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Beav's Stuff (nsfw): How Much is that Bugatti in the Window (finished on 15)

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Posts

  • D-RobeD-Robe Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    The birds feet look extra saturated compared to the rest of the picture.
    I think that was what you were going for though.
    I have never seen a bird in real life.

    D-Robe on
    Cheese.
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    ah yeah i see you what you mean!
    better?

    driftwood_color2.jpg

    yeah drobe i wanted them to be like super saturated so that the eye goes there first
    jason manley was at illustration academy this year and he sort of drilled into my head that if you throw heavy contrast where you want the eye to go, it'll draw people there every time
    he actually made the point using one bright saturated red jacket in a sea of more muted ones, and it really made sense!
    are they too saturated though do you think? i can mute them a bit

    beavotron on
  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited October 2010
    Yeah that reads like sand instantly to me now.

    Iruka on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    thanks iruka for the help! <3

    beavotron on
  • FlayFlay Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    You really have a great sense of style beavs. :^:

    I'm not sure about the saturation of the birds; it's not so much that it ruins the image, but you should probably experiment with tuning it down a litte and finding other ways to increase the contrast. I would probably try lightening the sky directly behind them, but I'm not sure if that would be too obvious.

    Flay on
  • GrennGrenn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Love it. And the saturation works fine for me.

    My only crit would be that, composition-wise, it's very left and somewhat awkward feeling. Like literally, as soon as I saw the image I had a distict sensation of arrgh, everything's too far left.

    Part of that, I think, is due to the driftwood looking like it should be centered but actually being a touch off to the left. Also, because we tend to naturally 'read' things left-to-right, your brain sort of hits the focal point "too early". I actually think the image works better horizontally flipped.

    But it is still rather lovely regardless, excellent work.

    Grenn on
  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    For some reason my eye gets stuck on the place where the tree enters the sand on the right. Something about that is too sudden.

    Mojo_Jojo on
    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • The_Glad_HatterThe_Glad_Hatter One Sly Fox Underneath a Groovy HatRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Mojo_Jojo wrote: »
    For some reason my eye gets stuck on the place where the tree enters the sand on the right. Something about that is too sudden.

    That could be solved with the horizontal flipping Grenn suggested.

    The_Glad_Hatter on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Great crit guys!
    There's actually also a slight tangent being formed between the water, sand and log there
    Also a lot of contrast in that area.
    Adjustments when I actually get my ass out of bed haha

    beavotron on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    some tweaks based on your suggestions:

    driftwood4.jpg

    beavotron on
  • winter_combat_knightwinter_combat_knight Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Looks very pretty. I like it.

    But im not sure about the weeds in the foreground. I understand they are blurred because they are out of focus, but im thinking in regards to your style, it may work better being sharper.

    edit

    sharper like in this initial rough
    driftwood.jpg

    winter_combat_knight on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    gotta disagree with you there wck, in the original sketch, they were pulling too much attention
    illustrations need focal points, the weeds are necessary to keep the eye moving around the page and not falling off at the corners, but when they're sharp like that, they create too much contrast and become their own focal points more than just guides for the eye to go where i want you to look.

    beavotron on
  • ParadiseParadise Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Ooh, pretty lines on the driftwood. A couple crits:
    Grenn wrote: »
    composition-wise, it's very left and somewhat awkward feeling.

    This intense asymmetry is still present, but now it's just reversed. There is a lot of movement to the right... maybe too much. It's overwhelming, and there's nothing to offset it. The birds (with their color jolt) are a strong design element; they might better serve the composition by looking into the page instead of away to the right. Also, psychologically, it's uncomfortable when you can't see what people (or birds) are staring at. Give them some look space (head space?).
    quick idea:

    turnaroundyoubirds.jpg

    Another (maybe totally subjective) criticism: I don't like the foreground weeds. Yeah, they do a decent job isolating the corners and pulling our eyes into the composition, but they look tacked on, flat, and unnatural. The way they look right now, they don't belong in this picture.

    Paradise on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    oh hey i like that change! i will do that, thanks duder!

    beavotron on
  • GrennGrenn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    /agree with Paradise

    Soon as I saw the flipped version, I thought "hmmm I'd perhaps try the birds facing back the other way..."

    and hey presto. :^:

    Grenn on
  • WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Goddamnit Beavo. I hate you. I hate you to death in a good way.


    I actually like the birds facing to the right but they would need an anchor of some sort. A third bird sitting on the thicker branch immediately down and to their left might work.

