - back to work!

[neurolinked]

At every challenge i follow your post ... you're one of my favorite !! good luck, i need to see more ;)

[RogerNobs]

Michael, that's super.

Looks like the lighting information was very useful in painting the forms of the figures. I've used 3D a little but not as specifically as this. I'm really interested in the process you are showing. Very clear, thank you.

Very interested to know how you set about colouring.

[walrus]

Thanks, guys! If you're really interested in the process, Roger, I actually have an article in this month's (for a few more hours) issue of ImagineFX magazine on using 3D as a base for painting 2D illustrations. Although as magazines tend to be on shelves far in advance of the date on the cover, you might not find it at any newsstand any more. But maybe someone you know has one. Alternately, the cheaper method is to just stay tuned here, as color will be coming up soon! :)

[RogerNobs]

That's hard to come by here in Switzerland, but I'm certainly watching here, and maybe they will post something online.

Cheers.

[Womball]

I thought this was a 3d render at first, the shading is great. what happens to that line work you did? It looks like you had fantastic line weight. Even more impressive if it was done in Photoshop.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230862023_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230862023_large.jpg)

Here are my first passes on some color for the scene. I tried all sorts of things - light sky, really dark sky, contrasting blues - but only the more subtle scenes worked well for me. You won't see a lot of variation in the main characters, as I'm pretty happy with their palette. I'm still missing various elements, like the bananas on the ground, or any details of the wall of buildings in the back, but the goal here it to get me into the right neighborhood, color-wise. Please, let me know what you think of the palettes and if you have any good suggestions for colors or directions!

Oh, and I don't know whether I'll keep the anime speed lines. They just amused me for the time being. :) (But if I do include them, I'll do them better.)

Womball - this IS painting over a 3D model. And there'll be a lot more painting over it by the time I'm done. The line art was done on paper (well, 55lb vellum), not Photoshop.

[Womball]

Well you have good line control with paper too. Although it would be awesome to see someone get that type of line weight on a wacom board. The left one is the best. The blue gives it a more vibrant feel, a more colorful, contrasty palate. I think a warmer background would only work if you heavy desaturated the colors, so its would be almost like a sepia tinted picture.

[wildcory1]

I like to use sketchup for my paint overs. It's the best and easiest way to nail down the composition and perspectives. Looking good as always.

[PascalR]

ahah nice idea, I love the dynamic in your painting. Just one small thing, it felt to me like she is just dropping the banna skins, instead of intentionally throwing them at the machine, also I would love to see the robot start slipping like in your first sketches :)
can't wait for the next update, great job walrus!
Happy new year!

Pascal

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230879750_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230879750_large.jpg)

Thanks for the notes, folks! I've decided to go with the slightly greener sky and background because it added some nice contrast with the orange brass. Now just a LOT of paint-over and detailing to take care of!

[balasa]

wow that's looking really awesome, man.

[paperclip]

Carrying over from Facebook. :D

You've been very productive, alright! It's looking beautiful, the specularity is spot on- using 3d as a base is really working out for you.The fella looks angrier than in the sketches, though- I really liked the slightly jovial look he had in your initial roughs.

One thing that strikes me though--- the bot looks rather too contrasty for being in the background, reducing that might make him blend a bit better into the background and make the eye follow more easily from right to left and from the foreground to the background? Actually.....try flipping the image so it reads from left to right? Just a thought. Keep up the great work!

[yoff]

The contrast in color works well to separate the figures from the robot, thus giving the robot scale. This effect is quite visible in the leftmost scetch (where the bananas have a slightly odd color, though). Your current scetch has less of this effect and needs something to scale up the robot, like lessening the contrast as paperclip suggested or a slight defocus effect (which might ruin the cartoony and crisp line art, though) or a "stepping out of the distance fog" effect or similar. Your current coloring is beautifully balanced though...

There is something odd about the lady's cheek. I think it needs to be separated more from her jaw as now the line under the ear looks like the cheek border making the cheek quite big...

