AuthorTopic: C64 BlueJay  (Read 5410 times)

Offline Red_Mist

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C64 BlueJay

on: October 22, 2010, 02:57:34 am
Been working on this on for the Weekly PJ challenge.
Found the 4 color restriction to be a huge challenge for me, but using double wide pixels makes up for it :/
Used Ptoings Palette.
The background is supposed to be clouds. May be some contrast issues due to the low color count, could use some ideas on accomplishing better contrast.
Am hoping to place with this one, but there is alot of talent out there, so I may be aiming a bit high... lol. its okay either way. (not gonna happen, lol, was still fun anyway tho.)


and the ref, I scaled it down to the size I need and did a trace, I hope people dont feel like I cheated, was still hard imo.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2010, 02:50:47 pm by Red_Mist »
<Xion> I can't see it why can't I see it

Offline Tourist

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #1 on: October 22, 2010, 08:13:54 pm
Crits:

The dark area on the chest should extend further down the belly.
The white area at the collar/shoulder doesn't match the shape of the source image.
The line of the top of the head where it meets the beak is less smooth in the source.
The surface of the wing could use a bit more detail.

Looking at the composition, the level of complexity in the background is about equal to that of the bird.  This makes the two blend together too strongly.  Consider making one of them simple and the other complex (I'd suggest a complex bird on a simpler background) to create sufficient contrast.  Or keep the curved organic shapes of the bird but make the background more angles and lines.

Good luck in the contest.
Tourist

Offline Red_Mist

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #2 on: October 23, 2010, 01:43:56 am
Thanks Tourist, I'm trying to implement some of the things you suggested and I appreciated the crit. :>
I've done an update and I think its an improvement... but I still think I can push it a bit further...

OLD


NEW


NEWER

« Last Edit: October 23, 2010, 03:25:56 pm by Red_Mist »
<Xion> I can't see it why can't I see it

Offline buddy90

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #3 on: October 23, 2010, 04:59:29 pm
Try to make the mountains simpler. Remove the dither and use the dark purple to imply the shadows on the mountain.

Offline STE 86

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #4 on: October 24, 2010, 11:18:27 am
if it was mine i think i would take the background base colour back to dark blue then add highlights with mid blue and dark blue dither. ut then will have the final option of going darker with dark blue/black dither. try to use the whites only on the bird and i think this will work better.

either way seeing as how your birds edges ar primarily in the highlight range, going darker in the background will immediately have the effect of making the bird "pop" on the screen.

also dont go mad with the background, you only need to "suggest" shapes. what they are doesnt really matter. could be vegetation clouds or mountains, just make them out of focus and the viewers brain will fit that bit in for you.

Steve

Offline .TakaM

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #5 on: October 28, 2010, 01:33:39 am
I know this was for a 4 colour restriction thing, but I think the thing this piece would most benefit from is more colours.
The whole tile effect to how things are coloured (see some of Helm and Ptoings C64 stuff) is another dimension of detail and skill that really adds a lot, I feel like it's kinda tragic for a C64 contest to set a 4 colour limit...
Life without knowledge is death in disguise

Offline PypeBros

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Re: C64 BlueJay

Reply #6 on: October 28, 2010, 09:19:52 am
Impressive. I think the "legs" still need some work (they seem unnaturally thin right now, imho).
I guess you have plans for bringing more variety on that white ground as well, haven't you ?