you know what? i thought that the girl was falling!! maybe you could put both of them in some more dramatic posing like they were being abducted from their chest or maybe the man trying to hold from the pool edges.
I can’t wait to see that water painted!! it will be beautiful, i know it!!
The Journey Begins Challenge (2D) Entry: Steven Stahlberg
bandro
#181
centurionit
#182
Hi Stahlberg…welcome home man…Now you can continue your work with the image…I’m seriously curious to see it finished…I like it so much…See You…
anzibon
#183
hi SS,
your image is looking great… of course. but i finally put my finger on what was bothering me with it. at first glance it appears that she is diving into water from above and he is shrinking back in shock. i think her pose should show more struggle, more panic. his pose is cool, still a bit relaxed, like it hasn’t really hit him yet what’s happening.
i love the slowly rising water, btw. that’s gunna paint up real nice.
cheers,
~B
Stahlberg
#184
Okay, I’m finally back from having a fun time in Copenhagen, fun but busy… and I’m very glad to be back home in my tropical paradise. 
A small update here, some more UFO’s in the background, changed her hair to make her look less like falling… I like her legs in this pose, I’m going to try to see if I can make it work like that. The arms, maybe I can move around a bit more, but to me she’s kind of reaching out for him, and shouting something like “Frank! FRANK! you SOB -”
beelow
#185
She prolly can have one hand reaching, her left hand, may give it a little more feeling. I am looking for the “WTF!” at the same “help me!” kinda feel which I think u have already achieved! If anything her posture will heighten the feeling of the piece! This image is really strong, visually and it pretty much sells the story, lovely work! I will continue to watch ur process Stahlberg!
anzibon
#186
i think it’s the hands that don’t feel like they’re reaching. maybe if she was favoring one arm toward him and a grasping hand. the hands just feel too comfortable and at ease.
hope this helps. feel free to respond with, “with all due respect, Brian… shut up. i know what i’m doing.” 
welcome back, btw.
~B
:bowdown: (kissing the ring)
Stahlberg
#188
I think you’re right. And the hand a bit more like a claw, tendons popping etc… well let me see what I can do.
MasonRoberts
#189
I think you lost it when you added the other houses! I like the one above as it really looks like a honeymoon on an island… Thats what I liked about the image, but others may disagree!
Good luck!
jevinart
#190
damn – what a way to interrupt champagne hour! love the whimsical nature of the piece, as well as the characters, composition and technique. original idea, too…
Stahlberg
#191
And, another update on the ‘long road’ one. I went back to a previous stage for the pose of the character, added some clouds etc.
paperclip
#192
You’d probably win even if you didn’t do anything else to this one…I love the colors! Plus, I like the character that way now, she looks like she’s looking at how far she has to go and is excited about her journey! Maybe have her leaning up on her tiptoes to show just how excited she is? 
ElectroNico
#193
The ‘long road’ pic is really great ! Amazing colors ! And there’s such a deepness in the image !
Can’t gods like you participate to another challenge and let humans have their own challenge ?
Zephyri
#194
Oh wow. Wow. Paperclip’s right, this is a winning entry in its own right. Really, everything is just wonderful now you’ve worked into it, the clouds have just pushed everything even further and your textural work just leaves me utterly agog. Though I have to say I still love the alien abduction idea too. Beautiful work, Steven, really beautiful.
omer-n
#195
hi! about the abduction piece - i didnt get the whole ‘she’s being abducted’ until i read this thread i dont know why, maybe its her pose it looks like shes underwater diving, her hands and fingers arent stretched enough to look like shes resisting and fighting. i really love the houses on the background i think it adds story wise and emotionally for me because it gives me that horror feel…
also i wanted to mention your cloud tutorial, my challenge entry has alot of clouds in it and your tutorial is helping me alot with it , thanks!
my journey
http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?threadid=339627
umbrellasky
#196
This is my favourite out of the two. The colours are gorgeous, so is the lighting and textures!
beelow
#197
Yeap, really nice one on this! I can’t rally add more to what has been said at the moment, I love the colors and the textures; everything seems to work well!
I still want to see more of the alien abduction!
Slav
#198
the road concept is very nice… i am not sure about the divider in the middle of the road, if you like it keep it by all means but i think something else might be better. now i really wouldn’t know what but personally i find the girder kind of distracting. i cant wait to see what you do with the heavy saturation later. my favorite of all your concepts thus far.
good luck, though i am sure you wont need it.
EdP-Art
#199
Your journey pic is really great. I was attracted to the thumbnail straight away. Now that I’ve read some of the thread I see why it’s so good.
The alien abduction - when I saw it first I thought the girl was abducting the man. I thought she had come from the space ship to grab him. Could you put more terror in her face or have her holding him to resist the upward pull?
Your Journey pic is a real winner.
*Ed