Almost at the end of your Journey Steven.
The story is very easy to read now, the person on the road below helps the scale a lot.
Well done, it’ll be a winner.
*Ed
The Journey Begins Challenge (2D) Entry: Steven Stahlberg
individium
#322
now no problem in understanding anything,
maybe you can still work on overpass but it good this way too.
very very good looking now
hanzen
#323
hi,
to be honest, at the beginnig i didnt like your idea with the technical things (the car, the tire, and the highwaythings). but the more i looked at it, the better it got. and now i didnt want to miss them 
! it became very emotional.
And Especially the difficulty of letting a journey “begin” is solved very clear and good! (not as many others… or i have;) ).
greetz,
hanzen
Mythmaker
#324
It looked great when you started it - loved the dreamy landscape… and you certainly haven’t spoilt it! Great!
Atris
#326
Hi! This is an amazing landscape! It takes my breath away! It’s the fabulous, endless expanse. Really great job! 
MichaelZHsee
#327
looking promising steven.love how vast the background is and the depth of it.awesome entry!best wishes to u:thumbsup:
Ramitxon
#328
Amazing image Steven, as usual. The landscape and the colours are priceless, the sense of depth and perspective gives the image a poetic feeling making it a winner entry. I wish you good luck.
InTerceptoV
#329
Great work Steven. The sense of depth and the colors of the fields are amazing.
It seams that everyone is giving you the tumb up so here is mine :
Good luck.
Riddick
#330
Good luck Steven!!
I agree, the field and the background are wonderful! It is like a dream.
DrFx
#331
Hi, I’m sorry I didn’t follow your work and only showed up now!
It’s looking fabulous, but if I have to crit:
- The distant mountains’ “valleys” on the path look a little fake because they’re rounded and a bit steep. I’d probably make them more open and “cliffy”, or “rocky”, if that makes any sense.
- I think I’d probably add an intermediate platform between the high road and the path, it seems there’s no connection between them, which is kind of strange, since the path goes for kilometers uninterrupted. Also, I think it would add a sense of depth to the foreground.
I’m probably a bit too late anyway, and it’s looking gorgeous already! Good luck!
ramras
#332
Hey its great work. Really magnificent colors:applause: . This is first time I visited your page and really impressed. All the best.
Stahlberg
#333
There’s a small village a couple miles to the east, away from the Long Road, an ancient highway from a previous long lost civilization. Two young restless friends have decided to leave that village, perhaps forever, and walk the Long Road as far as they can, to discover what’s at the end of it. They’ve heard legends of a pass through the mountains, and of wondrous things on the other side.
The weather is perfect for a long walk.
.
Try
#334
Congratulations on your final Steven!
You managed to keep the great impressionistic feeling and mix it with a fair amount of realism!
And the feeling of depth is in a class of its one.
Great job and the best of luck to you!
Norberg
#335
You did an impressing work with this!
I really liked your first sketch and wasn´t sure if more work would improve it. I see the sketch and the final as two different versions of the theme, each with its own qualities. As for this competition the final version is without a doubt the best of them.
Good luck!
warpy
#336
stahlberg,
i really didn’t see any future to this piece a few weeks ago (story wise), but i gotta hand it to you. i am impressed and i think Try said best “You managed to keep the great impressionistic feeling and mix it with a fair amount of realism!”.
i wish you all the best and again this piece is stunning.
Nickillus
#337
Wondeful sense of distance, while using a strong colour range. I’m suffring from serious palette envy.
Great landscape too. I may have to hate you from afar, but in a good way - honest.
Nick
Glad to meet you by the way
Slav
#338
look very nice Steven, the figures are outstanding but i do think you could of done more with the background. either way from me! and i love that road. i assume you made all the texture with standard brush? it doesn’t look like a rock texture brush. anyways, good stuff.
Stahlberg
#339
Thank you guys!! 
I’m glad this is over, I’m so tired of this image now!
Yeah, many artists could have made a better landscape in the background, I’ve never been good with making landscapes up in my head, but I couldn’t find much reference for this either.
The textured brush is not a standard brush, I made it, but using one of the standard textures in CS2. It’s quite simple, just a round hard-edged brush with a texture added.
Here’s a closeup:
