Beginning of battle scene needs critiques

Drakkar11

I started to do this scene which originally was just going to be a tundra with armies fighting but eventually changed into this. I plan to add a group of warriors coming towards the viewer and other warriors facing the same way as the viewer.
I am have a ton of trouble with perspective and proportions and I have no idea how big or small to draw the warriors, wherever they are, and hope someone has some kind of rule they can use to draw on top of my picture and help me figure out how big they should be (compared to the mountains and stuff)

Also, please critique what is there so far, even though its not really near completion.

Brolo

It's looking interesting and full of implied dynamic motion. I think having the sun at that level would make the cliffs even darker on the parts that are facing us, so you might want to fool around with different levels and contrasts just to see how far you could take it.

As for the guys - well it'll depend if you want them on the cliffs - there's enough room for a couple warrior-types there I would think. I would definitely make them larger in scale rather than smaller, just because the opposing army (I presume they're on the ice field below) will be tiny by comparison, no matter where they're placed. Better to give the viewer something large to focus on.

Drakkar11

Thanks man, I was thinking about the guys on the ice field and realized how small they'd need to be. I thought about having some of them charging up the cliffs in the front but as I think about it more it might really throw of the perspective and stuff, should I just nix the idea of having warriors interact and just have some on the cliffs near the viewer, and then the rest down below on the ice field? I guess I could throw some arrows in to connect the two but other than that I don't know how it'll work. Do you have any ideas?

RusticCreature

I love the clouds and background scenery, but there's pretty much nothing about the foreground I like. The two objects on the left and right side of the image traps the viewer and turns this grand expanse into a claustrophobic enclosure. There should be something in the foreground to frame the image, but you put too much stuff there I think.

Also, embed the image in your post to get more replies.

Mykonos

It's really good. Great use of color on the sky and I'm liking the clouds as well. My one thing is that I think perhaps you should try making some of the highlights on the ice or snow a little bit more orange/yellowish to reflect the bright colors emitting from the mushroom-cloud-explosion-looking-horizon, which seems to me to serve as the dominant light source. other than that <thumbs up>

oh one more thing, put a so we can see right away and not have to click

Edit: i skimmed through your second post, and my suggestion would be to add something subtle and minimal. Perhaps drawing a winter-geared scout perched on the right ledge and overlooking the landscape would be great, and it also gives some nice foreshadowing.

Mr. H.G. Blob

RusticCreature wrote: »

I love the clouds and background scenery, but there's pretty much nothing about the foreground I like. The two objects on the left and right side of the image traps the viewer and turns this grand expanse into a claustrophobic enclosure. There should be something in the foreground to frame the image, but you put too much stuff there I think.

Jessie Garrett

You know by looking at this scene I can picture in my mind a group of warrior watching the battle from a distance, like a lone party who wishes they could be there in the battle but have been sent off on a more important mission away from the battlefield.

Perhaps 2 warriors on the upper cliff and then a lone figure standing near the tree, while we see a battle on the tundra between them.

Warribs

Jessie Garrett wrote: »

You know by looking at this scene I can picture in my mind a group of warrior watching the battle from a distance, like a lone party who wishes they could be there in the battle but have been sent off on a more important mission away from the battlefield.

Perhaps 2 warriors on the upper cliff and then a lone figure standing near the tree, while we see a battle on the tundra between them.

I like this, alot. I was also thinking you could have a select group of men close somewhere in the foreground and have their backs turned to the viewer, viewing the tundra below and a small or large group of warriors advancing from a distance.

The picture has alot of potential whichever way you choose.

Jessie Garrett

Warribs wrote: »

Jessie Garrett wrote: »

You know by looking at this scene I can picture in my mind a group of warrior watching the battle from a distance, like a lone party who wishes they could be there in the battle but have been sent off on a more important mission away from the battlefield.

Perhaps 2 warriors on the upper cliff and then a lone figure standing near the tree, while we see a battle on the tundra between them.

I like this, alot. I was also thinking you could have a select group of men close somewhere in the foreground and have their backs turned to the viewer, viewing the tundra below and a small or large group of warriors advancing from a distance.

The picture has alot of potential whichever way you choose.

Thats true Warribs.
Its definitely a good base for a scene. I mean I'm picturing all kinds of story ideas that spring up by looking at the potential there.