Mythological : FORGOTTEN GOD : It's working now!

[William b. Hand]

This is from a recent Daily Sketch Group assignment ("mythology/culture-based : Egyptian" (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11439)). I did have to take it a bit further, though... So this is the pic re-worked a fair deal. The only thing that's really bugging me now is the 'blood' just beneath the figure, streaming downwards. After having cranked the contrast up on this piece, that particular area might need a bit more attention.

What do you folks think? Any C & C is welcome!


UPDATE at BOTTOM of page

[fukifino]

contrast = good
squished = bad

I like the 3rd (non squished/high contrast) version the best. Love those colors and that wicked mummified look. And that glowing head is out of sight.

[William b. Hand]

ALL GOOD!

Everything is working just peachy now. The images weren't loading properly before because of an obscure (I never heard of it) linking glitch that doesn't like certain characters - namely hyphens - to appear in a filename.

fukifino, thanks for your advice on that issue! It was all sorta just what I was thinking... the wax was there, but I needed an outsider to light that candle in my head. The one that's where the brain's supposed to be. Except instead...
it's a candle. Yeah.
Now... I'm noticing I must be tired, and I see it's after six a.m. and I haven't gone to sleep yet, so that's sorta like being drunk. Okay, not really but you know what I mean.
What was I talking about, anyway? Oh, yeah. Thanks fukifino, that was helpful. I'm glad you like the colouring, because I'm still rather new to colour and don't always get it right.:D

I'd better get some rest.
Crap... the dog drooled on my pillow.

[Foxglove]

Snazzy! Love the glow in the head.

[morbidhumor]

I loved the original. It went into my favorites folder. That said, this version feels overworked to me. I preferred it with a little less attention to detail and toned down contrasts.

[William b. Hand]

Thanks, Foxglove!

morbidhumor - I'm really pleased you threw it into your "favourites" folder, that makes me happy:D!
Really? You prefer the less detailed one? Christ, maybe you're right. I dunno.

I've considered a contrast halfway between these two, but I doubt I can convince myself to toss out the work I did in subsequent pics. Maybe it'll just be another case of the artist's early sketches or versions outshining the finished piece :rolleyes:

Well... for everybody else to see how the two compare, here's the original image.
If anyone wants to vote on the issues of more/less contrast, and less/more detail, that'd be just swell!

http://homepage.mac.com/forumdump/.Pictures/Old%20God.jpg

[bgermain]

That's a sweet piece of work! I like the high contrast version (or maybe just a little closer to it).

[darkcult]

I believe you used some of the PS filters(?),
but nevertheless strong illustration.
So far I like it...
Looks impressive.

:)

[William b. Hand]

bgermain - Thanks for the vote!

darkcult - No, no filters of any kind. I almost never use filters or effects in my work... Not necessarily because I'm against filters, etc. ... It's mainly because I haven't explored them that thoroughly. I probably should use some filters, actually.

To what were you attributing them, anyway? You said that in a sortuv vague, dismissive way.:confused:

If the end result is that you dig the image, that's cool by me!:D Which version do you prefer?

[bustabustu]

I love this peace! Is their any way you could post a few more pictures from start to finish? I would really like to see your step process.

[William b. Hand]

bustabustu - Thanks! I'm afraid I don't have any snapshots of my progress along the way. In fact... How does one take snapshots of a w.i.p. anyways? I think someone told me once, but I didn't have occassion to use it and forgot how. If I figure out how to do that, bustabustu, I'll make a point of archiving my next like-minded painting! :)
----------------------------------------------------------
I feel so stupid about this confusion. It all feels so nit-picky, and I wanna decide on one, be done with it, and throw it on the Completed Projects forum.

I'm beginning to think that the weirdisms I had begun to put into the face will work more nicely taken to the hilt in a different painting. I think morbidhumor had a valid concern about it being 'over-worked'... some simple, lovely aspects of the face disappeared with my additions. But then I also like the deeper darks and brighter highlights, SO...

I'm considering this as a compromise.
It's the original image, but with an increased contrast.

