I was also going to write I was drawn mostly to number three. Seems most poeple do. I think it's more attractive to look at some character in emotion then at a bloody scene. I'd increase the sice of the crown a bit to have another size of light area then the face. I'd do the same with the light areas left and right of him: make one slightly bigger, the other smaller for different size of area. Or change the size for bein the same. Either of it.
I'd also say they all read really well and your contrasts and compositions are great. Nevertheless, here some ritiques:
Number one looks a bit debalanced to me. The figures stick together and the king is neither in the center, nor in golden ratio. You could also try how it comes out if you push the section between black and white up to golden ratio. Maybe even putting the point of view rather below the throne. This would end in a fairly different composition, as the lines of blood which are parallel now would run toward a vanishing point.
So, my vote for number three and I look forward seeing more of it!
Slowvember: Macbeth. Feedback on thumbnails
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I was also going to write I was drawn mostly to number three. Seems most poeple do. I think it's more attractive to look at some character in emotion then at a bloody scene. I'd increase the sice of the crown a bit to have another size of light area then the face. I'd do the same with the light areas left and right of him: make one slightly bigger, the other smaller for different size of area. Or change the size for bein the same. Either of it.
I'd also say they all read really well and your contrasts and compositions are great. Nevertheless, here some ritiques:
Number one looks a bit debalanced to me. The figures stick together and the king is neither in the center, nor in golden ratio. You could also try how it comes out if you push the section between black and white up to golden ratio. Maybe even putting the point of view rather below the throne. This would end in a fairly different composition, as the lines of blood which are parallel now would run toward a vanishing point.
So, my vote for number three and I look forward seeing more of it! -
I have to say my favorite is number 6. I think, graphically, it would be the most striking in real life. It is very simple, yet very bold.
A bloody hand with a dripping silhouette figure and crown also epitomizes the story of Macbeth quite a bit--it is literally a reference to Macbeth's dreams, his wife's "out out damned spot" line, and to the horrifying levels of blood in this show.... It could be fun to play with the drips of blood forming the visage of Macbeth, or perhaps render it as reflected light on the shiny wet surface of the blood.
To me, #3 reminds me, personally, a bit much of King Lear, a play that sorta hinges upon the madness of the ruler. Lear has three daughters, so the figures in foreground could allude to them unless something overtly indicates they're the witches.
There are a lot of illustrators that are hired to do entire seasons of shows in their style so there is a cohesive identity to the season. I found one person on Behance that is actually making Opera posters but they're animated--so they can be viewed both as still posters and online as moving animatics. Sorta cool... if you imagine your posters with some level of movement, the dripping blood could add a whole 'nother level of creepiness...
All of these thumbnails are gorgeous!! They would all make wonderfully suggestive and narrative posters! I can't wait to see what you end up with regardless of which one you choose!
- 2 months later
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Happy New Year everyone!
Well, Slowvember has bled into December and into the New Year, but I've finally made some progress on this piece. Here's where I'm at currently. I went forward with #3 (see above) and took some of all'y'all's advice. It's evolved a bunch since then as you'll see, but I hope the basic idea is still there. Anyway, I would love to know what jumps out to people. I've been looking at this for too long and I see a bunch of stuff I could still fix, but I think it's time for some other eyes to see what really pops as wanting.
Thanks for all the feedback so far!
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Oh. Man. That's gorgeous. Lovely love love!!! The lurking Lady M in the background, the blood, the witches in the crown (holding tree branches, no less!!), the creepy backlighting, the visage of pure greed with tiny glints in the eyes... The symbolism in this piece is deep. As a theatre person who has done this show in 2000 (Jim Parsons played King Malcolm in it when he was a student in the grad program I design costumes for), I think you absolutely NAILED it!! Are you contemplating augmenting it with any form of text or show info, or leaving it without?
You seriously need to think about doing an illustrated version of the play... I, for one, would buy it!!
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@Coreyartus Thank you so much! Your post is super encouraging, I'm really glad you liked it and that it reads as it does for you. Making art can really put you in a weird place sometimes where you can't see things as other people do anymore, so I really appreciate the feedback here.
I hadn't thought of doing an illustrated version of the play to be honest, but it might be a fun idea!
As for text, yes, I would like to put at least a title on, but haven't quite worked my way around to that piece yet.
Thanks again for taking the time to leave the feedback!