These Fairies of Mine

[Bowlin]

This is a very old painting I did for friend's book cover. I'm working on more recent stuff at the moment and will post eventually. I'm lovin these forums and the works in here are just amazing!

Please check out my sketches in the "
SKETCHES, IDEAS, & WORKS IN PROGRESS" also

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=29233


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/bowlin/these_fairies_of_mine2.jpg

[Tiina]

Wow! wow... that's all I can say, really... =^^=

May I ask, what other book covers have you done?

[Bowlin]

Thank you very much for the compliment Tina!!!!!!!

I should have been a little more descriptive... The book was a self published book that a very close friend of mine wrote. That's the only bookcover that I've done. I'm an ametuer trying to work on his skills and do hope to refine them enough for any kind of publishing some day!! Even if i couldn't make a living at it I would really get the biggest kick out of doing anything fantasy or sci fi really... card art, magazine, whatever... on the side.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks or so, I'll have another piece in here that i've been working on. I'm really tackling oils for the first time, so I'm reallyyyy slow... just trying to focus on the technical aspects of it.

Again, thanks for the compliment!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/bowlin/these_fairies_of_mine3.jpg

[Claudia]

Beautiful fairy world !!! I love the colors.

[Bowlin]

Thank you Claudia!!!

[Signature]

Great details, texture and idea. And I totally love your tonal work.

I think your colored pieces could be improved if the colors were related better.
In this piece for example if the lighting situation was clearer. And the flashy red gets all the attention ...

[Bowlin]

Your exactly right, Signature. When I did the piece I was trying to figure out color so badly, I often got confused about mixing the right colors and the right colors made from lighting that it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. I think now I can make better lighting from the right light sources and harmonize my colors better... we'll see. Thanks for the complements!

[emily g]

I think this is a very nice, eye-catching piece, great for a book cover. The composition is good and the red throne is very creative and dramatic.
I didn't quite see that he had a place to rest his feet tho--I think that's because the platform area seems to be drooping a little on the left side, making it a little hard to read.
I am confused by the light shining on the grass. Is sun filtering through the trees, is the glow strickly coming from the fairies, or is it a combination of both? I think I would have only shown minimal light shining through the trees (maybe slight dappling) and let the glow of the fairies be the focus.
This is really a nitpick though, because compositionally I think the lighting leads your eye around just fine.

Good job, post your upcoming work when you get it done!
emily

[Bowlin]

Thank you very much for the compliments, Emily! Your absolutely right about his feet, they do seem to be floating.... I look at the piece now and there just isn't any detailed rendering of the characters clothes and his boots are especially flat... the lighting for his feet and where he's resting his feet don't match the rest of the painting, no strong shadows at all.

I've concentrated about learning color on this piece and the upcoming pieces way too much. When learning to draw and paint, i've realized that I focus and think about the technical situations instead of the subjects and emotional feel for the piece. I think as an ametuer I concentrate too much on "how" i'm trying to make a painting, instead of "what/the feeling/message/etc."

[JoshuaTheJames]

Very interesting concept.

-Joshua