It would be fun if one of the banana peals on the ground were right under where the robot's front leg is clearly about to step :)

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230973795_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1230973795_large.jpg)

Thanks for the notes, folks! You can't see it much with this cropping, but I've added another layer to push most of the mech further back into the fog. And yes, Yoff, I plan on having lots more banana peels on the ground. I'll be completely repainting the woman's face, too, much as I did with the pilot's face here. This is how it looks so far with a lot more detailing on the monocycle and its pilot. I haven't touched the tyre yet (and yes, I know that even having a tyre is not very Victorian. I don't care.

[Jakyll]

Wonderful. Colors are great! Hope you can finish your Pic with this details. A lot of work.

[Elendil_le_Grand]

Wonderfull work ..
I love your color update.
Keep it up ;)

[RogerNobs]

That's looking really nice, Michael!

Looks like you are painting fairly opaquely over the geometry - with some layer adjustment work. Are those details custom brushes?
I like the way you use a nice cool fill light: gives a stylized but very convincing feel. Would there be more of a shadow under (his) left arm?
Beautiful and inspiring work.

[MartinNielsen]

Hey :wavey: I haven't been around here that much (I wonder why?) But I can see, you once again have produced a fantastic piece of art. Like you always do :)

Cheers :beer:

[walrus]

Jakyll - Thank you! Fortunately I won't need this level of detail for the entire piece: As things get further into the background, they'll need less and less detail (as paperclip and yoff were pointing out yesterday) so I can get loser with how much information I add. I'm not always good at that - last Challenge I added detail everywhere but I'd like to try to hint at it more that painting every single window a mile away like last time! :)

Elndil - Thanks!

Roger - Thank you! All I am using here is a round semi-hard-edged Photoshop brush set to various degrees of opacity, nothing special at all. My first pass over the geometry was to scumble and blend the colors and make it not look so mechanical and 3d-rendered. After that, it's a lot of details like bolts (done on another layer and duplicated where appropriate) and painting grime and other stuff. The scroll-work was some Victorian decorative element warped into place, given a bevel & emboss filter, and then overpainted too. Thanks for the note about his right leg - good eyes!

Martin - Sorry I haven't been by your thread either! I had a lot of freelance work to finish up in December, so I'm only now getting to the painting stage - a little late, but better late than never. I hope I can finish in time! The biggest obstacle is finding the time, not doing the work.

[RogerNobs]

Thanks for taking the time to answer, Michael. Good luck - and finish this anyway... please.

[walrus]

Oh, I'll definitely finish... it's just a question of when. I mean, I'm not here for any other reason than to get a new portfolio piece, as I'm not elligible for any prizes. I just would really like to finish soon because as soon as the deadline hits and judging starts, I'm going to be totally swamped. But you know how it goes - I seem to recall you mentioned on your thread the challenge of balancing time with your family and art. :)

[JackZhang]

speedy! looking good!

[yoff]

Good job on the details. It looks slightly odd with the two review mirrors(?) assymetric.
Could you invent a victorian tyre? If it was made of a bunch of balloons strapped together, would that be more victorian?

[mdavid]

I love it when your artworks reach this stage Mike :) The little details like the ornamentation on the monocycle are wonderful. I'm glad there are more banana peels on their way too. Good luck getting through all your workload

[Irawan]

Hi Michael
I like your style drawing, nice composition,lighting and design,just small idea probably you add skewered pieces of banana peels to front footh of your robot.

my stemapunk - challages
-Tootfairy (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=278&t=697813&page=6&pp=15)
-Stymphalian birds (http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=278&t=697813&page=6&pp=15)

[wildcory1]

LOL. I know what you mean about balancing your family life with your work and your passions for art. My wife has been screaming at me since I joined this challenge.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231058703_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231058703_large.jpg)

Thanks for the notes, everyone! Here's where things sit just before I go to bed for the night (er, morning.) Stones on the ground and LOTS more banana peels! (We'd been saving them up. My wife is happy I finally photographed them and then got rid of them! :) ) I fixed some issues with the pilot's face where his glasses weren't symmetrical before. And I've painted over the woman's skirt and completely repainted her boot, which is a lot nicer now (imho.) The skirt still needs some work - some of the ruffles are too evenly spaced - and I haven't even touched anything from her bodice up.

