DSG 1340: Sci-Fantasy: BEFORE THE DUSK-LIT CASTLE RAMPARTS, A SPACECRAFT HOVERS

[William b. Hand]

[ Are the aesthetics of the one in stark contrast to those of the other, or are they in harmony? ]

[ Is it a meeting of two differently advanced civilizations? ]

[ Is the mood one of astonishment, or confidence, or foreboding, or excitement? ]

[ Is the spacecraft come from the skilled technological artisans of this very kingdom? ]

[ Invader, defender, or passer-by? ]

[ Some very different ways this topic could be interpreted, as usual... ]

Sci-Fantasy: BEFORE THE DUSK-LIT CASTLE RAMPARTS, A SPACECRAFT HOVERS
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[goran]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v17/smogyboy/CA%20sketchbook/57ea506d.jpg

[tobbA]

IMAGE LINK (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/tobba/castle.jpg)

:)

[Vanvalen]

This was tougher then I thought... and still did not turn out how I'd have liked it.

40 mins.

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6292/castleship01fi7.jpg

VV

[ScribbleCath]

Thought Id post a quicky, 45 minutes.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh195/ScribbleCath/1340Castlefloatingufo.jpg

[Lennybird]

http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/6564/atthegatesborder3bz7.jpg
[Edit]: I enhanced the edges, added a sunset, and overall cleaned up the image somewhat. Hopefully this reaches standards...
The day my image doesn't get turned into a link is a day I'll be a very happy person :)...

GIMP-2-3 hours....

Want criticism, please =) (concerning shadows, blending, colors, e.t.c..). I think the water is purple, which was "sort of" what I was looking for, but not quite (it's dark out, so I wanted the water to have a darker blue to it...)


Goran-Such a unique direction, I love very "alien" craft.
tobbA-This is my favorite perspective so far. I hope you're going to take it further!
Vanvalen-The creepiest so far, the perspective is nice: it sort of shows the power of the castle and then you notice the power of the craft flying above it, which dwarfs the castle.
ScribbleCath- A sweet perspective, I can picture going from there to circling around the castle, lower and lower. An epic perspective, very nice.

[Racasdorph]

Not really hovering heh... oops!

http://photos-415.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v182/247/43/55707415/n55707415_34070742_6033.jpg

[GRETCHEN]

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h79/WEISSERHAI/DSG1340.jpg

@Vanvalen: nice and impressive view.
@goran: till now my favorite. love the industrial castle.
@Lennybird: Maybe the atmosphere is more dramatic with an sky which is colored more black-red. Like sunset.

[goran]

Lennybird-thank you
GRETCHEN-Thank you
Vanvalen-Nice upshot ,you must take more care of your vanishing points ,
even if they are not in frame,it is some kind of mental discipline you develop with practice.I took the liberty to do small paint over ,hope you don't mind.Hope it will be helpful for the rest of you guys.Boxes are your friend.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v17/smogyboy/tuts/94aa97d9.jpg

[tsujni]

http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh319/tsujni/dsg1340.jpg

time to whip out my block eraser

Vanvalen - lovely

[Vanvalen]

@Goran.. I don't mind paint overs at all :) ... perspective is a weak point of mine and of course I'm lazy so I usually just guess at vanishing points hehe.

@Lennybird... Nice use of perspective for the wall..Purple aint my colour :)

@Racasdorph ... It's a great Idea but I think you could have made the ship stand out more...maybe blur the background a bit more so it has a depth of field effect.

@Gretchen... I like this concept... it makes me imagine the castle is designed and/or built to be some form of docking station for the ship above..they fit together seamlessly kinda thing. Have no idea if that was you're intent but that's the vibe I get. Might have been better with a bit more ship showing.

@Tsujni... Interesting design indeed...

vv

[jagehtso]

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t93/jagehtso/sketch2-2.jpg

Done with water colors and marker (my poor little sketchbook...).

