Newborn-Nickillus Nibbles

**Nickillus** · July 2nd, 2009, 07:31 AM

You can do it Scott. I've seen you at work before remember and know what you are capable of. Just get stuck in and something great will come out the other end. Sounds painful, and sometimes is.

Meanwhile, I've been very slack in getting on with this, or rather - not. Need to get some momentum back. Here's a go at trying to do that, by warming up the over all feel of the most progressed one a bit.

**Baron Impossible** · July 2nd, 2009, 07:51 AM

That's looking great, the varied hues work really well together producing a great atmosphere. You say I work fast but if I had to do that many people I'd still be at it!

**Nickillus** · July 2nd, 2009, 07:55 AM

Thanks Si - but just don't look too closley at the figures. To say they are anatomically diverse is being generous. There's a ton of stuff still to do on it and I don't even know if I like it enough to bother finishing it. It's all rather trite and doesn't yet get any message aimed at across either. Apart from that it's going great. Grrr - it will not beat me though!

**pearlyking** · July 3rd, 2009, 11:05 AM

I'm glad you kept on with this one Nick it's really quite touching. It's great too that you advocate artrage it's such a great tool

**Nickillus** · July 3rd, 2009, 03:48 PM

Thanks Pearlyking. Glad you seem to be enjoying my thrashing about.

Hardly any progress on the main one today, but a bit more of a dabble with compositional ideas for the caveman one.

**Baron Impossible** · July 3rd, 2009, 04:15 PM

That last one made me laugh. Good how you get that caveman look without any apparent trouble.

Once, for practice, I studied Frank Frazetta's "Neanderthals" and then tried to draw it from memory. It ended up looking like a retard version of Reservoir Dogs. Even though your caveman is more a comedy character there's a similarity between how you create the face and how Frank painted his, with the heavy brows and prominent lips.

http://www.comicbookjournal.net/wp-c...eanderthal.jpg

**diissar** · July 5th, 2009, 08:11 AM

Hi Nick,nice to see you here,your image is really cool,i like your style!!
good luck to you,take care

Younes

**maria riaz** · July 5th, 2009, 01:28 PM

awesome thread.......the colors of ur sunset are really amazing i like the highlights and postures of ppl.....plus ur cave man is so cute and well-rendered i cant wait to see more.

looking forward to learn more from this thread

cheers

**Nickillus** · July 7th, 2009, 07:16 PM

Laugh! And there was me trying to be all serious - cough.
That Frazetta painting with the Neanderthals coming through the mist was one of the first things I ever saw of his - on a cover of Creepy magazine, which I picked up specifically for that image when I was a kid. Reckon we must be using some of the same influences Si.

Hi Younes, Hi Maria.
Thanks to you both. I'll keep an eye out for you here now I now you're here, Younes.

I've been having a lot of software crashing problems the last few days, which is probably an indicator that I need to give my system a clean install. I've gone over 18 months without one, so I guess it's overdue, and has decided to tell me so.
managed to squeeze this screengrab out before SKB lost the work - so at least when I'm back up and running (in a day or so I hope)I can use it to speed up getting back to this state.

Edit - OK, so I'm soldiering on, avoiding the hassle of a clean install for the moment. Working rou nd the software crashes and rijiggin the composition on this one yet again. Bet I'm not done yet either.

**comixnut** · July 8th, 2009, 09:47 PM

awesome stuff. I really like the caveman one though, and possibly the blue, "cold/freezing", one the best. Looks like pastels too which i love.

**Justice Von Brandt** · July 9th, 2009, 12:36 AM

I like the last one the best

**graphicgolem** · July 9th, 2009, 09:41 AM

Great work on your next WIP and its a very evocative take on the theme. Of the two versions I think I prefer the one with more open sky - although the more interior cave version also has a nice feel to it too. So what Im trying to say is that either looks great I think! I can imagine all sorts of details and the fun you could have with lighting on this one. Really looking forward to see what you do with this.

**Nickillus** · July 9th, 2009, 12:17 PM

Thanks for the feedback, Comixnut, Justice and Graphicgolem.
Apart from other things that need fixing, I'm not happy with the composition or background and am still fumbling around looking for something I like better. Meanwhile I tinker with other bits while the grey matter fails to function.

With regards the 'pastel' look ion the earlier wip. That's just a texture brush I made in Sketchbook Pro2010. I wasn't really intending a frosty look - it just kind of happened, but may well become an ingredient of the final piece now.

**d00dlebug** · July 9th, 2009, 12:42 PM

I have to say this is a really beautifully executed piece. I think the narrative becomes much clearer when you notice some of the smaller details like the children and babies lying everywhere. I think some more attention needs bringing to the child wrapped in cloth that the guy seems to be reaching for. At the moment it's a bit concealed in its wrappings. I think if it was a little clearer what is actually there than this works really well

**Huey Yeng** · July 9th, 2009, 01:07 PM

Love your latest piece, Nickillus. I noticed you use Sketchbook Pro and ArtRage frequently. I need to give ArtRage another try (when their new version get release) after my 30 days trial over as I love the simplicity of the software but didn't get to practice much with it.

