Protector of Dreams

[CybrGfx]

The color scheme is very bland and boring. The figure looks to be part of the horse. I had to look very closely to visually separate them.

The positioning on the weird mountain is just a bit too unbelievable from a "that don't look right" perspective. Either those steppes are as steep as a staircase, or that animal has weird legs...It just looks wonky.

Love the long purple hair, love the sky. The lighting is totally inconsistent, with the side of his/her face lit, but the top of the hand lit, along with the bottom, but not the side...

If that is a guy, the anatomy is all wrong. The anatomy in the hip area is wrong regardless, and the arm is too short.

It's an interesting image, but it doesn't clearly illustrate a mood, or incident, or character. It needs a bit better definition and accuracy.

~C

[Mordicant]

laughs
thanks, man. I had seen some of your replies on other threads, and had hoped you would post me some feedback. You sure do notice -everything-, but that's not necessarily bad. The more things I can fix, the more ways I can make it better.

Lighting is a huge weak spot for me. I can get a directional light, but adding in bounce and fills is difficult for me to visualize. Do you have any advice?

[ephemeratics]

I think for a first-ever post to CGTalk, it shows a lot of potential, and its great how you're exploring a variety of stroke and texture developing techniques. As it currently stands, it kind of reminds me of certain varieties of Russian folk art I've encountered.

However, I think you're on the right track about continuing to address the lighting. Two things I think might benefit from further consideration: focus and mood. The painting seems to suggest you haven't really decided absolutely on either yet.

What is the most important thing in the picture? - The creature? The rider? The rider's eyes? A clearly defined lighting scheme will help both. Playing with a touch of fog/atmosphere might also be fun.

The relationship between the creature and the rider feels a little awkward. I think the primary reason is that the anatomy of the creature's forward shoulders needs to be considered more (I suggest studying horses, llamas, deer), and the youth's legs adjusted accordingly, to compensate. Also, perhaps if the figure was posed as though more engaged in the act of riding - currently, those jutting limbs make me feel as though he might fall off if the creature makes a false move.

However, I think the color palette feels appropriate to the dreamy mood of the piece, and it will be exciting to see where you take this.

[CybrGfx]

Part of it is thinking through a bit before you start coloring...

Go out at night and look around you. Even on a full moon, it's DARK. You have too much illumination for a night scene, which is trouble off the bat.

General rule of thumb for night scenes. Paint everything BLACK. Then paint the IMPORTANT parts lighter... ;)

No one needs to see the lush, thick, vegetation on those weird hills. A rough approximation is good enough. The rider and the steed are the focal points, let your lighting emphasize this, NATURALLY.

Keep your highlights CONSISTENT. If you show a light source from the upper LH side, then everything facing that side needs to be illuminated, and everything on the opposite side needs to be more in shadow.

Here's a paintover, darkening the surroundings and the ground, but emphasizing the rider and the steed a bit more (her skin may be too pale, but warm tones are extremely tricky and hard at night..."Red is black, and yellow white..."

I also lengthened that too short back leg...It bothered me...

Glad to see the laugh. Hope this helps.

~C

[CGTalk Moderation]

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.