Harpy (update: Coros advice)

[Kress]

I started this for a tutorial on Eatpoo. I guess I should put it here too?
Anyway finally got around to coloring it. It still needs a little love in the lower areas but for the most part it's done.
Hack away, I need the help.

http://www.dropship1.com/art/harpyColor.jpg

link to tutorial for now, I'll put it here when I have time:
http://www.eatpoo.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14236

[Ant4d]

dude, this is absolutely stunning. I have nothing to add though, this is way over my head.
just wow!

[Aven]

Sweet work. I would love to see a tute posted here for it :)

[MGH]

Damn it Kress, I'd only seen your B/W stuff.
Is it too late for me to run away?

[mushuhaha]

the wings, top background and her hair are beautifully rendered, but it seems figure painting is your weakest point.. in comparison. the strong burnt umber color you added for the high contrast shadow turns abit muddy on her body. maybe add another color close to the whole warm theme(like burnt siena, or orangish red) inside the umber shadow to give it more depth. also i think it would giv the whole image more depth if you loose the black outline on the wing that's further from us and blend it in abit more with the back ground. your drawing is as gorgeous as always.

[ClocktowerArtworks]

i'll give her a little love in the lower areas...:D sorry...went back to high school for a minute there. my only crit is that the wings draw more attention than the figure...and the darkness at the bottom is a bit confusing

[Atomicfate]

love it! :D

took me a second to figure out those were 'wings' at first i thought the mechanical part was grabbing her by the shoulders.

[behemot5]

isn't tricpes a little bit too big????
i like this pic anyway

[Skank]

cool drawing tut
anychance you have one for the colors too?
what program did you use?
id really like to know how to get that kind of texture outta PS

[MrFrost]

Ive seen the tut on eatpoo....great piece...good job.

[Loga4]

Cool jop!

[Strang]

awesome,

maybe that tri is a bit too defined...she does have her arms straightend but i dont know if they should look like that when she straightens/flexs her arm in that way

either way still nice!

-Strang

[el coro]

wow, i think this it the first color piece i've ever seen from you. as you probably know, i really like your work, and this is no exception. the only thing that bothers me a bit is that in the dropping out to dark along the bottom, you lose too much of the details...the hands in particular. also, you might want to rethink the values you have done the fleshtones in, as they seem a bit harsh. there is way less contrast on skin, the darks are a bit too dark, i feel. also, try instead of all warm colors, try some cool highlights instead. the yellows make it look a bit comicky. but all in all, its a great drawing, and its nice to see you working color.-c36

[gasmask]

seriously awesome and ver inspiring, thanks for taking the time with the tutorial too, i really love what you have done here.

[Rusty Red Robot]

I know it's best to give in-depth critiques or give valuable commentary, but all I can say is: FANTASTIC!

[Kress]

yessiree thanks all who posted. Plenty of good feedback here...

Ant 4d - Thanks for saying so man, hehe. Glad you like it. I'm sure you can find something wrong with it tho!

Aven - thanks alot. I think I'll put the tut here. It's just for the line drawing though :p

MGH - I'm sorry what was that? I have a hard time hearing across enemy territory...

mushuhaha - thanks for the sharp crit. I agree the rendering on her is a little plasticy. I'll keep what you said about the shadows in mind. Thumbs up.

ClocktowerArtworks - Agreed, the dark part is a little too dark. I should go back in with some cools to mix it up. I want to lower the edge of the darkness so it's not so high too...

Atomicfate - thanks for stopping by...

behemot5 - yup and thanks :P Spent too long on the tri so I ephasized it a lot.

Skank - Thanks, I use PS. Just use a lot of different, natural looking brushes. The new brush engine is made for this, take advantage. Sorry no tut for colors :(

Loga4 - tankya

Strang - Thanks dude. Yea the arm is funky cuz I gave it too much attention.

el coro - Yo! Thanks for the input and kind words, much appreciated. I agree with you about the bottom, and I think it needs to be lowered and have some lighter colors down there to mix it up. I'm scared to try and color the hands, so I otped to just let them fade into the dark, maybe I should show them a little love. The body is harsh cuz I always work too light then put a levels layer on top of evrything to get it to pop out. Maybe I can go back and make her seem less plastic? I like the cool hilites idea - do you mean on the left or right side of her? I think I could incorporate that with some cools on the bottom and tkae care of two brirds with one stone.
Anyway - thanks again for your crit. Glad you like it.

gasmask - Thanks man, thanks a lot. The tut was good to do, I'll post it here when I get a minute :)

Rusty Red Robot - Hehe I know how you feel. We all need analysis but sometimes you just wanna say "good job". Thanks a ton.

