Ragnarok (large DL)

[oglzogl]

After working on this off and on for a few months, it gives me great pleasure to say "It's finally finished!" Well, maybe not.. I would really like to get feedback from ya'all. I have spent so much time on this that it is really hard to distance myself from it and see it objectively. I also see things myself that I am still deciding whether or not need changing.

This is about Ragnarok.. the end times in viking myth. Pretty much all the gods die in this battle while Surt sets the world on fire.

Danke!

http://www.toddpowelson.com/Ragnarok/Ragnarok-761.jpg

.. here is a link to an even larger DL (http://www.toddpowelson.com/Ragnarok/Ragnarok-1024.jpg) of the pic.

[Miau]

hi there
i really like the theme, but the colors and der composition are a mess i think. the persperctives dont fit together. It huerts my eyes, the pictures doesnt creates the right atmosphere...
sorry about this post, maybe you can do it better !? :(

[wayfarer]

I love the chrome effect, you have in all of your characters and the composition as whole. It´s truely very nervous and I think the perspective of the man with the swinging axe and the horn doesn´t fit, but it doesn´t matter to me. I think you did a great job.

[oglzogl]

Well, I have changed the picture slightly and posted those changes.

Thanks for the replies. Miau, I am not sure what to say. When you say you like the theme but this picture doesnt create the right atmosphere I think to myself that maybe you expect to see these gods as they are typically represented when portraying the Flight of the Valkyrie. If so, I must say that I have no interest in doing that. Dark and brooding vikings with wings on their head dont really interest me. Your other points are fair enough. I have really flattened out the characters and tried to confuse the eye. To be honest, I like to overwhelm the eye. I can understand that it doesnt work for everybody. That is fine too. When you talk about the composition though, I might tend to agree. It is something that I still look at and wonder if it is spot on. I think it does keep your eye moving about but the characters dont overlap anywhere and might be too predictably spaced. The perspective is a good call too.. While I tend to think it isn't as bad as you make out, I do wonder if the fact that Surt is a Giant destroys all my attempts at creating perspective because he is so big in the background... not only that, but the animals are Giant sized too and there really is nothing in the background to portray a sense of depth (through architecture, etc). Perhaps using color in the flames differently could do that? Hmm.. maybe..

Anyway, I am sorry you don't like it :) I doubt I will ever redo because all in all, I am happy with this piece. But I am always trying to make my latest project better than it's predicessor.

Thank you for your comments too wayfarer. Glad you like. I actually am glad to hear that you get a nervous feeling from the picture. Something I want ;) The perspective is a bit screwing perhaps, but it doesn't really bother me either.

Thanks again for the feedback :chug:

Edit: Dammit! my site is apparently having problems :( Hope they fix it soon.

[Shadowkiller]

the pic is to busey

[oglzogl]

right on... it is busy. I should mention that it is sized to about 20 x 22 inches. Maybe I will even go bigger. I did this in Illustrator so I can go as large as I'd like. I will print it out to be a lot bigger than what you see here anyway.. once I feel completely satified with it.. which, the more I look at it, I am not sure that I do.

I am even starting to wonder if I shouldn't break it up into a tryptic or something. Hmm..

[My3blka]

Each individual character is very nicely rendered, I saw them while you were posting works in progress. However, the numerous colors and chaotic composition make it hard for me to really appreciate it, it all sort of blends together into a visual cacophony of shapes and colors. I guess that could suit the theme, since this is a battle among gods and they all die, but frankly I'd rather see something done differently :)

[Miau]

hi oglzogl
you are right, its a personal thing with art :). I didnt want to say its a bad picture at all, its just my point of view. :)

the sense of depth... im sure thats a big reason why perspective seems to be wrong. hm ....

:beer:

[oglzogl]

I appreciate what ya'all are saying and understand what you mean. I really do understand what people mean when they say it looks busy..

One thing I have realized is the reason why most of the posts have only one or two (maybe three, tops) characters per picture. I think it is because, on the internet, there really is no good way to display bigger pictures. To try and cram ten figures into an 800 x 600 screen is just not going to work very well.. unless they are very simplified.. which mine obviously isn't.

By saying all this I feel like I am just making excuses for my picture. I am not. There are problems that I see with it too. Many of them have been pointed out. Problems with color (orange overload!) and possible problems with perspective. And that is probably just scratching the surface ;)

I will say, however, that I am not too concerned with portraying something as realistically as I can. I come from a cubist background and got to a point where everything was abstracted. I realized that I had another direction to go.. but that doesnt mean that I dont appreciate where my art came from (meaning it has its roots in abstratction). When posting to this board, I realize that a lot of people here may not appreciate where I am coming from.

[Miau]

thats true, i can only subscribe to your view. :)

[jilted_one]

While i agree about it hurting the eye, i much prefer the method and the colours. If you have seen "tuna fishing" for Dali, the method is similar here. And to say the truth everthing in there stands out and is looking for attention, maybe too much. To write whats in my mind, i like the whole theme and colours, everything is consistant and doesn't let you look away until the whole pic in etched in your mind. good stuff man. Cheers :chug:

[My3blka]

I think it is because, on the internet, there really is no good way to display bigger pictures.

I bet it'd be awesome printed out very very large :)

[nikia]

This picture gives you quit a shock when it first pops into view. The many bright colors kind of overload your brain! That's why I absolutely love it! It's so overwelming it wakes you up. I like the chrome look, all the colors, all the busy things going on in it. I think this is one time you can throw perspective, composition etc. out the window! I wouldn't change a thing. If this was made into a huge painting and hanging on a wall, it would make people stop and look as soon as they walked into the room. Good work!

[oglzogl]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. I actually am taking this to get output today. I am going to get it printed at (roughly) 44 x 40 inches. I think it will look pretty nice.

everything stands out and is looking for attention..

You know, after reading these words I realized that is exactly what I try to do. I do like things to pop. You are right in asking "maybe too much?" Like I have said, I come from a modern art background. There are a few early paintings by De Kooning that are just busy as hell but they hypnotize me. Or, there is an artist named Don Olsen who uses pure, unsaturaed color all over the place and when these colors sit like that, they seem alive. I can sit and stare at his colors for hours.. and I have. I am introducing realistic elements into my work but use unrealistic lighting and color. What I really want to do is kind of mix classical art with some modern principles. When Picasso did this, I find it to be some of the best stuff he ever did. I want to approach it differently, but the idea behind it might be the same.

Ahh well.. just woke up. I tend to ramble early in the morning.

:)

:chug:

[Fozzybar]

oggy did it!

I am in hurry now, but i want to say that this came out very cool, nice to see some finished work from you...

The only crit is the top left corner seems like a negative/solarize effect...and i think the ground needs a better connection to the figures...the smooth shadow doesn't match in the overall style...aaahhh, a man with bad english and less time is a torture for every member here, but you know....