Helzon's SB:In Ever Loving Memory (7/21/33-01/03/07)

[Helzon]

Onward to sb book two.
Thanks all who drop in and take a look at the scribblings, and as always encourage you to speak your piece.
Cheers!

[Helzon]

EDIT: HOLY SHIT!...i finally got them to post full size! WOOHOO...up above there's a WIP for a little somethin somethin
Just to explain the intent behind this; I wanted to capture the often overwhelming nature of architecture with relation to enviros and figures in RPG's.
Sometimes you feel like a bloody flea as compared to your surroundings(i.e. Shadow of the Colossus, WoW, and a slew of others)
So i just took the scratchboard tool and went at it.
I look forward to any feedback you may have.
Cheers!

[Lee W]

It's really hard to say anything at this very early stage of the piece. But if I had to, there isn that feeling of distance between the structures and the character. But as I already said, its too early to really form any crits since it looks like it is in its layout stage.

oh, btw, I just wanted to ge the first visitor to post in your new SB

[bwkeough]

it's a startin'! hit that guy with a shadow and work it on out.

(damn, now I have to remember to update my sig)

[Sartell]

YAHH I FLIPPIN HATE THUMBS!!!
That first piece has a ton of potential. I would:
Lift the assassin's leg up just a little, he's lookin a little static, and his blade are hittin the same horizontal, push that diagonal comp. I'd also say bring him about an inch up in the piece, he's flirting too close to the bottom methinks. Also those foreground elements are framing the piece too much intead of being their own elements, i'd say bring them in farther. If you keep with that value structure on the BG i'd say we're in for a treat.
Congrats on the new SB, i'm gonna try a lot harder to give you feedback, you've helped me out too much for quick replies

-Joel

[Flaskpost]

Helzon! Awesome start to the new sb! Really great values there. And i love that kind of half-scribbly style!
Wanna see more of the same!
Keep it up bro!

[glikster]

that's excellent!

[redehlert]

me love you long time.
five dollah...anyting you want.
great first image for the new sb, hoss!
cheers!
d

[Helzon]

Holy beejeebers....responses on the way very shortly.
But in advance let me thank you for poppin in and sharing your thoughts, it truly means alot to me.

Ok..here's it pushed a little more down the pike. Im noticing some things now in the road that im not too keen on..so I will definitely be revisiting that.
Dropped the shadow under him..thanks B! And I hope to get more in the way of refining those two mid ground areas.

[bdfoster]

I think you're already starting to capture the feeling you want. Rough layout is looking pretty good. I think Joel already nailed you on the stuff I would ask you to bear in mind as you refine this, so have at it!!

[redehlert]

i think you should lift his leg up and have him pee on the tree roots. yargh! he's markin' his territory! hahaha....
keep on truckin' on these monotone flat images...it's really working. next thing is to try doin' this with just black and white.
cheers!
d

[Moai]

...Arrives mysteriously...

...posts link: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=82405

...leaves, just as mysteriously...

[Helzon]

Oh my mercy...i apologize for the length between responses. Turkey Day has a way of siphoning off so much bloody time.
Anywho...i hope to post another iteration very soon. But onto individual responses.

Lee: Heya there you ultra motivated madman. If you could distill some of that down and put it in a jigger for me I'd greatly appreciate it.
Yeah Im hoping to get that distance effect resolved as I play with things ...i've taken it in a far more sinister direction and hope to post something of a rough later this evening between pounding fistfuls of stuffing up a dead turkey's ass. Fun times.
Also am glad to see you on the new sb...i hope i don't disappoint to badly.
Cheers and happy holiday to you.

Big BW: Heya bud...with the new scheme i have going im not sure the shadow will work its way in there but...will have to see how it develops.
Thanks as always for looking out for me man...i have to get back to your sb and throw down some love on your newest updates. (ive been horrible lately about that..sorry mate).

Joel: Bro...yeah..i scaled the big man down some so that the sense of scale is better represented and moved over a touch. As for the trees as framing...i was trying to count on them to do just that. They are just there to overlap in front of the ruined castle front and show some form of depth.
Also i will be introducing a complimentary light to the trees and pull them out that way as an element all their own. Thanks for keeping me honest bro. I appreciate all the feedback and for stopping in as always...(also have to get to your sb....i will i promise)

Flaskpost: OI! thanks for droppin in man...yeah i think i've latched onto a system by which things will be more dynamic (i hope) and rely more on a higher value range and less on the darkness as was pointed out by sve. If all goes well you'll be seeing more of this. Cheers mate!

Glikster: thanks for brightening this corner of the sb forum man. I appreciate your kindness. Yours is yet another book i have to get back to...i apologize for being away so long. Hope all's going well for you.

Dave (posts 1 and 2): my partner in crime... ROFL...you friggin madman. Just too bloody funny. As always thank you for having my back bro. I will definitely be giving that black and white idea a try. Lemme just get over the hump of turkey day and i'll be on that. Best to ya!

Ben: Holy Mary McCree...the elusive Foster posts... Yeah I hope to get onto unifying and defining more as this progresses. Thanks man.

Moai: oh my bloody hell...i done won the art jackpot! I will thank you in advance even if it's just a stick figure on fire...im sure it'll make me shite in my drawers. wow.

