[BiGJoN]

OK heres my first attempt at painting a complete digital image... whilst not keeping the linework visible. This is also my first attempt at not using the burn and dodge tools exclusively to add shading.

This is all a lot of new stuff for me at the moment, so I'd thought I get around to doing an artwork that I'll update frequently on the sijun board.

Heres a link to a picture that contains a small progress shot, a small linework shot and a close up of an area I'm currently working on:
http://www.stormpages.com/gamingvision/Progress1.htm

Now for the questions:
1. The ferns look funny... too stiff or flat or something. (I am going for realism here). Any suggestions?
2. The log I am quite happy with... but it looks flat and lifeless still. Help?
3. When first approaching the image I started by making a lot of layers... I think there is about 7 or so at this beginning stage. Is this the way to go? Or 1 layer sufficient?
4. Haha how high a res should I look at for getting realistic? (That close up on the bottom is at 100%, in total the image is only 450 by 650). I think I should scan again at a higher res before I get too far into it.

On a further note.... I know my art looks a little to beginner-ish to be worthy of doing realistic looking art... but I would like some advice so I know what to look out for. I am also using a mouse to paint this image (no WACOM here unfortunately) so this will be a slow moving project.

I am also going to try and fix some of those drawing errors I made in the linework while painting. But if you want to point out something feel free...

Lastly I think that I should mention that I am in this image for the long haul. I really really want to get this image done the way I see it in my head.... so any help won't be ignored! Promise!

I have so many questions but that will do for now.

Thanks in advance.

[HawkOne]

1. I think your ferns seem a bit strange to you because they are all facing flat towards our eye. In nature things are a bit more chaotic. Look at your original sketch and you will see that you have not followed it very closely. in addition to the curvature caused by gravity, you should also include the z-axis, making the ferns point towards as well as away from the viewer.

if you would like a high resolution fern image you can paste"www.wwf.org.au/img/ferns.jpg", without the quotes into your browser.

2. The log needs more detail, right now it is a bit blurry, since it is in the foreground it will get more attention from the viewer. Again look at nature, squint while looking at the picture below, do you see thin dark lines, and small almost white patches ?? (the mushrooms look kinda right for your pic too )


3. The layer issue boils down to your particular preference, and to what is practical for your machine. If you are swimming in RAM, then you should be fine with lots of layers because it will give you the luxury of fixing up stuff without disturbing the other layers. If your machine start lagging, merge down the layers you are happy with. Having a background, middleground and foreground layer may be good, and in your case a layer for the halo around the little glowing fairy should be added first after you finish the background.

4. High-res is not really the magic answer needed to get a realistic image, but rather your own ability to see (and paint) details in objects and their colours. Many CG artists start the sketch small, then enlarge to add the details and then reduce again to final size. As far as I know any size from 2-10 times the final size are used.

Painting detailed realistic imagery from you imagination is just not possible until you have drawn so many treetrunks, rocks, ferns, leaves, grounddirt, grass and mushrooms that you can start improvising.

Just like a saxophonist plays sheetmusic (notation and note names, key signatures, meters, rhythm, scale structures, tertian chord structures, basic musical terminology, and so forth), until he/she is at a level when the fingers and mind start moving automatically and can start to improvise. I think drawing and painting basically follows similar rules. Try to find detailed reference imagery of absolutely everything possible in your image and use that [I[as a guide[/I], you do not have to follow the forms, although that would be easier, but you need to see the details in the leaves, in bark, in some sort of wings maybe for the fairy (dragonfly/hummingbird ?).

By details I don't just mean : its green, it is shaped like an elipse sharpened in both ends (f.ex), but how the veins in the leaf are laid out, if it is a different green on top or below, are there any spore-exits on the ferns, do the stems have little brown hair closer to the ground ... etc,etc ... If realism is your goal, you will need to know a lot about these sorts of details, particularily in the areas that are prominent. The leaves on the tree in the background will not get much attention, but that mushroom,fern and dead tree will.

About lighting, it is also something to take seriously into consideration before you start working, what time of day, is it a dark and scary forest, or a open lively one. Is the fairy halo strong enough to illuminate objects around, like the boys(?) face, rocks, trees, leaves and so on.

I think it is a great start, and it is also great that you are in it for the long haul, that is THE best way to learn ...

[specialbrew]

Hawk's pretty much covered everything I'd mention, but one area I'd be wary of is the perspective you've got going on the groundplane.



The rocks you have clustered on the right of the picture seem to sit slightly awkwardly with the groundplane (which I've gridded in), particularly the rock I've highlighted - this seems to be floating in space. It's probably more as a result of your shading, more than anything else, but I'd try to get at least a few of the contours running parallel with the grid.

good luck

sb

[BiGJoN]

HawkOne: OK thanks for those pointers... I'll go do a resketch tonight. Particularly the ferns... and I'll try and add some more detail/interest in the close up on the log also

Hmmm... and while Im at it I might try and fix that perspective error. Yes specialbrew you were right... its definitely an error.

With those two images I am thinking of changing the layout a little...

Thanks...

[BiGJoN]

Ok I think I'll go about this another way. Draw the figure in the same pose on one piece of paper.... and the background on another. The close up Log Ferns and maybe mushrooms on yet another. Just so I can approach it with a clear mind on each.

[specialbrew]

Yes, that'd make a lot more sense... your previous arrangement of layers was less logical. I look forward to seeing how this'll pan out.

sb