[Isric]

Well, I've been working so hard on characters thus far, I noticed I was lacking in background skills. Here's an attempt to get used to them

[java]

Excellent Isric, I always like the mood you have in your pictures.

I think it would pretty nice though if you narrowed the opening, add some more blueish colors to the sky and add sunrays beaming down into the "cave".

Great stuff!

[Svanur]

Is it me or does the waterfall take a weird turn?

Lovely pic but there is something about those waterfalls that is bugging me.

[Pat]

This is lacking?

I love it! Lack a little more in the future, would ya?

My only observation is a smart-assed one (surprise!) and it's: those two rocks in the foreground look like stiff little fingers. Well, thumbs maybe. I only noticed them because I get them in my photos all the time. If I squint just right it looks like a first person shooter staring Fonzie.

-Pat

[soulnine]

nice done Isric, i like ur stroke n the color scheme applied to bring the picture into life in ur very own way... keep it up bro!

[Drimmen]

Hello Isric, I am very glad to get the opportunity to comment on your work here as I find your style to be very fresh and motivating.

I saw an earlier version of this piece elsewhere, and I see you have added several new features. Pat said it first, but I also found the foreground stones to be thumb like. After my eye leaves the white water, I am stuck on those rocks. You have a few highlight strokes in just the right places to indicate thumbnails. The overall setting is lovely, and has a great mythic quality to it. The mist at the base of the waterfall is an excellent touch.

Thanks for sharing.

[General Confusion]

Isric,

I would suggest some indication of some type of atmosphere. Something to differentiate, the backgrounbd, middle ground and foregrounds respectively. I don't mean to over do it. But showing some fall off in value as things get further away, by marrying it better to the existing background/sky/atmosphere, would also add greatly to the overall mood of the pic.

Try to see an imaginary holding line that represents the varying levels of depth. Almost like when a green screen section on a film plate is left unfinished in a matte painting. Visual effects artists leave that area kind of "roped off" for the eventual splicing of live action sequences. Which, I'm sure you're probably aware of But you can treat your image in the same way, by figuring where the background would apppear and focusing on that spot, and making that area fade into the mist of whatever you feel your atmosphere would produce, then focus on the next level of depth. the middle ground, and fade that into the decided upon atmosphere, however lessen the amount of that fade. And you can do this in increments as you get closer to the foreground. this will give your pic levels of depth that will push the realism. and when you have a good variation in levels, make sure that there aren't hard edges that seperate the levels, cause then it will appear as a bunch of cutouts on your image.


but good luck with this, i think you got a good start. And hopefully, I didn't confuse you with my commentary....

later

[Isric]

Tee hee, sillies, those ARE fingers. They're the start of a huge sculpted hand. Once I add a few crackd to them, polish it off maybe a bit more it'll make more sense. As far as the sky, that was a purposeful and very carefully measured color choice to achieve a certain effect.
Thanks for the advice on atmosphere, General C.

[simuartist]

neat..

[AliasMoze]

Hey Isric.
Geez, I don't post much these days, but I really love your art.

Anyways, I was going to try to paint over your image, but I ended up doing more of a color correction.

First, I tried to consolidate some of your shadows. Too many values IMO for the style. Second, I tried to add some depth and mist. Third, I played with the color temp in the brights. The last thing I would've done is to either tighten the edges in the rocks or loosen the edges in the bushes. The material just looks too similar to me.

Just my modest suggestions. Hope it helps. God knows it's easier to crit than to paint, so I'll shut the hell up now.



[ August 09, 2001: Message edited by: AliasMoze ]

[nori]

Hey that's really good. I myself have a very seriously problem with backgrounds. I have no idea where to start to learn how to paint them. Do you start from photos? I mean how do you learn to paint them? are there good books on the subject?

[Rhomb]

Good looking scene Isric. Some good advice already given. To add a little, I'd like to see maybe some more variation in the colors, especially in the greens of the bushes when you come from bg to the front.

-Ville

[Red Leader]

What AliasMoze said...

If you want to master backgrounds for use behind your more graphic figures, I'd pick up a copy of Pinnochio on DVD and study it like crazy. Best backgrounds ever done for animation, period.

There's a great book by Pierre Lambert on ther art of Pinnochio available. 300 pages, phenomoinal printing... $150.00 u.s. on Amazon. Worth it.

(Nice pic, btw!)

[KOryH]

OK shoot me,
I got a little carried away when I was looking at this. So here is the mother of all paintovers. I hope I don't offend anyone by doing so much. I really liked the composition and the setting. I just went a little overboard. any who, here it is...my crack at the background.

[Isric]

Whoa! I thought paintovers were a thing of the past here! Thank you both! AliasMoze, thanks a lot, that color change makes sense. Much deeper. And Koryh, that's just sick. I love it. You kept the atmoshpere very well, and the way you handled the waterfall is WICKED. Now I can't paint on it anymore. I'll start another one

[Superbug]

Great stuff Isric. Personally, I would love to see some hazy landscape through the crack in the mountains, and I agree with the others on the color variation to give your picture more depth.

However, personally, for a picture like this, I don't think all that matters. Sometimes it's simply the concept which is truly important, and you have a great concept going there. Keep em comming.

[Darkmoon]

no! not more porn!!!!!!!!

hehehe.... i looked at the nude girls first so now my minds on it and all i see are rocks that look like penises and white goo....

i suck at backgrounds... so my comments cant be taken seriously, but maybe the water shouldnt be so white? but... it could also be my monitor...

-Lisa