please crit

[JasonUK]

http://www.jasoneyermann.toucansurf.com/Images/landscape.jpg

Hi all. I have spent about 1 1/2 months painting (digital) this pic. It was not preplaned. I just made it up going along. It's my 8th picture. I can't think what else to do to it in order to improve it.
I was hoping to create a less animated feel but I feel it's ended up as just that.

I was hoping I could get some feed pack on any improvments i could make.
With things like the colour, perspective (does the perspective look correct?), the look of the water and rock. I think I spend too much time painting every detail.

Anyways thanks

UPDATE - there is an update on post 9 for this painting

[spotfrog]

I think you need more variety in the trees, right now they look like green cotton balls on toothpicks. The geography over all is a bit odd; the boundaries for the forest especially are too cleanly-cut, and the field should lead into the ravine more naturally... grass on the stone like that isn't very realistic. I'd suggest studying how actual forests and rivers interact with the landscape. Also, the fisherman should probably be at least 2x larger for the perspective to work. The bridge looks good, though. :)

[QuantumSuz]

I think that possibly one of the main things I would point out is that the depth of focus seems a little wrong. For such a vast distance, it may be possible to avoid the 'animated look' you may want to consider making the line of trees a little more out of focus (especially as they disappear into the distance), or the bridge in the foreground, depending upon which way you want the focus to go. On the subject of drawing unwanted attention to the background, I think that the colours of the trees / sky might be a bit too saturated. Perhaps also the shadows need to be accentuated a bit in the prescence of such strong sunlight. I do like the way you have done the different strata in the rock and the caves / cracks. That's a nice touch, and the bridge is coming along nicely.

[BlueMech]

The trees don't look as good as the things around them, trying beefing them up some more and adding more variety to them. The green you are using seem a little too plain green.

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2006/10/color-theories-for-cartoons-garish.html
This has some interesting colour theory I've read recently. Check it out. I like your composition a lot. With some tweaks this could be a really good piece.

[Seedling]

I think the biggest flaw with this image is that it took you a month and a half to paint it. Spending that sort of time on a single piece makes more sense if you are already well acquainted with the medium involved. At this point, you’re much better off spending only hours on any individual piece. You will get more return on your time investment that way.

[elpez]

You´ve got to feel comfortable with the composition you´re doing, and in this one you seems too constricted. (before doing the amount of effort you´ve done; a couple of quick sketches of the overall picture and the posibilities of each one, will make make the trick before rendering, and surely will safe you a lot of time)
Play with the composition until you´ve got one that suits what you want to tell, and TELL a story with it. What is the main character of your paint? Find it and give him the place he deserves. Let your picture breathe and don´t get too static (without wanting it, of course)
I´ve done a quick sketchy. hope it helps.

cheers

[Elwell]

I think the biggest flaw with this image is that it took you a month and a half to paint it. Spending that sort of time on a single piece makes more sense if you are already well acquainted with the medium involved. At this point, you’re much better off spending only hours on any individual piece. You will get more return on your time investment that way.
Quoted for truth.

[Matsign]

No black shadows man, especially around the trees.

[JasonUK]

http://www.jasoneyermann.toucansurf.com/Images/land.jpg
Thanks for everyone's comments. I made few changes. I think the trees now look better (I now see I was being a bit lazy with them) although more could probably be done. When I said i spent about a month and a half createing this. I only work on it an average of about 1/2 - 45 mins a day.
Now on to the next painting.

[chaosrocks]

well ok since you ask politely for critique...but seedling and elwell have already been here.. I have only a little to say

the perspective on the lower edges of the rocks is bulging toward you , as I don't think you have established a solid eyelevel from which to base your perspective system

you might want to contemplate the idea of atmosphereic perspective...where things get hazy and lighter as they arte farther away

and your colors seem to be very pure and super saturated. you might want to de-saturate . yourr green is very"green" etc

hope this helps
chaos

[JasonUK]

big thanks for those comments chaosrocks. After reading your comment i tried lowering the saturation on all the greens and it now looks 10x better as shown on the 9th post not the first.
thanks

[chaosrocks]

big difference
;P
chaos

[nickmarshallvfx]

I think your main problem here has been struck right on the head by Seedling. You need more practice at doing quick sketches to get your perspective knowledge up to scratch and to gain a better understanding of how light and shadow works when interacting with objects.

Your second version is much better than the first, but I have done a quick paintover to suggest a few more improvements:


http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL762/3253510/9681213/218988330.jpg


Your sky was way oversaturated, and even though you pulled it back a bit in your new version, it was still a bit too much.
Your clouds needed a little shadowing to stop that flat look. Again, my point about lighting.
The distant hills needed a little blending with the sky to stop them looking 'stuck on'.
Your foreground elements needed darkening down more to bring them forward.

All these mistakes are things that you can quickly rectify in this piece (hence the 30 second makeover), but you just need to keep doing quick sketches so that you dont make them every time.

I dont claim to be a pro, and you may disagree, or hate the changes that I made there, but thought id offer up what little knowledge I do have to help you out. Now that you have got this far, you may want to spend a little more time to really finish it off, but definitely dont spend so much time on your next one. Speed is a virtue :)

Good Luck

Nick

[Seedling]

When I said i spent about a month and a half createing this. I only work on it an average of about 1/2 - 45 mins a day.


That’s still tons of time to be pouring into one of your first images. If you are willing to do an experiment, try working for a week on a new image each day. A half hour to 45 minutes should be adequate time for each individual sketch image.

[nickmarshallvfx]

That’s still tons of time to be pouring into one of your first images. If you are willing to do an experiment, try working for a week on a new image each day. A half hour to 45 minutes should be adequate time for each individual sketch image.

And I bet by the end of the week you are a whole lot more comfortable with digital painting. I did this every day for about 3 weeks, and I felt as if id been practicing for years! I still have a long way to go, but I learned so much in those 3 weeks! You could do a whole lot worse that to follow Seedlings advice.

[direliar]

The bridge seems kind dangerous since its steaks are planted so close to the edge of the cliff. Perhaps if the bridge was planted further away from the edge, it would seem alot safer to walk on. It also seems kinda weird that the land around the start of the bridge has eroded away, but the area where the bridge is sticks out untouched. It also seems a bit odd that while the grass is coming out of a stony material, there is brown dirt. It's already odd enough for me that grass is growing out of stone. Perhaps making the first top layer of the cliff more dirt like would make more sense. Love the progress so far.

[Seedling]

The bridge seems kind dangerous since its steaks are planted so close to the edge of the cliff.

Steaks? It's a bridge made of MEAT! :-)

Sorry, couldn't resist. . .

[direliar]

Steaks? It's a bridge made of MEAT! :-)

Sorry, couldn't resist. . .


Oh man, I wish it was...drool...:D

[JasonUK]

thanks space-sprayer. I made some changes based on your suggestions. (cloud depth and background haze) It now look better.

Seedling. I will try your suggestion and try to create some quick paintings. one each day for a week starting next week.

direliar. I think you have a good point about the mud. I had not thought about that. I think I need to either add some mud or have the grass dip down at the front end

I should have also tried using the perspective tools that come with photoshop CS2.

cheers all