New piece

[mcotie]

Here's an illustration for an upcoming RPG book. The composition was inspired by N.C. Wyeth. This is one of two; the second will be a view of the same raft from the perspective of the orcs on the dock.

pencil on paper

Mitch



http://www.mcotie.com/newimages/raft1.jpg

[PhilHolland]

Good work I like it. Looks like it will be a day scene.
Here are some constructive comments:

1. The boathouse on the left seems to be flat.
Perhaps turn it about 15% so the back is
facing the camera.

2. The boat house on the right looks good.
I'd like to see some details in the shadows
behind the orcs.

3. You may not want the castle in the bg to stand
out. But it would punch it up a little bit if
you put a road and maybe some people doing
things up there.

4. Last, is the viewer on a raft? If so, maybe
put some foreground elements in. Like the
front of the raft with a hand on it. Or maybe
just some ripples coming off of the viewers
raft to imply it's there.

Can't wait to see those clouds though.

Phil

[MindCandyMan]

This is fantastic mitch...looks really awesome! Don't ask me how you did those clouds with a pencil and a kneaded eraser...sheesh...you are good. The one crit that I could give would be the fact that the main characters in the composition are a lot more detailed than the background. So much so that it almost pulls them out of that atmosphere I think. Maybe it is the use of the darker lines that is pulling them forward...not sure. Maybe that's what you are going for. At any rate good stuff man. So you got a freelance job huh?...or is this the one that you were telling me about before? Great as always bro.

let's hope mitch doesn't have to go to the mideast...:mad:

[HellTaxi]

very cool, i love the Wyeths. How the heck did u get that beautiful cloud texture with pencil. Did u use an electric eraser? Good job. The only crit i have was already stated: maybe make the castle back there stand out a bit more.

[mcotie]

Thanks guys

PhilHolland> I agree with your crits, I hadn't considered making a "viewer" although I've noticed that Wyeth really pushes that to make you feel like your in there with em. Maybe the ripples from the "viewer" would be the best idea.

MCM> I didn't want the environment to overshadow the characters. If I was working with a larger scale I would have pushed this even more I think; get rid of the lines and work with just shapes of shadow, probably would not have made them so dark. This piece is just over 5 inches wide, so it's kinda tough to get that good detail with shapes.

HellTaxi> thanks. yeah, smudge stick, electric eraser and and mechanical Pencil. I would love to have had it as smooth as Lono's stuff, but I think he's got that technique nailed down.

i will have to work with the castle a bit and see If I can render it out a little more without losing the depth.

Thanks guys for your great critiques!!

Mitch

[keyth]

really nice job mitch! five inches...drawing small can be so fun sometimes.

i would just beef up the line work on the bird a bit since it's closest to the viewer and maybe give it a couple more details. but hey, you said this one wasn't really pushed anyway.

keep 'em com'n:chug:

[Lono]

thats frickin schweet man!
youve got a lot of patience. more than me.

-Lono

[MindCandyMan]

Wow 5 inches huh...I NEVER would have expected that...wow that's impressive mitch. You are like that guy somewhere that can write a bunch of stuff on a grain of rice. Whoever he is...you are as cool as he is.:o

[Yaseck]

I like the boat and the bird. It has some of the Rosinskis` style (Thorgal f.e.) and it's really good. And I agree with PhilH: the house on the left looks kinda flat.
Greets!

[Lono]

i tryed to PM you this but your mail box was full you filthy slime dog!

i havnt forgotten about the elusive beers.

when i got back from new mexico my world litterally turned upsidedown and inside-out on several fronts. things are still setteling down for me right now.

i didnt want you to think i was dodging you... maby you thought i smelled your breath over the phone and it was foul??? not the case at all.. :p

ive just been very distracted and very busy.


it would be easier for me if i just spring it on you some night.
not sure when im gonna be in the area again and im just not good at schedueling... period... my life is totally chaotic and i gave up on trying to control it long ago. :)

-Lono

[Fozzybar]

Hi mcotie!

Nice piece, but some crits though...:p

The first thing I noticed was the reflection of the bird in the water...i think there is something wrong with the perspective...especially the back wing...check this out...

The hut on the right is perspectively off. For example the gate/door isn't in the center of the wall, as it usually is. The left border (sorry, i don't know how to name this) is thicker than the right, but as you're looking from right it should be the other way around. Also the roof and some details are off...

The pillars size should decrease equably!

I agree on Phil's crit on the left hut...

I like this little orc running in the back...gives some action to the piece...