    Wassermelone on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Gonna try third bird because rule of threes always seems to make magic eye sex and if that doesn't work, flippy birds.

    Thanks guys!

    Wasser, I assure you the feelings are mutual...in a good way ;)

    beavotron on
  • MakunouchiMakunouchi Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Something about having a completely flat beach leading to flat water is niggling me, it looks great though, it's just beaches don't work that way :P

    Makunouchi on
  • The_Glad_HatterThe_Glad_Hatter One Sly Fox Underneath a Groovy HatRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Grenn wrote: »
    /agree with Paradise

    Soon as I saw the flipped version, I thought "hmmm I'd perhaps try the birds facing back the other way..."

    and hey presto. :^:

    was thinking EXACTLY the same thing.

    The_Glad_Hatter on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    raininla.jpg

    alright so... it rained in LA the past few days, which is apparently unheard of, people are going so crazy about it, it's really funny. I did this study of the buildings across the street while I was in starbucks, and I liked it, so I was at home playing around with it trying to capture that drizzly feeling, but still make it feel like los angeles.
    So I added in the bright yellow umbrellas... both to give a bit of contrast and some points of interest, but also just to play around with the composition a little and push myself to try something a little out of my comfort zone
    I don't know how I feel about three distinct focal points all so close to the bottom of the image...
    i feel like I want the thing to feel sort of haphazard and off kilter because the whole city literally goes into a tizzy when it rains, it's so funny to me!
    Also I like the fact that the umbrellas are yellow and california is regarded as the sunshine state, so I brought the sunshine into the umbrellas... but

    ... i dunno, what do you guys think?

    beavotron on
  • slacktronslacktron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Crazy LA people, who doesn't love the rain?

    Hey Beavo, strange question here but are you left handed?
    I might be out of my depth here, but it seems that your last couple of compositions have been weighted to the left and I think that breaks up your line, at least as I understand "line" from Art in Canada.

    *Line: The line or direction the viewer's eye takes to go through the picture. The objects or forms within the picture should lead the eye to the focal point. When art is viewed, most people will begin in the bottom left corner, and continue through the picture to the right. A good composition will not allow the viewer to keep going right, all the way off the page. The viewer should be lead back into the painting in a flowing motion.

    Now, I don't usually believe things I read on the internet at face value (except for AC forum posters), but given the example your seascape-and-birds above, it seems to be true. It worked best when the viewer started in the lower left, was drawn up along the driftwood, then focused on the birds, and ultimately went back into the painting to find out what the birds are looking at.
    Applying that to this piece, I find that my eyes hit the big contrast of the tree and came to a full stop. But if I flip the canvas horizontally, my eyes have to traverse the entire piece before resting on the tree, like this:
    neonakis_raininla_arrow.jpg

    The only suggestion I have is that it's a little hard for me to get from the right side to the left side of the tree at the top there. I think if you showed the dark treetop contrasting against the gray sky, my eyes would follow right along it and go directly to the telephone wires.

    Bit of a tangent here, but does it feel weird to see your work flipped horizontally? I've talked to some manga artists who just can't stand to see their work flipped over for the western-style readers, even though it looks all good to me.

    slacktron on
    slacktron_zombie_fighter_sig.jpg
  • WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Sorry beavo, its not my favorite. Compositionally, that tree just has far too much weight.

    Makes me think of Florida though :P

    Wassermelone on
  • ChromatomicChromatomic Mr. DCRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Florida is sunny and also gets all the rain.

    We get really awesome thunderstorms too.

    Chromatomic on
  • PROXPROX Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    those umbrellas are cute. nice one beavs.

    PROX on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    hey guys!
    thanks for the crits!
    unfortunately like an idiot, I didn't save an unflattened version of this, so I had to sort of improvise with a jpg. but I made a few adjustments that I think fixed it a bit... I don't think it's gonna be perfect, but hopefully step in the right direction?

    slack: that's so funny.. I'm not left handed, I'm right handed! but I took what you said and added in the pole over top of the umbrella to try and keep the eye from running off with the power lines. also i think eveyone hates seeing their stuff flipped, it sort of jolts your brain a bit and makes you see things you didn't see before.. specifically, glaring flaws.

    wasser: I cropped it, and tried to lighten the tree a bit, because I think you're right, it's pretty heavy.
    any better? I'll probably move on soon cause studies are studies, and I learned some things, so I got what I needed to out of this one I think.

    raininla3.jpg

    beavotron on
  • ebotasticebotastic Going Gonzo In People's HeartsRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    beavotron wrote: »
    also i think eveyone hates seeing their stuff flipped, it sort of jolts your brain a bit and makes you see things you didn't see before.. specifically, glaring flaws.