Somebody should tell me I've finally nailed it, so that I can stop my compulsion to tweak it :D !

http://homepage.mac.com/whand/.Pictures/Old%20Larger%20incr.contrast.jpg

[CsakiP]

It resembles H.R.Giger's art with more colors. I like it. :) But I don't really like the empty bottom part.

[bustabustu]

As you work and your peace takes shape just name your copies slightly different. Ex. myartpeace_001.psd, myartpeace_002.psd, myartpeace_003.psd. This also comes in handy if say down the line you're not happy with how your current work came out but you did like it at stage _003. I hope this helps a little.

[William b. Hand]

CsakiP - Yeah, well Giger's been a huge influence of mine, no doubt... and that certainly creeps into my work from time to time. I was thinking that this seemed more in the realm of Vallejo (sp?) and those 'fantasy' artists, actually. Somewhat. I never really studied them, but anything you ever see influences you on some level.
That said, you'll probably feel a Giger influence even more when I next update. I'm dealing with that "empty bottom part", and it does have something of a Gigeresque quality. :) I've always been a little confused why he didn't use more colour.

bustabustu - Yeah... well, keeping a million files of the same image is something that I sometimes do, but try to avoid. File space is too precious. What I'm talking about is that there's a series of, like, three buttons that you can push at the same time (on Macs), and it takes a snapshot of your screen. You can do whatever you want with the snapshot. I used to know which buttons but I've forgotten. Doing this might also allow you to see things like brush settings and layer arrangement or whatever. Good for tutorials, I figure.

I just looked it up on GOOGLE (supreme overgod of search engines) and found it.
It's Command/Shift/3 that'll snap the entire screen.

OR, you can use Command/Shift/4... And the cursor becomes a crosshairs and you can draw a box on the screen as your target area... And if you push CapsLock first, then it'll snap whatever window you click on next, including the window bar etc.

[morbidhumor]

I think you've got it with the last one. I love the origional but agree that the higher contrast makes it better.
My advice is to leave it for a month and come back with fresh eyes. Then you can decide what you like and dislike.

[darkcult]

The very first one (in the original thread) works perfect
for me.
:chug:
keep up the excellente job!!!

[enigma]

the colours are amazing! i love it, i'm learning to colour digitally, this is very similar to the feel i'm going for, it'd be great i u had posted prgress shots of this, veeery nice

[William b. Hand]

Since I am compelled to continue working on this, and it's easy enough to have multiples of the same piece, I'm continuing full-throttle on my "over-worked" version.
I love the original, and it may remain the stronger artwork, so I won't discard it...

... but I'm also pleased with this more intense, detailed take.
I decided the 'blood' area has become too sketchy with the increased contrast, so that's my current focus. I'm having fun with it, so I've broken through the grind it was becoming:) .
I'm not quite finished with the blood, but I think it's more-or-less achieved it's look. I've also begun to tie the torso/orange firey area together with the blood. After that... I dunno. I'll take it as it comes.

morbidhumor - It's good to hear that you like the higher contrast! As I've explained above, I'm damning them torpedoes... but I hope you also like final product #2 for it's own, if perhaps less spontaneous, merits. Check back with me when I'm finally done with this?

darkcult - Same as I said to morbidhumor.

enigma - I'm glad you like my colours! I'm pretty new to colours myself, so this is experimentation. I've been pretty timid about it all, but I'm gaining some understanding finally. Sorry about no progress shots... it's never occurred to me before! Also, that first image was very rushed and -- barring some software that automatically takes snapshots every fifteen minutes -- I dunno if I would've done a very good job of archiving my process. Maybe it'll become more routine, we'll see. I certainly appreciate your interest!

I sure am one talkitive sonuvabitch. heh heh.

UPDATE w/ FOCUS ON BLOOD:
http://homepage.mac.com/forumdump/.Pictures/FINAL%20FINAL.jpg

[the good war]

im sorry i missed this thread early on ...nothing productive just here to say this has become a new favorite peice and i was hoping to go into this direction in the future so thanks for giving me a map! beautiful