ignacio197 - Fan Art - The Crow

[ignacio197]

Hi all,

I know it might be a bit over used and not necessarily very original, but I like The Crow film, so I thought this was a good opportunity to do the character. I will be posting soon my work in progress and ideas.

[ignacio197]

Here is a sketch of front, back and (unfinished) side view. Is the typical and well known pose that appears in many places and is probably the most characteristic of the film.

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15582

Other elements I would like to add to the final composition are the window frame and crow (either the real one or the crow made in flames in the ground, or both).

[poopipe]

good call and nice work

crit wise,

it's kind of hard to tell what materials his various items of clothing are made from - they're all saying "generic cloth" at the moment. try to work in some diferentlevels of specular etc. so it's clear what's shiny and what isn't.

I'd lose the side view to be honest - there's nothing there an artist would need to work from

[ignacio197]

good call and nice work

crit wise,

it's kind of hard to tell what materials his various items of clothing are made from - they're all saying "generic cloth" at the moment. try to work in some diferentlevels of specular etc. so it's clear what's shiny and what isn't.

I'd lose the side view to be honest - there's nothing there an artist would need to work from

Thanks for the comment. I am in fact in the process of trying to achieve the look of the different materials. Its good that you point it out, its one of those things that I was not sure whether it was worth it or that it would be noticed much :)

[ignacio197]

Ok, here is an update.

I am concentrating on the texture and look and feel of the different pieces of cloth. Mainly, the leather cape and trousers, different pieces of cloth around the waist, and the t-shirt. For the cape I am using a few layers. The main layer used for the cape has been smooth a few times, and I am using the smudge tool a lot to get all the reflections and creases. I have seen that the reflections on leather are very soft and diffuse, so I am trying to achieve that smooth look.

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15593

Once I am finished I will put together everything and start working on the concept.

[Dragon2211]

I like the char and the development of your image... maybe Ill be in this challenge too.
It depends of my Work..

[ignacio197]

Go for it, its great fun ! :)

[ignacio197]

Here is another update.

I am uploading also the photos I used as reference.

I am still trying to decide on the final concept.

[ignacio197]

This is a first attempt at putting all the pieces together. I am trying to decide what colours and composition to use. If I go for something like this one, the crow and figure need better integration. Plus something else needs to go in there, still working on what ......

[ignacio197]

Here goes another update. Any comments are welcome.

I just integrated both figure and crow a bit better in the image. I have worked on overall shadows and highlight. I have also added some more light to the window and highlights to the window frame and broken glass.

Just to try and give the image some depth, I have added some chains hanging from the ceiling at different distances. I am working in adding more elements.

Here is a full image:

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15678

And here is a close up detail:

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15679

I have started working on a completely different pose and viewing angle. I will upload it if I get anything decent out of it :)

[ignacio197]

I have added some textures.

- Wood floor
- Some brick texture here and there
- Subtle overall texture to the whole image

I have also added some 'dusty' atmosphere, more noticeable in the top left corner where the sun is hitting.

Also, I am trying some hue changes. At this stage is where I start to get confused :wall:

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15686http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15685

I have lost also some image quality somewhere. Maybe its the way I saved the images. I never know what is the best way to retain image quality when reducing the size. I will have to try and recover it ....

[poopipe]

mix the two together - balance off the warm against the cold somehow and you'll have a much more interesting image


check out some of the old dutch masters paintings - your lighting is along those lines so maybe you'll get some tips

[ignacio197]

Thats actually a very good idea :) Here is a rough mix of both of them. The warm version is kept in the areas where the sunlight hits directly; for the shadows, I kept the colder version. In between areas, there is a mixture of boths.

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2197&pictureid=15700

Thanks for the comment !

[poopipe]

much better - maybe push the contrast between the two a bit further ? the lower half could be colder and maybe the walls around the window since the sunlight wouldn't be hitting them directly ?

[Born8th]

Great job !

I like your image especially the way you render the dusty atmosphere.
The chain in the foreground is also a good idea. Maybe can you add some light on it, because I think that's difficult to see it.
I'm not sure this is a good advice, but maybe can you also add other things in the foreground to increase depth of field.

[ignacio197]

Thanks!

No, you are right. I have been thinking that something needs to be added in the foreground to draw the eye towards the character. I just have not found out exactly what yet :) although I have a couple of vague ideas which I am hoping to try this weekend. Good that you point it out too!

I also need to properly implement the warm/cold mixture that poopipe suggested. The chain might have been lost because of roughly mixing them. Will work on it.

