Cathedral

Corby · Tue 23/12/2003 07:10:37

Hey guys, what do you think? It could be a cathedral, monastary... who knows!

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/corby15.jpg

aussie · Tue 23/12/2003 07:27:50

Excellent stuff but I'm not too sure about those cracks on the rock.

BTW, I would say it's more likely a monastery. Cathedrals are usually within urban areas.

Corby · Tue 23/12/2003 08:03:25

Ya, i haven't taken the hint yet that my rocks need improving! Next pic for sure. Luckely it should be easy to smooth the rocks in all my pics. They do look too "wrinkly".
Thanks for the comments. Monastary it is!
What's a Mausoleum?

aussie · Tue 23/12/2003 10:33:27

A mausoleum is a kind of funerary monument, much like the pyramids in Egypt or a crypt in a cementery.

What I exactly meant by "the cracks on the rock" was that those geometrical shapes do not look like the sort of motives you would have in a religious building (they rather look like magical symbols). Instead, you would probably have either bare stones or little statues of saints, the Virgin Mary and the like.

A couple of examples:

Don't get me wrong. Your art is fantastic. I wish I could do a background like that, but I think these suggestions will help your monastery look better.

Corby · Tue 23/12/2003 10:53:16

I was trying to go for something like this:

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/glory17.jpg

Kinda like random shapes jutting out from the stone. I don't know if there was christianity in QFG... not too sure... the monastary in this pic was devoted to the dark one. I'd like this one to be devoted to something similar. Not really a god kinda deal. But then again, this pic has no background for the game yet. I just wanted to draw something like this. Do you think the symbols on the walls need some work in portraying jutting out stone?
Thanks for the examples and advice!

TheYak · Tue 23/12/2003 11:07:18

Currently, the symbols on the outside look a bit flat. They look more like they're inlaid using a different colored stone than the rest of the building. One approach might be to return them to the color of the building, remove the dark lines around and inside of 'em and then use shadows & highlights to show their relative "3d-ness."

Looking at the pic, you obviously know what you're doing... but IMO those dark lines around the symbols have to go. Oops, looking at the pic again, noticed that you have the brick-work laid out kinda Grid-style, like this:

. Normally, the only time you see this sort of pattern on architecture is when it's been placed over the building stone, often with tiles. A building like the one you've depicted I think would look more natural with a brick structure like this:

, perhaps with mortar-lines thrown in as well.

aussie · Tue 23/12/2003 11:24:42

Quotethe monastary in this pic was devoted to the dark one. I'd like this one to be devoted to something similar. Not really a god kinda deal.

In that case I think you're doing fine. I don't think your carvings look too flat.

Perhaps then you might want to get some horned figures such as gargoyles and stuff like that to give the building an evil look.

Also maybe a darker setting could help. With all those nice bright greens, blues and reds I get the impression of a beautiful monastery when I look at it, not that of a place to be wary of.

Ginny · Tue 23/12/2003 11:42:16

Maybe it's a disguise

Personally I would love to see a building like this in a more dark and scary look, but the scene around it the same, sort of an evil hidden in the nice cheerful forest

I think this sort of background would look great in a game, the strange markings make it very special and unique in style. The inside stones are beautiful. Only complaint is maybe the green windows look a bit too much like hollow openings with leaves behind them, making the walls look thin. Maybe it needs to be a bit lighter green

Keeping it this way is fine too.

Corby · Tue 23/12/2003 22:23:05

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll remove those dark line and try to add a statue or too!

Las Naranjas · Wed 24/12/2003 01:21:38

I think an element of perspective on the roof tiles would help as well. They look a tad awkward.

But apart from that it looks good.

earlwood · Wed 24/12/2003 05:45:17

oooh..That look really neat-o, but the towers, except for the one almost completely covered by tree, Look oddly flat, that and the odd, slant pattern of the bricks.

Must really suck to have to go back and fix some of these problems...

Corby · Wed 24/12/2003 10:16:03

Nope! Shading takes minutes!

Ginny · Wed 24/12/2003 14:36:05

Quote from: Corby on Wed 24/12/2003 10:16:03
Nope! Shading takes minutes!

$:-\$ :o

I almost thought you were serious for a second there!

....

Alright so you were serious... but..but...argh yeah maybe some day in a billion years I'll be able to say "shading takes minutes!"

Btw, I just noticed the roof, and I'm thinking maybe the bricks in it seem too small for such a building. But it's quite nitpicky of me..

earlwood · Wed 24/12/2003 15:29:57

Only minutes?

I'm starting to have a suspicicon that you are not using MSpaint like me

Corby · Wed 24/12/2003 19:43:11

Hmmm I just use the multiply tool in photoshop with a low opacity for shading on buildings... grass and trees however take a bit longer

Ginny · Wed 24/12/2003 20:03:45

At the risk of sounding repetetive: Do you think you could do a tutorial some time?

Corby · Thu 25/12/2003 04:58:02

Sure... I can do it for my next pic... i'm half way done another right now... would a forest one be alright? No buildings?

Corby · Thu 25/12/2003 05:02:07

BTW I learnt how to do my scenes from Todd Zankich's tutorials:

http://allitis.com/agast/backgroundex1.html

http://www.allitis.com/bb/viewtopic.php48&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

The way I do it is different I feel however.

Neole · Thu 25/12/2003 10:21:13

Very Sierraish! I like!