MONSTERWORK SHOP - FINAL VERSION DUE TONIGHT (MONDAY)

[Misj']

Sorry guys, I really haven't had too much time to draw this last week, and neither will I tomorrow. So even though I got to some designing and sketching, I have to throw in the towel. I will try to keep making some contributions to these monster-threads, but the piece itself will stay unfinished (at least for now).

It's definitely been fun, and I love to see as many end-results as possible, but I suddenly just have too much on my plate (which I wasn't really expecting two weeks ago).

Cheers for all the ideas and feedback.

[cat]

Water dragon, week 2, step 2 - Color
Back to initial post

I started coloring the basic sketch.


I made a deep, dark mouth as suggested by SookieSock. I also tried to use the foreground kelp to frame it as suggested by ThreeOhFour.

Before I start shading the dragon I want to get the anatomy right. I'm not fully satisfied with the arms and legs yet.
I'm also not sure if I should add more details to the kelp or leave it just loosely defined.

Any critics and comments are welcome!

Now some more comments on posted pics:
Andail Good change in the composition, I now get a much more hunted feeling.
ProgZmax I really like Ryan Timothy's paint over. I think without the distracting lines from the lighthouse the scene is much easier to understand.
miguel I can't really put my finger on it, but the monster doesn't seem to be part of it's environment.
Cerno Ah, now we are going somewhere! The wings will probably also be lit from below.
Mordalles I think the destroyed city theme works much better than the cave background. Also great enhancements on the shell, it starts to get really creepy now.
waheela I really like the texture on his shoulders. I agree with others that his hands should be bigger. I don't see anything wrong with the human hand except that it is drawn much more detailed than the rest of the picture.
Misj' That's such a pity, your drawing was looking great already! Also your analysis were very insightful, thanks for that - I hope you will finish your pic none the less and post it on the forum.

[Stupot]

There's some amazing stuff coming out of this thread (and the thread before it). I am in awe

[Cerno]

cat, if I may.
Awesome piece from the early sketches on, finally some details. Liking it a lot.
In the earlier sketches, I loved the way he trailed his arms behind him. Gave him a sleek form and underlines his movement speed, similar to a seal underwater right after a flipper stroke, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQu4M--MRbc. Looking forward to how this will turn out.

[selmiak]

A WIP. I hope to have given this beast a more dynamic, aggresive stance. The nose is just for teh lulz. Lightsource is also clear. Still unsure what to with the upper right part...
and how can I make this cave look more moist?

[ThreeOhFour]

Thanks mordy, loving yours too (still!) Awesome shell idea :3

Been working on mine some more:



Added genitals, fixed the right arm somewhat, added background stuff, etc. Still much work to be done.

Selmiak, if you google "wet rocks" you'll notice they reflect a lot of light, and anything else around in the environment. Moisture has the effect of making dry things darker, and adding a reflective sheen onto the surface. Be really bold with your highlights, and they should start to look more wet.

[cat]

@Cerno: Great idea with the seals, I'll have a look at it
@ThreeOhFour: Wow, amazing rendering in the chest area!

and how can I make this cave look more moist?

Make one or two of those in the water to simulate drops falling from the ceiling:

[nihilyst]

I, too, won't make it this week. I hope to continue after I've come back from a short vacation.

[ThreeOhFour]

Shame to hear about those dropping out.

Spent some more time working on rendering detail today, as well as working in colour and adding background detail. It's getting a bit nsfw so I'll use a link unless Andail's happy for me to post it here. Posting at full res and quality from now on, as most of my current rendering work is in fine detail:

http://i.imgur.com/HlQnRzv.png

[SookieSock]

Still working feverishly on this.

The horse and the both subjects interaction with the ground still isn't anywhere near done but I hope it at least shows the direction I'm working towards.

[cat]

Awesome progress, SookieSock!
May I suggest to also add a shadow below the horse? Currently I can't see how high above ground the hind legs are.

nihilyst: Too bad you have to drop out, too.

