Bronze Medusa redo(WIP)

[devilbunny]

Hello,
I am revisiting a concept I created a little while ago. I decided that the study I was doing of this character was failing and wanted to start fresh.
I intend to do the final as tight pencils colored digitally. (Usually, I use inks with finishes. If I am not satisfied with the pencil finish, I will redo it in ink...)
Here is a rough of my composition. Some things still need fleshing out, but the important stuff is all there. C & C welcome and appreciated.
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusarough.jpg
Also, here is the previous piece I mentioned. I believe much improvement has been made...
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusapaint.jpg

[SEVANS]

I can't see anything to odviously 'wrong' with the image.
It is a big improvement on the original, this image is now a complete image not just a character study.

Not completely sure about the perspective on the top curtain rail, it seems to slope down too much.

Great costume and background. Finish it.

[jemstone]

I like the little fiddly bits dangly bits on the drapes and the dress and the repeated circle shapes on the furniture. It makes the piece feel like there's a sort of continuous theme above and beyond the character and the scene. The "ready to strike" tentacle looks just like I imagined it when you told me about it on Wednesday. Hail the power of a strong visual imagination. ;)

I really like her collar... it adds to the feel of the character, as well as maybe giving her something to support the gear on her head, even though it's fantasy and she really doesn't need support if you say she doesn't, but you know what I mean.

The tentacle serving the tea looks almost like it's poised in the same fashion as a butler's hand. Very nice. Full of character. Is she wearing gloves now, or am I imagining?

More in other mail. :)

-JEM

[devilbunny]

hello. a bit of an update.
tighter pencils. i plan to finish refining these a little more and then move on to the digital stage.
c & c?
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusapencils.jpg

[killing.people]

the tits.

i think she is read to paint,
how are you cleaning up your work?

[foster]

i think this is looking very good. interesting shapes and clothing.

looking forward to seeing it in color.

jon

[devilbunny]

i had a mini heart attack there after seeing jon foster had replied to my thread....
Thanks for the encouragement. It means alot coming from you.
And killing.people, I take it you like the tits? Thanks.
I plan to clean up the final pencils with Levels, Brightness/Contrast and good old painting out the smudgies manually. Hope that answered your question.

[JerMohler]

Oh man.

This is looking sharp. I really like the composition and the figure and damn, what a nice take on Medusa. So well, I want to draw this version now.

Excellent details as well. What really jumps out at me are the hands and the tilt of the head. Very nice. Good perspective too.

I can't wait to see the colour.

[jemstone]

Originally posted by devilbunny
i had a mini heart attack there after seeing jon foster had replied to my thread....

I would have, too. Please, though, no dying. ;)


I plan to clean up the final pencils with Levels, Brightness/Contrast and good old painting out the smudgies manually. Hope that answered your question.

Whoo. I'm not the only one who does that. I have proof, now!

The details on the bodice and corset/bustier/stomacher there are really shaping up nicely. I know you'll do a good job of keeping the smaller details from getting lost, based on the other work you've done.

More! Colour!

-JEM

PS - Something I forgot to mention: She rather looks like something one might see in a Redux of Revisit of Alice in Wonderland...

[Dun]

It looks great! (The saucer and cup included. ;) )

Can't wait to see it finished!

[ClocktowerArtworks]

"la la la la...this is the i love devilbunny song...la la la la"

that song has top 40 hit written all over it

[legacy]

i like this alot.
great use of details....hope you dont lose them in the digital painting :P

[johanson]

Just got done browsing through your site. I have to say that (in my opinion), the piece you've got going here is by far the strongest/ coolest yet. Two thumbs, way up. I look forward to seeing the finish.

enjoy,

-andrew

[DavidCousens]

I love the details on this. Gorgeous stuff.

[egerie]

this got so much potential I can't wait to see it in color either

[devilbunny]

wow, this piece is getting such an unbelievable amount of love that i'm afraid to update. don't wanna disappoint. :)
thanks for the kind words everybody.
here's the piece now that the color flatting process is about over. please keep in mind that light and shadow has not been considered yet, only what colors go where.
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusawip2.jpg

[ClocktowerArtworks]

brilliant...can't wait to see the values added.

[jemstone]

Oh, yes, this screams "you" all over it, which is a good thing. It's all mad-scientist-looking-glass-y. And all the little tiny bits, detritus on the floor, loose tubing, tiny instruments on the smaller tentacles. I hadn't noticed until this stage that her big tentacles have scissor-style claws on them instead of the "usual" three-part grippers. I just spent five minutes poring over this and I'm still finding pieces and odds and ends I'd missed before.

