Machineflesh 2D Challenge Entry: Mark Okon

#61

Hey Freewave, I just discovered your entry this afternoon, and I’m completely into it.
I first loved your beautiful sketches, and thougth right away the same as people here: at last, here’s somebody else who isn’t doing a chick with metal boobs!
Your idea is a great one, and I patiently read the whole thread.
Very interresting ideas and opposite points of view from everybody. The debate about how the tree should or shouldn’t be even made me look online for info about photosynthesis! :smiley:
Thanks to you and people on your thread, I’ll die less idiot!

So now I feel kind of sorry, because I come after all the interresting debate stuff. You made your choice after weeks of thoughts and sketches. After one hour spent here, I wanna say: I hope after you finished your CG, you’ll still have time to explore the opposite direction.
The one you didn’t pick because it reminded you too much of the Matrix. “Squadrons” of trees, floatting above an hostile landscape, invisibly hurt by the nefast gases. Mankind has been trying for years, decades to change the atmosphere, while thousands of trees are silently dying, replaced by new young ones, in a long and imperceptible fight… One of them is very old, one can see on the trunk and the roots the after-effects of years of naughty gases, some branches are dead, etc, etc…

Sorry for my looooooooong (and hopefully no too boring) note.
I rarely write so much, but your concept took me unexpectedly in a long and nice inner trip.
Very inspirationnal, so good!
Incredible work you did. I’m eagger to see the next step.

Best of luck, your in my favs now!
:beer:

#62

Frood: What can I say, thanks for the comments, and inspriation you have for my current work. You did bring up a few good points, and I do agree with you on trying out other variations in the future.

My goal in the end is to have a piece that can tell a story in the end. It will take a lot to do that but I still have a month to do it.

Thanks once again for the helpful reply, and I should have something up in the next two days.

P.S. I’m recording my entire process from start to finish of my colouring. It will be a nice dvd quality recording. I’ll keep you guys posted on that.

#63

At this point I am happy with the trunk of the tree. I’m goin gto start the leaves and hopefully begin to see some unity between the colours and textures.

I need some opinions, does anyone think the texture is going overboard on the trunk? The compression is low so bare that in mind.

#64

Originally posted by Freewave
[B]

The trees would be feed polluted air through underground pipelines that gather the polluted air. [/B]

Mark, this idea is brilliant… Glad to know your pinning it.

Great work though. :applause:

Visit My 2D Machineflesh Thread

#65

Cabertevon: Thanks for the comment!

I hope that at the end of this challenge, there will be a large enough body of concept work and creative ideas, that Expose 3 will be just unbelievable. I can’t wait!

#66

Another day, another update. This time it is the leaves. been trying to establish a system for leaves. It is taking a long time, but I am starting to get the hang of it.

Any comments thus far?

#67

I am new here hehe heyi like ur trees they are kool man.like it alot
The colors are nice too

#68

Yet another update. I glad things are running sooooo smoothly the last few days. 3 weeks ago I was still doing concept work. I jumped so far ahead now that I have my final composition layed out.

Anyway, I am not done the leaves yet, They still need work, more painting, and also the lighting and shadows need adjustment as well.

Enjoy!!

#69

cabertevon: Glad you like the concept! :beer:

#70

Well, this weekend was pretty busy with things other then this contest, but I was able to slide in a few hours Sunday to finaly get a good portion of the piping done.

Any C & C?

#71

Might as well show a close up, the detail is getting interesting.

#72

Truely one of the more original takes on the whole machine flesh theme, i really like what youve done with it. Youve kept it very simple and self explanatory.

The colouring looks like its going extremely well, the moss hanging off the tree looks fantastic as well as the foliage and the tree texture.

The Pipes flowing out as the roots of the tree are looking good, the only thing that i will say is that you definately need to put in those little sprouts poping out from between the pipes. Atm that area is looking kinda plain and in the close up version of the pipes i can clearly see youre going to put them in later, Do it!:thumbsup: , the image will look much better.

It will give the idea that among the steel sterile mechanics that pump into the tree new life can still survive and grow. The orange haze in the background has a nice feel to it, its either like the sun going down or a clearing in the smog of a polluted sky.

Keep it up, its looking good.:thumbsup:

#73

sketchfiend: You’re right about the polluted sky, and the plants in between the piping. As soon as I am done that section, all the fun little stuff will be poping up everywhere.

You can’t see at this resolution but there will be a few inputs/vents on the branches and on the trunk. There will also be little glowing lights on parts of the piping along with the branches. All this will be updated soon!

:beer:

#74

Man this was a killer, I have had a reall ybad work day on this piece. photoshop was running sooo slow, I had to rearrange all the layers, flatten as many as I could, and only after that did I get a chance to paint, and this is all I have to show for 3 hours of work :frowning:

#75

I think adding that figure has added a dramatic sense of scale to your piece, good move there. One thing - some of the leaves on the tree seem about as tall as the man, was this your intention? I keep thinking that if a tree was persuaded to grow so enormously (like anti-bonsai) then it’s leaf growth and branch growth would be proportionally smaller and more complex. Just a thought. Overall though, it’s looking very very good indeed, so keep up the good work! :beer:

On the photoshop layers issue … remarkable how quickly it can start to chug isn’t it? I’ve started to try and work in only a few layers, with the majority of work being done on only one. Sounds a bit committed, but actually quite liberating! Laters…

#76

Agreed on the figure addition. Its a real important part as far as showing the scale of the tree and it’s may bigger than I previously though, so nice going there. I like how its so huge. I also like the idea of the unique leaves on earlier ideas but at the same time they looked a bit too artificial to be sprouting from an organically enhanced tree. I like that you went back o something more organic and actually it makes just as much sense. Its almost overwhelmed with vegetaton which would make sense with what an environmental workhorse it would be.

Bravo on the idea too, very different from what others are doing as ost people are doing peple or animals. And it’s almost realistic as something that could become reality or necessary in the future. I wouldnt be surprised to see something like this pop up an a future issue of of Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed or something, :slight_smile:

-JH

#77

Thanks for the comments guys! I find that the scale is very impactful also the size of the leaves may seem a little weird at first, but overall they seem to work for this composition. I think they do, i know that there are several types of trees that have enourmous leaves, which are in the amazon jungle, and probably the Gongo.

I am also going to add little flowers and plants in between the pipes. Should be interesting once I get to do that.

#78

Well, again I put in some time tonight, here is the whoel composition. I repainted the platform, and put in a temporary person, I think I gonna make the person a researcher or scientist, not too sure yet. The other platform was just killing me, I had a little problem with the perspective lines which didn’t match up.

Enjoy!

#79

Here is the re-painted platform!

#80

Sorry guys, I got the file names messed up :frowning: