2D Entries for Linda Bergkvist (Enayla)

Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Image Date Submitted: Sunday, 15 May 2005 Title: Spoiled Notes: At times, Nature is the master of Humanity... and at other times, Humanity certainly rules Nature. Nature makes us hurry inside when she weeps rain upon the world. With hurricanes, she toys with us. Tornadoes are used to punish, earthquakes to throw us about like pebbles in a child's game. We live on her land, and through that, she rules over us. Our very bodies belong to her - they age in rhythm with her, and they are subject to urges and desires that she imposes on us. In some ways, we're little but slaves to Nature's ways. But Humanity... on the other hand... has found another way to dominate. Humanity destroys what we touch. We reach out towards pretty things in greed, and leave a trail of death behind. We fence the woods in, we run over the animals and poison the seas. Ours is a different kind of mastery but it is one nevertheless. Nature serves us because she has no other choice. Humanity always expects Nature to mend what damage we've done: heal the woods burned down, return the animals hunted to extinction and cleanse the seas... never considering what will happen the day Nature is no longer there to catch us. In this piece, I tried to show this relationship. Humanity a naïve yet destructive burden, the smile on her lips slight and dreamy as she thinks of the beautiful flowers she will pluck and the lovely birds she will see while all around her these very things now fade away. She's blind to the destruction she causes. She knows that Nature will be there for her, she knows that there will always be the scent of flowers and always the gentle surge of the sea. She is Nature's master in that Nature has no choice but to try to catch her and always try to mend the damage she has done... but she is Nature's slave because she must breathe the air, drink the water and eat the food that only Nature can give her. I didn't want a conventional take on the Master and Servant theme. I wanted one that I felt would be meaningful for me. Those who have followed the progress know that I've put thought into pretty much every little symbol - there's a reason to why there is a peach tree in the background (peach symbolising femininity in many cultures), there's a reason to why I flipped the picture around (wanting the destruction to move in a clockwise motion) and the colours are almost exactly the same as I laid them out in the beginning, wanting the warm, rich colours to symbolise the life that's being taken away. I chose two women to represent humanity and nature because a man and a woman would only lend a conventional, romantic aspect to the image... and I've always imagined Nature a feminine quality. That's it. Thank you for your time, thank you everyone for the help. Finally I'll be able to get some sleep. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 15 May 2005 Title: A final bit of detail before the FINAL picture. Notes: Because Theresa asked, I'm uploading these detail shots while waiting for the final piece to submit. Talk about butterflies in my tummy! that's what I get for painting so many of them! Huge thanks, everyone, I think I'll go throw up now. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 15 May 2005 Title: I'm done. Notes: As far as I'm concerned, the piece is done now. I have to stop at some point, and this is it. I'm submitting this one to show the changes to the faces, the next submission will be the final piece with the writing to go along with it. I can't thank everyone enough for all the help I've received. I just need to let it go at some point or I'll just collapse from redoing the tiniest little details. I'll never be done if I don't stop now, ha ha. Again, thank you, and don't forget to send an email to linda@furiae.com - just a blank one, so I have your addy for the gift. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 15 May 2005 Title: Spoiled Notes: This is pretty much my second to last update. I'm taking off for a bit and when I get back, I'll sit down and finish the write-up, do the last few changes and then upload the final. I'm so nervous it's not even funny. Thanks everyone for the great title suggestions. It's been a chore to pick one but right now it's looking like I'll go with 'Spoiled', as I like the multiple ways I can interpret it and it seems to flow well with the picture. Changes I've done here are, of course, Humanity's new face, the peachier neck, the fixed leg of Nature, some brush strokes on Humanity's feet... uh, I shrunk one big, ugly butterfly that I didn't much like at all and I think it helped the composition. I added some dead flowers on Humanity's side. And that's pretty much it. Just little details to whittle at, at this point. Once more, if you've in any way participated in this thread, send a quick email to linda@furiae.com , I've set the addy up for this purpose alone. I'll have a gift for you in a couple of weeks, just a gesture of appreciation for all the help. