Hey, guys, I'm working on a calendar for 2012. This is the cover sketch I came up with. Any feedback would be great. I also uploaded a more detailed sketch in which I tweaked some tangents and laid in some text to hold the spot till I find the type-face I want. This is a really fun project :) Can't wait to see how the months are gonna turn out :)
Thanks,
J.
First off, congratulations on being the 700th post on this blog ;~)
ReplyDeleteSWEET! I knew I was meant for great things :P Now I know I have lived :P
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulations on being the 701st! :P
ReplyDeleteDo you guys think the banner needs to be bigger? Also, I blew up the pot with the gold and sword in it. Is it too big? I feel like it's not consistent with the horizon line. I may have to go with a size in-between the two and take it back a little bit to put it on the same plane as everything else. It just doesn't feel right. I haven't taken the reference, yet, or made the finalized drawing. That will be tonight. So things can change however they need to between now and the time I actually begin to paint the image.
ReplyDeleteNope--this is still on 700. :~)
ReplyDeleteSomething about the placement of your dragon doesn't feel *quite* right....... maybe scoot the entire dragon over to right just a tad so he's not quite so dead-centered?
I guess it all depends on how important that sword it. In the first compositions, the eye is drawn to it like it has significance, in the bottom one it reads more as background.
ReplyDeleteBut, the sword it pretty powerful as part of the triangle of the composition. In the bottom sketch, it feels a little lopsided...
I agree, to a point. I placed the dragon's head directly to the right of the centre line to create the focal point (which it is), but maybe it's a little too close? I almost feel like a part of the wizard should be breaking that positive space to his left.
ReplyDeleteOop, sorry, Christina :) That last post was for Paula. I think you are right. I battle with that sword, a great deal. My first idea for this image was to have the wizard gesturing to something he was haggling over with the dragon. At first, it was a book, but I'm thinking it should be the sword. It is very strong, you are right, and I think it would help to complete the circle, and create additional interest and space, if the wizard's arm was foreshortened and gesturing toward the sword.
ReplyDeleteYep, I can see it :)
ReplyDeleteThe sword doesn't bother me one way or another. If you keep it large, gray it back, so it's not as important. If you keep it small, you may want to cut a slightly more interesting shape out of the caven wall. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI agree you should do something with the wiz. He is way too bland.
I think it would be cool to have him reaching down to take something, and show him getting caught in the act when he's most vulnerable.
That way you have a wizard-thief, which is a bit different. and a wizard who is in serious danger, which is also different.
The problem with wizards is that too often they're just above it all.
Take everything I say with a grain of salt. There may be overriding reasons why he's doing what he's doing.
Thank you, Chuck. I really like your feed back. That actually inspired me to move in a direction I had been considering. I've been toying with the idea of removing the wizard, entirely, and placing some other character in there. The title of the piece is 'Riddlemaster'. It's ambiguous enough, I think, that it could be referring to either the wizard OR the dragon. I like turning archetypes on their heads a bit, but still retaining something classical. I really like your suggestion. I was wanting that kind of feedback above all. The composition is academic, mostly, but the idea will carry it and help inform the academic choices I make. I have the idea, and still favour the wizard, but I want to make him more interesting, maybe even change the title. I'm not sure. I'll deal with those things, this evening. Thank you. I got some very nice visuals from your critique.
ReplyDeleteYou're quite welcome.
ReplyDeleteCritiquing is a helluva lot easier than doing the work. Especially for a curmudgeon like myself :-)
You've been working hard on this stuff and it really really shows!
Thanks, Chuck. That means a lot to me. This is the one thing I want to do more than anything else. It's easy to get discouraged, hard to keep up the hope, but completely worth the struggle. Thank you. Hearing stuff like that from other artists gives me strength to keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, again,
J.