[Marwood]

Nice! I think though, to improve it dynamically, you should add more contrast to the foreground. If you were to make to shadows beneath the piers and in the hut (and the corresponding reflections) somewhat darker, it would add greatly to the depth. I think the background is good as it is and any further detail is going to flatten the whole image. Try it in ps first tho :P

[mcotie]

here's an updated version. My art director wanted a ruined look to the castle.

Good point Marwood, I made these changes before I read your post.

thanks for your input peeps.


http://www.mcotie.com/newimages/newraft1.jpg

This is the view from over the shoulder of the orcs. The reason why the raft is now a log, is because the art director wanted to show a cloaking spell of some kind, messing with the orcs' head.


Mitch

http://www.mcotie.com/newimages/raft2.jpg

[littlejohn]

Wow. Neat. I think it's hard to convincingly execute a really specific idea like that reverse angle. You did a great job.

The ruined castle is my favorite part; the orc on the right in the second drawing is my least favorite. It seems like his pose could be improved in terms of perspective; mainly his right arm and leg don't seem as perfect as the rest of the drawing.

Really nice illustration.

[Nekokaiju]

I think playing with the POV like this is really interesting. Obviously what makes this work is the bird tying together the two images. Pretty cool.
And as everyone else has said great clouds!

mcotie a friend of mine wants me to ask you if you were a "fighting farmer"
I'm not sure what that is all about....

[MindCandyMan]

Looks sweet Mitch...you really did a great job on this one. Excellent work man. You captured the illusion very very well...I am impressed.

[mcotie]

Thanks guys.

I wish I cold have all of you over my shoulder while I draw these. It sure would make for some great art, and alot easier. I love the crits, littlejohn, I see what your saying about his perspective. I actually had to change his whole pose from the first pic because the first one wasn't very acurate. In the first one he is leaning on is forward leg, but it just didn't work out when looking from over the shoulder.

MCM> thanks dude

Nekokaiju> thanks, ha ha I'm not a Farmer but my wife is
(class of '86). My kids will be too soon. I'm originally from Louisiana.

Lono> "ive just been very distracted and very bus..." YEAH WHATEVA! ha ha anytime, it's cool.


thanks,
Mitch

[Lono]

Nahhh,,,, fuh-reals doo!:p

the updates are good.. the second one is awsome. nice work with the shadows.

-Lono

[chukw]

Very nice, Mitch! Impressive control on the ol' pencil in such a miniature format. The second pic really cinches the storytelling. You really did it with the classic "storybook" feel, too- well done!

[PhilHolland]

Mitch, I just saw the sketch from the orcs pov.
Major kudos go to you sir.
I really like how the back of the human's raft
sort of looks like the back of the cloaked log.
Also, way to stay consistent with the light source
on the orcs shadows and the clouds highlights.

Very good job.

Phil

[John P.]

Very nice work overall in both of them. I especially appreciate these, since I was working mostly with pencils before myself.

As for crits(disregarding the first, since it's been updated):

I think the log in the second pic would 'sit' lower in the water surface; that it would be deeper than it is, but I might be wrong. Just the first thing that sprang to mind when I saw it.

And to me, the ork to the left in the second pic is facing more to their left in the first pic, and then more to their right in the second.

Stated more clearly:

-In the first, it looks to me like his sword is the thing placed closest to the edge of the pier, while in the second drawing, his left leg is closest to the edge of the pier.

Of course, he might have turned slightly inbetween 'shots', but if they are 'taken' at the same time, I think there's a minor error there.

You could just angle him a bit more away from us in the first to correct that, if you see what I'm seeing.

And/or maybe it's because it seems to me that the raft/log is straight across from them, or even a bit to their right in the second, but a bit to their left in the first.


I might be wrong though. But that's how I see it. :)

Good work! :thumbsup:

The things I mention are minor, but I think you want crits so... Those are the things I saw.

[mcotie]

Lono> thanx man, It's time for you to post some new stuff yeah? I'll be checkin'.

Mr. chukw > thanx. I've been concentrating on more control over my technique. the days of chaotic rendering are dwindling. glad you like em.

Phil> thanx, I figured in order to have these two work together, making the shadows and other details had to be consistant. thanks for noticing.

JohnP> all points well stated. based on my above statement to Phil about details, there is always room for improvement. So in my defense I would say that it is "between shots". yeah that's it. he he.

Thanks guys.

Mitch

[ghobii]

I think the boathouse could use more "personality". It looks very generic and uninteresting. Is it supposed to be an Orc structure? If so, it just looks to clean and weak. More details, not such straight sides...see what I'm saying. I think this could make a good peice great. Nice work.