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 15 May 2005 Title: Repaint of Humanity Notes: I've not been entirely happy with Humanity's face, so I set down and repainted her. I still wanted a cute, rather than beautiful face... but I wanted to fix the anatomical flaws and the mess-ups, plus I needed to add the same amount of details and depth that I have in Nature's face. It doesn't do to detail one character and not the other. So this is what she looks like now. I am fairly confident I won't do any more changes to her face. I am really happy with the look :D Again, thank you so much everyone, and again - if you've in any way participated in this thread, send an email (blank if you want to) to linda@furiae.com , and I'll let you in on the tutorial I'll do for you guys the week after the next one. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Saturday, 14 May 2005 Title: Round and round and round we go... Notes: All right. I'm still undecided on whether I want it flipped this way or the other. If I do flip it this way, it's because I like the symbolism of death moving clockwise -- as if every second ticking by causes more damage. If I keep it the other way around, then it's because everyone else is so used to seeing it turned that way - personally, I've been flipping it left and right ever since I first started out. I find that's the only way to deal with a painting properly - otherwise it has a tendency of getting skewed. Anyway, I just can't decide. It's so hard. Adding more birds, etc, to break the emptiness behind Humanity up. I'm particularly fond of the big one up in the corner, though I might shrink him (though I'd rather not). Him being the furthest away from Humanity, he's only just starting to fall apart... feathers flying from his pretty green wings. I'm submitting the final one tomorrow night, my time. Nature's face is completely done, and this is the look I settled on: [img]http://www.furiae.com/images/facefinished.jpg[/img] I really appreciate the help on that one, I ended up compromising - keeping her lips almost shut but not quite instead of more open as in the second version. Anyway, I've decided not to do any more changes to her features. I'd like to repeat, also, that if you've ever posted in this thread, you're welcome to send me an email at linda@furiae.com , only with a smiley in it if need be, so that you can partake in the free tutorial I'll be sending out sometime the week after the next one. Don't be shy :] CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Friday, 13 May 2005 Title: A pair of parted lips. Notes: So I started doodling on her lips, fixing some things... and found that the emotion was more nicely expressed if I parted them just a little. Is anyone in agreement with me here? Are the lips to the right better? I would just like to know before I do any more shading on them the way they are now. I\'m having fun with the piece again. I did some changes to her hip/leg position in line with the suggestions and I feel she\'s looking better, I\'ll show you later. For now, though, LIPS! (Oh, and I know there\'s something weird going on with the bugs, I think what happened was that I\'ve had two slightly different versions and I was erasing stuff to get a version that was in between... and the bugs got caught in the middle. I\'ll fix it.) CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Friday, 13 May 2005 Title: Closing in! Notes: THANK YOU!!! I want everyone who's helped me out to send an email to linda@furiae.com -- when this is done and I've had a bit of extra time, I'll send you all an extra tutorial created as a gift for you. It took a lot of work and effort and re-planning, but I finally redid not only the foot but her entire leg. The old position of it bothered me so much that I decided against it in the end. A graceful foot was far easier in this new position, and I also think it created a more dynamic pose between the two of them. Either way, I'm getting really close now. I can feel it, you know? A finger's width away, and then I'm done. It's been such a wonderful journey, creating this piece, and I learned so much about both painting and, believe it or not, myself. I realise that the new pose is... well, it's a little more sensual than the old one. It wasn't an intention, but I can sort of see it now - but I'm just going to have to live with it. To those who really liked the bloody wound on Nature's leg, I'm sorry, but I think I've decided to be a bit more discreet about it. I'm going to add a bit more blood to Humanity's hand, but keep it part hidden behind the leg. I don't want to be too obvious about the destruction she causes - the birds and butterflies are enough of a give-away. My biggest problem right now is actually the title, still. I just can't come up with something that I feel happy with. The title either ends up being too descriptive - or too obscure. You guys have given me some wonderful suggestions to work with, though (and some wonderfully silly ones!)