New Project - Gardening Necromancer =p

[Meli Hitchcock]

Next project in line is this one. Very random, but I wanted this to be more of illustrating something other than a single character just posing. I really want this one to show some form of story. this composition is still subject to change as I'm going as I'm tired of making such boring art. :-/ But I'm having a hard time trying to really make this into something that's going to focus on the characters and the environment too.

Anyway...
*Sketch 1 = idea sketch only. When I get to final sketching this will get redrawn with all the right anatomy corrections.

*Rest of sketches where based off a set of thumbnails I did today at lunch time.

May or may not keep this composition as I still think it looks weak. It's too heavy on the right, but I still want to include more skellies in the background helping with the gardening, carrying flower boxes, or watering plants (something to make it look like he's got quite a few helpers).

Probably will be doing more comp sketches to see what direction this can go.

I hate not having a clue what to do on a fun idea. =p It means I run the risk of making the whole thing static and dull due to bad decisions.

[Meli Hitchcock]

Didn't have a whole heck of a lot of time to do a lot more sketches, just these two and fiddle with cropping to just show the two characters. Makes more sense (even though I would like to get more of a big garden feel it looses the dynamic of the two characters).

My gut is wanting to go with the last version ala "Master lookie what I found! HEDGE CLIPPERS!!!" version. I know at this stage, it could go any direction, so does anyone have any opinions? Like if the background is too cluttered or something could use some more exploring? Or just waiting to see how this progresses? hehe

[Seedling]

Top composition: a guy and a skeleton are doing some gardening. The tools in their hands are a bit confusing: the live guy is holding a flower as if he is going to cit it, but instead of shears he has a trowel. The skeleton has shears, but the handles are circular like scissors. The live fellow seems to be thinking “what is my buddy the skeleton up to?” The top composition is putting the faces in a good position compositionally, but at the expense of playing bad games with the legs. My coworker couldn’t see that they were kneeling; and my initial thought was that they were sitting on the edge of a grave with their legs dangling down into the grave, off-camera.

The bottom pair: again, I’m rather baffled as to why a guy is gardening with a skeleton. That aside, I’m baffled as to why the live fellow is so startled by the shears. Maybe if the skeleton were menacing the pretty flowers with the shears it would make more sense. Then you could have his live buddy reaching out to stop him, or something else more active. The cartoonish facial expressions are goofy and not supported by the characters’ body language. Perhaps try sketching another version using only body language to tell the story.

[Meli Hitchcock]

Thank you Seedling!!!! Seriously, that's just what I needed! I'll do more thumbs tonight to try and make the action.

PS I really hate having to explain this because I feel like the art should explain itself, but the Necromancer is a gardening freak... so the summons basically help him out with all the hard labor and he just plants the stuff. The wider angles would provide me with room to show more summons actually doing this around the garden, but as I said earlier, then the two characters get lost in the scene and become less important. I really want to try and get interaction between the two.

[Seedling]

What a fun, goofy idea! Suddenly I find myself wishing for an army of undead to help in the garden! I think a couple of skellys in the background will help tell the story.

[Meli Hitchcock]

Okay, I'll see if I can't work something out in this. I might have to switch back to landscape format (which is a refreshing change for me since almost 90% of my work is portrait format), just have to be a little tighter on the figures.

[sve]

Yeah, I think the relationship between those two is not clear from the first and even second glance for me... The friendly skeleton is kind of new concept for me and the startled look at the man's face threw me out. But I think it is easy to fix if you add many workaholic skeletons on the BG, gardening, grooming, cleaning, taking care of, making some highly constructive work... that would be a strong hint that everything is all right with the presence of this symbol of death near the breathing human.
I think expression of the faces are pretty good though, man is surprised or startled, but not to the degree when he wants to react fast and stop it form happening...(on another hand what bad could happen? his buddy is already dead.) I'm talking about pictutre with blue colors.
The skeleton expression is interesting, exploring... I think the hedge clippers block his face too much and too awkward though, you need to find some other position maybe... the lower jaw is too big I think and too massive looking, I think it is kind of destroys the curious grimace too. make is lighter and more fragile looking, the skeleton will look less intimidating.
Would be good to create depth in the picture by adding horizon line, maybe some valley far away,hard working helpers with carts, spreaders... birds hanging around in case of something good will turn in for them... Birds are good to create noise and sounds in the picture, the same as old rusty mechanisms...

I would crop the bluish picture in a different way. I think the characters are right in the center of the image and it is too static and final...out them a bit off center and let eyes to go farther after observing the main characters for a while... i mean make the two guys a focal point but let more space for eyes to wander.
I would add more canvas on my left and crop it on my right. Right now the picture is a bit claustrophobic for my taste.
Face expression of the main character is good and skeleton's is potentially good. You need to make them perfect... because their are your only hint on the relationship between those two..
You didn't give any information about the guy except that he is wearing unusual costume... kind of like extraterrestrial like. Who is he is still unclear.

[Sway West]

I think this is a really cute idea.

With a piece like this, I'd extend the canvas horizontally, to really give a feeling of expansive space for the garden. I think this would give you an opportunity to show the other skeletons, busy at work in the background. I imagine them carrying wheelbarrows, climbing out of the ground with shovels in their hands, and standing on ladders, pruning the trees.

I think my favorite of the poses you've shown for the two foreground characters is the one with the skeleton, excitedly showing his master his shiny shears. I would only suggest that you really stress the body language, as Seedling said. I did a quick paint-over, just to illustrate what I mean. (See how the Necromancer drops his shovel in surprise, and how he protectively pulls the flowers he was caring for in toward his chest?)

Really push the character's expressions and gestures in this one. It's a great piece, and I almost feel like I can hear a sort of funky, happy music playing while everyone works.

[Meli Hitchcock]

Sway West
After much LOL-ing at the expressions on their faces, you've inspire me to try some things out. XD I didn't have as much time tonight either, so I'll post up all the additional thumbs tomorrow (with the expressions and the backgrounds since I'll need to look up some good gardening landscaping... as I am completely inept when it comes to such things lol).

sve
Thanks! I'm definitely going to work on the necromancers outfit once I start refining, I just blocked something in so far hap-hazardly. I don't always like sticking with traditional totally evil undead... personally I don't think skeletons have reasons for acting that irrationally (zombies either) despite what most media presents us with. Anymore with fantasy I want to give it a humorous twist with some of my work since I've done so much of the traditional stuff and it gets boring.

I did end up shifting the portrait format to landscape though, which accommodates quite a few new skeletons doing their gardening work. Once I get more than one thumbnail I'll post an update. >.o