    This sounds like something one could use to their advantage. 8-)

    ebotastic on
    Please, call me ebo.
  • WassermeloneWassermelone Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I have flip horizontal set to a hotkey just for that purpose.

    Wassermelone on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    yeah i'm an h-flipper for sure
    i also like flipping it upside down, that's a whole other kettle of fish for your brain to digest

    most good designers/illustrators recommend doing that with your work. or holding it up to a mirror if you're working traditionally.

    beavotron on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    So I keep talking about silhouettes all the time in here when doing character design crits
    I just finished up a couple assets for an iPad game, and my client is allowing me to use them pre-release for my portfolio cause... well, they don't really give away anything in the game at all.

    I thought it might be a good opportunity to show how I actually use this stuff that I'm always preaching in my work. so here's what I start with when doing something like this:

    animal_silhouettes.jpg
    I will mess around with these more than anything else
    If I get one I like, I'll duplicate that, and tweak it, exaggerate some things, make some things smaller, play around with it a bit! more often than not, doing that gives me something even better!

    The rest is so easy
    once you have a strong silhouette, you can really do whatever you want to the rest of it honestly:

    animals.jpg

    ...not gonna post the finals here, cause the game's not out yet, but cleaning them up is just tightening the sketches and adding color so eh.

    easy peasy!
    the important part is silhouette
    if your silhouette reads, the rest will be easy
    if it doesn't, you're going to struggle with getting things to look right.
    start big, work towards the small stuff
    sure giraffes have spots on them, but if the shape's wrong, it's not gonna look like a giraffe.
    can you still tell which one of the silhouettes is a giraffe? can you see it's spots in that one? nope.

    eaaaasy!
    also if you guys wanna crit these, go for it! feedback is an important part of this too, it's easy to miss stuff when you've got a bunch of crap on your mind... and deadlines WOOO deadlines! hahah.

    beavotron on
  • MustangMustang Arbiter of Unpopular Opinions Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Best giraffe ever....thanks for the protip beavs, I might have a crack over the next few days.

    Mustang on
  • beavotronbeavotron Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    yeah they totally do

    eh i worked on this too long tonight i'll probably come back to it tomorrow and find a bunch of stuff i hate

    girlslovepuppies.jpg

    beavotron on
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Surveyor of Things and Stuff Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I think your host server is the problem beavs, it might be blocked by my school's firewall or something.

    Nappuccino on
    Like to write? Want to get e-published? Give us a look-see at http://wednesdaynightwrites.com/
    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.

    Not even BEAR vaginas can defeat me!
    cakemikz wrote: »
    And then I rub actual cake on myself.
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  • Tommy2HandsTommy2Hands what is this where am i Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    love it so dang much

    Tommy2Hands on
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  • GrennGrenn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Lovin' the new stuff. Aces.

    Grenn on
  • streeverstreever Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Man. I love the original umbrellas one. I see what people mean when they say the bird one (which is also quite nice) is too heavily weighted to the left. That jumps out at me immediately, but the umbrella one does not have that problem for me.

    The silhouettes are incredible and the bench is great too. Really nice work!

    streever on
  • MagicToasterMagicToaster JapanRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    you're amazing!

    MagicToaster on
  • ParadiseParadise Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Wow Beavo, this turned out great! I love the colors! Hmm, I'd like to see that warm glow radiate farther into the left, and I think the bench (along with the rest of the page) could be shortened a bit. You know, to close the gap. That blue guy doesn't need to be so far away to feel isolated.

    Oh and starting with silhouettes is great! Sometimes I scribble them out furiously, and in a fit I'll make a whole bunch of them. And then--like you said--once you have those it's so easy.


    edit:
    Makes me think of Florida though :P

    It made me think of Florida too. Sunshine State nostalgia.

    Paradise on
  • PierceNeckPierceNeck Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I wish I had lots of adorable puppies.

    PierceNeck on
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  • DelzhandDelzhand Hard to miss. Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    The puppies do look kinda rodent-like, though. I think it's just the ear size.

    Delzhand on
  • GodfatherGodfather Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Wow, you've gotten really good since I last checked this place out. Really been burning the midnight oil!

    Godfather on
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