City + characters : !!! book released in march 2006 !!!

[Arctis]

Hi everybody !

I've been very busy these last weeks, but I come back with two pictures from my current project : illustrate an african tale for a book project. (I'm waiting for editors' answers.)
This time I tried to get a rough touch with deep blacks. This is a new method, quicker and more contrasted than my previous one.
The empty space of the 2nd image is where the text will be typed.
Tell me what you think about it, crits&comments are welcome ! ;)

Bye.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/Arctis/02_Samba2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/Arctis/01_Samba2.jpg

[broken lizard]

whoah jesus, that's amazing.

[eddfrutos]

excelent... that is the kind of colors that makes me think in Africa

congrats,

[jfwalls]

Nice work as usual Arctis. I like the second one the best. It has a nice flow that really pulls me into the picture. The first one I'm not sure about. That vertical line from the staff takes so much attention away from the man and boy. No matter where I look my eyes keep getting pulled towards that stick. Other than that it's a very nice piece. I look forward to seeing more!

[Arctis]

broken lizard, eddfrutos : Thanx for your reactions.
Jfwalls : interesting remark, first time someome told me this. Maybe I ll see.
Bye

[Danilo]

I think that secon one is clasic! I like weight diference between the sky and city.

I like dark values in first pic, but it take lot of time to see that background is sky, and not desert sand. Maybe its because there is no "frog perspective" in persones.
Im agree with jfwalls that stick pull atention.

[Sems]

this is one of my favorite pictures on concept art, actually it probably is my favorite! tell us what the editors say!!

[Arctis]

Hi,
Danilo : I've never thought about it, interesting feeling ;). (Among people who saw it before I posted it here, nobody have seen the sky as sand dune)

Sems : Thanx : show us your works too !

Bye

[Sems]

hehe yeah, I want to get some works up sometime soon my friends borrowing my scanner for a while and it hates sketches but one day itll happen :P your works are great!!!!

[vigostar]

your work is beautiful very original... Im not a fan of the cityscapes although your more natural BG's are fantastic....

[-Max Bertolini-]

Nice work, how long did it take you? And the tecniques you used?

- Max

[Arctis]

Hi,

Sems & Vigostar : thanx ! ;)
Max : Thanks too. Technique is fully digital, from concept to final. It takes an everage time of 4 days, sometimes less (scenes with only one character), sometimes more (15 characters interacting each other in the same place). But it' only beginning (6 picts done on a total of 45), so I don't know how long it will take at the end, because it's a new process I'm trying on this project...

Bye.

[Kazz]

Hey Arctis, I really dig your stuff. Where can I see a full res of the pic in your profile? It doesn't seem to be on your website.

[Aly Fell]

Wow, I missed these! Great characterisation. Look quite Sudanese, and the environment has a real feel of a slightly fantastical North Africa. Good luck with the editors!

[Arctis]

Hi !

Thanx, poshpice !

kazz : I dig your stuff too : the chinese (?) portrait is my favourite. About my website, it's only made with oldies, but I'll soon make another one, much better, with high res picts everywhere. ;)

here's a new picture from this project (I already posted it in the "children book thread", but it has its place here after all !) It's the next double page, representing the hero (little boy), whose throne has been stolen by his bad uncle, when his father died. The whole population turned in favor of the uncle... Text will take place at the bottom of the left page.
Crit&comments are welcome !

Bye

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/Arctis/Sambacrowd.jpg

[stoph]

egad. thats crazy-go-nuts. dude i love the colours, very beautiful. the last image is absolutely stunning - great emotion, great atmosphere. dont have any problems with it, all wonderful. detail/process shots please? :}

[ambidextros]

man this stuff is > sex

whats the book your doing these for. the colors reminde me of a will eisner book about some african folk tale. just wondering if you had seen that book before.

[jfwalls]

Another nice pic Arctis. Great composition with the boy and his uncle's cronies.

[Ismail]

NICE!!! :x Very nice. :) Thanks for sharing these ones!!! :)
Process pics, process pics. :) Not sure if you care to share, nonetheless, would be very interesting to see your process. Painter or Photoshop? :)
Very nice. :)

__________________________________________________ __________________
Ismail Matovu Wamala
http://www.imwfactor.com

[Dead Road 7]

man this stuff is > sex
:yayca:

[Ismail]

Hey, for everyone here's a link for ya on the process. :) . Thanks for posting and sharing Pierre (Arctis)! :)

http://www.cgnetworks.com/story_custom.php?story_id=2704&page=

[Arctis]

Hi everyone,

'stoph. : thanx a lot, man !
ambidextros&Dead Road 7 : thanx to you too, but sex is definitly > than my stuff ;)
jfwalls : thanx for your time, once again. :)
Ismail : thanx for your support ! About the process, it has changed a bit since then, but I'll post a big image soon, and if people are interested, I'll make a new step by step with the (slightly) new method.

Bye

Pierre

[Ismail]

Looking forward to the step by step. :)

[Rebeccak]

Arctis,

Such nice, consistent work...your pieces are very thoughtful and well put together...great stuff!! :blahblah:

Cheers, :)

~Rebeccak

[Arctis]

Hi,

For those kind people who wish me good luck with the editors for this project, here's the good news :
I found an editor, and a solid one. :)
I've been very busy, to have it released in march 2006, because the book salon of Paris is about francophony ( and so about Africa). It will also be the 100th birthday of the text author, Leopold Sedar Senghor. I hope these unexpected circumstances will help the sales !

Here's a few abandoned pictures of the project, a bit out of context, but it gives the tone.

Good luck for your own projects.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/Arctis/11_SAMBA.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/Arctis/12_SAMBA.jpg

[asoir]

Very atmospheric stuff, captured perfectly!

[foster]

I am very excited to see this book. my wife will be working in France around that time. when I visit I will look for it.

Arctis, your work has something very special to it. I can not say exactly why but I find it very moving and personal. You are an incredible talent, it's good that a larger audience will be able to experience this as well.

Jon

[Arctis]

Ismail, Rebecca, Asoir, thanks a bunch !

Foster : thanks for your kind words. I've seen the great work of your wife, it seems that she work quite a lot in relationship with France.

If you're in Paris around March, let's have a drink someday ;)

Bye.

Pierre.