AuthorTopic: GR#027 - F. Nietzsche gazes into you - Portrait  (Read 20484 times)

Offline Helm

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GR#027 - F. Nietzsche gazes into you - Portrait

on: June 27, 2010, 11:43:40 am



Sketch:



Steps:












I couldn't ink it so I pixelled it!

Offline Chris2balls

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #1 on: June 27, 2010, 02:21:06 pm
I think the hand could've been quite powerful if it were incorporated in the piece, but sidetrack the attention from the face. I'll give it a try:
« Last Edit: June 27, 2010, 02:50:24 pm by Chris2balls »
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Offline Helm

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #2 on: June 27, 2010, 02:52:41 pm
The hand was holding a paintbrush, not twirling the mustache, and that it wasn't easy to see was one of the reasons I didn't keep it in the composition.

Offline st0ven

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #3 on: June 27, 2010, 03:41:00 pm
really lovely! im really liking the grey value steps inbetween as well. I was most curious why you hit the places that you did with those vibrant icy/blue - cyan higlights? does it flatten the edges a little bit? i know otherwise (its quite obvious) that it gives a good balance of that color throughout rather than being completely separated by head and shirt as being two different hue groups. I happen to agree with chris about the hand. even if the paintbrush was too small to illustrate well, i think the hand gesture is strong enough to include it to complete your composition as it was in the sketch. Im really glad you didnt have to put it on a transparent background :D

Offline Tuna Unleashed

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #4 on: June 27, 2010, 03:55:49 pm
this is completely fantastic but i just want to say that i am in favour of any and all mustache twirling

Offline Chris2balls

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #5 on: June 27, 2010, 06:22:02 pm
The hand was holding a paintbrush, not twirling the mustache, and that it wasn't easy to see was one of the reasons I didn't keep it in the composition.
I saw that while editing, but I quite liked the idea, though it maybe be perceived as humorous, I find it creates some tension in the piece.
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Offline Conzeit

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #6 on: June 27, 2010, 06:50:35 pm
 ??? wow I really didnt expect that...I really liked the big curvy white highlights...that you broke up in your red version. mind if I make another version?

Offline Helm

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #7 on: June 27, 2010, 08:55:42 pm
st0ven, I'm not sure why my brain thought 'oh, I should have a secondary light-source in this!' at some point, but it seems to have worked out pretty well, heh.

Conceit, go for it.

Offline ErekT

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #8 on: June 27, 2010, 10:45:51 pm
I love the facet-like shading and the colours you've used. Terrific stuff :y: One thing I do like better about the sketch is the neurotic look in his eyes that I feel doesn't come through quite as well in the pixelled version. Having a fetish for editing I tried my hand at a small edit to illustrate what I mean by giving the eyes more of a diamond-shape and darkening the right eye a bit  :D



Offline Mathias

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Re: F. Nietzsche gazes into you

Reply #9 on: June 28, 2010, 12:31:32 am
I love the polygon stylizing, too.
Helm, your works like this one make me want to categorize them as modern pixel art. Your usage of the pixel definitely departs from the "retro" hayday of pixel art, and even most pixel works from today. Feels evolved, though not arbitrarily superior to pixel art that doesn't share it's artistic approach. This type of thing is like pop pixel art - the solid red hair, the vertical line dithered jacket, etc, all come together to present us with a fun-to-look-at sophisticated polish evidently the end-result of a profound comfort with the medium plus much experienced experimentation.

And you did the subtle gamma pulsing thing again. It worked really well for the undead girl, but I'm not sure about it here. It occurs to me that it's easily a cheap trick to enhance visual interest, but without relevance to the subject matter, therefore running the risk of only distracting. If given the choice, I'd still keep it actually. It's still unique feeling.

Love the pose and stare too, btw. Very characterful. Great sketch to work off of, it doesn't look like digital drawing.



Chris2balls, good idea but I'm not sure complicating the composition is worth it. Perhaps if your hand had even less contrast perhaps? - it would impact the focus less, sucking away less attention. I'd suggest pointing the pinky finger out like people do when they're fiddling with something using their index finger and thumb (imagine someone sipping from a wine glass, what the pinky does). It'll give it that mandatory Dr. Evil vibe!

Erekt, I prefer Helm's original over your edit. Good effort, but lessening the far eye seems to purport to fake diminishing perspective without fully achieving it correctly, failing. Plus, the altered anatomy seems unnatural - far eye being physically smaller than closer eye; He wasn't that mutated looking!
« Last Edit: June 28, 2010, 04:26:07 am by Mathias »