[mwrede]

this is a nice picture!

I like the pose and this kind of "infernal" setting...the face of the Crow is a bit bright in contrast to your overall lighting, though. I would also darken the background to put the focus on your character.

keep on rockin';)

[ignacio197]

Here is another update. This is just showing a more refined blending of the two warm/cold versions I had. The background is not as bright here, I agree with you mwrede, it was a bit too bright in previous versions. I think this colour scheme is softer and works better. I think it still retains that creepy atmosphere (hopefully).

I have a more updated version almost ready which includes mainly a lot of elements around the image to fill in the foreground. I also added his cat :) As Born8th pointed out, I needed to create more depth. The figure is also better integrated. I should be putting my final piece up sometime this week.

Thanks for the comments, they help !

[agoliversen]

Really cool seeing how the image keeps improving with each post you make, I really like the mood in this. Makes me want to see the film again;)

I’m just nit-picking now, but the chains hanging from the roof in the foreground feels a bit flat to me because they’re all drawing either straight from the side or front. Having some of them being viewed from different angles would add some more depth to the picture.

[ignacio197]

Thats a good point. I will look into it. Also I just noticed that some layer effects have not shown up on the chains, which also makes them a bit flat, I have fixed that now. Hopefully I will post a finished version tonight for final comments and then I will be ready to go :)

Thanks!

[ignacio197]

This is probably the last update I make. I have reached the point where anything I touch now I make it worse, so I am probably leaving it here. Trying to turn some of the chains at this stage proved to be a bit more complicated than what I thought. I got the layer effects back thou, so that helps.

With respect to previous stages I have added foreground elements to try and add some story and depth to the image.

[agoliversen]

Doesn't really matter if you didn't have time to turn some of the chains - I can see that you made some other changes to them since last time and they look much more 3d now:)

I'm a bit uncertain if it's better with or without the new elements that you added to the picture. They definitely add more depth and story to the picture, but I find the composition a little harder to read now.

The white face of the crow used to draw much more attention before since it was the area with the highest amount of contrast in the scene, but now I feel like it's competing with the white cat. I don't think the cat needs to be removed, as it looks quite nice, but maybe it would be better if you made it a little darker?

The police tape coming in from the right also seems to be pointing at the cat, which is another reason it draws a lot of attention.

[ignacio197]

Thats a good point. It would take some time at this stage to do a big change, but I think I can try and correct a couple of things with not too much effort to put some focus back on the figure.

Thanks for the comment !

[ignacio197]

I have just submitted my final entry.

At the end I have darkened the cat a bit, and the easiest thing I could do without making a mess at this stage was to move the police bands a bit higher up. It is what it is :) I have spent too much time on this, I was getting tired of it, so I am glad it was sent.

Good luck and thanks for the feedback !!

http://forums.3dtotal.com/picture.php?albumid=2317&pictureid=15829

[Born8th]

Good job !

The composition of your picture is very interesting. The way you place the two police tapes, guide the eyes to the main character. And transparency of the tapes is good too.
As agoliversen advises, the way you change the color of the cat lets now The Crow's face to be the brighter point.

Good luck !

[mwrede]

yeah, focus and depth are on the right side now, mr. ignacio! really creepy...ehhmmmm, nice picture!;)

[agoliversen]

Those last few changes really did the job, ignacio. It looks great!^^

[ignacio197]

Thanks for the suggestions ! :)

[DennisG]

First let me say your work is superb! Much better than I could do by far. The only thing I don't get is, why aren't the chains hanging straight down. I've seen chains hanging many times, and the weight of the chains doesn't allow them to bend randomly or to have one link hanging from a point off to the side of the uppermost centerpoint. You know what I mean?

Please understand I'm not criticizing your work, it's wonderful! I just thought it would be more "true to life" if the chains hung straight. Take it for what it's worth, I'm nobody.

[ignacio197]

Don't worry, every comment counts, that's why we use this forum, to get people comments no matter what they are about. Its the only way to improve ! :) You are probably right about the chains. Even though I try to get some realism into the images I make, there are so many things to account for that some scape. I thought that having the chains curve would give the image more movement. As if something has stirred them up, something lurking in the ceiling. Having them straight would make the image it a bit boring.There would be three or four straight lines having down through the middle of the image. Maybe I curved them too much, that's true, but as I said, it would take, at least me, forever to keep everything very close to realism. Which I don't want to do either.

Thanks for the feedback !