CGAN May 2016 "Fallen" - Final entries

cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...s?limitstart=0#13735
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#13749
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#13751 (joke :silly: )
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=10#13755
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=30#13798
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=40#13822

cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=20#13779
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=40#13810
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=40#13817
cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...-wips?start=40#13824

Stayed pretty much the same from concept inception except I added a cigar in his hand and a flying dove. Since the piece has strong religious overtones, I used the symbol of the dove (God) and had the character looking elsewhere for salvation (he is fallen after all). Good luck all--great pieces all around.

Could tweak on this forever, but I need to call it final.
WIP 1:
WIP 2:
WIP 3:

Nice final painting until now
(It will be hard as always at the end.)

WIP 1 - sketchy
WIP 2 - start in green and blue
WIP 3 - there's always a raven

And heres the final Fallen Angel. With lightning and all of these fancy things.

Seeing as everyone else's painting has a darker tone (and recalling that previous challenge where all the pictures were warlike or violent) I thought I'd try something different and go for a cutesy children's book cover.
So turn up the sickly sweetness to the max and get ready to overdose on green eggs and ham!

1: Early Scribbles And Sketches.
2: Fat Fingered Fun.
And
3: Final Version WITH STORY!! (Sorry, I can't help myself sometimes.)

And because this is an art challenge with no extra points for stories (or punishments for bad stories, I hope!) here's the final on it's own.



Good Luck Everyone!

Wish I had more time to clean this up, so unfinished but it does give it a rough ambiance, good luck guys!

wip 1

wip 2

Another good varied collection. Will be tough to choose.

Schizo:
There must be a global shortage of Epic because you seem to have it all for yourself. It's not fair. This is another fantastic pic right up there with your previous ones. The diagonal connecting the two foreground figures creates the expectation of the perspective and to see that sloping scale broken by that huge central figure is awesome and the way he's pushed back by the veils of mist gives everything a massive sense of scale and this is enhanced even more by that suggestion of distant foliage and the creatures flying in the glare of the sky. All the poses are instantly understandable and clearly communicate the situation and the relationships between the figures. And those swords are… (hmm, can I think of a different word? Nope) …epic. That's what they are: Epic!
I understand your dilemma with the last minute colour choice but it didn't really matter because both versions work just fine for me.

Micro:
Really vibrant colours on this one,all working to give the sense of a harsh, unfamiliar, alien world. I agree with hansnomad, the design of your craft has that Syd Mead style to it and all that texturing is exactly what we've come to expect from your pics.
I mentioned working on the form in the wip thread and that's exactly what you managed to do in just the way I'd hoped. It now has a solid, coherent shape and that deep shadow gives it a good grounding and sense of mass.
I think the change in the craft design did move the pic a little further from the theme but it doesn't really matter when you have a good picture at the end of it all.

CherryGraphics:
An interesting change of style from you and that's always welcome. It's fun to see people try new ideas and it's rewarding when they come off.
The complimentary red/green colour combo always looks good and you didn't lose that excellent moody expression. Keeping those detailed, intense eyes while using bolder, expressive brush strokes elsewhere creates a subtle contrast that suggests a depth of focus as if the character is hiding behind and within the wings.
I like the addition of the lightning. It's well drawn and looks very natural (those wiggling arcs always look contrived and artificial when I do them) and the way you've blended it with the form of the wings is very clever.
I hope you continue to explore these different styles.

Tyl:
The idea of an angel trying to recapture lost feathers is a brilliant depiction of the theme and conjures up lots of other different metaphors for loss, and the ability to provoke those conceptual connections in the viewer is always a sign that you've got a good idea.
The offset X shape of the composition and the viewing angle reinforce that sense of looking down which emphasizes the "fallen" concept, and even though the face is barely visible you can still see and understand her expression. Despite the uncertainties about the anatomy and torso I still think it was acceptable and it gave the impression of her extending and reaching, almost in desperation, for those lost feathers. And I think everyone liked those colours! Great choices!

Hansnomad:
This had a really strong drawing at the start and it continued to get better with each wip. I wasn't sure how you'd go about painting the figure; with flat colours or transparent washes; but I was impressed with the opaque solidity that you brought to it and that added dimension only made the anatomy look better. I like the narrative scar too. The first one was good but the second was even more gruesome! Like something out of a medical textbook. Horrible … in a good way! One minor gripe is the dark (almost black) lower edge to the neck. It gives it a bit of a composited CG, cell-shaded look. A bit of soft glare, reflected/rim light or a bit of subsurface red would help it fit against the background more.
Speaking of which, all the other background elements are well done. The figure would have been good enough on its own but these added features give it a bit more context which suits the theme.

Atto:
Super sad that you didn't finish. I was really enjoying this and it may well have been my winner if you'd kept on. (In fact I would have been cheeky and posted that last wip as a final!) The pose is fantastic and fits the theme perfectly and that bit of metallic armour is very well observed and beautifully rendered. As it is now the pic has a lovely gradient of detail with that fine reflection in the centre and the sparse surroundings at the edges. It reminds me of those moments in films when a major character is about to die and all the noise of the battle fades away to be replaced by tiny incidental noises, the camera fixes on the fallen figure, blurring everyone else, and then a choir somewhere starts singing Adagio in D Minor. Hope you get chance to finish sometime.

And now to pick. Hmm…
(several minutes later...) Hmm… I still keep changing my mind…
(later still…) Finally, as a last resort, I've just been looking at all the pics as thumbnails as well as in detail and the one I think works best at all scales and has complete consistency is…
Schizo. He just has too much Epic.

And it's always like "YAY Valence said something to everyone. ...I don't know what I should say. Okay, just vote, it is all said."

well okay.. a few words from me

Schizo - yours is my favorite. I love your style and the scene (and the joke in the WIP-thread^^) and all of the small details.

hans - nice rendering of the picture! the figure of the man is really well drawn and the white dove is nice too just have a little problem with the feeling of the picture.. It all seems like it doesn't belong to each other. I really don't know if I can explain it right. They all seem to be put together in a frame but don't belonging to one scene. Maybe you understand it.

tyl - i really like the handmade look from your picture, it has so much structure! the pose is also really special and well drawn.

Val - nice one! it's funny. As everyone says I have a typical style - you too have! the girls face looks exactly like a Valence-drawn-face. although she looks older than she should be. maybe it depends on the shadows on her face. but i love the idea of the book illustration and the owl and the kitty are too cute <3

micro - well... I admit I didn't followed the WIP-thread the most this time so I have a liiittle problem of understanding the picture, but nevertheless it looks like a good picture. Love the vibrant colors and - again - the structure - a lot

...AND:
What Val said.