I'm exasperated with this image

[Joe]

Hi there AGS Forums artists.

Yesterday I began drwaing this background, and I really don't know what to do more. But I know it needs a lot more work. I don't want a cartoony style I'd like it to be more realistic, like a manga style... Here is what I have....

[ALPHATT]

It looks like an empty but decent background with some rushed-out forground elements thrown on top of it by somone else.

[Joe]

Nice description... but it doesn't help very much

[ALPHATT]

Umm sorry for the harsh critsicm but I don't think low-res and hi-res work well together.

Stick to one 'medium'.

Also, the high-res parts lack shadows, and the palm tree nearly falling into the water looks unatural.

[Jakerpot]

add a texture to the palm, the reflex of the sun on the water, make it more round and add more shadows on the cottage.
Nice background btw

[Joe]

Ok thanks for your opinions, here is the result:



I'm nearly happy with the result but I think it still needs work.

[Trent R]

Those trees in the back look like they're sprouting from nothing.

And I think the lopsided tree looks fine. I'd tie a tire swing to that baby IRL!

~Trent

[SpacePaw]

you should shade the leafs (at least the nearest ones), so far they are the only ones totally flat there
you could also make the sand darker in the background and use dark brown instead of black at the dissapearing bases of the palm trees

[rbaleksandar]

Me likey But the black-sprayed line in front of the trees at the back doesn't look good. Better remove it. And one more thing - shadow of the big palm-tree and the house.

1.Why does the tree throw any shadow? According to the wooden column of your house it should throw. Shadow of the tree seems a little bit too high to me and there's something wrong with the hammock's shadow.
2.According to the house's column on the top of the palm-tree trunk there should be a shadow thrown by the leaves.
3.The shadow on the roof contradicts a little bit the one of the wooden column below.
4.Some texture of the leaves (not only the trunk - it looks nice ) would be nice
5.Why's the outline of the tree on the most right so dark (black that is)? Not one of the other trees has such outline.


But second image is much better


EDIT: Why is the sand dune under the roof throwing so much shadow and has a black outline on the peak? I think since the light comes almost from the horizon (it sunset/sunrise), it should have the same shadow as the others (since the roof or the palm-tree don't throw shadow on it and the column that does, doesn't throw that much (if you understand my thoughts I'll be very very happy )

[Joe]

Thanks, I really don't know if I understood your thoughts but, I've done something, and I'm satisfied, give your opinions:

[rbaleksandar]

Almost Look at the shadow that the palm tree throws on the roof. It has to be long like the one of the wooden column below. Also the leaves and trunks of the palms throw no shadow or in the wrong direction. Since the light comes from that sun on the horizon and the big palm-tree covers it (as we can see ), it's leaves have to be darker because we see the back of the leaves. The front faces the going down sun and so they face the light. This is about all trees in the image. The have now shadows which means that they are lighted up from all directions

  About the big palm-tree. Can figure out if it points in the sun's direction or somewhere on the left. If it's case 1 - then shadow that the tree's crown throws on the roof is wrong (you can have such shadow, if the palm-tree's crown is in front of the house and the sun's somewhere on the left side of the image and the light falls directly onto the roof). If it's case 2 - shadow that the tree throws on the house is totally wrong (tree and trunk).

It's just my unprofessional opinion, but I think it's right

btw Watersurface looks weird. The reflection of the sun on the surface has waves. And the watter is completely calm out of this reflection (not counting 2-3 thiny waves that one can't see clearly without looking at the image from a close distance). More about the reflection of the tree: if we have case 1 (see above) there should be reflection on the watersurface that we can see. If it's case 2 - it's allright because the tree's reflection might be somewhere out of the picture (here I'm not 100% sure).


It's getting better and better though I like it. (<- sounds like kind of excuse for daubing over the whole critic-thing, but it's not )