I LOVE your backstory - and the idea of the viking pirate's boat absorbing the spirit of the slain sea-monster is a lovely touch of extended logic. I was very excited reading your character profile; it all feels very credible (though obviously fantastical) and this is down to your research. It's also clear to see that your confidences re. digital painting are growing quickly now; your 'lair' image has lots of technique on show and your choice of perspective suggests a more confident approach in terms of 'seeing' spaces in your imagination and then committing them to paper (or Photoshop file!).
Your concept art for the lair is suggestive of mood (though you're in need to more light sources and a cinematographer's disregard for logic in this respect), but I don't think this image is quite as helpful to you in terms of demarcating this interior space in readiness for the digital set. I'm going to suggest that a) you make much more of those sea monster bones as a central motif and scale them up even more so - as these bones will instantly give you some architectural elements to help you characterise and ennoble what is essentially a cave. Perhaps the ship can sit inside the great ribs - like the ribs are a docking station or similar. B) I think you should draw up a 'floor plan' of your space and use it to work out the spatial relations between things; this will help you further visualise your space as an 'interior space' - as 'interior architecture'. Check out George Hind's floorplans as an example of how setting things out like this can prove helpful:
It might help you to think of your flooded sea cave as a basic circle - and then you can arrange the other components within that to best effect. Like I said, I think you need to super-size the sea-monster and really use its bones to give your lair height and grandeur and key structural elements. The other thing to imagine is that your cave roof is perforated with holes to the outside world, so that you can have the effect of moon beams 'spot-lighting' other areas of your composition - otherwise I think your single light source from beyond the cave entrance isn't going to encourage your lair to go 'pop!' I suggest too that you try to lower your POV, so we can feel the size of this cave.
The short version is this: loads of potential, some wonderful ideas, and now, Megan, what I really want from you is bags of attack, and lots more quick, painless thumbnails as you figure out the most cinematic, most dynamic, most crowd-pleasing way to construct this set...
Oh - and get your reviews updated, Megan... your blog is still a sluggish 'only when there's a deadline' space. Don't make me repeat myself too often... get a new habit, Megan - don't disappoint. Onwards!
OGR 16/11/2012
ReplyDeleteHey Megan,
I LOVE your backstory - and the idea of the viking pirate's boat absorbing the spirit of the slain sea-monster is a lovely touch of extended logic. I was very excited reading your character profile; it all feels very credible (though obviously fantastical) and this is down to your research. It's also clear to see that your confidences re. digital painting are growing quickly now; your 'lair' image has lots of technique on show and your choice of perspective suggests a more confident approach in terms of 'seeing' spaces in your imagination and then committing them to paper (or Photoshop file!).
Your concept art for the lair is suggestive of mood (though you're in need to more light sources and a cinematographer's disregard for logic in this respect), but I don't think this image is quite as helpful to you in terms of demarcating this interior space in readiness for the digital set. I'm going to suggest that a) you make much more of those sea monster bones as a central motif and scale them up even more so - as these bones will instantly give you some architectural elements to help you characterise and ennoble what is essentially a cave. Perhaps the ship can sit inside the great ribs - like the ribs are a docking station or similar. B) I think you should draw up a 'floor plan' of your space and use it to work out the spatial relations between things; this will help you further visualise your space as an 'interior space' - as 'interior architecture'. Check out George Hind's floorplans as an example of how setting things out like this can prove helpful:
http://george-hind.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/unit-2-thumbnails_12.html
It might help you to think of your flooded sea cave as a basic circle - and then you can arrange the other components within that to best effect. Like I said, I think you need to super-size the sea-monster and really use its bones to give your lair height and grandeur and key structural elements. The other thing to imagine is that your cave roof is perforated with holes to the outside world, so that you can have the effect of moon beams 'spot-lighting' other areas of your composition - otherwise I think your single light source from beyond the cave entrance isn't going to encourage your lair to go 'pop!' I suggest too that you try to lower your POV, so we can feel the size of this cave.
The short version is this: loads of potential, some wonderful ideas, and now, Megan, what I really want from you is bags of attack, and lots more quick, painless thumbnails as you figure out the most cinematic, most dynamic, most crowd-pleasing way to construct this set...
Oh - and get your reviews updated, Megan... your blog is still a sluggish 'only when there's a deadline' space. Don't make me repeat myself too often... get a new habit, Megan - don't disappoint. Onwards!