Grand Space Opera 2D Entry: Ed Humpal

#8

and thanks to both of you - I do keep my piece in quite a few layers to variously transform different elements. So I tip things, resize them, as can be seen between the last 2 versions.
This goes on till the very end.

Quite a dilemma about the peace/compositional stability thing. In some ways, I actually love the somewhat static (maybe I mean formally balanced) quality of the old sf illustrations - like old photographs where the subjects had to hold still for the exposure. This of course is no rationalization for a dull image, so my intention (/crosses fingers) is that the movement comes in the textures, light, and story. Many cool pics in this composition where everyone and everything is hurtling through space, and I love them, but this is meant to have some stillness.

#9

still playing with hues, proportions, getting stuff a little more concrete

any thoughts?

#10

I think the first sketch looked better than those more detailed. Perhaps it’s because you had one ruling color in it, the towers were taller, and those people were smaller. Your subject is very hard though, because there are so many people you have to make look perfect.
I suggest you to try to make the colors more harmonic, or then again… I could be wrong.

#11

Tru dat, at this point they are rather different pictures. I downsized from the Cosmic Goddess to the Rocket Ranger lady, and decided I wanted to create some very specific people for her to gaze at, rather than a crowd of ants. Still haven’t decided if they should be smaller, or whether I want one or two more, so I’ll let your comment percolate. Thanks. And the city was the next area I planned to work on. It’s the bigger people that made it smaller. I may post a series of resizings.

Anyone else?

#12

here goes… 2 variations. This is one…

#13

… and two. Hmmm… Since most of the painting is still in my head, all 3 of these layouts seem servicable, just a matter if I want more space and atmosphere, or more portrait and symbol.

I’ll have to sleep on it. Any comments?

#14

Hiya Ed,

Great concept, coming along nicely. I can see a little Poussin poses here too :thumbsup: Keep up the good work.

Mark

#15

I think the “floating head” has some great potential for cool glowing power effects, have fun with it! I chuckled to myself when I read your “name search” for your characters, I do the same thing. ; )

#16

now moving the city in the general glowy direction of the concept sketch.

#17

Hey Ed,

the city looks transparent but doesnt necesariy glow yet, maybe you can have some lighter tones in it and light reflected in sort of a moist atmosphere around the buidings? I guess its just something that needs to be done by building up many layers, like reanaissance paintings that seem to “glow”. good luck!

#18

you rule man!! lets see the next one!

#19

hillart: yes, true, those are good points. since i’m still calling this “line art” - a couple of the people are still blobs - i stopped there because it began to evoke my original intention. but your suggestion is exactly how to go forward. thank you.
tone: dude, you have such good taste.

#20

where’s the other rangers ? in those ships ?

#21

tweaked the positions of the peeps, have a little more of the dissolving atmosphere of the first concept…
any comments?

#22

Squib, you must be right. Dang, a flaw in my continuity that I didn’t think this through. Maybe I ought to sample up outrageously, zoom way in on the ships, and see if there are any windows I could look through, then see if those are the Rangers in there or a developing subplot.

#23

Getting a little detail on the people now - haven’t been able to work on this much for a couple weeks- glad there’s 53 days left! Haven’t touched my Ranger Gal for a while - I like to keep everything at about the same done/undone level. I’m anxious to get back to her, but I’m biting the bullet for my own good. Any comments?

#24

I like your idea. original. All coming along nicely . . . and the colours add to your story . . . perhaps you should try playing around with several compositions before settling on one?

#25

hmmm… In fact, I’ve been thinking of shaking up the foreground, compositionally, so thanks for the nudge, Wil.

#26

Hi, all my encouragement for your GSO, I waits to see the
continuation.
Good road.

#27

Whew, getting to the end of what I’ve been calling line art - trusting earlier instinct to close in on emblematic peeps from Dimension X, rather than a crowd or even a larger group, as in recent experiment. Haven’t touched The Lady except to scale and move her a little, but now I owe her a lot of attention.