WIP - Possibly my entry for Worst Fear

Jason Kilthau

So this is something I started working on after thinking of something completely different for worst fear. But I think I am realizing I might end up using this one instead because I'm really enjoying the creation of this piece. I plan to add more things here and there such as insects or "creepy crawlies" but what do you all think of it so far?

Chip Valecek

@jason-kilthau great idea, i would suggest having the girl just standing vs walking into the woods. That way it would look like she is scared.

Jason Kilthau

Thank you @Chip-Valecek I think I will definitely make that change, thank you for the idea!

TessaW

Hi Jason. You have a lot of great things going in this piece, great job. I do think a few changes could improve it-

If this piece is supposed to be from a parent's point of view- like they are scared of their kid encountering dangerous situations, then I think your current pose works pretty well. If this is about the girl being scared, I think that the girl doesn't look scared or even aware of the forest ahead, because she is casually walking along. I'm not sure if a scared kid would hold their teddy bear like that, unless maybe they came upon something suddenly and was caught off guard.
I think you could have more fun with the overall scariness of the scene. I know you'll be adding more stuff, but I think you could play with the shapes of the actual trees more. I think it's really creepy when the trees either look really twisted and gnarled, or if they look unnaturally straight and uniform. I think that your forest is a bit neutral.

I did a quick paint over, to hopefully show what I mean. I tweaked the pose of the girl, made her smaller, and moved her over a bit to avoid a tangent with the light in the forest. I also tried to play with the shape of the trees, but I think you could go even further.

Anyway, just some suggestions. You've done a great job so far.

Jason Kilthau

Thanks @TessW ! Your paint over actually gave me a really fun idea as well. And the linework you are suggesting to make changes to makes a lot of sense, especially since I just started watching the environment design videos here and they talk about the shapes and which ones are more scary or dangerous versus the ones that feel safe and secure.

holleywilliamson

I think at least having that light source in the background not overlapping the girl makes it more clear.

Jason Kilthau

@holleywilliamson Ah good catch! I hadn't even thought about that, thank you!

I'm about to be on my weekend soon, so I will be making some edits soon and get an update posted!

Jason Kilthau

Alright so I finished up the image. I can't really think of anything else I would want to add that would make me feel like it's MORE complete. So this is it!

seelliott

Hi Jason, Great work. I like the composition and the additional elements you added. The shadow hands in the back work particularly well.
The thing that I think would make this piece better would be adding some more textures. It would be nice to see a bit more of the grass, some texture on the bear or some more detail to the bark.
Nice to look through your instagram. I really like the robot piece.

Jason Kilthau

@sarahelliott489 Hey thank you! adding textures would definitely help, that is actually one of my known trouble issues right now, I have tried multiple things (practices in past) that I either never ended up liking or just couldn't get a handle on so I am still searching for that good texture technique that suits me.

Also the robot one is by far one of my favorites I have done this year! Thanks!