KOryH you never stop amazing me, I mean when we said enchanted I was wondering if I could get that “fantasy” feel from any work this month, and man you did it, this defines enchantment… I love it … I would hate to see your Layer stack in PS… hey there’s an idea any chance we could? I mean this is a learning challenge after all 
cheers
WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO:::::::applause: :applause:
This would be a hard contest. What I see till now is amazing…
Maybe it wasnt that good idea to challenge too.
But,… lets see!!!
GOOD LUCK TO EVERY CHALLANGER!!!
Cheerz
Tommy Lee
Yeah KOryH, almost perfect… :love:
maybe you could give a few more hints how you work… or give a few links with tips or something… i dont draw often with a tablett… would be cool!
hehe, and i need a high-rez-version, pleeease!!!
@Tommy Lee: Grazie! …and good luck 
(…for all challengers too)
lil’D, I might be wrong but I think I remember him saying he usually works with like 3-4 layers.
Still would be cool though
Howdy folks!
No update this morning, but I’ll do something at lunch.
As for technique?
I try not to have to many layers. Mostly I just use them for things I am unsure of, like the scale of the girl, or some foreground elements. And the occasional FX layer. I believe in the K.I.S.S. method of working.
Jacko- I think I agree with you. I may push that dragon back a bit.
diazgl- I’m not a big fan of need less contrast. I feel like I have the greatest amount of contrast, color and value, in the middle of the scene where I want people to look first. Then they will wonder around the rest of the picture. If every thing were contrasty then where would they look? I find that many 3D image-makers don’t use subtly as much as they could, or even understand the concept. No offence to 3D guys, but really a lot of the stuff I see is an assault on my cones and rods.
hmm, excellent remark, i never thought of it in that aspect (i am not that good in scene composition). Comment withdrawn. I will try to assimilate this in the stuff i make (when I make…:D)
PS: what’s “cones and rods”?
Well, here ya go!
More little things here and there. Basically I just sit down and whatever I do that day I do. No planning. It is kind of therapeutic I suppose. Some day I’ll finish or at least force myself to bring it all together. Thanks for all the advice. I really do listen. As for a high rez version, I will post one at the end. I am working at 2000 pixels wide. So for now, you guys are missing out on some detail. Maybe I’ll post a little detail pic at full rez?
Cones and rods are parts of your eye. They are the things that see light, dark and color.
[edit] Since this is on a new page, I’ve added a scaled down version of the original image so you don’t have to back and forth to compare it with the other one
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Koryh, this picture is so great! In regard to your comment about 3d stuff hurting your eyes, I fully agree. I am guilty of creating offending images myself, mostly because I don’t start the image from a whole composition viewpoint - I focus on the cool stuff I’m going to model for the scene. Composing the scene is secondary. Another issue is trying to be photo-real. This leads to lack of control over the image.
I hope you don’t mind that I did a little breakdown of your image to show why it is so good. Please feel free to add any insight you have about why the piece works so well.
First off, this is KOryH’s image with the Brightness dropped way down and the Contrast turned way up. This makes it easy to see the shapes in the image.
In any image, the viewer’s eye is attracted to points of high contrast; the brightest bright next to the darkest dark. Notice that the light coming from behind the trees is bright. But nowhere is it as bright as the glowing light floating above the stone circle. If they where, they would fight for attention, keeping the viewer from knowing where to look. So, with light and dark values alone, KOryH guides the viewer to look first at the glow over the circle of stones.
That’s a good start, but notice the red arrows I’ve drawn over the image. These show how the shapes in the image direct the viewer’s eye back to the circle of stones. Also, if the tree were straight up and down, and the horizon were straight from left to right, the image would be much less dynamic; less interesting. Also, if they slanted down towards the edges of the image, they would lead the viewer’s eye away from the stone circle.
There is one rule that KOryH does break. The “rule of thirds” recomends that the center of interest not be centered in the image. It suggests that the image frame be divided into thirds, and that the focal point should lie at one of the intersections of these dividing lines. Since KOryH’s focal point is centered left to right, but not up and down, it isn’t too noticeable. This problem is also very easily fixed by a little cropping.
