Treehouse WIP
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I am not sure I have the time this month, but then I did a couple of thumbnails and got hooked on this one...Maybe another rendering experiment?
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I think you need to find time
I love seeing your work. -
Well since I want to win, I would like to just have you consider that June is a really busy month, and sometimes we just need a nice break from all this art madness
But in all seriousness, I want to see this finished. It looks really good so far.
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@smceccarelli Looking great! The one thing I'm unsure about is the mechanics of the zipline - it seems to me that perhaps there's a bit to sharp of an angle to it. I don't think the kid ziplining would have enough momentum to get back up that steep climb to the tree house platform. In fact, with that much slack in the rope, he might go crashing into the tree just below where the house sits. I think if you put a little less 'slack' in the rope (aka less of a sharp angle) then his trajectory will look more natural.
https://danettebyatt.com
Twitter @DanetteDraws
Instagram @DanetteDraws -
Well, I got caught up at least until the stage of clean line. What do you think, rocks or no rocks? I thought the story needed something there...
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@DanetteDraws I see what you mean - will correct that before going to color (IF I find the time to go to color...).
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@smceccarelli I like it with the rocks! You're right, it does feel like there should be something there.
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I like the rocks too. Looking great.
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@smceccarelli Simona you are so talented! I'm so glad you're illustrating books for the rest of the world to enjoy
I love teh little dog in the bucket. -
I know the drawing is still rough, but I have a few ideas:
First, I would leave the rope the way it is, and instead, change the expression of the kid to a more scared or worried look, with one leg fully extended. The one kid on his knee already looks concerned, so I say go with that. More of a story there. And, in its current perspective, not sure how you would make the rope straight enough to have the kid come in from higher than the treehouse's current height.
Take the dog out of the bucket, and put him on a lower deck, or the branch already there, closer to the left side, maybe barking toward the kid on the rope. While cute, doesn't make sense why he would still be in the bucket.
All three kids on the treehouse seem squished in to that small deck area. Maybe move the vertical support to the right some, or make the deck go out farther. Also, the two kids standing only have one foot showing each, which seems to blend both the shown feet in to one or the other's body. And the crouching kid's torso and legs need work (which may already be obvious to you, again, since it is a rough sketch).
Lastly, I would enlarge just the treehouse and kids so the deck touches the bottom of the page, increasing the distance the kid still has to travel. Add a more exaggerated perspective to the rope up to the enlarged treehouse.
Hope that helps!
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@tombarrettillo Thank you for your notes! Some of it I have already worked on (like the crouched kid), but I am already painting now (it was a studio day yesterday and I got caught up into this one). I will re-evaluate everything carefully and see what can be implemented still and what works without changing the format of the page. I have the feeling you saw it as the kid climbing to the treehouse - but actually he is sliding down into the water to a big splash (which I am adding in the painting) and possibly crashing onto rocks (which I have added later) - that is why his friends are trying to warn him.
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Tom's note made me think that there was something off with perspective on the the figures. So I considerably reduced the size of the kid splashing in the water. Are the spatial relationships clear in this version?
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@smceccarelli Hi Simona - I noticed a few others commented about this already - but because the boy on the zip line is facing the tree house it does not feel like he was up on the tree house and is going down and crashing into the water. It feels like he is coming towards the tree house from the other side of the water/rocks. I am not sure I have ever seen anyone zipline backwards? Seems like they always face the direction they are going, so I think it will be harder for the viewer to imagine him going back first?
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@Rich-Green One other bit of input - I am not sure I believe that the rocks are a sudden point of danger. If this zip line has been there a while and been used before - it does not matter which direction the rider is facing, it would not lead them to crash into the rocks. So unless this is the first time they are trying out the new zip line - it's not all that believable to me. And if this is the first time trying out the zip line, then going back to my previous point, I really don't think a kid would do that backwards the first time?
What if the object of danger was something less stationary - like a crocodile or something in the water that the kids on the tree house see but the zip lining boy does not?
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@Rich-Green Yes. Good points. Maybe I should turn him around? At this point I am more using it as a rendering exercise and experimenting with process. Which I am not sure it's working anyhow....Maybe I should start a new one...Here is the WIP for today.
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@smceccarelli I don't know if you just aren't at the stage where you have gotten to rendering the boards but I think I'm really liking the juxtaposition of the rendered kids/rocks/trees and the more cartoony/flat boards.
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Ok - was an interesting rendering exercise. I could noodle it forever but the storytelling is not very strong and this rendering process is not my favourite. But, I definitely learnt a lot and I like the lighting - it is the first time I am halfway happy with dappled light. Some things I learnt: the edge of the light needs to be slightly blurry and slightly more saturated. I will probably try it again sometime.
And I may do another one for the "treehouse" topic...if I find the time!
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@smceccarelli This is incredible........now I must go an cry in the corner
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@smceccarelli i love it!
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@smceccarelli Lighting is so well done!!
