Strange Behavior (Illustration) Entry: Michael Dashow

#201

Very nice picture, I also vote for number 2, but some of the waterfalls close to the top center make the sky a bit busy in my opinion, the image has plenty of elements so showing a bit more of sky like in the number one could help to have a most epic atmosphere on much more deep scene also when you finish the wall seeing it I imagine it will be a kind of fence so some element will be seen through it so some elements between the background and foreground could be showed there… so that is another reason I like number two the most. Also I agreed with Blaz.

It is very inspiring to see your work and enjoy the way you help everybody with your wise advices, so I feel a bit insecure making critics to your work but better out than in. Best regards and good luck (but i dont think you need any luck with your skills)

#202

I’m another one who prefers number 2, although they really are both good. But I guess my preference for 2 comes from a few things - I prefer the look of the oaks/deciduous trees and that tree in the foreground on the left seems to frame the scene really well. But I also think the architecture in number 2 looks a little less crowded and also seems a more relaxed setting, with what appears to be less buildings and more nature - I really like that. So I’m speaking from a highly subjective viewpoint here. This is coming along really well, by the way :thumbsup:

#203

Hey Walrus, I’m back from a long break and I just wanted to say, awesome work, awesome concept… as always.
I like number 2 :slight_smile:

#204

I like both wersions Michael! My only concern is that curved fence behind the girls. It sort of devides the forground from the background to much. And it is also in the way of the walking direction of the girls (unless they are walking around the table ). I don’t know if I`m making sense here, but that fence bothers me in a way

Anyway like always I`m truly impressed by all the work you put into your sketch process! How can you go wrong when you think things through and test out so many different solutions to the composition!:)
#205

Hey Walrus,
You know, it would not be all that strange for fantasy characters to be playing a fantasy game? Maybe for an added level of humor the game they can be playing could depict something mundane like an IRS RPG or waiting in line at the DMV. “Yes, I rolled a 4 now I can take two steps closer in the cue!”

I didn’t read all the pages so this may have been mentioned.

Best of luck and the drawings looks great.

#206

nice nice Michael, you a machine so many cool sketches in ur progress. I vot for 2, but without the tree on the left corner.

#207

My vote goes to 2 as well… it just feels better and vegetation is a crucial part for elves concealing…

#208

Hi, all. Thanks for the wealth of comments! I’m glad everyone has stopped by to add their thoughts and opinions, most of which have been extremely helpful!

First things first, thanks again to Harris-ejaz and DigitalMonkey and PaLantir and Kory who brought up the idea of setting their RPG in (for them) anachronistic times. After all, that’s what role-playing games are all about, right? So as you can see with this small update, I’m running with that. Lots of little pewter figurines in a contemporary (for us) office setting. I’ve tried to keep the dynamic body poses common to miniatures.

Also added some dice and a dice pouch, and if you could see the entire frame, you’d see that I changed Gotuel’s eyes (Aly’s note) and adjusted the curve of the balcony railing (Per’s note.)

Aly - thanks for the observation about her eyes. You’re totally right, and I’ve already fixed it. Good call!

Thaldir - Interesting note on the building materials. Even though no one liked background #1, one of the interesting things in it is the railing, which is not carved but wood that grew into a railing. I was thinking about pursuing this course with more of my architecture as well. The suggestion of Thai architecture is really interesting, and something I’d have never thought of. What a neat idea! I’ve grabbed some photos off of Google image search and will fool around with the idea.

Reinaldo - Yes, of course, the background will be seen through the gaps in the balcony railing. It will not be solid. And thanks for leaving a post - I really do like hearing from everyone, that’s what these challenges are about, for me. I could work all by myself with no input, but I much prefer hearing everyone’s thoughts and opinions as I go!

Mark - Well, of course you’re speaking from a highly subjective viewpoint. Aren’t we all? I like hearing different peoples’ opinions.

Try - thanks for the thoughts on the balcony railing, I changed the cirve to be less extreme as you suggested. I’m not worried about how it divides the background because you’ll be able to see through it - it won’t in the end be as solid as it may look right now in these comps.

Kory - Good to see you around again! Thanks for the independantly-arrived at idea of the mundane RPG - as you can see, I’m running with it.

