Mob boss

[Rainblade]

Hey i've been working on this one for a while and im stuck on a couple issues with it so far: Im not sure how perspective works and i wanted to fill the room behind the three gangsters as they fade off into this smokey room. The florecent lights are already sketched out in perspective.. but i have no idea how the floor is going to work... I'd appreaciate draw overs or any advise you have for me there. Also I can't make the guy in the white shirt's left(stage left) arm look right... what am i doing wrong?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c379/jfulmore/kathy.jpg

[stoph]

if its perspective youre worried about, id say dont try anything you dont understand (given that it would take a lot of changing to be "correct") and make a few smaller changes that will help with the piece. firstly, ditch the fluro's. if youre talking mafia youre talking more prolific in the 30s or 50s (dont flame me im no expert). think low hanging lights with green lampshades. this sort of dark-mooded piece should have lighting to match it. have the main lightsource directly above the guy on the chair. this will cast dark shadows on the mafia and add to that evil feeling. having the beam of light will also isolate the man, adding to his loneliness. compositionally, id like to see 2 thugs standing with their backs to the viewer (nearly silhouetted in black), framing the guy on the chair. this will solve any other perspective probs you may have with the ground, whilst furthering the victims underdog status and giving more focus. at the moment, my eyes are looking all over the empty ground for something more. lastly, id say bring the mob boss (the girl?) forward more so - let her be in control, let her tower over the guy in the chair. great concept, cant wait for more updates :}

ps. from now on, lets refer to the guy in the chair as "Sid the Squeeler" or something like that.. i dont like the annonymity of it all, and its a pain to write what he is all the time (as there is clearly more than one man in the image).

[Rainblade]

Thanks for the really helpful crit.. I've tried the hanging lights before.. but its hard to get them too look right given that they would cut off the mobsters on the higher level taking away their omnious nature. I'll try it again.. mabye bring up the light sources. or something... but they seem to cut up the negative space somewhat. I was thinking this mobster scene was more set in a back room so thats why i thought florecents...but im no pro on the history so ill check into that:P. I do get what your saying about isolating him more.. ill work on that. The mob boss i will definetly bring foreward... i hadnt even thought of that yet. Ill try the guys next to him but i think that'll be too much black for the viewers eye to sort out i think... your right about Sid the Squeeler thats excactly who he is.. and he's gonna suffer for it:P

[stoph]

GAH i wrote a big reply and it didnt work in the end. the CA team need to fix teh boards :( anyways, heres what i was getting at. i did a quick paintover to illustrate the composition idea, and to show how lighting could be used to effectively emphasise and carry a desired mood. at the moment it looks as if theyre in some sort of smokey school gymnasium. i merely shift the characters around, add some purple light from neons behind the bar and BOOYAH! its now back in the mobster days. the purple is sampled from her hat, and in having it cast onto her lackeys, it unifies them as a group, and also gives a somewhat sinister feel to it all.

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/9656/mobpaintover6us.jpg

just be sure to add a lot of smoke and hazey patches and youve got atmosphere akin to a bar. i also took the liberty of adding in the two goons to frame the image. a bit of defining, either by the purple light from the bar softly cast on their faces, or maybe even the warm glow of cigar to distinguish them between lumpy hat stands and goons. i also smoothed out Sid the Squeelers back, because that was some bad case of leprosy he had.. :dead: hope this helps!

[Rainblade]

wow i really like your purple light idea.. I think ill do two compositions. One with the two big guys in black and one without. Great concept! thanks for the advice:)