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WacoMonkey · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 8:36 am

Well, my turn to jump in front of the firing squad... This is my fourth (and latest) attempt at conceptual painting in Photoshop. I'll post the earlier ones as soon as i get a website up, but thanks to Myst 3 no longer being a secret, this one was posted to the web for me!

This painting started with an ink drawing over light grey marker underlay, which I scanned, then promptly flipped as I found the composition more dynamic with the thrust of the image from top left to bottom right. Color areas were built up in solid fills first, then textured and blended with large transparent hard-edged brushes with size sensitivity off. Details followed later.

I personally find the image pretty stiff and flat, without a lot of color movement in the composition. I also think I got carried away with the details (my weakness, as Freddy pointed out in the post on Cos' pics), and the image would have been fresher if I'd left some of it assumed, but it does convey the mood & design, I guess.

I'd appreciate any critique and advice (especially from Spooge Demon, who may remember me trying to hire him about 4 or 5 years ago!). I'll try to get a makeshift site together soon so I can post more stuff, incl. critique pics on people's work, if they want.

Thanks!

Phil.

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[This message has been edited by WacoMonkey (edited May 15, 2000).]

osk · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 8:52 am

Pretty sweet man .. I like the mountains and the water .. well the background overall ...the main subject though isn't very exciting or very highlihted.. meaning it does not draw your eye to it .. everything else around it completely overwhelms it . because the canyon is so beautiful and dynamic .. the colors on the canyon are right on I think ..but the sky is kinda flat .. but .. at that angle I dont see a fix for that ... I would say maybe changing the design of the ship .. and bringing it a little closer in view .. so that it can stand out a bit ..
but over all its awesome , .. looks like it was painted on oils or something . very cool .

Lange_Pisang · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 9:26 am

Awww...your picture has a VERY NICE atmosphere...
I'm pretty new here but I quess all of you guys are (much) older than I am...Or you are still teenagers with waaaaaaay too much talent...

Fred Flick Stone · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 9:31 am

Wacomonkey is only 12. No really, Me, Francis, Anitcz, Waco, Moze, Spooge, and many others on this forum are working professionals, Late twenties to mid thirties. Synj on the other hand, young, talented, and confident...punk ass kid...just kidding...he rocks...

[This message has been edited by Fred Flick Stone (edited May 15, 2000).]

dines · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 10:06 am

really nice pic !

i really like the lighting which give a good atmosphere to the image.

dines. http://www.nexen.net/koubis

Zor · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 10:29 am

VERY nice pic, cool atmos

wanan seeeee more already!...

Z

AliasMoze · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 10:33 am

Waco,
That's a damn fine painting. I love what you guys are doing (you, francis, fred).

BTW, I'm mid-twenties. Wish I were a teenager again. If you're young today, you have more resources available to you than any young artist in the history of the world. Take full advantage of it.

ex · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 12:01 pm

the only two words i can think for that is Perfect and Breath Taking!

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-- Sean FitzGerald (ex)

Kyri · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 1:03 pm

WacoMonkey, that painting is excellent man!!!
The colours and lighting are fantastic. Definitely looking forward to seeing more.
Kyri

[This message has been edited by Kyri (edited May 15, 2000).]

Mozeman · member Member # Joined: 07 May 2000 Posts: 217

If I dare offer up criticism to your bad-assness, I think it would be neat to see more atmosphere in the distance, to give it some real scale.

It's damned fine. I can't wait to see the game.

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Mozeman
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[email protected]
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"I like it rough..."

Digisaur · junior member Member # Joined: 12 May 2000 Posts: 10

Very natural looking lighting. The way the sunlight is bouncing around in the walls of the canyon...looks like a page out of National Geographic. That balloon carriage has a nice design too. Bravo ;-)

Wildkat · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 2:30 pm

fantastic pic!

lotor · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 10:48 pm

I don't think the details flaten it out at all. If you had detailed the rock surface it would have flattened it I think.
I also disagree with you wanting to put more color into the painting. I am usually the exact opposite though. I usually chant color color,color but in this particular piece i think its color is just right.
...One thing that I think Spooge does that makes his pieces even stronger is that he puts a lot of rough low opacity scratches and stuff where the texture is rough (like on cliff faces).
I really like it though.
ciao

Binke · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 11:01 pm

wow, that's a nice picture, I like it alot, the shadows are very well done.

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http://binke.gamesquad.net

Cos · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 11:03 pm

my gosh, wacomonkey thats damn superb! I thought it was a 3d package at first, the lighting is excellent, looks really solid. Get your wpage up!! fantastic work man.

genesequence · Posted: Mon May 15, 2000 11:58 pm

if we really, really flatter you - i mean, obscenely suck-up - will you tell us some juicy secrets about Myst3? i solved Riven in three sleepless days (and nights) and now, cannot wait for Exile.

if your concept art is any indication, the game will KILL. fantastic work!

-genesequence. (sure you can all draw, but can you sequence a polypeptide?)

JaffaCAke · Posted: Tue May 16, 2000 3:09 am

WOAH! very nice, it's got a sorta cartoon feel to it but also a really creative science fiction kinda look with that strange cart thingy. GOOD WORK!

Joachim · Posted: Tue May 16, 2000 7:18 am

Amazing !
There's so many talented artists here now, I think I'll just dig me a hole.

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Joachim
web: http://home.sol.no/~jbarrum/

Lange_Pisang · Posted: Tue May 16, 2000 7:44 am

Hell yeah Joachim! (hey, I also know another Joachim, Joachim A. Hagen)

Anywazzzah, I'm also very, very amazed when I see the art y'all post here. My topics are really nothing compared to the other's...
Aah well, I'll keep practising...
And one day, well, I'll be a God on this board...I assure you! HA!!

(!!) This is called "joking around"...so don't take some things too serious, especially "Long Banana's thingies..." *heh*

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awwwwww...still have to learn a lot,
-Lange Pisang (Long Banana :D)

n8 · Posted: Tue May 16, 2000 9:21 pm

that the actual res u worked at??
btw....luv the pic..

[This message has been edited by n8 (edited May 16, 2000).]

WacoMonkey · Posted: Tue May 16, 2000 10:11 pm

Thanks for all the comments, everybody.

Osk - I agree, the airship design is a little underwhelming. i was trying for something more vertical and different, since it's supposed to be a hot-air balloon that gets its forward movement from the upward slope of the cable it rides on. We've since gone with a newer design by Francis that I think is much more dynamic. (see if you can pick the sketch out of the M3 trailer!)

Mozeman - I agree, the back area around the waterfall especially could have been knocked back in value a lot for more depth. I was trying not to put too much aereal perspective in since it's supposed to be dry desert air, but since there's the spray from the waterfall there I could probably get away with it.

n8 - The original pic was done at 2700 x 2100. I'll post some detail shots to show brushwork if anyone wants, once I get my ass in gear and get a damn website up!

Phil.