The last thing I want to point out is the stream. Look at its reflection. At this angle it would probably reflect the bright light from the background all along its surface until it ran off the bottom edge of the image. This would lead the viewer’s eye straight out of the picture. And passing as close as it does to the center of interest, where the viewer’s eye goes first, the viewer would be quickly led out of the image with no chance to appreciate the rest of the picture. Wisely, KOryH darkens the stream as it leads to the edge of the picture, turning the viewer’s eye back into the image.
It is this third point particularly that gives us 3D people trouble. Many think that if the render came out like that, then that’s what the light would really do and, therefor, is what the light should do. Wrong. The result, whether from 3D, 2D, or a mix of the two, is a 2-Dimensional image, and all the rules of good composition apply.
Perhaps you have seen the short called “Bunny” , the first short to be completely rendered with radiosity. Radiosity is supposed to be the most realistic lighting model available, and should, therefor, create the most realistic images.
What the team found, however, was that the realistic lighting bounced into places where they didn’t want it. If the background and the character have good contrast, the character will easily focus the viewers attention. if the contrast is low, the character doesn’t “read” well (doesn’t attract the viewer’s eye enough), and this is the problem they were getting. The background fought for attention with the character, causing the images to lose focus.
They had quite a time tweaking the radiosity to get the realistic look they wanted, yet still keep the light from messing up the image. They did a fine job, and looking at it you would swear the lighting is natural. But it’s not. They carefully followed the rules of composition and contrast even thought they had to bend the rules of how light behaves to do it. Because they did, the piece is very beautiful, and visually powerful, just like KOryH’s.
Heh, as if you haven’t heard enough from me! 
I do have one crit that I forgot to mention. The clump of leaves in the lower left corner are too bright, I think. They attract the eye and are so close to the edge that they push the viewer out of the image. I think that you’re using them to push the depth, and that’s good, I just think they are too noticeable.
Wow, that’s quite a crit of my work pearson. I am flattered.
You make good points on the positive and the negative. It means a lot to me that other artists notice the things I am doing. I suppose it validates my thought process.
I come from a traditional Illustration background so all the things you pointed out are always a part of my subconscious. I also have worked in film and television animation for about 5 years, so framing characters and staging is part of me as well. Now that I am working in video games all those 2D paradigms are still desirable but infinitely harder to achieve. Just think about creating an immersive 3D world that gives the illusion, yes Illusion, that you can go anywhere and that you have free will. But, we still need to direct attention to the viewer to specific game play needs. Boy, that’s a challenge!
Ok back to the relevant. One thing to remember about good composition is this… concentric circles are very powerful. After all it’s a bulls eye. Thats what I have going on in the middle if the picture. That really helps. I would have been harder to get attention with a triangle or some other random shape.
Well, that’s it for now.
On a side note. I started working on the first real shot of my short film. Until now it has all been proof of concept stuff. I think I have my production method worked out. I will post some storyboard and production drawings when I get the chance.
The baby should be here any day now, or hour.
I see I haven’t made a post here yet.
That’s because there’s nothing else to do here than bow my head in silence.
respect :bowdown:
jeroentje
I’v got my work cut out for me. The subleties at work in that image are amazing, if you’re doing this at lunch, in the morning, whatever, maybe you SHOULD quit your day job.:buttrock:
Well here is another update!!!
I have been pretty distracted lately.
Just some tightening up of some things and adding some foliage here and there. I am still trying to figure out how and where to add more magic and enchanted stuff, with out making it over done. Any comments welcome.
I feel like I have lost sight of the whole picture here, but I am having fun! I hope you like it.
I think there is no more to do. But if you want, maybe 1 or 2 glowy dots in the dark areas left and right where ya think:“Where is the glowing coming from???”. Its a little FX that doesn´t disturb the excellent focus.
Do it or let it…
Its a beautyfull picture anyway!!!
Cheerz
Tommy Lee
great KOryH. Don’t know what you could add, but as said, i don’t think there is anything you can add. It’s a perfectly balanced picture, with all the content it SHOULD have, no less, no more. I guess it looks a bit empty,but only comparing to what some others have done, but again, this is a perfectly balanced composition.
i think your done…it’s a beautiful piece and u should TAKE A BREAK NOW !
if u really want to add more, then i would suggest to put more colored flowers (mushrooms?) scattered around in the grass