Just as an experiment, I added in some light behind the grate in the mech's belly. What do you all think: Too distracting, or nice?

irawan - Sorry, but I thing having the giant mech skewering a banana peel would unbalance the story: It would send the message that the peels do nothing against it, which means that everything our heroes are doing is futile. I prefer to have the outcome be more ambiguous but hopeful. (You can pretend they're doomed, though, if you want.)

cory - Fortunately, my wife is extremely supportive of my artistic pursuits. She knows an non-art-producing husband is a grumpy husband who is no fun to be around. So while I'm in here working away, she's been spending her time doing her own art - up until recently, sewing a playmat for our son as a holiday presesnt - and reading Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' series. She's running out of books, he'd better put out some more soon or else then I'll really be in trouble! (I jest: I do know he's dead.) My wife also gives me the best crits! Anyhow, good luck holding off your wife for one more week! ;)

[Amirgdx5]

wohoo I love it :beer: i hope they fix the final upload FTP problem

[nwiz25]

hey mike! :p as usual .. fresh from the .. er .. oven :D .. your work speaks for itself yet again! :p

the light behind the grate thingy is really cool indeed! .. in fact .. i think glowing/flaring it up some more will give the mech some more expression/personality .. like he's really really angry :twisted:

overall ... :drool:

[mdavid]

There's a quality and clarity of colour and light in your image which is superb, Mike. I love it. It's a shame you're not allowed to win anything this time because you're coming up with another strong image.

With the light behind the grate, personally I like it. Not only does it seem to make sense on a practical steam-tech level but it also seems to add to the bad-guy look about the mech. The orange colour fits in so nicely with the colour scheme that I don't think it will be too distracting at all.

Hey, those are great bananas, by the way :thumbsup:

[Rivenis]

great work micahel, this is coming along really well, and the story it tells is really strong. One thing though, looking at the banana peels in the heroes' wake, i think they might be falling too close to the hereos vehicle, which makes it seem like its not going very fast.The nearest banana peel should be falling a good few meters away from its origin. I get the idea that the feeling of speed is quite important so i wanted to mention it, anyway good luck man!

[Eclipse3D]

After seeing the link from GA I thought I would dust off this old and dead account to let you know how nice this looks! I really love the way it's turning out. Your artist style is lovely and has a lot of fun and unique elements. It's nice to hear your wife supports you. I always find it so hard to work at home. It's not really even that my wife doesn't like it (because she doesn't mind) it's just it feels so weird and I can never be as productive. So thumbs up to you for that. I am really looking forward to the final on this one.

I like the light coming from the mech's chest btw, I think it helps gives the top some color and stand out a bit, but it's not bright or distracting enough. Good luck with this as you move forward!

[Coldrum]

More bananas! seems futile tho haha great work!

[angel]

Man, that's just flat out hilarious! your work always makes me smile.

[madshooter]

Looks great. Those bananas are adding a lot to the whole scene:). Its really great to see your attention to smaller details in your comp.

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231133444_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231133444_large.jpg)

Thanks for the notes everyone! Especially thank you for the notes on the light behind the grate. I wasn't sure about that, so it's helpful to get some good feedback on it.

Mark - Thanks! You and I may think it's a shame I can't win anything this time around, but I'm sure everyone else is just as glad I can't. If I were really competing, I'd justifiably be "dinged" for not making any attempt to portray a myth or legend. I'm happy just getting to do my thing without stressing over that aspect. :D

Rivinis - You make an excellent point about the banana peels. If I were to place them accurately in the scene, the closest one would be back in the fog - maybe the third one back now. And then they'd be really subtle. I kind of like them being right out there and visible, so I may keep them in even though they're no, as you say, accurately showing their speed. Maybe she's just eating REALLY fast!

