Speed Painting Challenge no. 40.

[waheed nasir]

hello there guys... :wave:

the 40th Speed Painting Challenge is here, starts today and ends on the 28th of Feb. Tuesday.

topic: "Castle". paint a castle, as seen from outside, alone or inco-operate that in a landscape, with some sky and distant mountains, giving it some atmosphere/environment, day or nite, its upto u what sort of a look or mood u paint, can be peaceful or haunted...your choice...:). i would personaly like it with some vast landscape though...:).

so lets start my friends...show us your creativity... :shout:.

u can post your artwork till the 28th of Feb. voting starts after that.

all the best to everyone...cheers... :wave:.

[Josiah]

Neato :)

I hope to post something. Not very good yet, but it is still fun :smug:

Good luck everyone-

Josiah

[artecnl]

Nice topic waheed, :) i like castles :D i hope i can post some 4 this one
cheers :)

[HammerCH22]

About 20 minutes in and wanted to show where I am going...

What is the total time I'm allowed for this contest?

[Josiah]

Your picture isn't loading for me :grr:

[HammerCH22]

Didn't attach the image so here you go...

[HammerCH22]

Alright another 10 minutes in... Got the mountain done, and the "foothill" pretty happy with those... I promise I won't post again until i'm done. Added a gradient for the sky...

[3dmonkey]

Cool topic this week.

HammerCH22 I like your composition for the most part. Did you really paint that mountain in 10 minutes. If you did you are the best in the world :) If not and it is a photo like it sure looks like it is to me you should read the rules of the speed painting contest since your are new to this forum. You must paint the whole picture in a paint program not composite photos together. If i'm wrong i'm sorry, it just looks too perfect.

[HammerCH22]

Here is a close-up of the hills and part of the mountain.

I am working at 7200px X 3000px so when I display here it looks better than it really is. I use photos as reference of course but not actually in the image...

I included another update just to show process... So I block everything in in layers. Then I start building in detail using a series of both custom brushes, layers and blending modes... Once you've been doing it for a while it gets to be pretty quick...

As for the 10 minutes, not really sure. I am working on this while a scene renders for work, i have to keep jumping back into it, and take care of work related stuff. So honestly I am just guessing on how long I put into it... Few minutes here and a few minutes there... Probably was longer but not a whole lot.

[stephendm]

HOLY ZAMOLIANS BATMAN, (and anybody else witnessing this) - that is unbelievable HammerC22......nice work - if thats setting the standard for this challenge, I don't think I (or anybody else for that matter - no offence y'all) stand much of a chance.
I'm still gonna enter, like. ;)
Nice challenge, Waheed, btw!

[HammerCH22]

Nothing like getting home to a special surprise... Cats are soo much fun...

Well here I continue on, via my home PC with an inferior tablet, should be a hoot...

I appreciate the appreciation, but please critique away.

[Josiah]

O my goodness......I was seriously thinking of joining.....But I can't compete with photos. And man, that is what it is basically :D.......You have amazing talent. I really thought those were just copied and pasted photos....But you painted them...

Okay Waheed, time for the next comp.........We have a clear winner....

Josiah

[Josiah]

Guys here is my measly peinting idea. It is still WIP. I am going for a very impressionistic style.... But I am close to finishing it...
:)

Enjoy:

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1154/castlesunsetjpeg2dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Josiah

[HammerCH22]

Beginer's luck or something... This update is more like an hour so I am getting close to being done... Still gotta do the river and the castle itself... Maybe some more atmosphere...

[HammerCH22]

Dropped the knight and the boat, didn't like them and really am not going to have the time to get them done...

[artecnl]

nice entries Josiah and Hammer good luck :D

[HammerCH22]

Okay I'm calling it a night and this is the final as far as the Speed comp goes, I'll probably finish it later but it is done enough... Bleh... So another 2 hours, so I'm saying total is roughly 4 hours...

[Lighter]

You know, I finally decided that I'd try my hand at this digital painting challenge thing - but after witnessing Hammer's work, I'm thinking I'll go crawl back into my hidey hole.