Edit: Dabbled a bit with the color levels and contrast to add the levels of yellow to the scan, that the light in my room added to the original.

[Racasdorph]

Vanvalen: I really enjoy the perspective! great idea!

ScribbleCath: Same with you! The perspective gives your piece just that something extra heh

tsujni: Im alittle confused :) Is the space craft at the center or is that the castle?

[Hamsta]

IMAGE LINK (http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/6747/1340uforampartslm4.jpg)

[Tommoy]

Just kept on working at it, past the sketch limit a few hours ago.

Maybe i comment later on.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/DSG1341fk.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t19/Tommoy/DSG1341jk.jpg

[Racasdorph]

Tommoy: I love the composition of your piece! The atmosphere really portrays a dusk setting

[Naastika]

goran: I'm gonna have to say this is also my favorite.
Vanvalen: I like the ships, they remind me of honeycomb.
Hamsta: What a cute little peep-ship!
Tommoy: Like all the people you stuck in here, gives it a sense of urgency, and the subtle missles. I missed that the first time I saw it; but I was trying to figure out if the ship was above or in front of the castle. I think that exhaust part is throwing me off. Maybe that's just me :P

I'm not happy with my ship. It seems like it's not in perspective with the rest of it. Hm...
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b37/Naastika/dsg1340_invasion.jpg

[Der Kapptin]

Hope I don't offend anyone, just decided to give thoughts on all of 'em, maybe it will even be helpful to somebody.

goran: Cool..... Maybe the "castle" doesn't necessarily read as a castle, and the spaceship might look more like an alien. I think it might just be from a lack of familiar objects for scale.
tobbA: Some neat stuff, but maybe too literal/direct from the subject?
vanvalen: Cool atmosphere, makes me wonder where it is - not in a bad way.
ScribbleCath: Like the idea, kind of lauging at the subject.
LennyBird: I think the perspective is a bit awkward, the water should probably be pretty uniform in colour, as it would have to have huge waves to be otherwise (i.e. more like a flat colour might help).
Racasdorph:The gate looks really neat. Maybe try to shake things up a bit on the building shapes.
GRETCHEN: Nifty. Feels like a sporting event with a blimp overhead.
tsujni: Hmm. Reminds me of something like Carl Sagan's "Contact".
jagehtso: Awesome. So weird & cool.
Hamsta: The castle wall is a bit boring but the ship is quite interesting. Intriguing.
Tommoy: I really enjoy the atmosphere, and the story it has. Imagining form the perspective of the ship, or the people, it's really cool.
Naastika: Waagh! Weird & cool, esp. like the flaming things.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/THEKAPPTIN/DSG/1340-beforethedusklitcastleramparts.jpg
This is my first post on conceptart. I would like one day to be a concept artist. Or... something. I really don't have any practice drawing landcapes (or any kind of space I guess). On reflection I should have tried to draw a background? Maybe when it's not dusk...

Please leave a criticism if you have a second.

[Racasdorph]

Der Kapptin: What you have going so far seems to work quite well. The specific blue you chose and how it varies from light to dark gives the impression of a dusk setting. Unlike the castle tower that has some volume to it, it does not seem like your spacecraft does. Great work so far

[ZoneZero]

http://666kb.com/i/awuui80rncbjxa0ls.jpg
oC4, could use some textures maybe, dunno

---

@Naastika: i like violett and its a fresh idea... does the tower stand alone in the landscape or on the castles walls?
@Tommoy: really like the atmo and that you painted all those people - green and red works fine here
@goran: n1, although i like the lower part far more than the upper ^^
@jagehtso: a little brighter sky maybe would have been better (i wonder where all those bright walls etc come from), interesting style nonetheless, reminds me of something i can't name right now oo
@ScribbleCath: i like the colorfulness, but the spaceship-part could be more obvious imo

[Arbor]

Like so many other people, it seems, DSG is going to be the first place to lure me into posting here. Such a great practice group.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11/Tofubufu/1340_mobile.png

(EDT: OC4, one layer, 50ish minutes? -slowXD- /EDT)

Unfinished, but I only just had an hour from when I started to get out of the door, before I risk being late. There are a few odd angles in there, and I have a lot of problems figuring out how to make my pictures have depth, instead of being obviously flat, but it's a fun beginning/practice.