Eclipse - Thanks for popping in to say hello! In my case, it helps that my art studio is detached from the house in the refurbished garage. Cold sometimes (like NOW!) but easier to separate "work" from home.

Anyhow, on to the work: I've spent most of today repainting her. I mean, pretty much I redid her from ground up. New granny boots - much sexier and more accurate! New dress shape flowing from her knee more. Details on the bodice. Repainted all of the jacket - oops, just realized I'd wanted it to drape over the bodice a bit more. Redid the lace at the wrists. Shiny new goggles. And an all new face and, after trying out a dozen hairstyles, ended up with close to the same one I'd started with! The face is/was tough - it's HARD to show fear and chewing at the same time! So if anyone has suggestions for improvements there...?

In the meantime, I'll work on the big mech. Cheers!

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231228793_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231228793_large.jpg)

No comments? Oh well, everyone's really busy working on finishing up their own challenges. Anyhow, here how the mech is looking after a few hours of work. I've scumbled the shading so it doesn't look so 3D-rendered, and have started adding lots and lots of bolts and grime and dents. I still have lots of small decorative elements to add but in the meantime, wanted to share the progress.

[filda]

great work, looks realy beatifull :applause:

[jonone]

looking cool maybe some dirt on the monicycle ,but the only thing that bites my eye is the womans leg and that arc .maybe becos i cant match that pose with the monicycle..even if they just hit a bump on the road and she jumped of the seat for abit creating more panik,cant see anything to indicate she was seating on something before:D but me likes it overall

GL with it

cheers

[Multiductus]

It's a beautiful piece! Great composition and the idea of bananas is great ;)
You're doing an excellent work on details too!

[Eskarina]

Cool stuff! I guess you don't need a lot of comment at this stage, maybe just adding a bit more green light just behind the little character on the top of the robot?
Good luck on the last steps! I'm sure it will be amazing :D

[Womball]

It looks great, just the ground steam needs some work. Looks like its almost finished. And it looks like you have really nice seperation of tones too. So nothing really blends together, unintentionally.

[paperclip]

Looking really good! I think maybe if you had her mouth shut and her cheeks full of banana- like a hamster- could help show fear and chewing at the same time? I think it looks fine as it is though.


P.S- I love her boots! I want a pair! :D A bit of 'filigree' around the heel might be pretty though?

[walrus]

Thanks for the comments, folks! It's gratifying that most of the suggestions of things to fix are things that I haven't touched yet - like the monocled man at the top of the mech and the dust on the ground - are all areas i just haven't got to yet. It'd be less so if people were telling me "You're not done with that guys face yet, are you?" "Well, I thought I was..."

So yeah, still need to touch both of those areas... and the wall/buildings in the background, and the sky, and a lot more! But thanks for commenting on the progress so far!

[RogerNobs]

All I can say is thanks for helping me by your example. It is definitely clarifying things for me through these latter stages.
Really great stuff.

[Mirzoyan]

Very clean and funny work!
Good luck man!

[domoarigato]

Hey, good to see you in the competition, Walrus. I'm liking the composition of your piece. It always seems like you've got a great sense of wonderment and adventure in your work. I also wanted to know, how did she come across so many bananas? Excited to see how this pans out. Good luck!

-Andrew

[walrus]

http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231315837_medium.jpg (http://assets.cgsociety.org/challenge/entries/22/16497/16497_1231315837_large.jpg)

Well, after another night of chugging away at it, I've pretty much finished the walking mech and at least done a first pass of tightening up the sky. I like the smoke plumes from the mech, not so sure about the clouds themselves. I didn't spend a ton of time on them and it shows - it's past midnight here and I have to work tomorrow!

Anyhow, I finished up the detailing on the mech. Can you spot the decorative elements that look a little like a moustache and eyebrows? Yeah, they're kind of subtle. So what's next? The buildings in the background (that's them, the big flat wall back there!) And maybe a skyline as well. Probably room for some airships too, no? And some work on the fog on the ground. And I'd like to at least experiment with having that giant gatling gun firing. All important things, but not too many... I may just make this deadline! (Not that it really matters if I do or don't given that I'm not going to submit a final image. But it would be nice to finish at the same time as everyone else: I suspect I'll be busy after the deadline! :) )

Roger - I am amazed that I would have anything to teach or demonstrate to you. Your work is quite accomplished. But thanks!

