Okay, well, as I think feedback from from myself and your creative partners would suggest that the 'big foot' composition is a popular one. It certainly conveys the enormity of this first scene, while avoiding those helicopter shots that were shrinking your scene in your earlier thumbnails. I would still encourage you however, to explore ways to combine this set-up with a wider view, so that we get a greater sense of the statue to whom the big foot belongs and also get a sense of the landscape in which it sits. You've achieved some lovely textural effects in this more polished digital painting, but don't let that stop you from still thinking about this scene in terms of its potential to be developed a little further.
I look forward to seeing the 'place of death' space developed further too - there is something about that organic cathedral which just cries out for atmospheric lighting and a hint of theatricality - great shift in colour palette too - from the warm, sandy tones of above, to the blueish, maggotty-whiteness of those rock formations. I want you to really think about the power of using a layered approach to foreground, midground and background to really place the view inside of this space; imagine that the view of the space is again, from the human POV; perhaps the viewer is looking past or through a rock formation, perhaps looking up at the vaulting on the cavern roof; there would be pools of water perhaps, reflecting caustics of light onto the rock surfaces, giving you lots of opportunity for using rim lighting of objects. When you put objects in front of each other, you create what's known as spatial occlusion, which very quickly creates a sensation of immersion and depth; this trick image by Magritte shows the power of occlusion and the illusion of space it creates:
Often in this project, students begin the process by always creating entirely uninterrupted views of everything, but it's by building compositions in layers of foreground, midground and background - and making strategic use of occlusion, that you can create much more satisfying images.
In terms of the treasure room, I think you just need to sprinkle enough artistic license and showmanship around so that this space doesn't feel somehow less dynamic than your others; agreed, you want to create a sense of confinement and impending doom, but on your influence map you've got some really moody images making dramatic use of light and POV, so don't be afraid to go for the drama. Just watch your thumbnails - you're defaulting to a classic one-point perspective 'railway track' approach, which has the effect of turning all your compositions into visual corridors and making everything very symmetrical - which can instantly make a composition less interesting. I suggest you a) drop your point-of-views nearer the ground (because in so doing your structures will feel much more imposing and subjective), and b) shift your vanishing points away from the centre of your compositions - to the left or right, and c) make use of the principles of occlusion and layers of foreground, midground and background to help your viewer feel as if they're actually 'inside' the space.
General note about research - be careful: you state in your OGR that Haggard is the author of Treasure Island - which he isn't (Robert Louis Stevenson wrote it). Also, your OGR suffers from some capitalisation errors, and, the actual layout of images and page design isn't great; it all feels a bit haphazard.
Just read your Metropolis review - bit on the short side, but you make some fascinating observations, not least the bit about the 'Expressionists' fear of machines and women'.
OGR 12/10/2012
ReplyDeleteMorning Vikki,
Okay, well, as I think feedback from from myself and your creative partners would suggest that the 'big foot' composition is a popular one. It certainly conveys the enormity of this first scene, while avoiding those helicopter shots that were shrinking your scene in your earlier thumbnails. I would still encourage you however, to explore ways to combine this set-up with a wider view, so that we get a greater sense of the statue to whom the big foot belongs and also get a sense of the landscape in which it sits. You've achieved some lovely textural effects in this more polished digital painting, but don't let that stop you from still thinking about this scene in terms of its potential to be developed a little further.
I look forward to seeing the 'place of death' space developed further too - there is something about that organic cathedral which just cries out for atmospheric lighting and a hint of theatricality - great shift in colour palette too - from the warm, sandy tones of above, to the blueish, maggotty-whiteness of those rock formations. I want you to really think about the power of using a layered approach to foreground, midground and background to really place the view inside of this space; imagine that the view of the space is again, from the human POV; perhaps the viewer is looking past or through a rock formation, perhaps looking up at the vaulting on the cavern roof; there would be pools of water perhaps, reflecting caustics of light onto the rock surfaces, giving you lots of opportunity for using rim lighting of objects. When you put objects in front of each other, you create what's known as spatial occlusion, which very quickly creates a sensation of immersion and depth; this trick image by Magritte shows the power of occlusion and the illusion of space it creates:
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb283/sequentialscott/Magritte.jpg
Often in this project, students begin the process by always creating entirely uninterrupted views of everything, but it's by building compositions in layers of foreground, midground and background - and making strategic use of occlusion, that you can create much more satisfying images.
In terms of the treasure room, I think you just need to sprinkle enough artistic license and showmanship around so that this space doesn't feel somehow less dynamic than your others; agreed, you want to create a sense of confinement and impending doom, but on your influence map you've got some really moody images making dramatic use of light and POV, so don't be afraid to go for the drama. Just watch your thumbnails - you're defaulting to a classic one-point perspective 'railway track' approach, which has the effect of turning all your compositions into visual corridors and making everything very symmetrical - which can instantly make a composition less interesting. I suggest you a) drop your point-of-views nearer the ground (because in so doing your structures will feel much more imposing and subjective), and b) shift your vanishing points away from the centre of your compositions - to the left or right, and c) make use of the principles of occlusion and layers of foreground, midground and background to help your viewer feel as if they're actually 'inside' the space.
General note about research - be careful: you state in your OGR that Haggard is the author of Treasure Island - which he isn't (Robert Louis Stevenson wrote it). Also, your OGR suffers from some capitalisation errors, and, the actual layout of images and page design isn't great; it all feels a bit haphazard.
Just read your Metropolis review - bit on the short side, but you make some fascinating observations, not least the bit about the 'Expressionists' fear of machines and women'.