I'm going to be a bit embarrassed if no one.. gets it? XD

I don't have time to comment everyone, but I'll go through who I can!

ZoneZero: I'm very impressed with your lighting, especially on the main spaceship. There are hints of the ground and clouds reflecting light, and it's all a very nice combination of colours. The towers inside the walls look a bit like they're leaning backwards, though, while the rest of the angles show the castle leaning forward.
Naastika.. I love the perspective. So much.
Tommoy: Your entire picture is fabulous, but what I really love are the small, almost unrelated details. (The ship on the water, for example. I had a gleefit when I noticed that.) I'm having a lot of fun staring at your picture, trying to spot extra stuff.

[goran]

Vanvalen-Cheers
Tommoy-Really nice painting ,cold dawn,like it ,the only thing bother me is the perspective of the space ship
on the other hand ,maybe his geometry can be changed ,you never know with alien ships.
Naastika-Thank you.You got some action there ,very dramatic
Der Kapptin-He he, the castle is in construction ,i see your point ,I just didn't want to go with usual castle look.If you look
closely there is something vaguely looking like figure at the top of the castle .
Zone Zero-You are the only one with UFO ,nice.

[pandahund]

http://freenet-homepage.de/pandahund/ship.jpg

About an hour of work. I hate that castle xD

[abiLity]

http://freenet-homepage.de/michaelluedtke/Luftschiff.jpg

Thx for your comment Oofnish! :D

[Oofnish]

First some comments....

Goran -- I get a cool x-files research picture feel from this, as if it was dug out of a classified box from the early 50s.

Tobba -- nice pulp sci-fi flying saucer :) the figure seems to be shooting at something off camera, not sure if that was your intent. Maybe move him closer to the door?

Vanvalen -- My favorite part is the hinted, out of focus ships in the sky -- great effect

Scribble -- I see the attempt for a shadow showing scale, but the lightsource (sun) is at the wrong angle for it to work I think. I like the almost unseen ship, gives it a good mystery/surprise feel. Castle could be bigger:)

Lennybird -- for painting, try first using a very large brush and painting big areas iwith a flat color, then go back and add shading and detail. Nice try with the water, but when drawing water it usually helps not to think of its color but what it is reflecting -- in this case you'd have a very large bright reflection of the sunset as the primary color. One more thing -- in your update, the sunset is less bright than the door to the castle, which is making the sunset look more like a campfire:)

Tommoy -- very nice atmosphere and rendering on this. I'd want to find a way to draw the viewers eyes more readily to the missiles -- I didn't even see them the first few times I looked.

Naastika -- very cool action, love the Lovecraftian feel. The ship's angle might be a bit off, from the perspective I get the impression that it is jutting from the ground behind the viewer.

Der Kapptin -- you probably didn't mean this, but I get the impression that the castle is afraid of the ship... I see faces in the profiles I think

ZoneZero -- awesome ships and atmosphere. Maybe the rays should come from the bottom, they seem to flatten out the main ship (As they seem to shoot 'through' the body

Arbor -- neat interpretation of 'ramparts', I love the baby's hands reaching for the stars. Some contrast and a recomposition might be good to better convey the meaning here. As far as depth -- I have a hard time with it myself, but sometimes it helps to force yourself to exaggerate the perspective

abiLity -- neat ship, looks more like an Airship to me vs a space ship. And for some reason, my mind immediately jumped to the impression that the makers of the ship had skinned Dumbo for his magic flying ability.... I like how you did the forest and the hint of a castle.