Mirzoyen - Thank you!

Andrew - Thanks for the kind words! (or, as I should more properly say, domo arigato!) As for the bananas, there was this adventure involving air pirates plundering overseas shipments with the help of trained monkeys... ah, it's too long to get into right now, I'll let you use your imagination to fill in the rest! :)

[kaparo]

Hi Micheal, I didn´t know you have entered the Challenge! It´s great to see your work in here! Your illustration is hilarious, great concept, relly funny. This motorcyclist dude reminds me of Porco Rosso, great character! Congratulations!

[paperclip]

Oooh, you're so close to the finish...can you just do one thing? It's sort of strange that the motorbike tyre has no tread.....(I know, I'm nitpicking here).

I love the moustache on the mech. :D

[walrus]

Kaparo - Thanks for your post, always good to hear from you. And your observation cracked me up. I LOVE Porco Rosso - i even have 2 original cels from that film framed on the wall of my studio (including one of Porco and one of the main Mama Aiuoto pirate.) But I hadn't even noticed that my pilot resembed him until you mentioned it. Now that you bring it up, maybe he's a cross between Proco and that Mama Aiuoto pirate - he's got a bit moustache and goggles, right? Anyhow, made me smile.

Theresa - oh yeah, that's another part I still have to work on. Rather than render out a nice tread, I think I need to render it loosely and then blur and streak it a lot so that it looks like it's moving fast. Sadly, I probably need to do the same on teh side fo the wheel and obliterate my carefully-rendered gears. Oh, well!

Someone on another forum also pointed out how flat and uniform the cobblestones look, and how the banana peel just thrown wouldn't ballon outwards right after being thrown, so more to fix there too!

[AlyFell]

Hi Mike. Cheers for popping into my thread. Goodness knows whether I'll finish. Might have left it too late... Yours is looking top. Beautifully rendered and the colour scheme is perfect. For me, and I think you know this, is perhaps a lack of motion in the image, specifically the bike. But if you do what you suggested in the previous post I reckon it'll be sorted.

[beelow]

Nicely rendered as always, Micheal. Nothing really to critique aside from things that have already been mentioned. Good luck with it. Hope to see some of those issues resolved in the next update.

[Elendil_le_Grand]

It's better and better ...
And your style i love it ;)

[Womball]

A stockpile of bananas? Could they be chained up some how? With a steampunk, mechanical banana dispenser of course!

I really liike the mustache on the robot. The woman looks right now too.

[Ataulfo]

Hi Michael,

Very good progress. Colors are amazing.:buttrock:
One of the best.
Good luck.

[guterrez]

hey Mike, great progress in your painting
I really like how you put so much personality into that mech; I`ve seen the monocle and the mustache before I read your text so I guess it works, at least for me^^
my only crit is the girls eye; it`s so huge, makes the head look a bit flat imo
ah however the other participants can be lucky that they don`t have to compete with you directly
cheers

[Fabien-Clottu]

Hello Walrus,

waouw, I´m really impressed how your scenery evolved!
It´s one of those work one could look at it for hours and still discovering funny little details, The robot is just amazingly rendered! and those pieces of banana that the screaming girl is spitting arround, really funny piece! :applause: I d´like to say something to help you improving this painting, but I just don´t see anything!

Good luck!

Salut
Fabien

[walrus]

Thank you for the comments, everyone!

guterrez - Thanks for the note. I'm not entirely happy with her face yet, so I'll look at the eye when I do another pass there. Looks like no one has to compete with you directly, either - you should get back to joining these again! (I'm told the statue of limitations on not being able to win only lasts for the one successive Challenge. But truthfully, even if it were permanent, I'd still be here. You should return, though!

Aly - Thanks for dropping by. I hope you have time for yours - it's looking super! And thanks for the notes on the motion. What do you think now?

