Your average Egyptian....... in the year 3000 :D

[PHATandy]

If anyones ever looked through my SB, id say one of my week spots is colour and painting and the such.. mainly cus i dont do enough of it, but im working on it.

Ive done a painting every now and then but not much. and never normally finished. So for this ive just started of with a quick sketch in painter and im gonna paint it.. hopefully with your help.

I really dont know alot about colour thoery or things like compositions so im willing to accept crits on these and any thing else.

I really wanna be able to paint well, its where everything is heading, digitally that is, and i dont think theres anything id rather do than (concept) art for a living (only 16 so im working on it)

Ill update with my progress every night when i add some more and the changes.

Really would appreciate some crits on colour and things like i said, aswell as some really great advice and tips i can use. I really wanna learn here.

Atm i think the problems are: Texture, and his right arm (our left).

The WIPs.
The quick sketch (i always like working from hardly anything, and then changing along the way)

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip1.jpg

the start of the painting

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip2.jpg

Thanks,
Andy.

[dCepT]

Main problem with the arm, IMO, is the shoulder. I think it's attached too low. His shoulders should slope upwards to the left according to the rest of it, and his right shoulder slopes down. If you step back to your sketch and throw in some guidelines for yourself ot might be easier to pull off.

Cool design, though! Looking forward to the update!

d-C

[madster]

I strongly think you should back up a step, and establish your lines.

It looks like he is leaning quite far to the back, and the anatomy of his right art is already misshapen and "off."

You have no background established. If this is to be your efforts to create a finished painting, then don't start off with the fun coloring stuff, or you will be forever and a day trying to finish it.

Good workflow is as important as good drawing/painting skills.
What is this piece going to be?
When is it happening?
Where is it happening?
Who or what is/are the main subjects?
Who or what are the secondary subjects?
What is the Light Source for this environment?

The professionals amongst us can sit down with nothing but a pencil and a flat surface (paper will suffice), and create a completed work in one sitting, but they have spent a LOT of time practicing and refining their workflow.
Your skill level shows that you are not at that level yet...

This thread also needs to be moved to Sketches & WIPs, as it is not a completed work to honestly apply a critique to.

~M

[PHATandy]

Thanks for the great replies guys, i think ill defintyl step back up a step and work on the linework more, add a background and stuff like you suggested madster.

Ill try this and post it up for crits,thanks for the help even though ve started wrong.

Hopefully it should be right next time...

[PHATandy]

OK, taking madster into account, i decided to redo the linework, with this one i figured it put him infront of somekind of environment.

Working with an almost egyptian theme,, which is like semi futuristic... So the buildings in the background will be sort of egypt themed etc.

Hes gonna be holding a staff and a flag...

The linework, as im going ill try and make more changes, but honestly i dont want to hav to spend ages making the linework perfect, i seem to like the process of changing stuff as i go sort of thing..

as it stands...

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip3.JPG

[PHATandy]

OK the first of the colouring.

The clouds are ok on this one, i was looking at some of Ryan Church's stuff, and working on the clouds for a while, then ive just been roughing in the basic building shapes..

I think i need to make it more varied and possibly more 'fantasic' kind of designs, not just plain ol skyscrapers..

2 wips and more tomorrow...

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip4.jpg

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip5.jpg

[PHATandy]

This is what ive added so far.

With some help from nicolas, ive worked on getting the background more cool and cold colours then im warming up the for ground.

Inly problem for me atm is i keep on jumping around too much... Like on this you can see that ive painted some bits in great detail.. and some in non at all.

gonna try and work on getting it al done then slowly bringing the whole painting forward not juts small parts....

the painting...

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip7.jpg

[madster]

PHATandy, I have got to commend you. When you take the bull by the horns, you seem to be pretty straightforward about it.

This lastest update looks WORLDS different from the piece you first posted.
The parapet around the guy does well in helping to direct the eye around the work.
The buildings are coming along nicely, with enough variation, yet cohesiveness to allow the eye to enjoy the skyline, without getting "stuck."

I'd do something with the big orange ball though. Either attach it to the building directly beneath it as some sort of transmitter, or better yet, just get rid of it, or move it far off to the LH side (as viewed).

Definitely improving with every update. Keep up the excellent efforts!

~M

[PHATandy]

Thanks for the kind words madster.. its cool to here it form you :D.

ive tryed just making the orb a little less strong etc.. put in a bit of haze....

Ok heres the update.. finished off most of the character, just gotta put in his head.

Then im gonna work in details here and there. I need to put some details etc into the wall aswell.. it looks a bit to messy atm.

Also need to play with his staff more. and possibly straighten out the flag pole..

Love to here more crits,

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip8.JPG

[madster]

Andy, your efforts really are visible.

I'm now seeing the reflection of that orb in the top parts of the building, but it's still too confusing to the eye. I now feel, though that it is like a "captured sun" power source for the building. I was going to suggest you move it over, because of the way it commands the eye, but now, I think you need to better enhance it's existance as well as tone it down just a wee bit more (I know, that's totally contradictory and makes no sense...). Perhaps some indication of heat/power field wavy atmosphere lines to signify its capture...
The buildings continue to show improvement, and the colors are working.

The parapet is looking too uneven and sloppy, now, though. The egyptians were SO micro, nano-point precise, that I think you should tighten those blocks up somewhat, and make them look a bit more 3d...

Really developing quite well!

~M

[PHATandy]

Thanks alot for the encouragement madster.. its defintly helped me keeping this one goin to a finish.

The 2 latest WiPs.

I think.. i need to sort the parapet out, i think im gonna try making it look like a nice plaster wall with some cracks in it. So i need to even out the colour.

I also need to work on the shapes and perspective of it, atm it looks more like rubble... :S

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip9.jpg

http://www.andydesign.co.uk/best/flagwip10.jpg

CandC appreciate on this one....