digital painting: A fantastic cat

[apipe]

by painter8

if u find something strange that's because of the cat.

c&c r welcome


http://www.chinavfx.com/bbs/attachments/200306/16032056-fantasticCATs.jpg

[tegehel]

Neat pix.

Maybe it's just me, but the cat seems very flat to me, more like a papercut than a real cat.

Even if you add _very subtle_ reflections (from the green or red light), it might help giving some depth to El Gato. The rest of the pix is really nice.

C.

[Tanika]

*comes out of her hole*
Heh, I like the picture, the perspective is great, something I"m still fumbling around with. ^^ Yes, the cat does seem flat. adding some very light reflections on it's fur would really help to bring it out. Other than that it is an exquisite picture. Maybe a touch of blueish green to the cat's cheek and upper right [my right] shoulder. Great job! That was all digital? Heh, my digital paintings look cartoonish.

[Halis_Aetrous]

KITTY!!!!

Awesome!

[behemot5]

beautifull pic...and i'm agree with tegehel..the cat lake of volume....and he should be more detail 'cause he is in a very dark place of the pic..... but it's my opinion only ....

[chukw]

I like it! The cat is just a shadow, a supernatural apparition. What's all this volume crap? ;) I love all the imagery, and the atmosphere and composition rock!

[tegehel]

What's all this volume crap? ;)

Opinions. He asks for them, we gave.

C.

[sjoerd]

This picture kinda gave me a cold feeling, (the pic is really nice!)

Just 2 hours ago i had my cat put down she was verry ill, wasnt fun at all :(

[Cinsev]

sjoerd : sorry to hear about your cat, hate to think about stuff like in regards to my dog...


apipe: I like the picture, living in/or near toronto i really get that cold downtown toronto feel. the cat is a great kinda almost missable dark and supernatural shape covering the finch sign (i assume its finch, but hey) which is what i assume you where going for....so black and forbodeing that it absorbs light? i really like it and find it hard to crit.

[I.was.ink]

This is great, its hard to see the cat at first, but its a nice treat once you find him. I also suggest some small bits of reflective light on him. :)

[Aikisean]

Nice image. Light bounces off everything BUT the kitty though. I would adjust that. Not to much, just enough to make it part of the image.

[smellybug]

I have to disagree with most of the posters about the way the cat is rendered. I don't think you should change it at all. I doubt you were striving for total realism, I think the cat was painted that way on purpose and it has a nice etherial and mysterious effect. I see it as bending the truth to good effect. Next someone might say that cat eyes don't really glow. Yep.
On another note, how did you approach the the building/windows. I like how it's accurate and tight, yet painterly as well. How do you keep all the lines orderly like that? Is is a paint-over or a lot ruler work on paper first? Just curious.

[JProvost]

High five for the T dot reference. The city rocks.
Really great painting, the composition and perspective is really well executed. The atmosphere is just perfect.

To be honest, I didn't see the cat at first - It could just be my monitor settings. But I wouldn't worry about adding reflection or anything to the cat - because the rest of the painting is so volumetric and the silohuette of the cat is bang-on, the eye will interpret depth even though there's no suggestion of it.

Really great work. I'd love to see more - but I'm having troubles accessing your site.

[Elwell]

Really nice. You might want to lighten the area behind the cat the tiniest bit so that it reads a little quicker. Also some of the darks in the far buildings seem a litle too harsh.

I like the cat with no highlights, just as a black hole with eyes. It makes it more "fantastic."

[thomasaurus]

very cinematic piece, superbe!

[Lord Dubu]

the cat needs no volume, the cat is like a shadow, it gets the Lord Dubu seal of approval which when combined wiuth about $1.00 will get you a cup of coffee at McDonald's

[Payback]

I wonder if anyone would have really commented the cat if you hadn't mentioned it...

I think the cat itself is out of the over all perspective, but I don't really care cause I didn't notice it at first. Maybe it's because I've had too many rum and coke at the moment... ;)

Anyway, I think it's a great image. It reminds me of Max Payne ( the game, duh), probably because of the snowstorm, and it has alot of atmosphere.

PS: Great too see you posting again Tanika, I've been missing you, if you would believe that. :D

[Scratched Glass]

hehe it took me about 10 minutes to find the cat. is it even necassary to be in there?

