Alien attack - for GSO entry

[Verithin]

Here's my entry into CGTalk's latest challenge - titled "Tomorrow's end".

I didn't have time to refine or polish it as much as I'd have liked so some areas are a little under developed.

Overall I'm happy with it though.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Photoshop 7.01

Thanks!

http://homepage.mac.com/kenhenderson/.Pictures/IMAGES_published/CncptArt_post.jpg

[slickcoder]

Great workmanship! Awesome detail! <3

... but which way is up? and wtf is going on? What's blowing up? A city? A big ship? Where did the big laser come from? Who's fighters are those? Aarrrrgh! Where am I?!!
:O :dead:

[Verithin]

Thanks man... you're supposed to be looking up at the Giant Mother Ship raining heck from above.

I figured the planet, the stars and the 3 ships that you're looking up at would sell that. It was a bit of an issue the from concept on. Basically the blue ships are all attacking the brown world...

Sucks that it doesn't read better... of well, I'll spend more time on teh next image to nail it.

[Carnifex]

my biggest concern with it is that it looks like you took 2 pics and packed it into 1. though it's very good,there are some things indicating a lack of forethought.
it looks like one image is the big ship with the sky.
another one is the building and the volcano.
and the third is the smaller ships,of which 1 is a copy of another(?)

i assume we're looking at the underside of the big ship.it doesn't look so though. it looks like we're looking at the front. because of all these window-like glass(?) things.
then i think the vulcano can't be erupting such a long time already after such a small laser shot. it looks like it's been spitting fire for hours(the smoke indicating that). i'd rather make a small pillar of lava,you know,like something that has just fallen into water and is causing a fountain.
why are all the smaller ships flying sideways? why aren't they flying normally? or are they? it's hard to tell. why is one of them shooting rockets?
the one exploding can't cause such a long smoke track from the explosion when it's just exploding. or if it has exploded already,its parts can't stay that close to the fireball. and the fireball itself looks abit flat + it can't fly that straight. take a closer look at action films and exploding,flying things there.
what bothers me most are just the smaller ships in the foreground,it looks like you copied them in.
on a positive note i say good colour choices with the blue and yellow/brown.
hope you understand everything i mean,english isn't my mother tongue.

[Verithin]

Whew... alot of comments.

Well, it is one image that evolved from various sketches into this final image.

My lack of time to polish probably is the reason behind what you feel are disparate images lumped together into a whole. I don't think they work as well as they could have but I do feel they work. This is one alien civilization attacking another... they should look different I would think.

As far as your practical concerns about the Volcano and ship explosion... what can I tell you? These are stylistic choices I made to heighten the drama of the piece. I think both are entirely plausible but I'm not going to get into a long winded explanation of my rational for their depiction. Hope that's cool with you...

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate it!

:rendered:

[dfacto]

What bugs me the most about this pic is the lack of depth. I like it a lot, and the concept is great, but the mothership and the sky don't look far away, like they should, considering they're in space. :P

If some more atmospheric effect were layed down, regardless of realism and a clear night sky, it would be a far better picture and really add that grand sense of scale that it needs. Also, the clouds are not done very well conceptually. With a giant beam cutting down like that, the image would have far more of a kick to it if the clouds were being blown away from the beam, creating a circular hole through which the ship could be seen, rather than having the clear space be off to the side. This would also let you play with the perspective on the cloud layer and give the pic a more dynamic feel. I understand that lava is supposed to be coming out of the volcano, and a big smoke cloud, but it would still look better with the clouds being parted by the monstrously powerful beam.

EDIT: also, the moon is too big imo. It sort of hogs the space and draws attention away from the giant mothership when you look at the top half of the picture.

[Verithin]

Thanks dfacto!

Yah, I played with the atmosphere (not as much as I should have) and the exact think you're describing about the beam into the Volcano. I was going to do it but, just couldn't seem to make it work... so I went back the what you see here.

I think, in hindsight, if I would have done that it would have aided in the perspective of the entire piece... oh well. The choices you make on deadlines aren't always the best.

Thanks!

[slickcoder]

Well, okay... I looked at it again (because it's really good)... and I think I know what is making me not get what's going on in the picture.

The mother ship I see, and the space fighters are all good.

1. The foremost space fighter is turned 90 degrees from all the others. Maybe a few other ones in the middle ground turned in various other directions might help it "feel" like it's just maneuvering and it happens to be sideways.

2. I think the addition of materials/objects to the cityscape to help point which way is up would be just the thing to lead the eye into knowing which way we're facing. Things like, people walking/running, cars, signs, light posts, trees, or *anything* you can think of that everyone knows always points up could be added to the city scape. As of right now the only visual reference I can find in the image that tells me which way is up is the door at the top of the image. Maybe just banners hanging from the pediments there... I dunno.

That's just what I think. Take it or leave it.

You're very skilled. Keep it up.

[se7en_]

Saw this over there - good stuff. The perspective is great and that ship is supa tight.

[Verithin]

slickcoder:

Great points... I definitely should have put more fighters in but just didn't have time to doodle anymore... As far as point number 2, yah... that would have helped. I would have loved to have thrown some inhabitants into the image. I think it needs it to sell the drama at least... but it would have helped with the orientation as well.

Thanks for the feedback... wish I would have had it a few weeks ago... next time I'll post WIP's here!

se7en_:

Thanks a bunch!