RPG cover (paintover please.Updated.)

[Joeslucher]

Before critiquing here's a couple of things that were required in this image. Had to be a clear and sunny day. Fight had to be on a plain. I have all kinds of terrible tangents in this picture and composition could be improved. The main thing I would like help on is the colors though. The palette doesn't seem unified or something. I learn by seeing so if anyone would be willing to do a paintover, I'd be forever in your debt.
http://host321.ipowerweb.com/~joesluch/Images/mitarracoverweb.jpg

[Dstudio]

I consider this a well drawn picture, specially the humungus centipede! A very well thought out drawing well done

R

[sunandshadow]

Shouldn't the purple magic be shining purple highlights on the centipede?

[Art_Addict]

I would lose the 2 figures next to the middle one. they are too close to the bug, ruining your depht. What do you mean with ' their fighting on a plain ' ? There's no indication of that.
Actually I would completely redraw the picture composition wise I think. Make it more dramatic by adding the bottom of the pic. Now it looks cropped at the bottom, kinda weird. There needs to be more indication of space between the bug and the figure(s) I think.
Main thing is, you should worry more about the drawing itself instead of the coloring i think.

Good Luck

[Joeslucher]

DStudio-thanks.
sunandshadow-good idea, I think I will try that.
ArtAddict- Wouldn't removing the two side figures destroy depth? because then you wouldn't have any objects getting smaller as you get closer to the centipede and therefor no reference to how far away it is? I was told it had to have 2-3 adventures fighting a giant centipede on a plain. I sort of chose the upshot, cutting off seeing the ground because I felt a plain or plains setting would be boring and thought an upshot would make the centipede more menacing.The reason I specifically wanted color advice is, I have an idea what is wrong with the composition but, I haven't a clue as to what sort of train wreck I made with color and how to fix it.

[quickreaver]

Plains, when it's this bright and clear, make for VERY sharp shadows. I think you need to increase your contrast and make the shadows more dramatic. Someone above mentioned the glow from the casting....yeah, that's a keeper. And your clouds and are too consistantly white. Warm them up a bit, in spots, and it will pull your color scheme together better. If you want your image to seem more kinetic, have the cloak flying back, or hair whipping around as one of the fighters takes aim! I think the composition comes off as static because there are no visual cues to imply motion. (I thought about this after I uploaded my tinkered image, so the aforementioned motion isn't applied to this sample. Sorry!)

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/2531/mitarracoverwebcg8ip.jpg

Hope this helps!

Cris

[CopyWrite]

Much better on the glow.

[Joeslucher]

dream-sear-I've already started adding the pink glow but damn that warming the clouds up really does it for me. Makes a huge difference. Good call on the lack of cues to indicate movement. Really really helpful man. I appreciate it.

[Tully]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0903/tully/fantasycoverpainting-po.jpg

I'd say your main problem with the colours was that you didn't use any of the sky colour in the shadows. If it's a sunny day, blue light would be bouncing all over the place. They'd come to rest on shadows where the sunlight was weakest. Just a hint of it here and there, but I think it really helps.

I also noticed a couple other areas.

The archer's arm was very close to the page.. which is compositionally quite awkward (not to mention it'd be hard to shoot a bow with your arm like that). It's better in this case just to run his elbow right off. Looks more natural.

The area around the warrior on the left was really confusing because there's just too much going on around him and not enough spatial awareness to correctly discern him from the centipede's legs in front of him. A little lightening using a light blue helps this a bit.

The magicky bits the sorceress is going to shoot at the centipede are really blah. Giving them a bit of their own light seems to make it look like they're more than purple frisbees.

Nice image though. Quite well drawn.

[Elwell]

Shouldn't the purple magic be shining purple highlights on the centipede?
Not necessarily. It depends on how strong the main light is and how close the object is. Imagine a candle outside on a sunny day. You'll see the color of the flame, but the light from the sun is so much stronger that the candlelight is only going to effect the color of objects within a few inches of it, and then only in the shadows. I think dream_sear went way overboard with the effect of the glow. Tully's is spot on.

[Joeslucher]

Tully- I love CA. Thanks so much. After you said that about the archer's form I looked back at my photo reference pics. I have really strange form shooting a bow. I definetely should have used my friend's posture who was a second place state champion archer. Much more like your pose. hah hah. I'm going to try to lighten up what's interfering with the barbarian to bring him out more. I'll have the new version of this up tonight. Keep the crits coming.

Thought I'd show you what I've done so far. I added some blue to the shadows. Made the pink shine on surroundings. Added some warmth to the clouds. Changed the archer's arm. Made the central and left figure's hair show some movement. I also tried to add some dirt being ripped up or falling off of the centipede rising up. I also lightened the surroundings of the barbarian and also realized the back of the centipede was too high there and lowered it. I haven't cropped it yet but may have it cropped when it's dropped back into the frame.
http://host321.ipowerweb.com/~joesluch/Images/CA/centipedes2.jpg

[quickreaver]

Oooh, yeah...Tully got the lighting in the bag, I think! Such a brightly lit day would result in very little glow, and would wash the scene in a fine blue-ness, most especially in the shadows. Not sure about the smudges off the centipede's legs, though....might be too cartoony, when you're trying to be kinda realistic about the pic.

[Tully]

Glad to be of help. Joeslucher :) Though I have to say in your new image that pink really isn't working. Remember that it is a light source that's eminating from her hands. If it falls on something close, it's not only going to change the colour, but make that colour lighter. Some of the values of the pink "light" that's falling on the soldier and archer are actually darker than the values around them. Totally wouldn't happen. An additional light source won't darken a part already lit by a greater light source (in this case the sun).

Now that I look at that paintover I did, I really shouldn't have made that light affect the centipede so much since he appears to be too far away. Honestly, those magic things really don't look like they'd be able to light much of anything on a sunny day like that. A light source has to be *incredibly* powerful in order to overtake the sun at its brightest. In order to be affected, the object in full sunlight would have to be very very close to the source.. maybe a bit on her arms, but that's about it. The purple might only show up in the shadows where the sun isn't as strong. If I were you, I'd take out those pink lights everywhere except right at her hands. It was much better in that respect before.

[Blahism]

The rising up motion suggested around the centipede really did it for me. There seems to be more excitement and urgency added to it now. Coming along well!

[Joeslucher]

Yeah the pink wouldn't show up in the parts lit by the sun so I'm removing it's glow except where it would light shadows cast by the sun. Putting it on the right guy's shirt was really idiotic since it would be so matte even if it wasn't for a bright sunny day. Unfortunately I already had to turn this in so the print version will have my mistakes. I'll use the updated version for my site and portfolio.

Just in case anyone is curious, here's a link to the product and it's old cover (http://www.silven.com/productlines.asp?case=showproduct&id=20). I was commissioned to do this new cover for the book. P.S. I know this cover looks to be in a jungle or cave but I was told mine wasn't supposed to be in a jungle or cave.

Thanks everybody. Next time I'll shoot for a better composition to start from.