Firstly, you've worked really hard to get your lair to this point by this stage - and the composition in your 'final' concept painting demonstrates satisfyingly how you're growing in confidence in regard to 'seeing' imaginary spaces and getting them out onto the page. There are however a few suggestions I'd like to make, the first of which has been picked up on already. There is something really gloomy and prison-y about your lair - and I know this isn't the mood you want. I think you have to try imagining more of this environment - not so you have to make it, but so you can enrich its depiction; so, for example, imagine the sparkling white light that would be pushing through the curtain of the waterfall - so all that stuff in the immediate foreground would be much more illuminated. Imagine too that high above in the cave roof, there are light wells - gaps in the work admitting light down into the cave...
... and where there's light and moisture, there would be ferns and moss and living, vibrant stuff (because your cave walls are very bleak at the moment) - for example:
You need to get a more jungly feeling - a certain steamy lushness of atmosphere - into your world. There would be lots more moisture - lots more sheen. You need to stop your lair looking so 'dead' - you might want to consider greening up the bamboo a bit for effect.
Not sure what the surface of the training matt is? Looks like leather, but wouldn't it actually be more like some woven raffia or similar naturally harvested material? I'm just not sure what that surface 'is'...
You know, George - I think your tiger mask is just, well, a tiger's head. Wouldn't our superhero have something a bit nattier - a bit more stylised?
If all of this sounds negative - it isn't - I just think you need to fold in more actual jungle into your lair, more light, more life and think about stylising the hero prop so it looks less like one of those tiger skin carpets. You've come a long way already, George - onwards! :)
OGR 16/11/2012
ReplyDeleteHey George,
Firstly, you've worked really hard to get your lair to this point by this stage - and the composition in your 'final' concept painting demonstrates satisfyingly how you're growing in confidence in regard to 'seeing' imaginary spaces and getting them out onto the page. There are however a few suggestions I'd like to make, the first of which has been picked up on already. There is something really gloomy and prison-y about your lair - and I know this isn't the mood you want. I think you have to try imagining more of this environment - not so you have to make it, but so you can enrich its depiction; so, for example, imagine the sparkling white light that would be pushing through the curtain of the waterfall - so all that stuff in the immediate foreground would be much more illuminated. Imagine too that high above in the cave roof, there are light wells - gaps in the work admitting light down into the cave...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicolekiss/4684638175/
http://www.siterev.com/~davison/gallery/images/photo008/photo068.jpg
http://thebesttraveldestinations.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Devetashka_Cave_Bulgaria_01.png
http://rookery.s3.amazonaws.com/1327000/1327095_9bb5.jpg
... and where there's light and moisture, there would be ferns and moss and living, vibrant stuff (because your cave walls are very bleak at the moment) - for example:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8449/7975914147_394b5ac94b_z.jpg
http://i17.s.openwalls.net/image/20816/grotto_west_cave.jpg
http://www.gomanzanillo.com/old_articles/elsalto/greenwall.jpg
You need to get a more jungly feeling - a certain steamy lushness of atmosphere - into your world. There would be lots more moisture - lots more sheen. You need to stop your lair looking so 'dead' - you might want to consider greening up the bamboo a bit for effect.
Not sure what the surface of the training matt is? Looks like leather, but wouldn't it actually be more like some woven raffia or similar naturally harvested material? I'm just not sure what that surface 'is'...
You know, George - I think your tiger mask is just, well, a tiger's head. Wouldn't our superhero have something a bit nattier - a bit more stylised?
http://www.beastiary.tigertorreart.com/OrangeTiger1.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4046/4206393817_bba248031c.jpg
http://www.tigermuseum.com/zenphoto/albums/masks-and-animal-heads/tibetan-tiger-mask1.jpg
If all of this sounds negative - it isn't - I just think you need to fold in more actual jungle into your lair, more light, more life and think about stylising the hero prop so it looks less like one of those tiger skin carpets. You've come a long way already, George - onwards! :)