A Background for C&C

[Mouse]

Yikes it has been a long while! Anyways, I'm having some troubles with the chimney in this background. Are the shadows on the chimney in the correct spot? I've had trouble placing them...Or is it perspective that I've messed up on? Something is off! So it is time to step back and ask for some help which would be greatly appreciated.

[Nixxon]

Oh dear lord... nifty shite
As for the chimney shadows, you have to find your direct light sauce. At a guess I'd say it was the sky therefore your lights should tend more towards the right side of the building and shadows on the left where as it's currently the opposite. However in this image it's really not an obvious factor since a number of light sauces could be found behind the viewable area. Perspective seems alright; maybe some foreground objects might balance the image out better.
Bloody nice BG all up.
- nix

[Ali]

Really excellent choice of colours, this image is so atmospheric.

I love it.

I think the shadows might be just a little too defined around the chimney. A sky like that is going to give out very soft/diffused light - you'll only see dark shadows under cars - or carts.

Softer shadows around the chimney would make this image perfect.

[Das Plans]

Yikes, indeed.

This is absolutely brilliant. I dare not criticising this piece of art. I just want you to be aware of my admiration.  

[Migs]

That is quite amazing, Mouse.  I especially love the coloring of the sky.  How long did it take you to create that?  It's fantastic!

[Chicky]

blooming brilliant, your a pro ... rite?

-OSC

[Ginny]

Wow, that's amazing :o
I can't tell if it's 3d prerendered or drawn, but either way, great job! I love the haystacks, and the bricks, the fence, the ground, the sky... If I try to be really nitpicky, I'dsay the roof needs a bit more 'depth' or 'thickness', ot doesn't seem like hay or tiles at the moment. What's that greyish mark at the bottom of the house?
I dunno how it would look with something added in the foreground, it may ruin the awesome atmosphere. I can sense this is a dark night, gloomy possibly, mysterious and tense.. Mmm, the atmosphere...

May I ask how you made it? What program, technique, and such. I agree with OSC, you must be a pro artist .

[Evil]

**Shits Pants**

The only thing I would add to it would be more shadows on the chimney side of the house, like under the roof. Just, wow, amazing.

[Minimi]

Very nice picture! Though i.m.o. it lacks of reality. Here are some hints :

- The wall of the house does not looks like stones. I would darken the cement between te stones, to give more accent on the stones and also because stones in a wall are never that shiny and perfect.

- The roof needs more depth. Maybe by adding dark lines on the roof, and split ends at the bottom of the roof, improves the realism.

the straws/grains that stand like ///, are unrealistic opposed to the others. If you want to make them flattened, you could let them point each another direction, and not all the same.

furthermore it looks wonderful! Are you going to use this for an adventure game?

[Chicky]

Imagine it, rain falling all around, rays of light seeping throught the clouds, a luvly ambient raining sound, the ocassional thunder. That would be a hell of a experiance in its own.

-(a bit carried away) OSC

[Kyle]

I love it! Very moody and atmospheric.

Now for the criticism aspect.

The grass, as Mini-me said, is a bit unrealistic... it's sort of melded together, I'd say. I would loosen it up a bit, make it look less like one whole object and more like a bunch together. You might also consider placing smaller tufts of grass at the base of the field - similar to the tuft you have over by the house and fence.

As for the chimney... hmm. Perhaps part of the problem is that the sort of high-lighted outline area at the corner - the bright area that stands out, I mean - is uneven. I mean, I think I know why you did it that way, so as to make it look like the stones are jutting out (or maybe it was just an accident), but it would work much better in a fairly even line.

The thatching on the house... I think it might look much nicer if it were "poofed out" a bit, and maybe have strands of hay hanging over the edge (as in, near the chimney and along that line.) It's a similar problem to the grass-fields.

I think it would be good to rework the sky along the background portion of the roof - just along that line, see, it shows where you smudged it.

And, last thing... I would probably tighten up the color in the mountain range, if not the actual outline.  It has too much of a wheat-field glow, if you know what I mean, which doesn't really work for mountains.

Right now I'm wishing I could directly point these out, would be much easier to explain. Bah.

Anyhow. A very good background, and I want to see more!

[Mouse]

Thanks for the comments everyone
I think I will first try softening up the shadows like Ali suggested.

Migs, lets see, It took about a week to sketch/colour this picture which was entirely too long gah!

Heh no, though it is very flattering, I'm not a pro.  

For the foreground, I thought about adding a rickety cart full of hay to the left side of the screen but that idea still hasn't won me over yet.
The greyish mark at the bottom of the house would be a soon-to-be-erased-shadow that I got a little carried away with.

As to how I made this well after I scanned in my sketch I used paint shop pro 7, my graphic tablet and oh about 32 layers.
No special technique that I can think of.

Yep this is picture is going into my adventure game.
Darkening the mortar is a good idea but I'm not sure that level of detail shows in ags? Like when I test out my game with this screen a substantial level of detail is lost. I'm not complaining because it covers up and compensates for a lot of my screw ups...but I wonder if messing around with the rocks any further is worth it?
You have a good eye Minimi. Maybe I will replace the /// wheat with that cart I was talking about.

Kyle the tufts of grass is a great idea I'll be sure to add those in and you caught the smudge of sky as well.

Hmm well this gives me a lot of ideas on how to improve this scene. I'll post it once it is finished.
Thanks again everyone!

[Domino]

Amazing BG!!

If the house is vacant, do you mind if i move in?  

Shawn

[LordHart]

Holy Shit!!! May I have your children? :o

[InCreator]

Is... is someone from LucasArts joking with us here?
Nah, LucasArts' graphics designers are shittier.
I think that murdering Mouse would save us all from feeling weak and inexperienced. Who's with me?

And you, Mouse, read between my lines, what I think of your background. Are you a superhuman?

This BG just taught me a true meaning of a word "contrast".
Just click on the link below...

http://www.hot.ee/increatorgamez/contrast.jpg
btw, Mouse, I think you owe us all one bloody tutorial.

[LordHart]

Yes, I agree with InCreator there... tutorial... tutorial... tutorial...

* Os àšltimo Quão Queijo ^_^ leads everyone into a chant of tutorial...

[Fizz]

this is no doubt some of the best BG art i have ever seen... holy fucking crap...

i cant realy say anything that hasnt already been said...

there are two things that bugs my eye, if only a teeny weenie little bit...

that grey shadow you talked about yourself, and the way some of the straws sway... looks sort of blocky...

but this is absolutely amazing. im in total awe...

please keep up the good work!

-patrick

oh, and i agree, a tutorial wouldnt be bad, hehe

[iron_man]

one of the most realistic backgrounds i have ever seen from an amateur! Professionally done.
The shadowing only needs a minor tweaking.
For example the chimney from the left has shadow, but at the left acme of the house it is lighted! So either they should be shadowed both or lightened both as they belong to the same direction.
I would like the roof to be more 3d as well.

[AndersM]

the straws/grains that stand like ///, are unrealistic opposed to the others. If you want to make them flattened, you could let them point each another direction, and not all the same.

Growing grain looks like that. the wind bends them in 'groups' just like mouse drawed them, but the straws to the left in the heap that is closest to the viewer are a little too long, (if they are intended to have the same legnth as the others, that is)

[Gfunkera]

nevermind, my bad.........