Help with tightening a background, please?

GreenBeams · Mon 01/12/2014 19:22:12

Hello there!

I'm relatively new to background design and i'd just like some advice on how to take this image further, please.

Any help, crits or comments you have would be, well... just adored, they really would =)))) (especially if they are constructive)

It's meant to start on the left at 800x600 and then soer of pan as you walk to the right

Thanks for looking.

cat · Mon 01/12/2014 19:48:55

Looks amazing! My only concern is where the walkable area should be on the left?

GreenBeams · Mon 01/12/2014 21:23:09

Thanks very much!

I see that i haven't made that at all obvious. Maybe if i take part of the spiral staircase structure and open it up... also make it more apparent that it's actually a spiral staircase down.

Thanks again, cat!

aikex222 · Mon 01/12/2014 21:45:02

Wow Looks fantastic and since it's a WIP you can still improve here the walkable areas are.
Excited to see the final work

Lasca · Mon 01/12/2014 22:43:55

Absolutly love the colours. Looks great! Impressive.

CaptainD · Mon 01/12/2014 23:39:24

This could almost be a missing location from The Journey Down!

Love the lighting.

GreenBeams · Tue 02/12/2014 07:59:01

Quote from: aikex222 on Mon 01/12/2014 21:45:02
Wow Looks fantastic and since it's a WIP you can still improve here the walkable areas are.
Excited to see the final work

Thanks! Yeah, i agree that it's best to do this here rather than subject the comp with several iterations of the same thing. With regards to the competition, can the BG be animated at all?

Quote from: Lasca on Mon 01/12/2014 22:43:55
Absolutly love the colours. Looks great! Impressive.

Thanks very much for saying so! I've boosted the blue/cyan in the newer version to also push that focal area of light coming down from the crevasse opening =)

Quote from: CaptainD on Mon 01/12/2014 23:39:24
This could almost be a missing location from The Journey Down! Love the lighting.

That's very flattering but i imagine they finished their paintings xD I always have trouble after the messy ideas phase. Practice practice practice and all that!

Thanks again for all your kind words. I'll post an update when i get some more noticable changes done

aikex222 · Tue 02/12/2014 08:51:36

Quote from: Yakatakatulla on Tue 02/12/2014 07:59:01
Quote from: aikex222 on Mon 01/12/2014 21:45:02
Wow Looks fantastic and since it's a WIP you can still improve here the walkable areas are.
Excited to see the final work

Thanks! Yeah, i agree that it's best to do this here rather than subject the comp with several iterations of the same thing. With regards to the competition, can the BG be animated at all?

Could you do non animated version?
Is just we have more 18 days to finish and i don't want to mess with the rules now. $:-\$

Snarky · Tue 02/12/2014 10:10:09

Yes, it looks very good! Since you asked for crits, here are a couple of things you might want to address:

-The whole left side tilts to the right. Don't know if this is deliberate, it's very easy to do by mistake and not notice. Try flipping (mirroring) the image to see if any imbalances like this jump out at you.
-There's not a great sense of scale. I assume this is meant to be a massive cave, but at this stage (of course it's still early) it looks more like a miniature. Try using things like atmospheric perspective and varying degrees of detail to suggest scale.
-You might want to use some more strategic highlights to direct the viewer's attention to particular things in the scene (I don't know what details are important in the game here, but I assume you do), and to help indicate the walkable areas, as others have mentioned.

GreenBeams · Tue 02/12/2014 14:20:41

Quote

Could you do non animated version?
Is just we have more 18 days to finish and i don't want to mess with the rules now. $:-\$

No worries - it's probably best that i try and get this actually done as opposed to running before i can walk =)

@Snarky - that's all fantastic, thanks SO much! Please don't take this update as me saying i'm not doing any of that. I'm just breaking for lunch but thought i'd try and get some opinions on the new format. I'll address your points just after lunch. Thanks again, really.

portableTaco · Tue 02/12/2014 18:39:41

I just wanted to say that I think your new version has fixed that tilt that Snarky mentioned, and I like the lighting a lot more too. My only complaint with your first WIP was that some things seemed undefined but I suppose that you're going to continue refining the background's edges as you go. Anyway I really like the color and the lighting seemed a bit dull before but now it's more interesting, especially on the opening from outside. I like it!

GreenBeams · Tue 02/12/2014 19:16:54

@portableTaco - thanks very much for the kind words! You were completely right about the unrefined stuff and i only know that now that i'm just plugging away at it. Seriously, i just kept on going and it got better (to me, at least)!

Here's todays offering and now it's pen down time and relax. I shall post more updates tomorrow!

portableTaco · Tue 02/12/2014 22:45:57

Looking good! Yeah just keep refining it as you go, it's getting better for sure! That's something I often wonder as I'm painting; is it getting better or am I destroying it? haha. How long have you been painting things? Also yeah it's a good idea to take a break and come back and look at it again, you might see things you missed before.

GreenBeams · Thu 04/12/2014 20:12:10

And this is where i ended up! =))

I've a couple of things left to do on it to push it further but i've entered it into the BGBlitz comp as it is now. Thanks again for all the amazing help and kind words!

Andail · Fri 05/12/2014 11:57:06

This is very good!
It does indeed look like something Theo could have whipped up for Journey Down II

You have chosen a scene that lends itself well to this kind of digital painting, especially with the warm/cold dual-lighting.

I might have showed slightly more of the interior of the well, not to close off an area of the picture which should work as an entrance/exit. In the drafts there was a problem with readability here, but in the final version you defined the stairs better.

Great job!

GreenBeams · Fri 05/12/2014 15:26:47

Wow, thanks very much, Andail =D

I'm going to have to make time for the Journey Down. It's not something i've actually played but it sounds quite inspirational =)

I think it's a great observation about closing off the picture. You're absolutely right, too! In my head, i'd apportioned that part of the of the picture for some kind of animated heat haze or gentle, wafting smoke so i don't think i pushed it too far. As it turns out, that and snow falling through the gap are insanely hard to do so it may be a while xD Any tips on animating weather or environmental conditions would be brilliant if anyone could help?

Thanks again for taking the time to help and share your thoughts =D

GreenBeams · Fri 05/12/2014 23:05:22

Last one, this time, trying to establish some atmos perspective and a bit of space filler in the dead cave walls behind the pit!

ToodlePipsky!