And to everyone else, thanks for the thoughts and notes. Back to work now… :slight_smile:

#209

great miniatures Michael… I especially like the one on the center, he looks like a cross between Superman and Elvis… nothing to comment right now… keep it up

#210

It’s great Michael! Background on num 2 with waterfall, very good characters for the game , but they can’t to be vision on this big ivironment and details of the picture. I’m with interest your next details. :slight_smile:

#211

I want some colour! greta compo and little fig’s are great… cant wait for the colour though

#212

Though that the orcs are playing with humans… in a reverse manner… its a very cool concept.

I dont know if that was your intention with the last image… maybe i would differentiate more and enphatize the human that are being roleplayed. :stuck_out_tongue:

:smiley:

Great concept.
I cant wait to see more work :wink:

Keep going dude.

#213

So obviously, from my background sketches, there are going to be lots of railings around. There’s the big one in the forground, and lots of small ones in teh back. I don’t want them all to look identical, so I need lots of designs, and here are some of them. I like the idea of the railings not being carved stone or hand-crafted but instead just grown there, as though the Elves had some sort of magic over nature that they could influence it to grow into forms that they needed. (There was a computer graphics pinoneer who created shapes like this but I can’t recall his exact name right now. Anyone?)

So anyhow, I’m tending towards the more organic forms that look more grown, like the top left one.

Color, Wil? Sure, we’ll get around to color. There’s a lot of design-work yet to do, and then the final line art. You need the foundation before you build the house. And we have over 3 months left in the Challenge! So I’ll see you back here about a month or so.

darckon - There’ll be some maps and other human-looking things on the table, but not too much mroe than that. The whole point of the picture is not that they’re role-playing humans so there’s no need to call an undue amount of attention to that. There are other strange enough things going on in addition to that.

Anyhow, not an exciting update, I know, but it’s all ground-work that needs to be covered as the piece progresses… Later!

#214

They all look really nice. I like your sense of design and it’s an excellent idea to make them look ‘grown’. Like you say, the top left one is already a ‘grown’ one, but I think all of them could appear to have been magically grown with the addition of a leaf or tendril randomly sprouting here and there. I really like the irregular look of that upper left one to. I’d imagine that some of the Elves were good at the magic and made their fences grow in neat, regular patterns, and others were not so good at the magic and so their fences would look a bit messy

#215

Hola!

You have too many pages for this time of night. I’ll look at it properly in the morning at work :slight_smile:

I just wanted to say thanks for giving me the heads up about my first idea already being done by someone else - it was welcome and prompt! (I better have a look at Swizzles pic :slight_smile:

ANyway - I had another idea… your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

Peace
Beno

#216

top left looks great… third column first and last row look great too…

i also love the idea of them growing…

maybe some of them will have a more iregullar shape (not all trees and plants follow the same rules when growing) like vines wrapping around the main rail and the top…

keep it up

#217

So thats why my house keep’s falling down. Thanks mike! lol… was joking … it was a comment on how much detail you put into everything in the picture in your foundation phase. unbelievble. my foundations are form perspective and composition… as long as that is right i go ahead, then all little details arise as i proceed through the painting follwing the image in my head… so yes i do know foundations are important (bloody patronising, cheeky … grumble grumble…) j/ks :wink:

#218

Sorry, Wil, your humorous intent didn’t come through in your text. Next time use more smileys! :wink:

Not to say your way of working is incorrect, I just have my own way and tend to take my time.

#219

i ment i am very impresed by the detail you go into. i couldnt do it. peace

#220

Fractals Mr Walrus,

The artist in question used a program to draw a stick then add a branch to the stick, the branch assumed the qualities of the parent and the daughter (ie branch) assumed the properties of the parent till it looped continuosly on its self, add a colour trait and the daughter would assume the opposite colour of the parent then a massive fractal was born. Oh my poor head hurts,:scream: anyhow I could not remember the name of the SCIENTIST who did this but it is in a book called moving pixels.

Love what you are doing Mr Walrus you could write a name on a envelope and it would be beautiful, i am really really jealous

Lots of regards:)

Rich:bounce:

Now smashing up my wacom tablet and turning to the priesthood/mafia whichever accepts me first?