Cut the chatter, onto the art work! Below is my current WIP for one of the cover pieces I'm working on. I would very much appreciate some feedback on this piece :) The marching figures are indistinct because I turned up the opacity for full so that their color is fully visible. I have been turning opacity of each layer down to around 35% and coloring over the top of the "guide" layer, since just making the guide transparent was a mess. Any odd white/gray patches sticking out are visible portions of the guide layer and will be erased.
What I am looking for: Critique on the lighting of this piece, first and foremost. I am also open to critique on the positioning of figures featured on the cover. Any and all constructive criticism is welcome! If you hate it, I would appreciate it if you tell me why, as that is far more helpful than just saying, "This sucks."
I have uploaded the image in all it's huge glory so that details may be more easily viewed.
Thank you in advance!
It's awesome to see progress on this cover, and I love Terezom's face with the details of his face and mask.
ReplyDeleteI think the bg should fade to darkness behind the lizardmen to give more balance between light and dark. I'm not sure what you're doing with Terezom's wing in the upper right portion, but you might be able to expand his wing for part of this effect.
I would suggest blurring the horizon to indicate distance, and to use some sort of dust effect at the amanagirs' feet. This will emphasize the movement of the lizardmen.
I like the green lighting in the foreground. However, I think you need to make deeper shadows and greater highlights on Terezom's head, neck, and mask, as silver and platinum are very bright metals, and silver at least tends to brilliantly catch and reflect whatever light can hit it. The scales, though I suggest deeper shadows and greater highlights, can remain more neutral, as they aren't metallic.
Are you doing anything with the left side of the picture past the spine point?
Thank you very much! This helps a lot. I planned to add more detail to the ground, but was puzzling over the horizon. The wing......eh, that part's been a battle.
DeleteSo far as the lighting on the metals in the picture, I am thinking I may have to use the blackdrop method to help get the shadows right.
Thank you again!
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DeleteOops, forgot to say that I'm still working on the details past the beginning of the spine. I have a design in mind for the rear cover, but it may get scrapped.
DeleteI would suggest experimenting with overlaying a Golden Mean over the top of the illustration. This will help you find the location of a focal point, plus a path to 'hang' other illustration parts on.
ReplyDeleteThe way the wing curves down from the right, and you have the glowing orb in the claw in the lower left lends itself really well to a Golden Mean composition.
I made a post several years ago you may find helpful.
http://softshack.blogspot.com/2010/10/its-gold.html
Thank you very much!
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