March WIP: Which concept?

[baileyvidler]

Okeydoke, so, I've never done the monthly contests before because "I wasn't ready" or some other nonsense like that. But I'm throwing that mentality away and doing this month's contest!

Here are my super rough concepts ideas, which I struggling to decide between. I would love to hear which one you find most interesting.

Option 1
A huge robot rampages across a laboratory. Floor is littered with damaged equipment. Robot is shorting out and losing parts as it runs. Behind an overturned desk, two kids in lab coats crouch. One is reading an assembly manual and the other is peeking out over the desk. Text reads: "Perhaps we should consider recalibrating the experiment..." said Maria.

Option 2
Spaceship crashes towards Earth, smoke billowing and losing parts. Pilot looks terrified. Spaceship reads "Student Driver."

Option 3a
A woodpecker drills into a wooden house in a tree. Angry fairy slams open front door. Contents of the house are falling and breaking, visible through windows.

Option 3b
Same as 3a, except cutaway so viewer can see the inside of the house, rather than the front door.

[TessaW]

I like 3! It seems like a really fresh idea. 3a is speaking to me slightly more, because I like the anticipation of a confrontation. Along with stuff falling out of the house, it might be fun to see leaves falling off of some branches as well.

[baileyvidler]

@TessaW Thanks! I think I like 3a over 3b, as well. You make a good point about the confrontation. I'm mostly concerned about showing stuff breaking inside the house, when the viewers can only see through the windows. Maybe I could show the actual house breaking... Hm...

[sarahlash]

@baileymvidler Yes to the house breaking. And maybe stuff flying out of the windows?

[Kateryna Shebanits]

@baileymvidler, I like the 3a most. Do you think it would help is the fairy was looking in the direction of the woodpecker when it opens the door?
Good luck with your work!

[TessaW]

@baileymvidler Yeah, that will be a little tricky! Maybe a few things falling out of the door. . . a window shutter or window flower box about to fall off. . . a welcome mat/sign falling off the porch. . .a door decoration swinging from the door. Just throwing out some ideas.

[deborah Haagenson]

I was thinking 3b, but you've all sold me on 3a. I like the idea of the bird house falling apart. Actually, these are all really good ideas. What an imagination you have !

[chrisaakins]

@baileymvidler I like 3b because you can see everything. What if you have the front of the house falling off? Great idea!

[baileyvidler]

Aaaaand values! Drawing motion is challenging. Need to add more stuff breaking, methinks.

[TessaW]

OOOooOOo, this is looking good! Yeah, I think you're right. It needs a little more breaking.

[baileyvidler]

@TessaW Thanks! I really like your suggestions from your previous post. I will try to incorporate those next!

[baileyvidler]

I had a major breakthrough working on the lineart, that I definitely needed to share.

Normally, I work on lines using the hard round brush in Photoshop. However, the edges on good ol' hard round are too perfect which leads me to the trap of treating the piece like a vector image. I get ridiculously caught up in zooming in to infinity to make sure the edges of my lineart are crisp and precise. (Which is impossible in a raster image.)

So, this time, I used a "pencil" brush, which has a rough edge and has opacity variation, and it eliminated my irrational need for pixel perfection. Zoomed out, it looks fine, and makes it easier for me to work without zooming in too far.

Has anyone else ever had to deal with zooming in too far?

@Kateryna-Shebanits Thanks for the suggestion, it definitely helps having the fairy looking towards the woodpecker!

[Heather Boyd]

@baileymvidler I like the unique story of three as well. But I enjoyed the intense composition of number 1 -you had me on my toes.

[TessaW]

Wow! This is turning out amazing. The line quality looks great!

[baileyvidler]

@Heather-Boyd Thanks! I still really like 1 as well. I may come back to that concept in the future.

@TessaW Thanks!

[chrisaakins]

@baileymvidler I love the idea. Is this a woodpecker? I have a hard time suspending belief if so because woodpeckers ALWAYS brace themself on the object they are pecking. (Sorry ! It's the science teacher in me! ) If it's a random bird then all is well.

[baileyvidler]

@chrisaakins It is a woodpecker. I waffled a lot between the accurate pose and the more dynamic pose, and ended up going with the dynamic pose. I'm hoping his coloration will help cue the viewer that he's a woodpecker, but I'm mostly banking on suspension of disbelief.

Hhh... I get stuck all the time deciding between a more reality-accurate design versus a more "stylized" design. I don't know, what do you think?

[carlianne]

@baileymvidler Your line work is really beautiful! And I like that you took the concept some where fantastical. It is coming along beautifully.

I was a little confused with your most recent image. Is the Fairy saying "welcome"? I was also wondering if anger makes the most sense for her reaction. I feel like she would feel angry if this happens often, but this looks more like a "WHAT IS HAPPENING" moment than a "NOT AGAIN"

Did you have a reason to make her angry?

[baileyvidler]

@carlianne Thank you!

Lol, the "Welcome" is painted on a flat rock, which is falling off the porch. (Kind of like a doormat.) I suppose it kinda does look like a speech bubble. Oops! I will fix that. Thanks for pointing that out!

Hm... You make a good point about the anger. If this was the first time, she would be shocked. If this were the eighth time, she'd probably be angry. So, the real question is, how much of a jerk is this woodpecker? For a one-off piece, it might be easier to go with a more shocked route.

Thanks for your feedback!

[chrisaakins]

@baileymvidler I am a realist so I default to "does it look believable?" I think it's just a personal preference for me. I think the picture could still work with him hanging on, weighting it down, flipping it with his weight AND banging. But you do what you think is best.