Well..here's to you all having a great holiday.
Will try and post up with an image this evening.
Cheers!

[Helzon]

i know...im cheating like all hell posting this as an update..but wtf, its something.

[Undertow]

um, update?

[Flaskpost]

that´s some nasty stuff man!
looking good! keep up the playing about! =)

[Helzon]

Thanks Flask..much appreciated.

Bit of futzing around.

[redehlert]

hey mike,

yer 'sloth loves chunk' piece is pretty good, but it has lighting issues (eg direction of lighting and lack of conforming cast shadows/reflective light, etc.). also, some tightening up of the surface modulations will help define the form/structure. since this is a 2-3 hr fuckabout....then i think you could ditch my comments and go on to the next one, but if you want to put in some definining time, i think you'd be really happy with it.

two other things - 1) i think a pupil and iris would go a long way to add character to flufkins; and 2) the whiteness of your hilites are flattening the overall creature study. i would keep that white juicy hilite to just the eyeball and use a more local/warm color for the hilites on the skin. food for thought.

my 8 inches worth.... haahahhaa...
cheers!
d

[Helzon]

[Undertow]

2) the whiteness of your hilites are flattening the overall creature study. i would keep that white juicy hilite to just the eyeball and use a more local/warm color for the hilites on the skin. food for thought.

Seconded! Bust out that color wheel and start getting uncomfortable. Playing around on one side of the spectrum isn't going to help you improve ya get more painterly with this bad boy and start breaking down to the basics.
Keep it up brother!
-Mike V

[Helzon]

Alrighty gents...sounds like a plan.
So local color just warmed and lightened then.
Always thought highlights were desaturated but...i stand corrected.
many thanks to you both
cheers!

[redehlert]

good studies, mike.
where did you read this thing about desaturated hilites? i'd be interested in reading this material.
what i've started to do as of late is to consider the following:
what kind of light is hitting my object/creature?
where is this light coming from?
is there more than one light (eg possible reflected light from nearby objects, etc)?
what kind of surface is the light hitting (eg wet, scaley, dry, soft, satin, stone, etc)?....then i find ref material that can help me learn what that interaction is like.
is my object surface fully opaque, or is it semi-translucent or fully translucent? this will cause me to consider how tissue below the surface is interacting with the light as well. it's a poor example, but you know how light passes through rather thin structures (eg ears, webbing of fingers, etc) is essentially that interaction of light below the surface.

k....that's all i got for now.
thanks for letting me

[Helzon]

Heya Dave,
My eyes must deceive me...because it was more my own observation than anything else. Light on a clear blue day, indirect light would be a desaturated cool blue? Direct would be a warmer yellow?
On the other hand...a fire at night would be wicked saturated. So I suppose it's dependent upon the light source...
In this case of Sloth up there..yeah I think i screwed the pooch....the hot highlights should be super saturated.
As to the remaining points...all valid bro and must get into that habit as well. More thinking, MORE THINKING!!!
Christ knows though that color theory has always been my downfall...dammit all!
For now though there is this, I was shooting for something sedately evil...not foaming at the mouth or such...just upon further inspection you notice how wrong it is.

Now he could honestly say that he loved her to pieces

[redehlert]

stain the bottom of that bag....perhaps a drip or two...focus the eye there.

[bwkeough]

it's easy to confuse highlight with shine...full light on a matte surface will be highest saturation for the local color. full light on a reflective surface viewed at an equal opposite angle to the light source will blow out to white with little or no color information.

one thing I was having trouble with was taking into account the local value and saturation of the surface. If you're painting a battle ship, that matte grey paint will never get much past 65% brightness (or whatever the "B" in the photoshop color picker stands for) unless it just got soaked with water. If instead of grey they went with blaze orange, that full light 65% B would be full saturation.

Nice eye studies, gruesome alien style.
watch the weight balance on mr widower, he looks to be rocking back on his heels.

[Helzon]

Actually those are spot on observations B and will keep them in mind..I think ultimately what my problems are:
1) Creating an interesting and convincing palette to begin with. Perhaps the ratios of colors, the underpainting...what have you..still trying to figure that out.
2) Consistency of tonal value in laying in the flats.
3) Keeping the light striking the object uniform and consistent. I tend to flail all over the fuckin place simply because intuitively I blend the colors in my head instead of trusting them to be blended on the screen.
More things yet to work on...wee!
Thanks again for dropping those points in here B..i truly appreciate it.
Cheers!

[bwkeough]

ooh, bug mike v...he had a link to a website that let you pick one primary value and then mathmatically chose 2 or 3 other colors (both adjacent and opposite) in varying ratios to construct a color scheme suggestion.

[redehlert]

bump!
post mo beyatch!
it's been a few days without a helzon gem to behold.
cheers!
d

[Helzon]

Dave: Holy keep your panties on Batman!, i was just about to post
this wip..
Felt like sepias, there's still a ton of cleaning, scaling and then bordering.
So..perhaps by tonight or late tomorrow will have it all together...then color(?)

[redehlert]

ME LIKE!
Good job, Mike...my fav is the head and fins off the head.