Floating Towers

[daarken]

blah, i had so many problems with this one. i think i changed the color scheme about 4 times or something. i always have problems with color. but anyway this is for my illustration 3 class...which is an all digital class. this was done mainly in painter, but i also used photoshop as well. i am not sure if it is done or not, so any suggestions would be great. thanks everyone.

http://www.daarken.com/flash2003/concept/floatingtowersnew.jpg

[benzo]

I like it Daarken. You've got great movement and interesting shapes going on.

Some suggestions just nitpicking:

The river in the valley comes to a tangent with one of the tentacles and the edge of the pic at the bottom center.

You can see where you used the dodge tool on the mountains and it has that generic fuzzy photoshop transition to it.... I'd work on making it a better transition.

Perhaps experiment desaturating some areas a tad in the bg and possible the rocks in fg. especially towards the bottom of the enviro.

I think if you polish these, it'll be "finished::beer:

-benzero

[daarken]

benzo: thanks for the comments. actually i didnt use the dodge tool at all in this.

[AmadorL]

hey Darrken what's the story behind this?

A

[I.was.ink]

Originally posted by benzo

You can see where you used the dodge tool on the mountains and it has that generic fuzzy photoshop transition to it.... I'd work on making it a better transition.

Perhaps experiment desaturating some areas a tad in the bg and possible the rocks in fg. especially towards the bottom of the enviro.

I think if you polish these, it'll be "finished::beer:

-benzero

YEah!

One thing I would like to see, is something to grab the viewers attention, cuz someone could easily see this, and say," cool" and walk on.

So the thing I think its missing is a story of sort. Whether or not it has one. For instance, I'd get rid of that rock on the right,(for one reason, i think its just there to look cool, but there could be something juicier) and put some sort of structure that shows us how one would get up there.

Do you climb, is it a latter, can you even reach up there? Things like that.

Also, I think it'd be cool to see a little boy standing on the edge of the left rock pointing up at one of these huts signalling some birds maybe flying around, and have one of em perched up there looking at him.

Y'know, give it some pzaaz! jazz it up some. Add something that would hold the viewer.

Another thing is that I dont get a sense of depth with the rock on the right. Is it the peak of a mountain we see, or is it a rock that just happens to be close to the viewer? It has no depth imo.

Just pointing things out to get the old juices flowin in the ole noggin.;)

Hope I helped.

-Oskar-

[Travism]

thats badass, reminds me of myst

[benzo]

no dodge? well, whatever it is that makes it look that way then:) the photshop fuzzy edges on the mountain behind the tower on the right just bother me.

and i agree with iwasink, right now it is all catching my interest. no dominant focus point. i'd put a spot of light on the foremost tower and add a lot of detail and texture around the red spot. show the gears and design that make up this tower.

right now the actual design is pretty vague, just a silhuette, but it has a great mood. but if this was for a game design, for example, the modeler wouldn't have enough info just from this pic to model it...a lighter wouldn't have any prob though

who am i to judge this, i have hardly any enviros:) just writing off the top of my head.

hope that helps!
benzero

[nick reynolds]

Look really awesome.

First thing that caught my eye is that the orange light on the middle tower is bigger than the one on the front. Maybe it has to do with focus and how the light would disperse and become blurry and large. It doesnt work for me and gets pulled forward when i try and judge scale.

Also i think the sillouette on the front tower is really solid but needs more detail to grab the focus like eveyone else is saying.

Also i think the kid idea for scale on the left rock is cool. I would image a kid throwing a rock at the tower while his friend sits near by bored, or is climbing up behind him.

Cool idea.

Nick

[ShawnYe]

Perhaps a couple more details within the shadows of the foreground tower. It has already a nice sillouette, just need a little more to grab attention I think.

shawn

[daarken]

thanks everyone for all the suggestions. here is my new wip. just trying out some different things....

http://www.daarken.com/flash2003/concept/floatingtowersnew3.jpg

[bad weather]

The last figure/thing ( the one in the far distance) would not be so dark. It would take on the colour of the background.
Cool concept

[Phuzion]

YES! the second one is so much better. I like it without the big mountain in it... gives it a sense of vast space. I think Bad Weather is right though about the figures... give them just a tiny hint of the BG color, and you're on it. Nice work ;p

[Kress]

suck my toes batman, this is super-tight!!!

[Irate Customer]

I keep searching for a tad more detail in the form of highlights on the foreground and tower. Nothing too severe, but just a touch to bring it forward for viewing focus.

I have always enjoyed your work, and this is a different type of piece than I have seen from you in the past. I am glad you are branching out and doing some different things.

I love the painterly approach.

Irate

[Eyal]

here's my 2cents, its small adjustments but i think they can make a big effect:

i think the relation betwen the 2nd tower and the 1st is important for placing the viewer in the right place, and giving him the feeling of immense, floating towers.. if thats what u were trying anyway

so i feel the closer tower should lean to the right, while the 2nd leans to the left. the bottom of the base of the top cone should be more visible to the viewer, like he is underneath

carry on :)