... I just need to get it right, the way you get it right when you practically get an exclamation mark or a light bulb popping up above your head in a typical cartoon manner. Oh, and I'm going to try to bring the bird in the background (the one on the branch) out a little bit more. I fixed Nature's boobs, I think - I want them discreet but, uh, I don't want it to seem like she only has ONE huge instead of two of moderate and elegant size. Thanks for pointing that out :] I also brought her shoulder back out as it was fading into the background - the kind of thing you won't notice when you're too concentrated on other things. For your enjoyment, here are some detail shots: [img]http://www.furiae.com/images/moredetails.jpg[/img] CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 08 May 2005 Title: Almost There. Notes: I've just received a promise from someone to have this printed at a size to cover a wall from floor to ceiling for my livingroom. I think that would be pretty neat. Anyway. I'm just working on details now. I'll still fix the foot, just not today, I don't have much time. What did I do now? I unblurred the butterfly. I've worked a little on minor things here and there. Only updating so you guys know I'm still going strong at it and I'll be done in time for the headline. I'm hoping sometime early this week. I'm happy with where the background is now and the only things I know I need to take care of are the feet of Nature, and small stuff like adding some more background birds and butterflies and some more peaches on the ground. Then we're there. Oh. And a title. I need a title. *sigh* CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Final Coloring Date Submitted: Sunday, 01 May 2005 Title: Getting there... Notes: I can't describe how helpful I'm finding this entire process. I've never done a WIP like this before - it's extremely rewarding. So. Just wanted to say thanks. I'm going to paint a picture when this is done and I'm going to dedicate it to everyone who's helping me out here. Anyway. Here's another step. I've started to make the background drop back a little (lowering its contrast, mainly, also blurring parts by excessive and very careful smudging and overpainting). Also did some minor adjustments to the poses and the light, as well as some more work on the texture of nature's skin - I want it textured, but not too heavily around the face. More up the arms and legs. Don't think I've added anything else. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Friday, 29 April 2005 Title: I'e picked it up again Notes: Myriads upon myriads of layers set to soft light, slowly flattened into the background. Little layers with single, separate strands of grass, smudged here and there, erased at the edges, melted down and then textured, and I don't EVER want to paint grass again for as long as I live. I swear. Next picture I paint will be all stone. ALL stone. I can't say I'm entirely sure what the changes are between this step and the one before. I worked more on the grass, more on the background. I've worked on Humanity's dress, and I've moved the birds around a little. I added a tiny lizard to the top of Nature's dress but I'm not entirely sure if I'll keep it there or not. I made Nature's feet smaller, but I think I might end up repainting the front foot entirely. I'll freely admit to feet being my greatest weakness in the human anatomy. I've always found them terribly unattractive. There is nothing beautiful about their shape, not to my eyes anyway. They're knobbly and veiny and ugly. I don't like the shape of toes. But I'll get there. I'll give her a pretty foot even if it'll cost me my life! Hahah. (So, don't worry, I know there's something up with her feet, I'm working on it) I need more birds. I want a couple of blurry ones closer to the viewer. I want a few more hidden in the trees in the background. I might add another dead one on the ground but I sort of don't really want to - might add feathers and such, instead. This picture is turning out to be quite the task, and quite the challenge for me. I've never tried anything like this before: my pictures are usually much simpler. This is, well, like painting ten pictures all at once - there's so much to think about, so many details that need to be perfect. It's driving me nuts. Can you guys spot where the tiny little mouse is hiding? I'm glad I let the picture rest for a while. It feels better now. Sorry about the compression, I didn't want to shrink it too much. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Tuesday, 19 April 2005 Title: Continuing on the animals Notes: Guess who worked on the painting again? It feels better now that I've ditched the other concept (or, rather - I finished it, but not for the contest). It's a better thing to focus on only one painting at the time, I think, and now this is it. If I feel like doing another painting, I should do it on the side, finish it quickly as I usually do, and then get back to the main concept. Now... I've listened to the advice, and I decided to add a dead bird. I hated painting it, hated looking at references for it, but I like the result (even if I don't like looking at it). I have issues looking at dead animals - much more so than dead people. Is that very weird of me? To make up for the dead bird, I painted a little field mouse in the folds of Nature's clothes. I've worked on a blurry, distant bird in the background. I've also reworked the folds on Humanity's clothes a bit, but I'll show that in the next update, for now there are just these details. Anyway, as always, I appreciate all the comments and all the lovely advice :] Thank you, folks! CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Tuesday, 12 April 2005 Title: Someone Save Me Notes: Oh my. I couldn't keep my hands off of it, could I? My life is over. Someone, feel free to decapitate me - I said you could - because I can't... leave... the picture... alone. I'm thinking I might have to do the other concept on the side and just keep working on this one since I've become so obsessive with it. Sigh. I sat up all night working on it, and secretly - while claiming I was NOT working on it - I've sat around painting grass. The grass isn't easy, I'll tell you that much. I made a brush that really helped out... then I made a second brush... then I sat around and painted over every stroke that the brush did, here and there and up and down, trying to weave the strands of grass together to make for a nice look. I found some pictures from last summer of Azrael frolicking in the grass - they helped a lot. Then I went into Painter, painted some wild, serious grass textures and I did soft light overlays of it on the painting in photoshop. It's been, to tell the truth, quite of a hell. I feel like it isn't nearly done yet, though. I'm lucky I work on such a large format, as it's easier to make the individual strands look right, but even so... phew. Phew! As you might notice... there's some serious detailing and sharpening up going on here, too. I feel that I'm pretty much done with Humanity's feet - I might hate feet, but I'm quite happy with how those turned out (whee!). I feel like I'm pretty much done with Nature's face and the upper part of her dress (with the flowers, etc). I need about twice as much birds and butterflies and such, which will be quite a chore, but the feeling of 'getting somewhere' with the picture is quite enjoyable. I have to fight it, though - it's like I've got it reined in like a wild horse, and it's trying to drag me off though I have other things to do. If I'm not resilient enough, I'll end up awake all night tonight, too, narrowing in on details and adding little, symbolic stuff. I've started to shift the painting back and forth between Photoshop and Painter now. Sometimes, I feel Painter can add that last inch of 'life' to a texture, that is so difficult to pinpoint with Photoshop. Also, I've considered a sweeping branch along the left edge of the picture for some time now. Rotten peaches dangling from it, and some stiff, dead spiders (ghostly white, the way dead spiders sometimes look) perching on the branch. I'm not entirely sure if it'll compromise the image but I'm going to give it a try. Later, anyway. For now, I need sleep. Sleep. Sleeeeeep. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Monday, 11 April 2005 Title: A girl and her reflection Notes: Oh my. So I started on my second concept. My dear friend Mikaela posed for me yesterday, so I've had huge help from those photos - I wouldn't be able to match the angle of the knife with the mirror image otherwise, honestly, I'm terrible with things like that. SO much love to her. The photos were a major help for the lighting scheme, too, though I decided to go for something far softer and more delicate than what we'd set up for the reference photos. Anyway, this is a first, quick sketch of what'll come. The girl stabbing her own image in the mirror, and you can see just a hint of things to come. I'll probably have to go with a slightly tighter crop - but there still has to be space for the blood smeared on the wall. Now, so that no one gets me wrong - I will not be replacing my original entry with this one. I still think the other one will be what I'll turn in, in the end, as my final piece but I am so inspired by this whole thing that I wanted to do a second try at it. This one, is about being slave/servant to your own mind and all of its dark and twisted corners. It's not the case of someone seeing someone else in the mirror - except for the blue lighting in the mirror, the girl IS looking at herself, a distraught, unhappy, torn image of herself surrounded with all the horrid thoughts that made her do... well... you can guess what she might have been up to. Anyway! Enjoy! This one will be simpler and quicker than the other one, I promise. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Thursday, 07 April 2005 Title: Scene unfolding -- or, Miss Details goes Insane Notes: So, I promised not to work more on the painting for now. Honestly, if you see me posting another step after this, feel free to decapitate. Please. I need to move on to the other concept and give this a break. I've, er, worked on the details here. I've changed the colours a little. I've... worked on more details, and then some details. I'm very happy with the result of Nature's dress, and how Mankind's dress's fabrics are turning out (at this scale, you'll only see hints of the very faint patterns there. My favourite part of the picture right now is Mankind's elbows. How's that for a weird thing, eh? Next? I'm not even PLANNING the next step in the picture. I MUST go do something ELSE now before this drives me nuts. It's just SO much fun to paint those dying birds and butterflies - does that make me a very morbid person? I don't like animals dying, but drawing feathers flying every which way and butterfly wings in all their prettiness scattering like so much dust - that IS fun. To quote a very nifty fellow - "I felt like destroying something beautiful." Anyway, enjoy. I'll go beat my head against the wall now for drawing when I said I wouldn't. