CGAN October 2015 The thing behind the door

Micro - thanks for the kind words, I got a bit carried away with Sullys' fur but at the moment its really only a base coat, will be working it up further later on. Wow thats a technical challenge you've got going on there! Its looking really cool so far and you've managed to avoid it looking cold and detached. The floor round the central machine is now looking excellent, some lovely texture and debris. Was it the intention to have a damp floor? If so keep doing what youre doing I think the reflections that you seem to have added already will really give the piece that extra dimension.

Dave - Thanks man, still a massive way to go on mine but yours is really progressing. Loving the wrinkly skin on the hands but for some reason it doesn't seem quite as convincing on the face (though I know you have the skill to fix that). My favourite part is that pumpkin hanging from his desk. A really creative solution to the positioning of the second light source and beautifully executed. The way those table legs disappear into the darkness is nicely done too. I imagine that his desk is about 12 foot off the floor so the little guy can lord it over his customers as they enter his shop.

I flipped mine back over again.

Really wanted to show more of an update tonight but I have reworked Boos face 4 or 5 times and its still not quite right. Oh well gotta move on tomorrow or I'll never finish it and I need it done by the 29th so I can send it as an e-card to my wife for her Birthday on the 30th!

So....mini update.

Micro: whatever it is you've done since the previous wip it's worked a treat! The structure and space now looks much more stable and convincing, and you now have a really solid foundation from which to push the picture forward with whatever details you wish.

Atto: I love the viewpoint and perspective in the picture, it's exactly the kind of composition I would have done. The low eye level lets you engage directly with the child yet also expresses the looming intimidation of the big furry monster and all those hairs are lovely. Keep going!

Thanks Val,

Finally got the three main characters almost finished - I know it still doesn't look very Halloweeny but theres a little twist to come. Now onto the BG, door, floor and then some tweaks for lighting.

Well, I did a little more on this the other night, and then started thinking about the foreground idea that I have had for this image. ... But to be honest, now, I really don't know how I feel about it or if I want to do it at all? - I know the title itself reads 'The thing behind the door' but wasn't sure if this was more for the lead up to Banj's little story-telling brief, or if there should actually be a door in the image?

As soon as I roughed in my idea tonight though, part of me immediately hated it and thinks it's takes away from the overall image. ... But I'm wondering if it might actually help add to the story telling of the image, not to mention help it to fit the brief better? And I still don't know what to do?





Obviously, once I started adding in the door jam, I had to resize the image a bit to accommodate it. I also had to shift the character to help center him again with the new framing. ... But think I may have to just sit on this for a while to see how I feel about it when I re-visit it in a few days. - If anyone has any thoughts on it, I'd like to hear them. Thanks

Dave,
Personally I would leave the door out, I think it detracts from the fantastic image you already have and since its not a requirement I would say it weakens the image. I see your point about story telling but perhaps that would be better revealed by some shop paraphenalia(?) subtly suggested in the background. The door and frame as you have it at the moment seems to flatten the image and as Banj says the perspective is a little off.
One other thing while I'm here, I seem to remember from your original notes around the first sketch you posted was that his foot was supposed to disappear into the darkness too. I would look into that again if I were you, it seems a little light beneath that desk to me and think it would sit better if it were treated in the same way as the desk legs.

Banj wrote:

It's entirely up to you. The door is not a requirement, but the thing behind it is

Yeah, I kind-of figured it wasn't a 'requirement so to speak' and guess I also asked my question incorrectly, I was thinking more rhetorical, as to what others thoughts were, if a door was needed to make the image work as far as the challenge itself. ... And yep, you're correct on the doors angle as well. I just pulled it down some to show it was a door, and not part of the jam. But didn't realize it should have angled upward, overlapping the top of the jam. ... Thanks.

Thanks Atto, and yeah, I'm still looking to darken the foot up some. It's not supposed to stand out that much, and I like the way the lower stuff disappears into the darkness too, so I will be revisiting it this weekend. - And thanks for your thoughts on the door. I know I roughed it in quickly, and left it a lot lighter then it would be, but as you say it does flatten the overall image. But one of the first things I noticed, was it also appears to pull the character a lot closer to the foreground/viewer. Whereas with the darkened surroundings without the door-jam, it pushes him back into the image more, which I do prefer.

Thanks again Gentlemen

I think I'm pretty much done - unless you guys n gals think it needs more work. I've left the background and floor etc pretty empty and under developed as I don't want it to detract from the main characters - too simple do you think?
Any and all crits would be lovely.