XD

[waheed nasir]

hi there everyone. glad to see that the topic interests u all. art is all about varied personal styles, how we think, see and execute in our own ways, thats the whole beauty. there is no one standard in the world, we have realism, impressionism, abstract, etc etc. and all are good. its just what excites u. so paint in your own style and share. people/viewers have varied tastes afterall...:).
nice entries...good stuff...waiting for more...:).
Speed Painting thing is more towards quick execution, a sketchy, painterly look suits the thing. in my humble opinion, its bettet to have that painterly look and at the same time have enough detail to show stuff. suggestions are always good for this type of work...:).

[stephendm]

Class entry HammerCH22 - just as well it's not a photo though....you'd have gotten all wet standing in the river to take that snap! (sorry ;))

Josiah - I like it a lot....like Waheed said, I also quite like the painted look myself (not that my entry is painted looking ....so far anyway)

Methinks this is gonna be an interesting one.....

Keep 'em comin' people....

[HammerCH22]

I really like this particular topic, it was fun... Really glad everyone seems to like my image...

[chilly-willy]

Very good work HAMMERCH22.

I'm gonna take a try at this one!

But what is ment by a vast Landscape?
My english isn't that good so if anyone could explain it to my then i'm very greatfull.

[Josiah]

Thanks guys for the compliments :)

Hope to have more soon.....

Josiah

[stephendm]

Hey Chilly-Willy

Vast Landscape =

An area of land & scenery that can be seen in a single view and is very great in size/area.

Looking forward to seeing your entry.

[waheed nasir]

hi there chilly-willy, yes, as written by crackerlips, it just means an area/land/scenery big in size, well spreaded, but as i mentioned, its all upto u, its your choice to go for a close up of a castle or paint it with some landscape/scenery...:).

keep posting guys. all the best...:).

[waheed nasir]

hi there, this is not votable, but just posting it like that, might give some ideas...:).
this is a speed painting that i did sometime back. as it was quickly done, i didnt put much details here, was just after achieving some mood/atmosphere. as it goes with the title and painted in speed with only suggestions and quick strokes, i thought to share it with u guys.

:).

[-t3d-]

HammerCH22 Hi there i was just wondering what system is your computer please, and what paint program do you use, to acheive such clarity.

waheed nasir-3DT now this has a nice mood/atmosphere to it.:)

Im still working on mine;)

[HammerCH22]

2 different systems, both PC. At work I have a great Wacom Tablet and use Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2 at home Aiptek tablet Adobe Photoshop 7... I try to work on as large a file as possible. This one is 7200x3000 pixels. I tend to do everything in a new layer, consequently this one has 44 layers...

Waheed- that is awesome! I honestly can never really get what you'd call a painterly quality. If you look at my current submission closely it has some aspect of that quality, but I tend to blend or blur it away... Heck, even my notebook sketches are fairly clean. Probably too many years airbrushing and Illustrating... I'm actually trying to loosen up a little.

[artecnl]

well thats a nice mood waheed, i try to do something quick in this one, cause im on exams, :P is done in artrage in about 30 min, im hope i can do another
cheers.

[HammerCH22]

Very nice Artecnl. Very fanciful.

[waheed nasir]

thanks guys...:).
HammerCH22, thank u, i must say that everyone is doing a great job in his/her own style, what uve shared is good as well, u surely got a style of your own...:). and thats the whole beauty of art, having one's own distinct style.
i do paint in realistic style as well (in photoshop), but as this fits the topic and is a speed painting, i thought to post it here.

cheers...:).

[HammerCH22]

So what does everyone use as far as software? I assume painter, which I've heard alot about but still don't have acces to. I've never heard of "artrage" which someone mentioned... I've used GIMP in the past, but I've been using Photoshop for soo long I'd be hard pressed to change unless it really allowed some creative freedon not available in Photoshop.

[HammerCH22]

So I pulled out a bunch of the detail layers on the mountain, and the glow, modified the castle a little, trying to unify the scene a little better... Spent about a 1/2 hour just playing around with existing stuff...

