[Gecko]

I don't exactly know what went to me, but I actually spent 5 hours today painting this image with my frig..loveable mousey.
I'm pretty satisfied with the results even if some parts still look stupid..

I started off with this idea:



And this is how it came out:



Oh, and here's the fullsize version in case you wanna take a peek:

http://www.warthog.pp.fi/img/puumajafull.jpg

Comments are much appreciated, as always.

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Gecko
[email protected]
Gecko's Hideout

[DuKEZ]

nice image..
the bottom where its dark.. u should darken it all the way.. pitch black.. (i think of course) or add more green to the trees..

the treehouse itself looks good

[Binke]

i kinda like the original sketch more :P

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http://binke.gamesquad.net

[Synax]

lol, very nice. Killer tree house - it has lighting and a stove/fireplace

--Synax

[Qory]

well, I think it would look a bit better if you cut off the bottom inch of the picture, because it sort of moves the focus of the picture a bit. I keep seeing that strip of sky on the left of the small trees, even though it's the treehouse that you should be looking at, right? And trees don't really grow like that.. they're almost always verticle, even when growing on a slope, but it would look WAY better if you cut the bottom off (I know it soundsl ike a cheap way to fix a pic, but hey, I'm no artist! haha..)

Qory

[AliasMoze]

Gecko,
Here's my two cents:
1) Trees have a tendency to stand straight up, even if they're on a slope.
2)Your sky has no perspective. The clouds are "standing up" as it were.
3)There should be an indication of atmosphere in your background as the trees go back.
4)There seems to be the same warm light on the roof of the tree house that is on the window side. It would be much cooler (moonlight).
5)This tree is much to high above the pines.

Anyway, that's what I have to say.
Overall, you have too much contrast. It's always good to start a painting with a painted "sketch", which amounts to blocking out the main shapes. It helps define the key features of your painting and helps rangle in the color values in the picture.

Hope that helps.


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"That activates my hilarity unit."

[Mr Weasel]

Er,....moon ?

[synj]

hey very cool!

now that i've visited your treehouse, come visit my postal service:


-synj www.synj.net

[lotor]

Just add texture to the main treetrunk and she'll be a fine piece.
ciao

[Nex]

cool pic gecko! nice atmosphere there... I guess there are TWO people in that treehouse

[Binke]

Heh damn Synj, you keep doing new stuff everyday
I hope that mailman isnt going to visit my place..

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http://binke.gamesquad.net

[Lange_Pisang]

awwww...I like the pic, it's nice, cosy and warm...aaaahhh...great job Gecko!

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awwwwww...still have to learn a lot,
-Lange Pisang (Long Banana )

[This message has been edited by Lange_Pisang (edited May 17, 2000).]

[AliasMoze]

Looks better.
Regarding contrast, the best thing to do is go outside when it's night. Look at things -- trees, the ground, anything. Notice how little contrast there is in an object. In a painting everything is relative-- color, value, contrast, everything. If there is little contrast between the trees and sky, there will probably be even less in the tree details.

There is a huge tendency (especially in digital painting) to add too much contrast. The best way to avoid this is to start each painting with a rough "sketch." That is, lay down blocks of color, showing the basic colors and values. This will set the mood and ultimately determine how your painting feels. If you start this way, you'll learn allot of things quickly about relative values.

Anyway, it looks much better. Hope I've helped

[This message has been edited by AliasMoze (edited May 17, 2000).]

[Drorak]

It's very nice ghecko.

How about putting a moon in the background, with some bats flying in the foreground.

[Gecko]

AliasMoze:
You certainly did. Thanks for pointing out mistakes I'd otherwise been totally satisfied with. I'm not saying I cleared them, but at least took a shot at fixing some.

Got the contrast part, too :].

Drorak:
Thanks! Remind me to punch myself though, if I ever go and add any bats into my treehouse images.



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Gecko
[email protected]
Gecko's Hideout

[AliasMoze]

Gecko,
Here's another Photoshop tip, in case you haven't tried it. It really helps (me) in focusing on value, instead of color.

Create an Adjustment Layer on the top of your layer stack. Use Hue/Saturation and take the saturation all the way down, reducing the image to grayscale. After doing this, you can hide/unhide the layer to toggle between your color image and B&W. It's a good way to nail pesky value problems in an image.

[Gecko]

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

I went through the suggestions and agreed with many of them, so I tried them out, too.

Qory: I cropped the image like you said, and like it much better now. Thanks!

AliasMoze: 1) I repositioned the trees to be more straight upwards, and even if I liked them more as they were (It was done on purpose), they do look more realistic this way.

2) Yes the sky sucked hard. I repainted it a couple of times, and, well, it still sucks. I'm at a dead end on how to draw the sky. ..Help anyone?

3) Put some more landscape on the background, it's not too visible but I hope it does its job.

4) Good point. Blueish on the outside now.

5) I disagree. It's just that this tree is 54 years older than the surrounding spruce forest, that's been cut down a few times.

That too-much-contrast-part I didn't understand.

Ok that been said, here's the limited Special Edition for your eyes only:



Full size:

http://www.warthog.pp.fi/img/puumajafixfull.jpg

Thanks again for all your comments!

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Gecko
[email protected]
Gecko's Hideout