is this readable?

Bob Crum · 22 Apr 2016, 15:45

What is it? I am hoping to solve for this composition in the earliest stages and I thought I might poll you all.
Can you tell what might be going on here? Is there a story emerging?

evilrobot · 22 Apr 2016, 16:20

My first thought is that there may be some sort of interrogation going on.

cherylpilgrim · 22 Apr 2016, 16:22

I love this angle and the values are great. It looks like he lost an arm? If so, the arm looks a little large.

Sarah LuAnn · 22 Apr 2016, 16:35

So it looks like he lost his arm, but it's not entirely clear because he is in a position where we wouldn't necessarily see the far arm anyway--so maybe it's someone else's arm? (Some-bot else's? I don't know the proper robot terms The arm on the floor does appear somewhat larger than the arm attached to him, despite being slightly further away.

I also get the impression that something scary like an interrogation seems to be going on. It seems to me that the lighting and the skewed perspective are giving that mood. Interestingly, we're looking up at the robot, which would seem like it should make it more menacing, but that isn't what is happening for me.

Bob Crum · 25 Apr 2016, 15:23

Ok, Good feedback.
I am getting that the arm is too big on the ground (good call @cherylpilgrim and @Sarah-LuAnn ).
I am seeing that it may be too menacing, though it should be somewhat dark. (@evilrobot and @Sarah-LuAnn picked up on this)
It reads as a robot... this is good.
It's a lead in to a story about a ramshackle lab (perhaps a cabin) wherein a robot is being built... it's meant to be a lonely scene as the engineer is not in the shot and the robot is partially constructed.
Thank you for chiming in!

smceccarelli · 25 Apr 2016, 16:36

@Bob-Crum The arm on the floor is too big to belong to him, as was mentioned already. Also, if that is an important part of the story, I would show the half-built forearm clearly - basically swapping the arms, so that the half-built one is in front. The camera angle and the lighting as well as the lack of objects in the room make it feel ominous, like something bad is going to happen. Maybe also there should be some tools or parts around, if the robot is being built - otherwise it does seem like the robot is being held prisoner and tortured
It is a well-drawn scene and has a dramatic lighting!

bdyanne · 25 Apr 2016, 17:46

Great composition! I think to make it seem like he's being built, there should be a tool or two sitting around. As if to say the builder will be back soon to finish, and not that he has been abandoned.

Lee White · 25 Apr 2016, 19:07

Cool composition. One thing to note, you may want to move the third vanishing point a lot higher. Right now your image is distorting pretty bad due to how close it is. In most 3 point drawings, the third point should be WAY off the page.

MOO · 25 Apr 2016, 23:25

My thought is that that arm is going to crawl out of the window and go pick a lock that will allow the robot to escape whatever is going on. Or at least send the arm out to do something he can't because he's stuck in that chair!