**Nickillus** · July 9th, 2009, 08:53 PM

Thanks muchly D00dlebug. You are right that I need to draw more attention to the foacl point of the baby being alive. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Hi Hueyyeng, and thanks. I'm not so keen on this caveman yet, but feel there is potential in there somewhere. Yep - I love SKB and ArtRage both. They have different strengths and things to offer. ArtRage is definitely worth giving a good go in my opinion - and with version 3 coming out shortly there will be even more to recommend it.

Need to keep this one going as well, so had another quick go to get me started on it again.

**Nickillus** · July 10th, 2009, 08:17 AM

And another rejig to the comp on this one, which I think has more possiblities.

**Baron Impossible** · July 10th, 2009, 08:27 AM

I like the last revision, it's certainly looking better I think. One point I'd change is that the main guy's right hand (our left) seems bent backwards and downwards excessively, at an unnatural angle.

Will you be submitting both or choosing one or the other?

**Nickillus** · July 10th, 2009, 08:40 AM

Thanks for the feedback and so quickly, Si. Yep - I've been having 'fun' with the hands. That right hand wasn't bothering me much, but with your fresh eyes I bet you've got a point. To close to it for too long. Always a danger that I let awful gaffes slip through that stick out like sore thumbs - literally in this case??? - when I look at them fresh, down the line a bit..

Seems a bit greedy to enter more than one, despite it not being prohibited. I'll most likely only lob that first body ridden one in, but I'd like to finish both if I can just to update my stagnant portfolio.
I'd like to do something with that elfy-fairy one too really, but that's so far off getting anywhere, and I've a ton of other unfinisheds lurking about that are more deserving, if only I can re-enrgise myself to get on with them.

Do have a 'Secret Agent' one on the go for that CGSociety challenge that's proving quite fun to play with too - but I've an awful track record for finishing anything there.

**Nickillus** · July 11th, 2009, 01:49 PM

For some reason I've had the energy of limp celery today. SO this is all that's happened.

**Black Spot** · July 11th, 2009, 01:54 PM

Another winner. I love the expression on his face and the leathery feel to his hands. The reaction of the other cavemen is priceless.

**Martin McKeown** · July 11th, 2009, 02:10 PM

The usual great stuff Nick

**zimfin** · July 12th, 2009, 10:51 AM

I always loved how your pics take me by surprise. I look at them in the beginning and I know it's going to be great but I am still astonished as the details emerge! The caveman pic is awesome. Loving the textures!

**miycko** · July 13th, 2009, 05:26 AM

Great stuff. Loving this

**Baron Impossible** · July 13th, 2009, 05:30 AM

I love your figures but something is bugging me about the blue of the sky. Maybe a bit darker and less saturated would work better? Not too helpful, I know, but like you I've been in limp celery mode for a few days and my right brain isn't talking to my left.

**pearlyking** · July 13th, 2009, 01:39 PM

I have to agree with Simon, darker with a few hazy stars perhaps. I get the feeling that it was already one of those things you were going to get too

I really like this one and I do hope you get it finished on time.

**Huey Yeng** · July 13th, 2009, 01:48 PM

Lovely textures.

Pretty much of my comment is already mentioned by Baron and Pearlyking.

Also I noticed that the glow of the fire is a bit washout and desaturated on my monitor. Been referring to lots of fire reference hence my observation. Maybe punch in a bit the saturation of the fire so it looks more lively.

**Nickillus** · July 13th, 2009, 08:43 PM

Hey guys.
Thanks for all the useful feedback. It's all helping me try to saty on track to some sort of coherent finish on this one.
Black Spot - you're very kind
Martin - Always great to see you about.
Scott - I've started combining texture brushes and photo-textures to see how they go together in SKB. That's where those are comming from.
Miycko - Thank you kindly.
Si - Everything you say is always helpful. That sky is just bland at the moment and in need of bringing to lif. Haven't decided quite what to do with it yet, so will try a few things out.
PearlyKing - Yep - that sky. Hopefully I'll have finished faffing about with it in time, but it's probably the other image that I'll stick in as an entry - assuming I finish that !!??!!
Hueyyeng - Thanks for the input. Yep - it's not glowing firey enough yet is it. Hmmm, something else to keep tinkering with.

Here's today's tinker.

**Leighton** · July 14th, 2009, 06:37 AM

I love the way the caveman image has come on. In some ways I'm liking it more now than the famine image - despite the lighter hearted feel, the composition on the caveman seems more dramatic. Maybe you should submit both.

One teeny tiny bit of constructive crit on the Caveman - at first I couldn't tell where the flame was coming from - I thought that maybe they'd struck a natural gas pocket and it had ignited, but I think there is some kindling going on there so maybe you should make more of that.

Both looking great anyway!