Come on people, get going and finish your awesome paintings! Or I will tell Tabata to post some motivational smileys 

[SookieSock]

Right a little feedback

Ben

I love your monster, even though your (the monsters) genitals remind me of your baked bean balls .
The skin looks slimy and translucent and the dichromic lighting really sets the image off.

Mordallas

Love the detail that's coming through in yours both with the monster and the back ground, i do think that your image may be a little dark though, theres no real highlights other then the specular highlighting on its neck

Cerno

The background of your image has much more readablity now that you've added colour, and i like the idea of having two very different colours to show the fire and the magic

Have you ever used adobe kuler? it might help you find the right colours to use to really set your image off.
http://i.imgur.com/cSrhhAH.png 

I did this quickly using the complimentary colours option focusing on the orange, the fire colour then the green blue could be the magic Its cool to have a play around with

https://kuler.adobe.com/#create/fromacolor

[SookieSock]

Thanks Cat

yer there's still a lot of things I need to do, the horse is actually supposed to be in a small stream but that's got lost in the soft shading. I really need to make the ground a little more readable.

[Eric]

Added genitals

Inspired by your success, I'm now considering doing this across the board to all of my current projects.

[Andail]

Wow, lots of nice improvements!

Cat: It's really starting to look like an illustration now! I'm not exactly terrified by your monster - which is due to scaling issues, I believe (I still see it as a few inches long) but it doesn't matter because it's turning into a really nice painting.

Selmiak: Great! Placing it in a deep cave adds a ton of atmosphere.

Ben: Well rendered Nice skin textures with scary veins and all that!

Sookiesock: Awesome progress. However, I'm not too fond of the horse's movement/posture. At first I thought it was just rearing there on its spot, but now I get that it's jumping over the hand of the monster. While that makes it slightly more logical, it still looks a bit too static, too orderly, so to speak. I think it would create a better sense of speed if it was galopping by, leaning in the curve. But even if it is supposed to skip over the monster's hand, I think you need to make it look more airborne, and less standing on its hind legs, waiting to be scooped up.

[dactylopus]

OK, It's a bit late, but I did a lot of work on lighting and shadows.  Still some work to go, especially on the environment.  I'm going camping for 3 days this week, but I'm really enjoying this process.  I hope to get some work done on the weekend when I return home.

Anyways, here's the update so far:



As you can see, I decided on the flashlight rather than the torches.  I am really trying to challenge myself with this piece, and I felt it would be more difficult to try the lighting with a singular beam source rather than something more ambient.  I do intend a light source behind the monster as well, thus the incidental lighting around the edges of his body.

I need to give my monster some more texture, create a nice reflection on his eyes, and, oh yeah, put the person back into the picture.  Lots of work left.

Now a little feedback:

SookieSock:  I like where it's going, but I preferred the really dark face on the tree.

304:  The demon is looking great, absolutely horrifying.  The genitals actually increase that effect, although I think perhaps in your fondness for them you may have given them a slight bit too much of a highlight from the moon.

selmiak:  Your monster is definitely creepy, and the cave entrance is looking awesome.  I would try to add a little more light to things, it looks a little bit like an outline.

cat:  This is wonderful work.  It's looking fantastic.  I love the color choices, the dragon looks good and natural in that environment.

Mordalles:  Your idea for the shell is awesome.  You really found a great way to solve the problem you were having.

Sorry to hear about some people dropping out.  I feel like I should.  I hope we see those pieces finished some day!

Everyone's doing so well, I'm very impressed with the talent here!

[miguel]

I can't really put my finger on it, but the monster doesn't seem to be part of it's environment.

Thanks Cat, I've noticed it myself and am struggling to solve this problem.