-JEM

[Dun]

Fantastic! So far so good....

*holds breath*

......

[JackalAnubis]

lovely design, I guess consider the light source for your values. the picture has great movement, I would love to see some strong shadows

[devilbunny]

Hello, another update. some light and shadow is in there now. It's still a long way from finished, but it's getting there.
http://jenniferrodgers.com/medusafinalwip2.jpg

[killing.people]

this is turning out great!!

i mean sure the tits are cool and all .. i was saying, like, "this is the tits" or, "this is awesome" you know ..
i like the colors.

[MrKayne]

Wow, this one is looking good! I especially like seeing your process... it's always cool.

[devilbunny]

hey! thanks again, guys!
i am now posting what could be the finished version? not sure though.
any thoughts on that matter?
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusafinal.jpg

[jemstone]

You weren't kidding when you said adding blue to the shadows really kicked it up... There is a definite difference (and I'm on a really dark monitor right now, instead of my nice, shiny bright monitor at home, so that is saying something if it's noticeable on this machine to the degree that it is), and I'm STILL noticing little fiddly bits about it... like the fact that her dress is pierced...

You seem to be going for a softer light than I would have originally thought, which really adds to the attraction of the piece. It's almost got a "Spider's Parlor" feel to it.

Great job, 'Bunny!

-JEM

[Giacomo]

http://home.earthlink.net/~bucket/medusarev.jpg

Great work!

It seems a little dim and grey. I'd suggest cranking the contrast way up (see attached image)

(If the original only *seemed* dim and grey because of my monitor calibration, please ignore this post entirely.)

G

[devilbunny]

hello!
i have made an alternate version of this with stronger light and shadow.
also, i noticed my .jpg was getting really washed out on the internet so i modified it slightly to more closely match what i was seeing in photoshop. (Giacomo, perhaps this is why it looked so dim and gray? or maybe i'm not calibrated properly either. grr...color matching...)
is this better? worse? the same?
http://www.jenniferrodgers.com/medusafinal3.jpg

[Giacomo]

http://home.earthlink.net/~bucket/AdjMedusa3.jpg

Here are your most recent image, "medusafinal3.jpg" and my recalibrated version of it, side by side, for comparison.

My rendering teacher in art school taught that every image needs to contain, somewhere in it, a 100% white and 100% black point: this is a rule I've found exceedingly useful in my career as an illustrator.

In your image as posted, the darkest darks are C72/M62/Y70/K49 and the lightest lights are C18/M15/Y23/K0, so you're only using about 40% of the available value range. There's nothing wrong with this per se (Vuilliard, an 19th century painter, did it for his whole career)- but I think many people might agree that this picture looks kind of gray overall.

So I just used the Levels tool in Photoshop (command-M) to expand the value range of your image to the full 100% white-to-black.

As always, these things are relative; if you don't like what I've done, feel free to tell me to jump in the lake.

G

[jemstone]

Stylistically, the two versions look to me as though they're being lit by different types of light... 'Bunny's by way of candles, oil lamps, or the like (making things more indirect in some ways), Giacomo's by way of a modern white light, which is also more direct, and "harsher".

My two shekels.

-JEM

[wassermelone]

Actually I prefer devilbunny's latest to your adjustment Giacomi
Personally I would also have to disgree with "100% white and 100% black point".

-toasty =)

[jemstone]

Originally posted by Toaster
Actually I prefer devilbunny's latest to your adjustment Giacomi
Personally I would also have to disgree with "100% white and 100% black point".

-toasty =)

The flesh tones are definitely warmer, and the piece keeps a sense of ambience the brighter light source does take away, I notice.

I think the 100% values are definitely a very valid point to make if one is illustrating something that requires such bold values... but such are not always needed, true.

I like it. Regardless. :)

-JEM

[wassermelone]

Exactly. Not everthing needs to reach the extremes of the spectrum.

-toasty =)

[Punq]

Devil bunnys looks way to washed out, im on Giacomo's side... Then again I love the exageration of contrast. Contrast I think can make a piece or break a piece.

[Cat]

Hm i agree with both of you.. i was expecting dark hues so bunny's pale pallet surprised me in a good way.. yet i love bright colours.

Matter of taste i s'pose.:)

[DarkMana]

i dunno i just feel the light u did doesnt fit the image, it looks to be 18th centure or later the light is too artificial

Ry