(hopefully) CMI Style background 4 C&C (redesigned)

[..]

This is a background i doodled lasty night and then colored it in useing a new tecnique (methinks) that i made up as i went along... Its a bit big so ull prob have to scroll 2 c it


I tried to copy the CMI Style with the clouds...

I've built a game idea around it.. its called
Bermuda : Secrets of Atlantis.

The black bit will contain a GUI if u didnt know..

[Mari]

I like it.  It has a very calming look to it.  Almost like you are in a dream.

[Peter Thomas]

Agreed, except that tree near the building in the middle
looks like a 2d paper cut out. It has no depth.

But, I really REALLY like that 2d look.

And you're clouds rock.

[Karimi]

Pretty nice.

The clouds are cool but should be fixed a bit so that they look a bit more like clouds , by that i mean that along the end they become pointy and that isn't very cloud-like even from monkey island.

The tree in the back also should be worked on since it looks 2d,  everything else is fine.

[Morgan]

Am I the only one who cant tell what that gray thing in the middle is. It kind of looks like a fountain. Is it a fountain? Because it looks like a fountain....Its a fountain right? Lets just say it is a fountain. Then it should look rounder and more.... fountain like. Right now it has no depth.

[DanClarke]

i think you need to spend more time detailling it to get the CMI look.

[Andail]

Although it's a nice background to start out with, it might be a bit hasty to call it CMI-style.
Giving c&c on a picture is always easier if the artist can be honest to himself, and not have to high pretentions, otherwise people might judge it from another perspective.

Right now, it seems there are lots of things you could improve just by being a bit more careful with details.

[..]

Hmm..... I wasnt really trying to copy CMI rather than the clouds... just using it as insperation.. My Fault.. should have made that clearer... Anyhoo Iyou're right that tree is really bugging me now... so I had a go at rounding it...

Rather than posting the whole thing i'll jsut post the new tree...



Any advice on what I can add detail wise? Eg, tiles etc. And then advice on how to do that:P

That is a fountain in the background, it will eventually be an animated background with water coming from it (Hopefully......)

[DanClarke]

its a bit of an improvement, but the base of the tree needs to follow the roundness of the gradient. Also, the fact that you are using gradients takes you further away from CMI style. Keep at it.

[..]

Im not actually using gradients, That is just the dodge and burn tools.

[Daz]

i think you need to focus on a single point of perspective, the perspective is all over the place on all of the buildings. Especially the barns

other than that looks cool


-Daz

[..]

This is a background thats ben redesigned from the background at http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=13218

I had to redesign it because when working out puzzles I needed the hut on top of a mountain kind of thing. and also i wanted the Museum to look more old and 'CMI Looking'

So here it is


I need advice on how to improve them so I can get them the best they can possibly be

Thanks in advance...

[..]

Thanks for all the advice. I've had to remake the background for various reasons so you can see the improved version here
http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=13262;start=0#lastPost
Be sure to go give some help there:P

[Daz]

i think you could shade the door on the house in the foreground a bit more because it looks like it is flat against the wall.

but it looks 10 times better than the last


- Daz

[..]

Ok.. One shaded door (now with a handle!)



Anything else?

Also what do you think of the smoke on that house in the background..? Do you think it looks right how it suddenly just feathers off

[Chicky]

I liked this background, but i was sure it was missing somthing...

depth and detail, your image has practially no shadows and no obvious light source. Its too hard to put this into words so i did a QUICK edit..



basically i added strong shadows, a little more detail, darkened the forground, and sorted out slight perspective problems.

sorry about the crappy edit, editing flash pictures in PSP doesnt really work.

-OSC

[..]

Luvin the edit.. Nexty on my agenda will be to add shadows and paths then...

I'll get too it...

Some qusetions about your edit though...

Why'd you add that weird houde thing in the middle?

no obvious light source

I'd say the sun is a pretty obvious light source

Other than that I'll take in your edits and make a new versio nand post it here, I'll darken the foreground but only slightly.. not to the extent you have:P

[Chicky]

hehe, i didnt notice the sun

yeh, i just thought an extra house would make the scene look a bit more interesting.

i dunno it was just a suggestion

-OSC

[..]

This is what I love about the critics lounge I feel the backgrounds progressed well...

Version 3
I added a shadow to the building and paths so you have a clear idea of where you leave and enter and where you can and can't go...



So just tell me what you think I should improve.. or remove next.. lol... I'll put a demo level of this on the net hopefully when its complete

[Andail]

There's no need for two threads when showing the progress of one picture, so I've merged them back together.

It has progressed well, at least
The image is much more composed now, and makes more sense as a background. You have taken care of obvious glitches and added nice details.
I'd recommend making the sky more interesting. The clouds and the sun either have gotta go or get a remake. Make the clouds more individual, you're not gonna make a gameboy rpg are you? Try making them in other colours, and definitely add some nice soft colour to the sun.
Also I think you're ready to get rid of the gradients and work with more well-defined shadows. That style would definitely gain more from cartoonistic, plain fields of colour than all the dogde and burn and smear and whatnot

Anyhow, good job so far.