07-11-2013, 12:56 AM
Fair enough. What I wanted it to read is "an entirely wooden pike/spear leaning on a tree in some forest with something unnatural behind it." (That glowing flow from the shrine and the faded silhouette to the right of the spear are unnatural enough for me.)
Of course you are right; an illustration should pack a punch, and this one is way too mellow. But I still am just as interested in how to improve the lighting and the feel to make this particular "image" better, as I am in changing it altogether to make a better "illustration".
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to "save" the illustration by defending it and brushing off the crits and missing the point. I love the crits and I am grateful that anyone is taking the time to make them. I will do more thumbs in search for a better composition.
But it's still very valuable to me that I use the image I already have as a simple study; like maybe I can ad rays of light passing through the fog, maybe I can add on the ground the shadow of leaves that are above and out of the image. Where do those shadows benefit the image more? Maybe I should make the spirit more visible?
Like when Javier mentioned the spear leading the viewer out of the image on the bottom side. How would you fix that without getting rid of the spear? Reflected light (from that glowing stream thing) on the spear in that area to lessen the contrast? Fog?
I mean this way I can both study the image on this failed illustration, AND I can redraw a better illustration by not making the same mistakes I did here.
I have the time to do both:D
Maybe a redraw of a bunch of spirits (seen from one side, profile view) rushing (taking flight) out of tombstones with those spears flowing up to their hands? Am I getting closer?
Thanks for bearing with me:D
Of course you are right; an illustration should pack a punch, and this one is way too mellow. But I still am just as interested in how to improve the lighting and the feel to make this particular "image" better, as I am in changing it altogether to make a better "illustration".
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to "save" the illustration by defending it and brushing off the crits and missing the point. I love the crits and I am grateful that anyone is taking the time to make them. I will do more thumbs in search for a better composition.
But it's still very valuable to me that I use the image I already have as a simple study; like maybe I can ad rays of light passing through the fog, maybe I can add on the ground the shadow of leaves that are above and out of the image. Where do those shadows benefit the image more? Maybe I should make the spirit more visible?
Like when Javier mentioned the spear leading the viewer out of the image on the bottom side. How would you fix that without getting rid of the spear? Reflected light (from that glowing stream thing) on the spear in that area to lessen the contrast? Fog?
I mean this way I can both study the image on this failed illustration, AND I can redraw a better illustration by not making the same mistakes I did here.
I have the time to do both:D
Maybe a redraw of a bunch of spirits (seen from one side, profile view) rushing (taking flight) out of tombstones with those spears flowing up to their hands? Am I getting closer?
Thanks for bearing with me:D