undead mage update #5

[dCepT]

Been ages since I posted outside of my sketchbook, so here we go:

I didn't know what to draw the other day, so a friend of mine said "Do a mage raising corpses!"

This is what came out of it.

Tell me what you think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/2dpics/Lich.jpg

thanks

d-C

[Danilo]

I think that main problem here is down right undead. He distracting attention from main character. Maybe you can change position of undead and to put some detail in bg all in purpose to collecting attention to main character.

[rick_hershey]

dCepT, I see how it is man!!! You go off and paint up some perty necromancer for a "friend" but you couldn't join my Illustration activity a week ago and do the same brief. . .I don't no what to say. . .

Kidding, I like the pic (fav. is the zombie missing the top of his head) I do however think he might be a little too blue, maybe tone it down and add some of that purple that's everywhere. My other issue is with his robes, the sleave area doesn't seem to fall right. The loose fabric is hanging to close to the main part of the gown. hope that helps.

[dCepT]

Danilo: Thanks for the input! That has been bothering me as well. I'll see if I can fix it up!

rick: Valid points! I'll tone him down and see what happens :) (the "friend" part was just a bad excuse for not doing your activity... sorry man... j/k :) )

Update coming soon!

d-C

[madster]

His cheeks are too fatty, giving him a "doughboy" face. Tone down the highlights on the cheek so they are more sunken, and on the brows so they are not poofed out. The wrinkly upper lip looks out of place, also. Undead usually don't have an excess of cheek fat, or skin wrinkles, but maybe you're reinventing the genre!

[dogfood]

Not that I'm able to dress myself, but the blue and purple don't really sit in harmony with each other. Their clash removes some interest from the figure. The pose, too, lacks some energy, with only his shoulders showing any life (even his right hand is languid).

I do like the energy of the zombies (ironically), but dissin' Rick's thread... :nohope: "you were the chosen one! You were supposed to join CA activities, not destroy them!"

[dCepT]

Good stuff! These comments have really got me thinking! I'm gonna do some more on it now, and hopefully post today (my netprovider has been doing maintenance, so I've basically been offline for a few days).

So thanks to all of you!

Dogfood: Yeah... I know... I shouldn't have.. damnnit... I'll have to cowtow to Rick and join the next activity...

d-C

[sleep]

lovely :^^: my main crit is that the picture is rather saturated, with spooky setting like this, darkness could be used a lot more. and maybe it was your intended palette, but you seem to have stuck rather too much to blues/purples and this which migth contribute to the saturated look of it. the tombstone in the background is a nice touch, but it seems to lack quality compared to the the foreground. of course, this is probably to divert focus to the foreground but it looks a little distracting.

oh, and i like the zombie dude clinging to the mage's cloth. looks like he's doing the backstroke a bit :P

[dCepT]

Noodled a bit more on it... I've started adding some light from the orb as a more prominent lightsource, and toned down the blue in his flesh a bit. I'll be transferring some of the skincolor to the background also, subtly so the piece will look less disjointed :)
I'll redo some of the facial structure also (barely begun) as suggested.

Thanks for the crits ya'll, now give me some new ones :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/2dpics/Lich02.jpg

peace

d-C

[madster]

Don't be getting carried away with that orb light source. You now have the robes looking very hard and plastic-y by painting that shade on them. You need to refract that light source, not reflect it.

The face looks better already!
Work some more on the general details of the robes, the background, the foreground and the middle.

[dCepT]

Madster: Thanks man! I'm workin' on it ;)

Just noodled a bit... more light on the face... small touchups.... yadayada... Crits are, as always, appreciated!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/2dpics/Lich03.jpg

thanks for looking

d-C

[bengonzalez]

If you get a chance google up El Greco or other Renaissance painters and sculptors. Study the techniques that they use for robes and drapery. Also take a look how they use value and hues in their painting and then practice trying to copy one of your favorites. It will really help you See how they work more than just looking at it.

[sir nicholas]

check the proportions of the undead guy on left compared to the undead guy on right

[Mindflaw]

Updates are going in the right direction just keep going :confident

[D.O.Jones]

I feel that the composition needs more depth. Maybe some more gravestones in the extreme foreground and hills and suff in the background, or something.

[dCepT]

bengonzales: Good advice! Iæll check out some of the old masters for the next update.

sir nicholas: Did... reworking it :D Thanks.

Mindflaw: Thanks for checking in on me!

Rash Overdrive: Yeah... I think your right. I'll add some details and we'll see where it goes.

Small update:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/2dpics/Lich04.jpg

d-C

[Mindflaw]

Ok spotted what I consider to be a problem...and that has to do with changes of the left figure and the "cross" behind him. The cross now looks like it's growing out of the figures head and it will look even more so when you refined them more , since the issue has to do with the sizes and placement of the to shapes. It's actually one of those compositional problems that photo magazines and the likes warns about.

[dCepT]

So? Maybe the cross IS growing outta his head?? :P Nah... just kiddin' hehe... I see you point! I'll move the cross, since I kinda like it... Gonna add some foreground elements and something in the distance behind him as well for the next update. Thanks for looking, man! Appreciate the crit!

d-C

[Danilo]

It is smart that you work lot of time on one pic. But you could make biggest changes. At least, when you work digital it is easy thing.

[dCepT]

Danilo: Thanks for the comment. I should probably do a lot of changes to it, but it's time to move on from this one soon :)

Added some foreground and background stuff... I think I'm walking a fine from overcrowding the picture with stuff now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/dCepT/2dpics/Lich05.jpg

d-C

[Danilo]

It is nice. Have some mood. I like grave in front. But I think that light from ball need to have fade-off. If objects are more distanced they will receive less light.
Im thinking about arms at first.

[Lich_King21]

Whoa... <3 I love this pic, but I'm sorry I don't have any things I can say about it which will help...
But it's cool....

P.S. Is it ok if I borrow your pic to use to learn Macromedia Fireworks? :wink:

[rasdasa]

As dogfood already pointed out, in the future keep the gesture of the character in mind. This piece is mainly weak because of that lack of actual gesture in the figure. Get infront of the mirror, imagine what you are trying to project in this piece and try to take the stance you imagine the mage in, really exaggerate it until it feels like it has the impact you ae trying to make. Notice the angles your body takes, and how dynamic they might look,, and then come back to the piece and notice how dull and static it his stance is. Also, the raised shoulder is definitely off, it should be raising closer in. The shoulders in general are just too low when compared to his neck, this is a classic example of why veteran artists and teachers keep drilling into our heads that we should draw through, you were taken by the over-cloak and forgot to maintain the anatomical integrity underneath. Just keep this in mind for your next attempt.
goodluck dCept, hopefully this helped a wheee bit.

ras

ras