Superstition work in progress
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This is my first contest on here, since I only joined a few days ago, so not exactly sure on the rules on the site yet, so fire away if this is the wrong forum or anything.
As soon as I read the theme, my mind immediately went to the concept of luck, and the idea that things or objects can change our fortunes. Thankfully out of fashion any more, I can remember people who had a lucky rabbit’s foot on a keychain, and I always thought it wasn’t very lucky for the rabbit, so hope it works better for you!
That said, I like the direction, will probably crop it in once I get through with it, but everything but the rabbit is turning into a challenge. I feel like it needs to be a city, but adding too much back there takes away from the rabbit, so I guess I’m looking for suggestions on how to address it. The middle background is up next, so that’s what I’m starting next. I’m not opposed to changing the foreground either, but feel like he needs to be on a street corner to get this to work. So, that said, does this background work? Or am I overthinking this?
TLDR: is this background fighting with the foreground
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Okay, think I figured out how to make this work without re-illustrating the entire background. A tighter crop on the character means less visual noise (IMO), but also means less I need to do to fill in that space. Will still need to address the near background - or distant foreground - but I think this makes it a much more concise visual.
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Oh no! What a great concept. I like it zoomed out a bit with more of the background. It feels more isolating and striking. I'd recommend softening that horizon line a bit though.
Website: www.tessawrathall.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/tessawrathall_art/
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@Aaron_T This is a great idea. But I think the rabbit's wheel chair is too swanky for an out of luck rabbit.
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@TessaW Thanks! Yeah, not sure what’s to do with the in between area yet but it kind of depends on the space I have to fill.
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@sigross Ha ha! Originally I had him on crutches only missing one foot, but I really wanted to have him without any feet (I feel terrible talking like this lol), so the chair had to come in. I can toughen up the chair though...I like that idea. Thanks
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@Aaron_T This is what I thought of when I saw your picture, the movie Trading Places
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@sigross Wow...that movie brings back memories. A cart instead of a wheel chair would bring a whole new level of sadness to this....might have to do it!
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LOL great concept. I prefer the cropped version myself.
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Okay, I've reworked this concept a bit. I had to agree about the swankiness of the chair, even though I liked it, I was too attached to it and it needed to go, so thanks for that. I mean, where does a down on his luck rabbit even get a wheelchair? Removing the chair forced me to adjust the perspective, and while it helps push the downtrodden rabbit into the lower portion of the frame, now I'm stuck with even more middle ground that I need to deal with.
The park that's just over the hill and out of reach works (I think), but the opposite side of the road is going to be tricky, especially because I'm blurring the background to push it further away. Adding cars or foot traffic makes sense, but it also feels like I'm just throwing junk at it to see if I can save a bad execution.
Frustrating because outside of a real space, I think the picture tells the story:
Thinking maybe a big truck in the left turn lane would give me enough coverage and provide another way to really rub it in the bunny's face. Something like "Biff's Magic Shop" with a picture of a magician pulling a rabbit out of his hat, or a truck full of running shoes, etc. It could get pretty dark but might also work out. Maybe I ditch the street corner and just throw a brick wall into the background? Any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
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@Aaron_T he defo looks more downtrodden. But I think he needs a foil interacting with his predicament. For a cityscape it looks a bit barren, maybe make it dirtier?
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I love this idea. I feel bad laughing at him, but he kind of cracks me up sitting there with his cigarette.
What about making the background less saturated to match the rabbit's mood?
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Tonight I was talking to my wife about this picture, and some of the challenges I’m having with it. She took the iPad and “fixed it” for me:
Just thought I’d share.
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As already mentioned above, great concept!
This is going to be a really creepy comment but I feel like you should have some indication of knees to indicate it was his feet that were removed. Again, I know it's creepy but it seems way more depressing that so much of his legs were removed.
Also, sorry to heap stuff on, but with the background the way it is with he building so far in the background it looks like it's a city street way outside the city. That may have been intentional, though.
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Looking good. I approve of your wife's addition. One more comment- I'd think about putting a few more flyers on the pole. Right now it has just one and I think it distracts from the impact of your intended message. It's great to set the ambiance of the scene, but my mind keeps wanting to connect the dots between what the lost flyer means in relation to the bunny. I think if you added a couple more, it would make them feel more like a setting element rather than a narrative element. Hope that makes sense!
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Lol @eroomba! I get what you’re saying...this is a concept I like but I can’t help but feel badly for bunny, especially every time I have to talk about it.
@TessaW i hear you about the pole too...I lost some of the height when I cropped the space and I was having trouble with the idea that people were going to put stickers and flyers down at ground level. Food for thought though.Been playing with the idea of getting rid of the street corner altogether...not sure if it’s because I’m wimping out on that middle ground or if it makes it better to just toss bunn in an alley. Flyers, grunge and other alley-esque trash will be added eventually, but could this be a solution?
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@Aaron_T Dunno man. Realistically, rabbits would beg where they get footfall. Money bunnies would avoid hare bare alley ways. Unless it's outside a bunny hop club.
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I was showing a coworker the progression of these images and she asked why the bandages were where I had them. I explained that his feet were taken as good luck charms, to which she replied "it's not rabbit's feet that are lucky, it's the tail."
After several pages of gross google searches trying to prove that no, it is in fact, rabbits feet that are lucky, another coworker came by and asked what the discussion was about. Bringing him up to speed, he said "No, I had a friend in school that had a lucky rabbit's tail keychain, and have seen them in Mexico too."
This got me thinking...maybe this is a cultural or location thing. Since this forum has people all over the world on it I'm curious, is the basic premise of this confusing?
For what its worth, today's rabbit trails (pun intended) weren't a total loss – I learned something. They suspect that the idea of a lucky rabbits foot got its origin from "The Hand of Glory"...a European superstition that if you cut off the left hand of a hanged man, pickle it, then turn it into a candle it will bring you good luck. Which, gross as it sounds, would have been the much faster visual for this challenge.
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@Aaron_T here in Chicago its a rabbits foot. I had the keychain when I was a kid.