I've been having a lot of trouble connecting to the servers last night and this morning so I'm just going to host my work on my own ISP so I can show you the progress. What do you all think of THESE:

http://www.michaeldashow.com/forum_art/steampunk-color27.jpg


http://www.michaeldashow.com/forum_art/steampunk-color27a.jpg

As you can see, I've put in background buildings, some airships in the sky, addeda really cool set of overlapping flaps on the front wheel which, while not being tires, looks like a good period alternative. And then O obliterated being able to see them with blur effects and paintover. I aded the same amount of blur to the gears on the side. I refined the dust clouds too.

Before you scratch your heads playing guessing games, the only difference between the two pieces is the motion lines in the background. If people are going to compare my protagonist to Porco Rosso or Mario, why not complete the Japanese metaphor and add in some good old-fashioned anime speed lines in the background... Well, maybe because the'yre really cheesy and not painterly at all? Anyhow, that's why I posted both. Which do YOU think works better? Please share.

Thanks!

[paperclip]

Woo! It's all really coming together now! Love the motion blur, but I'm not a huge fan of the speed lines- I'd leave them out, they're kinda distracting. I guess what I'm saying is I prefer image 2.

Another thing- the buildings on the side seem a bit off perspective-wise - like he's going down a curved street. I'd put a bit more atmospheric blueness on them as they seem very close and yet far at the same time?!

Having said that, the whole thing is looking fantastic! You should be very proud of yourself. :D

[elmasfeo]

...if you had not told us what the difference was between the images I could've spent lot of time there, hehe... I think I prefer the version without the lines, maybe if you want you can try to add some motion blur to the background building, like the camera was moving to follow the monocycle... it's looking great, I'll drool a bit more over your thread if you don't mind: :drool:
I enjoyed watching this thread, I think I learned a lot from your step-by-step process in previous challenges and this one wasn't an exception...

[guterrez]

I had planed to join you guys in this challenge, unfortunately I didn`t find the time
maybve I`ll pop something out in the last few days just for the sake of appearance^^

I like the version without these lines better, but maybe you should bend the clouds and the direction of the zeppelin in the way the lines go to get dynamic in the whole composition (and you wouldn`t need that cheesy anime effects^^)

while the tire itself looks great now its sad that the mechanics beside the tires are blured now; the technic seemed for me that the gear outside isn`t moving at all, only the steel tire, know what I mean? I`m afraid I`m missing the correct tire terms...

[RogerNobs]

Well I'm thinking it is a curved street Theresa, like the Crescent in Bath. A straight line would cut through the composition and kill it. The perspective is still a tad off, though. Mainly the information of the paving stones tells us the edge of the road is just a short way back - and then there's the building almost immediately, so it looks small.
I like the second one more too.

Love the details on Goliath, and what you managed to do with the tyre.

Thanks for sharing all this info, Michael. Working alongside all these seriously good painters has given me long for a working life with exceptional colleagues. maybe one day.

[Intervain]

this is so funny! Love the dynamic :)

[Womball]

Well if your not happy with her face, make her eyes smaller, I think that will improve things.

[AUMAKUA]

Great composition, very funny, live characters, sweet illustration! it would be a great animation too :thumbsup:

[walrus]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I think I might, just possibly, be finally done!

http://www.michaeldashow.com/forum_art/steampunk-color28.jpg

Yes, Theresa, the street they are on is actually curved. I found some lovely references of some British streets with nice curved arcades and buildings along them. But I also did some more shadowing work back there and rescaled the bricks on the ground to make that area make a bit more sense in perspective. I took out the anime lines but added some subtle blurring to the back buildings and curved the clouds to match the same implied lines. I softened up the woman's face a bit and shrunk her eye. And of course I added the gatling gun fire and explosions.

Anyhow, what do you all think? Look done? Any other notes? Let me know...! :thumbsup:

[alicelefay]

wow :bowdown:amazing work...I love everything here, I wish you the best luck with the challenge and with your art! :)