Cerno: Like your choice of colours and lightning. I quickly googled flying dragons and saw some different interpretations of their legs while flying. I think your dragon legs look almost human in size and do not fit the composition well.

cat: Like National Geographic Monster Week! Looks pretty dangerous to me. The colours aren't very menacing though.

selmiak: Love the tail holding on to the rock. Maybe add on that and have your monster develop more limbs that can grab surfaces? The cave does give your composition depth.

ben: Fantastic genitals! If you keep this up I'll remove my monster fur on his private parts! Then we'll see who has the biggest balls!

sookiesock: I love your piece since the beginning. It looks fantastic and I can't wait to see it fully painted and shadowed.

dactylopus: looking better and more refined.

Now for a new update:
Step 12 - Honey, I've Shrunk the Kids

[imgzoom]http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm54/miguel20000/step10_8x6_zpsbe137fce.png[/imgzoom]

Here I continued to add highlights and shadows and some props onto the scene. I know I screwed up along the process regarding composition but I'm too lazy to go back now and will just continue to add stuff until it's a pain to watch.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Finally had some more time to work on this.  I've added some slimy scale texture to the monster as well as pushed some muscle definition, lowered the angle of the cliff a bit more as Ryan suggested, and started adding rudimentary details to the water.  The wings also have some form now and I'm seriously thinking of moving the lighthouse beam so it doesn't cross the lightning.



Mordalles:  Yours is really starting to show some definition and I love the design you've given the monster.  It's not something I'd want to have to confront .

Sookiesock:  At first I wasn't sure where you were going with the tree monster design but it's really looking impressive now!  The pose confuses me somewhat as it's difficult for me to imagine your monster capable of grasping anything without an opposable thumb and I think the fingers would benefit greatly from being made to resemble gnarled branches rather than smooth, sharp bone-like claws.

Ben304:  Nice package!  Seriously though, I like the arcane setting you've put your monster in and the colors you're using.  It should be a very atmospheric image when you're done.

Miguel:  I like the monster design a lot but I can't help but feel like he's just pasted into the background rather than a part of it.  I think this has to do with you having designed the monster separately and then tried to 'fit' him into a room and his general stance and angle just don't line up as a result.  It may be a little late, but flipping the entrance horizontally would align the monster more with his perspective.  You could also tilt his right foot downward about 20 degrees and turn his right foot towards the viewer more so it looks like he's moving forward instead of side-stepping.

Andail:  The setting is really nice but something bothers me about the sudden drop off in the road.  Hopefully the monster will become less indistinct since it is the focal point of the activity.

[Mordalles]

thanks for all the feedback thus far! im trying to incorporate advice into the picture.

progz, i love your monster, and im always a sucker for a picture where a lot of things are going on, and I can lose myself in it. I also like the scaly texure on the monster very much.

sookiesock, wow, looks great! great design for a monster, and the fact that it has no face make it even more terrifying.

dactylopus i think the flash light idea is great, and really puts emphasis (spelling?) on the scary face!

selmiak that cave really adds a lot to the feel of the monster. perfect setting for a slimy critter.

cat, your picture is really starting to look great. love the perspective. I imagine myself being a diver down there, with trouble coming my way.

update on my side. i'll try and focus on the statue heads on the walls next, and the left hand wall infront also. after that i'll try and fix a few little things (leg on the right for one thing), but i want to keep it relatively "concepty" so dont wanna go into detail overdrive.

[Snarky]

dactylopus: The flashlight is a nice idea in principle, but I think you need to be more careful with how the light would actually hit the monster. In particular, it's important to consider the shadows cast (e.g. by the hand, and on the face). If the light is coming from our right, the left side of his head should be in shadow, for starters. Would his mouth be illuminated like that (and is it really gray)? I doubt it! When you just apply light indiscriminately to a part of the image, it flattens the objects and it just looks like a cardboard cutout of a monster. When you take int account which bits would be in shadow as well as the reflectivity of the surfaces, the angle the light would hit at, and how it disperses with distance, you create depth and shape.

And while you may want to show the light beam, keep in mind that the brightest light is where it hits a surface, not the beam itself. Also, the reflections in his eyes should match the position of the light source (i.e. flashlight).