[mushuhaha]

Incredible! I'm not very familiar with this kind of city traffic light, but how come at a crossing, the cars are alowed to go straight forward, but not the pedestrains who are heading toward the same direction? Isn't it normally that in huge cities' downtown area, cars and pedestrains who are going to the same direction have the same light? The cat, the perspective, the traffic light and above all the snow, add all the fiction to this image and it's absolutly mysterious. THe perspective makes everything taller, and I wonder who's looking at all this at such a low point? Great work.

Could you post some close ups, and how did you approached on doing the snow and the noise kind feeling in the background?

[Yaseck]

I love this pic. Comic-like. :-)

[Boom]

mushuhaha - if you read the first post again you'll see that Apipe mentions that 'something' might be wierd in this painting. I'm sure the oddity is excactly what you point out in the painting. And done very deliberatly!

Excellent painting. Don't change a thing. :)

[Elwell]

Originally posted by mushuhaha
Incredible! I'm not very familiar with this kind of city traffic light, but how come at a crossing, the cars are alowed to go straight forward, but not the pedestrains who are heading toward the same direction? Isn't it normally that in huge cities' downtown area, cars and pedestrains who are going to the same direction have the same light?

I assume it has something to do with the saying about black cats crossing one's path.
Not to mention that the composition works better with both the red and the green.

[mushuhaha]

Ah, sorry, I didn't see what you wrote on top of the picture. So I take the first half about traffic light in my last comment back.

[apipe]

sorry i post late.......
really thanks guys. at last i decide add some lights on the cat.
i said "if u find something strange that's because of the cat."
now i wanna say"if u find some mistakes, that's also because of the black cat"...:>:>:>

to Cinsev:i love toronto's winter..it's beautiful, and always make me sleepy.

to smellybug: i made building in photoshop, so i can easyer drawing lines,i used a lot "copy" "paste" to make the windows.
then i take it into Painter.make the building/windows inequable.
at last, in Photoshop again, drawing some lines and make some noises(include fogs and snows)..

her u can see a closeup
http://www.chinavfx.com/bbs/attachments/200307/02061250-fantasticCATss.jpg

[Ant4d]

I love it! I love it! I love it!
it is so good to see some really cool concept besides elfs and orcs. Hope to see something new from you soon!

No crits from me. Love the depth, love the atmosphere and love all the rest.

[davi]

very neat indeed

[BC1967]

Great image!
I too think the cat needs a bit of a reflected light... so here's a thought...how about a touch of red under the cat's chin, catching the gloe of the red hand light as the cat sticks it's head out over the cowl of the light fixture.
I think this will meld the cat better into the composition, but in a subtle manner. Also, given the shape of the cat's chin and the fact that's underlit, you'll end up with what will look like a red grin.
A touch of Lewis Carrol can't be bad!

[Aikisean]

Originally posted by BC1967
...how about a touch of red under the cat's chin, catching the gloe of the red hand light as the cat sticks it's head out over the cowl of the light fixture.


That signal lamp has a hood on it. I don't think the red light would touch the cat's chin even if it was really, really stretched out over the edge. Maybe if the cat was lying on the lamp hood with it's chin over the edge.

[brads3d]

there's a balance between art and realism that the artist can play with. i agree and think there should be some red glow to pop the cat out of the cut-out look too.

[Blackwell]

Hey! I found the cat! What's my prize?

Really great painting, apipe; love the angle and the perspective. Keep up the good work!

- Blackwell (Goes back to staring at painting; still trying to find Waldo...)

[enoc]

whoa wicked job the snow effect is really well done

[Redmond]

It's gritty and great.

[liquidwerx]

Great work. No crits. :)


~M~

[Loga4]

I like it,too.Great painting.

[Mort]

very nize..reminds me of max payne for some reason..probably the cold noir feeling u got there..and becouse i just played the game? :)
anyways good stuff ..keep em coming:chug:

[LC3]

Wow this gives me such a good feeling. Such a cozy piece. Very dreamy! I really like your painting technique and the grainy look. And I love days like that in the city. I like this piece because you put me into it rather than just let me look at it... I mean it's involving and shows storytelling which I feel is getting lost in illustration lately.