Sijun Forums :: View topic - Gateway to Chinatown

mza · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 10:18 am

My first attempt at a photo extension exercise. It was a fun & a great learning experience, I tried 2 more variations using the same pic.

original image:

photo extension:

added snow ( would never snow here in San Francisco,so why not?):

and the biggest challenge snow@ night:

Those who have experience doing this sort of work, I would really appreciate some feedback... at least to know if I'm going about it the right way. I was not sure how loose I could get away with this type of painting...

But of course, anyone who finds something wonky, please point it out!
(The night scene is doesn't quite work for me yet, would like to figure out why.)
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zap.br · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 10:32 am

nice nice ..
i dont know couse i dont live in a coutry
w have snow ... but .. i think the lights are a little more bright and shine ...

so the night shot is very very good ..
i love this one and
im think in make some excersises like it ...

thx for idea !
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shawnhud · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 10:52 am

That's a good job man. The first (extension) is great, and not to take too much away from you or your efforts, it wasn't that hard was it? The second is real good too. If I can offer any comment, it would be that I might have plowed the lefthand street more. Another thing would be to touch up the people so that their clothes are more suited for winter (instead of short sleeves). The third, eh...maybe brighten up the lights a bit, but I think it is very strong the way it is. Good job.
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Inspector Lee · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 10:55 am

I know that corner well, I used to work at an ad agency that was 25 paces to the left (up Bush street). Very cool to see the transition to snow and then night. When you start the snow or night version, do you play with the color and contrast first, or do you just paint over everything?
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eyewoo · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 11:16 am

Nice work... In the night scene, I'd like to see more window lights and some slight city glow in the sky above. I think that would make it work better. I'd think there would be more street lights as well...
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kana · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 1:57 pm

the blank wall on the building to the left seems odd. maybe a window or two?
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jr · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 4:46 pm

looking nice molly, let's see more! (btw, i bought some gouache, when are you going to post more of those?)
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FireWalker · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 5:20 pm

haha, thats cool. walk by that corner nearly every day. good job on the extensions! maybe add a little texture to the pavement to 'rough it up' a bit here and there.

always have thought that if it actually snowed in SF there would be more car wrecks than cars available. the hills.... the hills.... bad.

mza · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 5:23 pm

zap.br - thanks! San Francisco is too cold already for me without the snow, but it was fun to image if it would...I agree, it probably would be more shiny bright.

shawnbud- the most difficult part of the extension was painting out the tree! Gees, I kept thinking I got all of it's shadow removed & then I'd find something else... I've never looked at a picture so intensely before.
My people do look a bit cold in the snow. Yet again, the tourists who come to sf in the summer when it's hella cold still dress inappropriately like that.
Inspector Lee - I played with the contrast first

eyewoo - thanks! I agree, does seem to need more "glow". I had more before, but it started feeling so artificial. Any pointers on believable night lighting? The most beautiful light affects happen in the alley ways in the city at night... too bad it isn't practical (or safe) to go night cityscape painting for some good reference/practice.
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Chthonic Divinity · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 5:25 pm

my only real crit is the main red walk in the forground. You can see the bricks, then in your extension there is none. I'd also like to see some more grit and interest in the foreground.

mza · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 5:30 pm

Jr - only if you give me a crit first! Razz

I'll try to dig up some more gouache for ya. Been working on some concept stuff with buddies on my free time. Should go back to painting more from life again. This photo stuff is suprisingly fun for me though! POSt your gouache!

FireWalker - It did snow in SF once that I know of! I was walking down
Van Ness and it snowed for a whole 5 minutes...melted before it hit the ground, but still very cool.
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Inspector Lee · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 9:20 pm

I've lived here my whole life, and it's snowed twice in my memory. Once in the early sixties and again around 1974. It was very surreal. I think you captured it.
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mza · Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2003 10:10 am

thanks again everyone for the feedback. I worked a little more on all of them.

Kana good call on pointing out the lack of windows on the left building.. I went ahead and painted those in, also with others responses, I added a little more texture & litter to the road. oh! and made sure people weren't wearing short sleaves out in the snow.

eyewoo - I thought about brightening up the sky and putting more lights, but chinatown late at night is a ghost town...I was hoping to capture that feeling. I did put a few more light windows in.

Some of those things I knew were there and should have been delt with... I think it was Schmid who said to"never knowing leave something wrong in your painting".
thanks for not letting me get away with it Wink

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