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Tuesday, 05 April 2005 Title: The pretty fance of Nature Notes: I'm a sucker for details. I intend, however, for this to be the most detailed picture I've ever painted. I want it to be one of those where you can discover new little things when you look at it closely: a bird's skull in the grass, a little butterfly on one of the flowers. It's going to take time, though, and effort - but detailing is honestly the most fun part of a painting for me. I made the mistake of flattening the birds and the butterflies to the background, which is hateful since it'll be difficult to move them around now. I want them all swarming up behind or above Nature, though, or falling to their deaths behind Man. What you're looking at here is a full size cut-out of Nature's head, complete with all the bugs and butterflies and, ick, even a spider perched on top of her mask (how I hate spiders!). The details aren't done, of course, especially the birds are still prone to change - I'll be adding some motion to their wings, I think, but not too much of it (don't want to disturb the picture as a whole). Some of the butterflies are in early sketch stadium, and some show, er, heavy traces of being part of a brush I made that I've swept over the edges of her hair to get their places right, before I'll overpaint them with more individual features (I can't believe I actually have a butterfly brush now, man that's scary). The mask texture is extremely closely referenced from the mask sitting on top of my monitor. It's being very helpful, boy am I glad I made it, heheh. Anyway, this will be the last update on this picture for a while. I honestly need to take a break from it. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Monday, 04 April 2005 Title: A girl and two birds Notes: I've not managed to get around to my second concept yet. I've switched music from Bach to the soundtrack from Interview with a Vampire (not such a good movie, but the music is soooo beautiful), and it's really inspiring. Not more so than Bach, but in a different way if you know what I mean. Anyway, I've worked on the other girl's face, as well as on two of the birds. I think I like her expression now - see the discreet little smile? I might hitch the eyebrows a little lower, later, I'm not sure yet. It's subject to change anyway - everything is at this point. Oh, and I've used references for the birds' flying positions, but not the actual birds if that make any sense. Once more, I doubt they exist in the real world. I'm not sure if I like the bigger bird's face yet, I'll get back to it (I want it to look like the bird in the concept sketch as far as the colours go, but I managed to mess the face up on this one, too, man I suck). So far, I've had so many wonderful suggestions that I don't think I shall ever stop working on this image. As soon as I'll have more time (tonight maybe? No, wait, I have a visitor tonight, waah) I'll get to the background and start working on those myriads of peaches, sigh. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Saturday, 02 April 2005 Title: A face emerges Notes: I've been working on it, all over the place, for a while now. Finishing off the colours (they've nearly settled now) and then, insanely, starting on the spirit's face. I've had insomnia, there was really little else to occupy myself with. I've tried to take in as much advice as I've been able to - I can't follow every single piece of it, unfortunately, not with opinions as varied as this but this is all very helpful even so :] I think I've got the look in the spirit's eyes down pat. I'm happy with how the mask is coming along and will mostly do texture work on the mask and more flowers for her, when I get back to this step - it's really getting ahead of myself... but I must say that I waited with the face for MUCH longer than I normally do when I paint. It's not uncommon for me to start out painting a face and then building an entire picture up around the features. Not so this time around, however. But, gee, I just noticed that I've done no work at all on her forehead, it looks horrid. Oh well. All in time. I think I might start on my second concept tomorrow if I have the time. Let this one rest for a while because I want to think about exactly what I'll be doing and where I'll be taking it. Irony has it that the step before this one, I accidentally over-saved the original psd with a smaller version of it that I had shown a friend (NOT the first time I do this to a painting). So I had to enlarge, blur, and then paint over the darn thing. It made me a little pissy but I think I've fixed it now. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Wednesday, 30 March 2005 Title: Details emerging Notes: Another step in the colouring process. I've now found my rhythm, I think. I've sort of hooked on to the concept. I think it's best I make clear, again, that this picture IS about a master and a servant, but it is not to be obvious who is who. I could easily turn Nature into only Master, or I could turn her into only Servant - but that's not what I want to convey here. Nature both serves and rules, she is wounded and she retaliates... much like man. I do not -want- Nature to be obviously a ruler over Man. The human girl wilts against the spirit but is she weaker? The grass under her feet will have turned brown, the peaches have rotted, scattered around her toes lie dead butterflies caught in mid-flight. I don't want the picture to be a great big upset or a struggle - it's much slower than that, man's relationship against nature. Anyway, I talk too much - I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands that I am not trying to turn the Nature character into more of a 'boss'. I want her to be of a dual nature. I've been diving into details, lately, but I'm still playing around with the colours, subtly. I think I'll do a jump into the snakes in her hair and more detailing on butterflies and birds when I feel up to painting again. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Wednesday, 30 March 2005 Title: And there was a tree Notes: So finally, I've sketched in the background. I've had it in mind for some time now, down to the last curve of the branches. I'm funny that way, I tend to sketch in my head long before I put it on paper. The colours surprised me as they emerged. There's a lot more red than I had expected, but now that it's there, I really don't want to change it. Granted, the apples to the left of the human will be rotting towards the ground so the colours there will be altered a little towards brown-yellow. I've worked with custom brushes, here - soft splattered things with lots of round shapes that made it easier to bring out the texture of the tree. In addition, I've used my slightly soft-edged round brush with the pressure set to both opacity and shape. I'm thinking the final background will have a bit more contrast. I'm thinking some of the apples (or peaches? I might go for peaches instead, less cliché) will be much closer to the camera, as well as tumbled on the ground. Next step is, I think, somewhat obvious. I now need to start working in the myriad of birds and flowers, leaves and bees and butterflies that will occupy the surrounding space. They need to move in a smooth flow across the picture so that I can keep the lines I'm thinking of. For the tree, I'm looking at a lot of apple tree images to figure it out, but I'm going with a more Asian style on the branches and the curve of the thing. Oh well! On towards the next step! CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Wednesday, 30 March 2005 Title: A Change of Posture Notes: After much work, a lot of repainting, and some serious head-scratching, I've changed the poses of the characters, along with some of the lighting. I feel it's more dynamic and has some more life this way. I've also started to whittle down into the details a little. Not so much that it shows too much here, but I'll be getting there soon enough. I have the nature-spirit looking as regal as I want her, here... and the human looks as if though she is fainting, or fawning. The hand on the shoulder has been moved to around the waist - I felt it was necessary for both the balance and the composition. One has to kill many of one's 'babies' when painting, but giving up the hand on the shoulder allowed me to keep the pose of the human's feet. Next, I will start working on the gracefulness of the lines and shapes. I'll bring the skin colours forward as I go - there is some work to be done, there, the repainting brought in too many browns and reds. I want more greens. This is, of course, a progress picture so I can (I hope!) get away with some mistakes. I've also decided that the bird on nature's shoulder (or maybe right above it, anyway... the shoulder that is, not the bird), will be gwapping with its beak open and eyes furious - I've taken to heart the criticism of the concept sketch's deadness... and realised it might add a little if the bird is not entirely willing to go gentle into that good old night. As for the background... I'm still thinking of an appletree... but I have decided that it will have to be discreet, next to unseen, because the foreground and mid will be filled to the brim and overflowing with nature's whim (flowers, fruit, butterflies, birds, snakes, lizards, insects - all somewhere in between brilliantly alive and decayingly dead). CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Friday, 25 March 2005 Title: A little bird Notes: I do not have the time, nor do I feel inspired, to fix the flawed poses of the characters before the weekend. I know that I need to take care of them but they can wait a few days. So, instead, I sat down and doodled a little. This is the bird that is going to be sitting on the spirit's shoulder. I feel safe in painting it now as I can always paint over and fix the position of it when the rest of the image is ready to catch up with it. Looked at quite a few references (I've borrowed a book on exotic birds from my best friend) but I don't think this bird looks like any living bird I've seen. Thought behind the colours: The bird will have colours that pick up nearly every other colour in the image. It's encompassing the red, the brow, the green, the yellow and the blue. It'll be a little more dominantly blue in the final version, I think, but the other colours will be present... bringing the picture together. When I use birds in my images, they're carrying a little message. Next update on the painting: next week, repainting the poses. