Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Image Date Submitted: Saturday, 27 May 2006 Title: Final Notes: Once upon a time there was a package, small and wrapped in brown paper with a white bow. The package was carried a very long way by a man with a tall black hat and shiny black shoes. His name was never learned but some of the children that were by the second story window agree that they definitely saw a man with a tall black hat and shiny black shoes and he was the one that left the package on the orphanage’s doorstep that Christmas Eve night. They hurried down to meet the man once seeing him approach but he was already gone into the darkness when they reached the door. Only the little packaged remained there which had a small tag with gold writing on it that read, “For the Children.” They put the package with the few others under their tree for the next morning. Amid the festive cheer the following morning a dark-headed little girl unwrapped the package and in her hands laid an old book. It had no title, no author and indeed no words at all anywhere on it. She puzzled over the book for a short while before deciding to leave it on her bed stand and return to the festivities. That night however, when she idly picked up the book to look at it again before bed, she was astonished to find that the book was filled with words! She gathered other children to show them the book and crowded on the little bed, they began to read it. They read of the City of Books that sits abandoned and in never ending twilight. Of it’s great stacks of books as tall as the tallest buildings and it’s libraries that held more stories than have ever been told. They read of hot air balloons that visit the city every night to see if any of the books had brought children from afar. Late into the night the children sat on the bed and read of the adventures that the balloons took those children on. Great journeys through the stars, fierce battles against teacup soldiers and perilous quests across hot desert dunes. Night’s calling though could not be ignored and slowly the children drifted to sleep. They awoke not to the morning but to find themselves at the top of an incredible stack of books. Mighty gusts of wind blew a curtain of snow all around them and in the distance the children could see hot air balloons like great lanterns floating towards them... CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Wednesday, 24 May 2006 Title: Children of Ten Twenty-Five Notes: Working with the picture flipped the other way for a couple of days has helped me notice some things that weren't quite right. I also put to use some of the great comments you've posted, Thanks guys! I had painted all the children in separate files then copied them into the main image which left them with a very cut-out look. So I softened edges, especially in the hair and blowing garments. Really helps to meld them into the image I think. I also added a couple of big pocketwatches hanging from the basket. They play into the story and I thought they looked kinda neat so there they are. What do you guys think, cool, not cool? There's still some things I want to tidy up, nothing major, just some stuff I've been meaning to get to (cleaning edges ect). Oh, I do need to add a couple of kids in the balloon at the top of the pic. I'm still committed to making it as good as possible so any last comments are very welcomed. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Sunday, 21 May 2006 Title: (slowly) getting there Notes: All the major elements are finally in place, so I guess it's downhill from here (haha). Need to do some finessing with the children, more wind effect, cast shadows ect. The enviroment is pretty close, still doing tweaking and detailing. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Wednesday, 17 May 2006 Title: on the right track Notes: At last I've reached the image I'll take to the final. There's a lot not finished (or started for that matter) but it's a solid point to work from. The story behind the scene is this: There exists a group of magical children's books that when read before going to bed will draw the children into this fantastical journey when they fall asleep. Every night these children appear on the open books at the top of the book towers in the abandoned book city. Every night, the balloons come and pick up the children and they begin the journey away from the cold dreamless city to incredible adventures far away. Major things to be done: Children who are climbing into one of the balloons need to be added in the foreground. Numerous other balloons need to be scattered throughout the scene. Detail put into all the buildings (on a book theme). I want to convey a sense of intrigue and mystery but not danger. I want to capture the anxiety of starting something big that you don't know how it will turn out. I'm going as realistic as possible with such a fantasical scene. Comments and suggestions are very welcomed. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Tuesday, 16 May 2006 Title: a color sketch Notes: Although the next post is more relevant, I wanted to upload this to show that I did other color and design concepts. This was some free painting in PS to experiment with angles, city design, colors and lighting. Rather than approach the scene with a happy storybook feel and colors I want this Journey Begins image to be about the intrigue and mystery of beginning an incredible journey. So, this image helped me decide several things: need a wider cinematic image for scope; cooler colors to convey mystery; no towers on the image sides that break the scene's vastness. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Line Art Date Submitted: Wednesday, 10 May 2006 Title: lineart Notes: Here's a more fleshed out concept of the scene. I compare this with what I envision in my mind's eye and I know it needs to be bigger. More space, more heighth and somehow get closer to the characters without losing the essence of what I'm trying to convey. So, it's OK but it's not great. I'm going to keep working with it. I also my ditch the pencil, sometimes I find it easy to put down the ideas without having to work from a line drawing first. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Sunday, 07 May 2006 Title: small correction Notes: Small mistake, I first uploaded the image I hadn't rotated. This should be better :) CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Sunday, 07 May 2006 Title: the general idea Notes: I came across the competition about a week ago on vacation. I wish I would've noticed it back in Feb, but oh well. I sketched out a lot of little thumbnails playing with different ideas, camera views ect. This thumbnail was only about an inch or two, so there's not much in it but it holds the general idea of the scene I want. There's a city of sorts, built around the subject of books with these really tall stacks of books, one of which the main characters (kids) are on. The kids are being picked up by a guy in a hot air balloon. There'll be other balloons throughout the image and perhaps other children. They all are heading away to the horizon. I've gone out and found some reference pictures so I'll be starting on a color draft in a bit. Good luck to everyone entering, -thePoet CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post

[ 1 ]