Hi!
Not currently working on this background, but would be very grateful for any advice or critique regarding it.
Especially would like to hear about style and composition.
Thanks! :)
(http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/6364/houseg.jpg)
I think it's already very easy on the eye. Nice handpainted feeling, soft nice colours.
I think it can be improved by a higher definition on selected areas; slightly more details on the foreground spruce (but not more colours - keep working with a silhoutte), and on the town in the background.
Overall the background is really good.
The background is absolutely. Soft and dreamy, like a scene out of a fairytale.
I would suggest a bit more detail on the firs (?) to suggest the presence of needles, or leaves. The bushes look fairly detailed and realistic, but the trees are one single lump of green.
Firstly, as this is millions of times better then anything I could do, feel free to ignore this advice! ;)
It is honestly lovely. The only thing I would say is it looks a little bit empty in the area between the cottage and the tree on the right. Maybe you could put another tree(s)/shed/something in the middle ground to the left of the path?
Just my personal opinion!
Quote from: auriond on Wed 20/01/2010 07:36:23
I would suggest a bit more detail on the firs (?) to suggest the presence of needles, or leaves. The bushes look fairly detailed and realistic, but the trees are one single lump of green.
I second that. Otherwise, nice BG.
I didn't really see the town at all, and it is very indistinct... I would put the roofs clearer, and fade out the lower stuff to the current level.
But then you also said you weren't working on it so now I am asking why critique it then. :)
While an excellent piece of work, it occurs to me that as an Adventure Game background it has a minor problem, is its not exactly clear where the foreground area is exactly, as the line seperating the foreground and background areas is, due to the softness of the colors I think, fairly indistinct, and theres no sort of color-cue that distinguishes the hill the player would be standing on from the hill in the background.
Now I'm crap at art so you'd be absolutely right to ignore me, but what I'd consider doing would be to make the shade of green on the crest of the hill just a touch darker to sort of more clearly separate the foreground from the back. Also, and a very minor thing, but the signpost doesnt seem to cast a shadow... and now that I'm thinking of it, bit of an odd place to put one isn't it? In front of a small, nondescript house?
It looks lovely! The overall composition is nice and the colouring has a soft, early morning feel.
I would sharpen up the bushes in the foreground a little (they're a bit too blobby) and make the town a bit more distinguishable. Overall: Nice composition, nice colours, very atmospheric.
Thanks to everyone for the advice, pretty much agree with everything mentioned above, will try and fix it.
Much appreciated! :)