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Thursday, 24 March 2005 Title: Second Colour Test Notes: I simply can't stop. After having used the black and white picture as an overlay on the initial sketch, I set about painting over the whole thing with colours that felt more right. I lessened the contrast and gave the characters more believable skin tones, at the same time as I felt a need to shift the human character's legs slightly to make her balance against the fey. I started to paint in the left leg of the nature spirit but I realise now I have to wait until later with that... as well as this first attempt being ridiculously messed up (it's just not attached right, and it's looking, well, clumsy). What I'll do is wait for daylight and then pose a little in front of a mirror, try to figure the leg out. Aside from that, I have the first colour version done. I've been using the colours from my very first colour scheme test - I usually change it in between stages, but it still feels right. The flowers will be whiter, the background more fleshed out (but still discreet, I intend for there to be so many little details that it'd be too busy otherwise) and there are some things I'm still not too sure about. At least I got rid of the overall too-green look of the initial colour sketch. The murkiness will be helped when the details are fleshed out, I'm sure. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Coloring WIP Date Submitted: Thursday, 24 March 2005 Title: Initial Colour Test Notes: In this first colour step, I have simply taken the black and white sketch and superimposed it upon the initial concept sketch I made. A few quick adjustments and I could see a hint of what the picture will become. Too high contrast and sloppy details make me annoyed at this stage. I'll go ahead and paint over this and see where I've settled then. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Line Art Date Submitted: Wednesday, 23 March 2005 Title: A first attempt without colour Notes: I'm not too happy with working without colours. But I felt this would be a challenge so I decided to go for it. I am waiting with the background until I can block it out in colour later on, though, but I gave the characters a shot. This is as close to a line drawing as I think I'll ever come. I sketched on the faces off and on a LOT, and decided, in the end, to go for the mask after all. I don't like just letting go of an idea I liked so much - if it turns out, in the end, that the mask doesn't work I can always remove it. I ended up liking the fact that it hides a little of her emotion - the eyes looked too large and too emotional, she's supposed to be proud and serene after al. I do believe I will use some of the advice I've been given and work on her lips - give emotion through the expression of the mouth alone. We'll see. Aside from that, drawing without colour makes me a little sad and uninspired. On the other hand, I just came back from watching Finding Neverland, so I'm feeling a wash of inspiration come over me. What I'll do is take the black and white picture and use it as a soft light overlay on the earlier concept sketch - then I'll just paint over it, clean and simple, layer after layer. I've never painted like this for years. I'm hoping I'll get the feel for it back once there's more colour. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Wednesday, 23 March 2005 Title: Character Concept #2 Notes: The concept for the human was way easier. There's no issue of masks or frilly stuff, here. She'll wear a pretty simple knee-length dress with a pattern like the one I sketched together here. I needed to design something that felt genuine, but that wasn't too flowery. So, little snirklies and curlies, it is. I'd already decided pretty early on that she'd have straw in her hair (look at the concept sketch) so adding that was a natural touch. I also wanted freckles, a cute little upturned nose and a very genuinely featured face (in other words, not ethereally beautiful like I intend for the nature creature to be. I want this girl to be very obviously human). So that's it. That's the second character. There will likely be a few dead leaves in her hair, some feathers from the birds that have fallen unto the ground, etc... but I don't feel a need to add them into the concept sketch :] CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Wednesday, 23 March 2005 Title: Character Concept Notes: This is the character concept for the nature spirit. I am still undecided as to whether using a mask or not. I finally decided on what kind of features I would use for her - and I like them so much I'm a little wary of covering them up. The first concept sketch was more of a generic face but the look I want for her is a little like an actress from the forties, fifties, that timeless kind of elegance. Not a cute little button nose, either, I want it slightly arched. I'm leaving the cute features for the human character. Also in this sketch are little concepts for her dress where the butterflies and flowers will lift from the fabric and become real. I'm thinking the entire image will be filled with these, fluttering to rotting deaths wherever they touch the human. Also, I've settled on kalla lilies for the hair. Well, I think I have, anyway. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Tuesday, 22 March 2005 Title: Colour Scheme Notes: Usually, before even starting on a painting, I\\\'ll do a colour scheme. This helps me with inspiration. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post
Click for full-sized image		Milestone: Concept Sketch Date Submitted: Tuesday, 22 March 2005 Title: Concept/Colour sketch Notes: There are things about this sketch I am quite happy with: the pose of the human being one. Other things I realise now that I need to work on much more - the pose of the other creature has to be by far more graceful, and the colours feel too uniform and far too greenish. CGTalk: CGTalk Thread | CGTalk Post