Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Morganne on October 24, 2007, 02:54:49 pm

Title: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: Morganne on October 24, 2007, 02:54:49 pm: (http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic/53603BVi/1073761.gif)

I was inspired, quite some time ago, by the monochrome challenge over at PixelJoint. At the time I completely forgot the fact that it was supposed to have a cyberpunk theme... so I started working on that tree. Most of the time I spent on it was trying to figure out what to do with it. I finally slapped a decent background on it, and Im happy with the way its going so far.
What I really need help with are those awful colors. I stupidly have my work-area set to some bluish color, so it skewed my perception of the ones I chose, and when put on a white background everything seems much brighter and bluer/pinker than I had expected. Im also looking for opinions on weather I should add some sort of character in there somewhere. I'm bored with my standard nekid-lady, and though a dragon might look nifty, its kinda old-hat as well. My mum suggested some sort of mountain-lion but I didnt think that would fit with the feel of the picture... anyways! Enough of my rambling! Thanks in advance for the help.
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: Rydin on October 24, 2007, 03:17:34 pm: Quote
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."
-the first line of William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
If that's not cyberpunk, I guess I don't know what is. In short, I think the colors are fine :y:
You definitely could add a character somewhere...I'd suggest one lying on the tree branch, with maybe one leg dangling over, you know? Of course, be careful not to disrupt the whole flowing feel you've go going so far. As for what that character should be, that's beyond my creative reign ;).
My only real critique at the moment is that the rock feels much too alike to the tree...which is expected with such a palette...maybe make it darker or something?
But I like the contrast of the harsh, angled lines of the tree branches versus the curvy, free lines of the sky and trunk of tree...not sure if it was intentional or not, but I like it :P.
Good luck!
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: gliding on October 24, 2007, 03:24:50 pm: I'm loving this, perhaps a large quetzel-esque bird perched on the tree with its tail flowing in the general direction of the rest of the piece?

some ref pics of the quetzalcoatl:

http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/images2/quetzal4.jpg

http://nexusnovel.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/resplendent-quetzalsteven-easley-costa-rica.jpg

good luck :)
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: sharprm on October 24, 2007, 10:08:34 pm: What about a crow flying towards the camera?
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: pkmays on October 24, 2007, 10:32:21 pm: Right now, the tree is the character. There's no reason this can't work without some mammal hogging up all the space.

This can be quite moody if you add some drama to the shading. The moon and clouds have a high contrast foreboding quality to them, but then the landscape below gets all gray and, well, meh. Darken the shadows on the near side of the tree, and add some specs to the far side from the moon light. Maybe put some rim light on the underside of the trunk. Also, I think the piece will be stronger if the bottom and top corners go dark. A dark mountainous forest silhouetted by the clouds individual treetops drawn out by the moon light.

The moon bugs me, the ring of light around it seems unnecessary. The actual moon is nice and rounded, but the ring around it is more hexagonal than circular. Also the rings look pillowy, not anti-aliased.
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: AdamAtomic on October 25, 2007, 06:27:31 am: Quote from: pkmays on October 24, 2007, 10:32:21 pm
Right now, the tree is the character. There's no reason this can't work without some mammal hogging up all the space.

o_O birds are mammals now?

Anyways this is a really fantastic start; I would not put anything in the foreground. As much as I disagree with pkmays's biology, I think he's dead-on about the composition. Some mid-ground or background shape or animal or something might not be out of place, but that branch is way to pretty and the composition is too good to muck it up with some big character.
Title: Re: [WIP] Looking for lots of help on a big landscape thingy.
Post by: rabidbaboy on October 25, 2007, 11:06:23 am: I actually think a crow would not be out of place here.

The moon, I think, has this weird way of looking square-ish/blockish, due to the additional corona of white you've added.

The rock also looks out of place, since it's looking like a worm's-eye-view and then suddenly there's a rock. What's more is it looks like it's a rock that might be found in a cave, not in a field or a hill.

I like how you did the trunk, all swirly and flowing. And the clouds close to the moon, though I would think that clouds closer to the moon would be lighter. The rock really breaks the swirly motion you have here.

More! ;)