My Entry. This took me a long time; couldn't come up with an idea, couldn't execute the idea, and couldn't stop messing with it to try and fix all the broken stuff. Oh well, better next time, I hope
http://www.oofnish.com/art/sbook/duskramparts.jpg

[Arteater]

http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs27/i/2008/072/5/f/daily_sketch_group_by_arteaterproductions.jpg

[Naastika]

Der Kapptin: Thanks. I like what you have so far, I'd like to see more detail though. Some of the flaming things were supposed to be torches and flaming arrows, but now they're just flaming things, lol.
ZoneZero: I love the little lasers your ship is shootin' out. I can hear little sound effects for them in my head. Very pretty colors, too.
re: your Q - I suppose I was thinking of one very tall fortress kinda sittin' out in a foresty setting.
Arbor: Your ship is very cute.
goran: Thanks, you rock.
pandahund: Looks pretty awesome, though your castle looks more like a modern city to me.
Oofnish: Hey, thanks. I knew something wasn't right with that ship, I just wasn't sure how to fix it. 3-point's still pretty new to me. Your pic looks very deserty, your texturing is nice. I like the way the light shines off of the ship, as opposed to the dullness of the castle's walls.
Arteater: Aw, your ship looks sad and lost.

[Ryoken]

http://www.ryoken.net/pictures/digital/painting/besieged.jpg

[Gentrifier]

I'm still afraid of color....

http://www.community3d.com/stuff/ramparts.jpg


EDIT: Wow, I just looked at this on my monitor at work and it looks pretty damned dark.


Alec

[Hamsta]

Hah, looks like my laziness got me linked this time around :p

Der Kapptin Welcome aboard.
Yes, you should have drawn a background, even though it's dusk. Things are looking rather sterile, with only the guard tower having any meaningful detail.
It shows that you're a beginner, if you really want to be a concept artist start churning out artwork, it will make it easier to crit ;)

Naastika I'm having a hard time figuring things out. Is the ship raping the tower with it's tentacles? or maybe it's going the other way, with the tentacles trailing behind, it looks like the tentacles are passing through a portal to the other side, leaving the tower untouched.

Flaming arrows? I only realized that's what those are after Der Kapptins post

[Naastika]

Hamsta: You're right, it's a tower-raping portal tentacle ship. I guess they figured it's easier and more cost effective to kill with portals, leaving architechture untouched. Just need to get rid of those pesky humanoids. With portals you don't need to worry about scuffed paint any longer. The flaming thing kind of petered out. I didn't think anyone would really care about this picture so much. lol.

[silentbrain]

Hopefully it's reading okay..

http://venimarolka.com/dump/031508-dsg-spaceshipbeforeramparts.jpg

[goran]

silentbrain-It looks like AC-130H Gunship was your inspiration ,very cool approach .

[PerinGalitte]

Goran. Your DSG piece is the most inspiring things I've seen this week. Awesome!

[William b. Hand]

Impressive! Extremely great, silentbrain.

[cw]

bit late but ive been super busy lately

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v90/chrissdawaller/dsg_1340ii.jpg

going to try to do a couple a week at least lest i become worse instead of better this year - heaven forbid!

[William b. Hand]

Rex - Beauty!

[cw]

cheers!

[Sinaz]

Finally decided to try and get back in the habit of participating here.

Just the other day I was chatting with a friend of mine about a comic book treatment he's doing for the legend of Lancelot... so I have Arthurian legend on the brain. Think it fits nicely here.

http://www.jonathanstraw.com/conceptart/dsg/dsg1341_UtherMerlinAndTheDragon.jpg
Uther, Merlin, and the Dragon

[Auren]

I might have a taken a little liberty on the interpretation....hope it's okay. I need to work on using texture. Everything is so flat....

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/AurenLumen/DSG1340CastleandSpacecraft.jpg

abiLity - I love your sketch! It's really primeval looking. i don't know how well that craft would do in space but it's nifty.

tsujni - I like your technique. It looks like a collage of paper.

[Lennybird]

Auren: What a gorgeous interpretation!