Right on for the perceptive critiques guys, lots to think about (and maybe fix). Plus thanks to all who posted. Cheers.

[MGH]

Grrrr...them's fightin' words.
Get yer dukes up.

[Kress]

MGH prepare yourself boy... *tightens leather straps on body armor... checks nightvision goggles... licks blade of knife...

[el coro]

ooops! sorry kress, i did this a couple days ago, and forgot to post it, but this is a paintover of what i was talking about:http://www.coro36ink.com/updates/dontupdate/harpyColorcoro%5b1%5d%5b1%5d.jpg
i decreased the contrast and cooled off the highlights throughout the body, trying to make it read a bit more like flesh...i also added some cools toward the bottom of the body, just for a bit of color compliment. i dont know if this is much of an improvement, take it with a grain of salt. again great piece!-c36

[Kress]

Wow - hehe first lemme say that I was gonna PM you to find out exactly what you meant coro, but this'll do :P Thanks a lot for doing it!

So I wasn't sure if you meant harsh cool hilites on her left side or what... but I totally see how some cools at the bottom help balance things out. I was thinking I'd put some cools in the dark bottom to give it more atmosphere.

I think all the changes you made help. Not to sound like a kiss-ass but her flesh is way more convicing and tactile now. And there's little things, like the hilite on her jaw, that really help her feel more realistic. The softness of her belly gives it the sensual feeling I wanted also.

The other thing is the pushing down of the dark edge in the background. I knew it needed this, and I like how you lightened up the color surrounding her thigh... it's way more "glowey" and clear from far off (kinda Rembrandt-ish).

Thanks again and I'm going to refer back to how you handled her front over and over :P I try to rely too much on making things contrasted and harsh to get them to pop. But she stands out so clearly, and convincingly, the way you painted her. She looks so soft..! F*ck... lots much to think about. Yer the man.

[Kress]

OK - I fixed it. Put some more cools in the bottom and moved the dark stuff down. I also repainted some of her. I pretty much used Coros example as a guide. I kinda' felt like I was biting but I think I needed to see/do/learn what he showed me enough to go from it.

Besides, she was way too harsh in the final...

http://www.dropship1.com/art/harpyDone.jpg

[softdrawer]

looks awesome man

[Main Loop]

first off i wanna say, great so far, i really like the texure and the mechanical piece.. i think the way you drew (or should i say painted?) the anatomy on the arm is the weakest point.. if i were you id tone down the definition a whole lot more, or just get rid of it altogether, since the contours you've provided for the arm show no indication of a tricep

[Halis_Aetrous]

Splendiferous.

[Famboozled]

WONDERFULLY BEAUTIFUL! AWW MAN IM BLOWN AWAY!

[strych9ine]

You do great work, man... the second version is the tits and IMO is working a lot better than version 1. You rock!

[synthetINK]

Hey Kress-
looks great...the changes to the skin tones really help.
later-Andy

[gasmask]

this is awesome, and it turned out very nice, its not biting at all from coro, u just got better is all, har har har, anyhow, you should keep doing this type of pencil combiens with paitn stuff, your on to something. good stuff, hope to see more soon. =)

[Kress]

soft - thx fer postin.

Main Loop - I think yer right, the tricep, after all that, is still a little funky. Guess I worked on it too close up or something. I can imagine a bit of a tricep lump from the lines... Thanks man.

Halis - tank ya

Famboozled - Whoa... awesome thanks :P

strych9ine - THanks much man. I'm glad I went back, after Coros paint-over she just looked ridiculous.

synthetINK - Thanks man, glad you think so.

gasmask - THanks for the support dude. Just felt kinda' self-conscious doing it hehe. Coros example actually showed me some things I could be doing different going from drawing to color... so yea, I got a lot out of it and it was worth just going from his example.

Thanks Coro... Like I said, I got a lot out of the little you did to it. Good lookin'.

[el coro]

awww...shucks...its all you dude. i just showed you a little trick, and you made it your own. great job. i also like what you did with the orange outlining the front wing. awesome!-c36

[Loga4]

Nice piece,Kress!

[gasmask]

hey im sure u get this alot but do you use mechanical pencils? i was just looking at the pencil sketches at eat poo and they get pretty darm precise with the mechanical stuff so i just wondered what pencils you used and lead what not.

[Kress]

Yea I use a .5 mechanical pencil. I put 3b lead in it that I get at a Japanese stationary store here. Anyone in the area should know what I'm talkin about hehe... I've got 4b and gonna try it out. I like it dark cuz you can sketch lightly then really define things.

Thanks Loga :)

Coro - glad you like it man. Hate to say it but couldn't have done it without ya! hehe.

[LiL QoH]

joe joe joe I didnt know you post here! :D :chug: