EOW Round 157: LARGE WATER-FILLED KNOTHOLE POOLS IN SOFTLY-UNDULATING TREE-FORM LAND

[Vulgar`]

This round is presented by Lord and Caretaker of the DSG, William B. Hand!



EOW Round 157: LARGE WATER-FILLED KNOTHOLE POOLS IN SOFTLY-UNDULATING TREE-FORM LAND


The idea here is that this sweeping, rolling landscape is formed not of rock and dirt, but of some ginormous ancient tree-like lifeform whose growth has been horizontally oriented, and has covered the original landscape like a skin. We might see vertical extensions of some sort off in the hazy distance, and maybe some nubby knots that rise above the surface, but dominating our attention are these lovely ponds created by these scattered irregularities. The general mood should be magical and lyrical.

Of course, there might be some little fishes or bugs flitting in and around our semi-permanent pools, and maybe the small figure of an explorer or two just to suggest the scale.




- Please specify which image is final!! Then post your final in this thread.


Deadline: February 12th

[MrEshovel]

hey first eow im trying out so be gentle. so far:

[Incinerated]

Joining in with pencils, you're all going down!... All one of you!
Bring on the trash talk!

[artiphats]

I might get in on the action here, recently got Painter 11 and I've been anxious to use it

[Sharon J]

Hey MrEshovel : Nice going with the rough work, that tree tunnel idea looks really cool, wish I'd thought of that!

---

First time here I have no idea how to paint but I'm sure I'll learn something by the end of this I started off with a sad lookin doodle



Didn't like that one, so chucked it and started afresh!



I guess it doesn't fit the description to the dot, but its a start Now if only i can figure out a way to paint it <_<

Lookin forward to seeing everybody's work!

[emerging]

sat down for couple hours today here is what i got.. im pretty much done with it

[Misplacedhippos]

Ideas so far,
The description is pretty specific, how closely are we supposed to stick to it?

Uhhh, I had some trouble with the attachment manager, and now it looks like my first picture is the icon for last weeks thread, haha. Oh so, strange. Or maybe it just looks like that for me?

Emerging- Looks good, I feel like the yellow lighting should be spread into the top left corner more, perhaps.

[PMaz]

I made a marker sketch with some color enhancement. Don't know if I'll go further with it. Nice and relaxing to do.

Really like what you did with the colors Emerging.

[JanJager]

Some nice entries already.

[smuli]

JanJager - Great mood and I love the feel of a huge scale!


Here's my start:

[phlux]

hello everybody, this is my first try ever here.
just got a quick digital sketch yet, and im not sure if im going to make it to a finished work in the given time. lets see...

the branches look a bit like mutated octopus arms and are not knotty enough for my taste. im going to work on that.

PMaz - like your marker work a lot. got the idea of cascades too, but changed direction...

[chaosrocks]

if a description is specific, it is specific for a reason. you have to stick to it, that's the point. which is why some topics are very specific and some are a free for all. actually I think in a real world art situation you will find this to be true as well. some art directors give you a potload of freedom and want to seee what you can invent, and others want an illustration of the Idea they have....
Personally I find it rewarding to work both ways, within tight boundaries, and with total freedom.

keep up the good work.
chaos

[smuli]

I think I'm calling this done.

[Misplacedhippos]

Chaosrocks- Thanks for the infos, I had that general idea, I'm just concerned about the word "knothole" really. I feel like I'm following the description pretty closely, except that the pools are formed be roots, not knots.
It also seems like almost everyone else is using non "knothole" pools. Not good to compare, I know.

Oh anyway. Here is where I am at so far, I hope it's not outside of the description.

[SoufMeng]

2 hour sketch... meh

[Lane.]

Hello! This is my first EoW, hopefully of many. I had fun creating massive roots and trying to envision the ecosystem they might provide. Please critique.

[Vulgar`]

MrEshovel - This has potential, I like the composition and perspective, you just need to work on the details more, like the water, clouds and people below.

Sharon J - Nice effort.. are those fireflies glowing by chance?

emerging - Good work, simple and effective.

PMaz - Liking the composition and view of this, almost looks like the scene of fallen Xanadu. The branch at the bottom right is distracting to me, unless you wanted it to be there as a form of border for the environment.

JanJager - You just keep coming with it week after week Jag! This should be the winning entry with a little more polish, I think the colors could be solidified and the tree-form land filled in with detail.

phlux - Cool so far, looks to be the inside of a cave.. or a swamp maybe.

smuli - Really nice, I really like how opaque and serene everything is. The people and the light reflection of the pond were great touches and the gloomy mood is very convincing.

Misplacedhippos - You're well within the description, and it's always succeptible to the flexibility of the artist's interpretation anyways. This looks interesting, the land has a nice look of fluidity to it. I wonder what time of the day this will be portrayed at and what color scheme you'll be using.

SouMeng - Wow, looks excellent so far. My only nit is the stormcloud at the top left-middle, I think that maybe without this cloud the imge as a whole would benefit from a larger spanning view of the sky and the giant mangrove-like trees in the backround.

Lane - This is wonderful. No critique from me.

[phlux]

SouMeng - Great work. Love the huge distant trees...
Lane. - Wow. Like this a lot. Love the vegetation...


little status update from me here...

[RaphaelLuebke]

@lane:
wow this looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!

[noche]

wowwww......

[Misplacedhippos]

Colour roughs. I'm leaning towards the bottom left, but with a bit more red.

[SoufMeng]

Thanks for the nice words, guys.

Vulgar,
I find bigass storm clouds sexy, I'll miss that one if I ditch it... I also think it serves the lighting and contributes to making the tree feel huge: in this place trees are so tall that clouds crash into their foliage.
But that you singled it out as a problem is helpful. This painting isn't done and I'm considering extending the canvas to the right, among other things, which would push that cloud to a less proeminent position. Anyway, thanks and point taken!

[Si_Swe]

Hey guys, I threw this down in about half an hour, just to get some basic concepts across. I'll be doing a couple more like this before I really decide on something, hopefully.


And another one...

[Loakers]

Great topic. Started forming some ideas yesterday. Made a ton of thumbnails, but here's a summary so far. Will begin to do the layout later today.

[Xezor1324]

Some early sketches. I decided to go with the one on the left and I've had time to refine it a little.

[Jaunay]

Awesome work so far everyone, a few of them stand out more than others but they all seem to fit the brief correctly. I like the well defined brief I think it really brings out peoples creativity.

Also thanks so much to the people running EOW. For the past couple entries I haven't finished them and unintentionally abandoned them without notice, yet my pieces made it to the final poll both times, I super grateful and I plan on helping out here more and contributing finished works. Finished being the keyword. Thanks everyone for the great feedback too. Keep it up, my fav activity of the week for sure.

Feedbacktime!

MrEshovel: Great work for a first post. Great to see you thinking about water reflection also the people at the front of the mouth of the cave are so tiny, the structure would be fun to swim in. Your piece has more land in it than most people, not that its a bad thing. more rendering needed but keep it up.

SharonJ Nice lines and experimentation great to see you're not afraid to use lots of lines, it can help a lot when structuring a piece. Just make sure that what you draw is readable. You can treat painting just like drawing traditionally, if painting intimidates you try sketching your colours in then blending them later see if that works.

Emerging As always great composition and lighting, i think it really fits the brief well and i like that yours looks swampy, nice touch.

Misplacedhippos Great amount of concepting, its great to see the process! Your lines are very dynamic and suit drawing trees well. I hope youll carry on that feel with your final piece. Scrolled down, from the colour comps youve got going on, I love the bottom right one, the pink and blue tones go really well together.

PMaz Ohh great angle, the view is really inviting and makes me want to climb and explore. I like that robed guy makes for a good back story in the piece. A bit of constructive crits, maybe the background could be a bit more contrasts its hard to tell when things end. But other than that great work.

JanJager You're nailing these briefs on the head, this is what I had in mind to paint but you did it perfectly. The birds give a great push and pull to the piece, apart from it being less refined than your usual pieces nothing to crit here.

Smuli Oh very precise rendering, the tree texture looks great looks like it would have taken a while. Heh the worm is a great but scary thought. The little people at the front of the piece i thought they were originally bit of broken wood poking up, then i realized they were blue and red. Heh silly me.

Phlux Knots are definitely win. Keep going with it, it's very different from most of the other pieces, cant wait to see it fully rendered.

SouMeng Love the subtle colours seems almost misty to me. Maybe pump up the contrast some more, for something a little more dynamic? Either way looks great.

LaneAmazing. Seriously. The composition is great the colours are great and the fact that you thought about an ecosystem to support this is fantastic concept art ftw!

Si_Swe Great quick sketches, I cant wait to see what you do with the blue tones in the tree, is there a reason behind them? Or is it just for awesomeness, either way cant wait to see more.

Loakers Great compositions they all read clearly and are all dynamic and eye catching. My fav would have to be number 8 the portrait works well with the horizontal subject matter.

Xezor1324 I like the piece that you choose but I like the colours from the second one. Although the colours you choose to suit the subject matter either way. It might be cool to see some rain and considering you have wind already. Great work.

[Urötskidoji]

Wow, awesome stuff posted.
A little late but I think I can manage to pull something together.
This is my Demon Tree, spreading its roots to conquer the world. Slowly.

[JeiWo]

I'm gonna see how far I can get with it in just a couple days but here's what I did so far. Got quite I bit I still need to figure out, though. Any critiques would be appreciated!

[JanJager]

JeiWo
Good start. Keep on render it out. Bare in mind where the light comes from and how shadows and reflections in the ponds appears.
Urötskidoji
Nice silhouette. looking forward to see you go further with it. At this point you have three corners from branches touching the upper limit of the canvas. Perhaps adjust that.
Xezor1324
I like it. The wind goes well with the landscape. Perhaps add some small waves or movement in the ponds.
Loakers
8 is my favourite. Perhaps because its most worked out. Its has interesting forms and something happening in the middle of the picture. It also feels like it got depth.
Si_Swe
Very nice. I like the forms and light more in the second. But the blue in the tree are interesting and the telephone posts are great. Gives size and a story to the piece. Definitely keep them.
Misplacedhippos
Lovely organic forms. I like bottom right most but top right with the rain is great too.
phlux
Very nice. Looking forward too see it in colour.
Lane.
Great. composition, rendering, colours.
SouMeng
Great mode and colours. Perhaps have the distant. tree roots a bit more irregular.
smuli'
Great. Wonderful feeling in the mystic landscape. I really like how the distant tree roots disappear in the mist. Perhaps separate the reflections from the shadows in the water.
Maybe suggest some annual rings round the pond and have a bit thicker bark. Overall great piece.
PMaz'
Nice take on the subject.
emerging
Good picture. Why not have the brightest green light behind the nearest animal giving it a clearer silhouette.
Sharon J
Good start both of them. Second my favourite. Keep it on.
MrEshovel
I like the composition. But I think you can render it out much more. Bare in mind a water surface reflects the ski and the surrounding objects.

[Chate Noire]

Wow, I haven't been in CA in AGES. I tried this EOW for the first time just for some practice, but figured, if it's already done, why not upload it.

I hope it's OK to go ahead and comment on everyone's work even if I'm a newbie here.

MrEshovel - Looking good. I like that you added a man-made (or intelligent-species-made, anyway) device, it gives the concept a feel of an actual lived-in environment.

Sharon J - Not sure what exactly is going on with the bottom piece, but I love the composition and color. It looks very intriguing.

emerging - Love the colors! They give the piece a very magical feel, and you can't help but wonder what's hiding underwater or lurking in the distance. There's some lack of balance, as most of the interesting stuff happens towards the right, and then you have the left-leaning tree that's pulling your eye towards the edge of the image without having anything specific there.

PMaz - Nice piece, with a very asian look. The waterfall trees are really cool, but not exactly the "sweeping, rolling, horizontally oriented" landscape the description called for.

JanJager - Wow, that looks...unpleasant. In the very best sense of the word. A very convincing scene, although not quite as magical and lyrical as the description says.

smuli - The worm idea is fantastic. I can definitely see how a creature like that would evolve in such an environment. The trees design is very unique and the details on the front one look good, but I think maybe as they get further away from the foreground they should be a little blurry: it'll make the closer ones pop into focus.

SouMeng - I agree with Vulgar, the cloud is really massive and doesn't communicate much with the composition of the other elements. The Loch-Ness-monster trees are wonderful, and so is the big tree in the background. If the sky were clearer there could be a great sense of open space.

Lane - Love it. So full of life, even before you spot the animals. The "camera" angle is also lovely, with the huge trunk coming ffrom the foreground and twisting towards the back.

phlux - Great detail, it almost looks moon-like. I wonder if there'll be something in the background that'll break the homogenous layout of circles and horizontal-ish lines.

Missplacedhippos - Very unique take; has a Lovecraftian feel to it. I like the bottom right one.

Si_Swe - The first one feels to me a little like "Water World" - a post-apocalyptic flooded Earth. The second one is closer to the challenge description in my opinion, while still maintaing that slightly dark and brooding atmosphere. The acid-green amber is a cool idea. The background feels empty, and makes the trees look out-of-place.

Loakers - Very interesting concepts. I like the mysteriousness of #4, it looks like it's just waiting for something bizarre to pop out of the water.

Xezor - The thumbnails are beautiful, but I feel something gets a little lost in the bigger image. Maybe it's the twisting shapes of the trees, or the balance between the big one on the left and the medium one on the right that doesn't exist in the big image. The detailing looks good, though, and the depth is quite convincing.

Urötskidoji - Wow, different take here. It's not so much "magical and lyrical" as the description requires, but it definitely has a strong atmosphere. I'm interested to know what you'll do with it.

JeiWo - Still a little hard to make out the details, but the basic palette looks good; I think you should add some darker colors for contast, but obviously this is only a start. The washed-out tree on the hill is an interesting touch.

Here's my final. I totally forgot about flora and fauna until I saw Lane's piece, but I'll leave this one be and remember for next time.