this would be a scene of him finding the giant automaton beanstalk.
Jack would be standing on the pipes in the foreground, so yep, it's not quite done, like 90%. and there are leaves with neon lights that i'm working on dressing up the beanstalk with.
a little bit of process: this was painted in Photoshop over a 3D layout. all digital baby!
and no, the computer doesn't do it all for you. imagine building a set out of clay, then getting the lighting right, then taking a picture of it, then painting over the photo like in a multi-media approach. this process is a lot like that. so far this is about 25-30 hrs worth of work.
8 comments:
It looks good so far. I don't understand what is happening at the top, though. Is it a roof over the viewers head that is obstructing the view of the tower? If so, it took me a long time to figure it out. I don't know if it's my monitor but it looks really really dark. I guess I see some variation now but at first it just looked to dark and abrupt to be part of the image. Hey ya'll let me know if its my monitor.
Geoff, have you considered animating the growth process of the beanstalk? This image begs it to be done , methinks. I don't know what use that would be for the project, but looking at it I really want to know how the stalk sprouts and writhes up out of the ground.
I'm afraid I'm not sure how we all can help you with specific digital technique, but there are a few things I see worth mentioning.
The first thing I noticed in comparing the 2 images, on the unsurfaced one I get much more of the space the beanstalk is in - I can see the bottom and therefore get a more imposing perspective. I understand the water and all, but the surfaced one looks smaller. Maybe cut back on the splashing water.
Speaking of perspective and mistiness, maybe add more to the beanstalk in the way of atmosphere, maybe pull that misty look from the bottom and pull it across the whole background. This, and what I mentioned above about the bottom might give the viewer a more gargantuan sight.
Surfacing - are you going for an old/young metal? I would think the way these two (the beanstalk and the water pipes) are surfaced would be treated the same way as a new sapling and old knarled roots. That's what I see, but the beanstalk surfacing isn't sitting right with me - there's something about it that feels like 80's digi-robot, captain power or something. I'm not sure how to solve this, but that's what I see with my layman's eyes.
Where are you thinking of taking this? or is it just a portfolio piece?
After reading Michelle's comment, I would say that after you surfaced that top component, it doesn't foreshorten like it should, it looks flat.
Looks great. The only thing I can point out is that, compositionally, the pipes do a great job of leading your eye into the center of the image...and then I follow the "bean stalk" straight up and out the top of the frame. Once the figure is in bottom portion, there may be enough visual weight to pull my attention back down to the bottom, but as it is, I just leave out the top. I might consider putting another pip overhead to cut-off my exit strategy.
I just read the other comments about the top looking flat. If the black area is the abyss above the top of the bean stalk, you could put some sort of ceiling with pipes (way above the stalk) running parallel to the pipe the figure will be standing on. The parallel lines on the ceiling could be easily manipulated to give that foreshortened feel.
Having the figure will help bring about a focus and hopefully add a better sense of scale. It is hard for me to understand the size of the stalk in comparison with the other pipes as is. The ladder-like structures give some reference for scale on the pipes feeding into the center. Maybe a visible section of ladder on the stalk would tell the tale. The top could go for me, unless it is given more clear definition. With Tyler's comment on mist in the background maybe hazing out the top so it just disappears would be a solution. The water covering the stalk at the base does make it seem as though it starts to grow there and not far below as in the black and white image.
Hope to see the whole story.
thanks for the comments all!
i'll just briefly address a few of the simple questions:
Michelle- yeah, at the top is the underside of the roof of the little piped nook the viewpoint is from. and, yeah, i think it's you're monitor. i've calibrated the one i work on, and i've also checked it on a number of different monitors. it's supposed to be 'dark-dramatic,' but not 'dark what's going on.'
Tyler- sorry, no animation. that would definitely be too much of a friggin pain.
the metal of the stalk is supposed to be 'fresh, new, slick,' while the surroundings are supposed to be 'old, weathered, corroded.'
Alyssa- i was hoping the roof element would prevent the eye being led out of the top of the composition. hmmm...
Brandt- good call on the water. it's impact it has on the perspective and scale have been a struggling point.
i'm definitely going to work on the elements in the roof and maybe more set dressing higher above the stalk for scale.
and a big issue: i was hoping that the old vs new metal would be a strong enough juxtiposition to make the image interesting. but i'm not really feeling it. what are people's thought in reactions to the juxtiposition of the materials? what about making the bean stalk an actual organic beanstalk?
I don't think you have pushed the old materials towards the old rough and dirty enough to create much age difference. Maybe more rusted out color in the old stuff or a couple highlights really showing the shine and polish on the new metal. The water catches brighter highlights currently or seems to.
Post a Comment