[waheed nasir]

hi there...:). a small suggestion hammerch22, it might be me only, but i see 2 light sources. the mountains in the background are getting light from the left side, where as the middleground mountain with castle is getting the light from the right. lighting isnt matching. and when i see the image, my eyes go to the background mountains, instead of the castle, its due to the foreground arrangement of the river/track and the grass, that takes the eye to the mountains at the back, making them the focus, instead of to the castle. and due to the colors and sharpness as well. i hope u get my point...:). thats how i personaly feel. but its surely is done well.

:). all the best to everyone with the challenge.

[HammerCH22]

I totally agree... Thanks for the crit.At one point I was playing with the idea of an "Army of light" marching up the valley between the foothills and the castles hill... Although even in that scenario the Mountains would have too much light...

Outside of the comp I'm going to go further with the image... Make the castle more dramatic. Was thinking the right side needs a dark element like a tree, or the knight, and maybe a small contingent they could be fjording the river. Definately need to fix the lighting.

[mim]

oooooooooooooooooooooops!
What a coooool idea, yeah its end of my wishes!!! (not exactly end but something like end!), yeahoooo I want to participate surly just waiting for some free times.:cry:

waheed nasir-3DT you really inspire me with your works I really like your post, nice atmosphere and etc! :hmm:

HammerCH22 good work but you fill the forum by your works repeated; I think the final work is enough anyway maybe I’m in wrong.:dunno:

Artecnl nice view, are you use a source for this nice paint?:lurve: And I’m not hear about artrage, but seems good in oil-color effects, is it comparable with painter or so on? :smug:

Josiah good work, seems like traced pictures, really nice view.:lurve:

mim,Armand. :max:

[Undertow]

Nice entries hope to see more. Hammerhead i thought ure picture looked better with the detailed mountains, just my point of view.

heres my attempt, prob close to 4hrs in photoshop cs with a mouse.

[chilly-willy]

HI all!

great work from everybody!

Here's my humble try

done in 3 hours
in photoshop cs2

[HammerCH22]

Undertow, chilly-Willy nice entries.
Undertow- "photoshop cs with a mouse" Oh my god, that is really impressive, if I painted with a mouse it'd look like my 3yr old niece had done it.

Chilly-Willy- Great mood!

Mim- Sorry I am filling the thread with my posts, just excited. Found this forum only recently, haven't spent much time in the online communities, this one seems like a great place to test skills and improve through critique... But as you suggest maybe this particular thread is not the place to keep a WIP conversation going.

[artecnl]

thanks mim, artrage is so cool and the best part, is free :D and is so comfortable, you can find more about it here (http://www.ambientdesign.com/artrage.html)

undertow and chilly willy, nice entries :)

[mim]

Artecnl – ooaah!:crazy: Really cool, I’m freezed guy!:verts:, thanks for the link:D, I download it immediately, and ready to eat it!, thanx again!:p
...
Undertow – amazing Idea, Awesome!:smug:
...
chilly-willy – woah, nice effect, I like so colors, and lighting seems so real, nice and clean idea, a castle under the moonlight, seems like a sandy castle, it’s hokey!:smug:
...
Oh, forgot, I'm working on mine idea but just a hour today!, I think I can finish it before deadline, hope!
...
mim.Armand. :max:

[waheed nasir]

nice posts guys...i like your ideas behind them...:).
hammerch22, thats fine my friend. sure u can get some valuable suggestions from here, but as its a challenge thread, u just have to post the final image in here, u can post more than one artwork though (seperate paintings, i mean), but only final results of them...:).

see ya guys... :wave:.

[NordicDemon]

Good paintings everyone. Here is my contribution.
Done with watercolor in about 1 and a half hour.

[cid228]

haha ..nice idea Waheed =D

Dunno if im gonna be able to join in for this one, havent got to much time to kill these days !
Really nice entries so far !

PS!.
This i made a while back, not part of the competition!
http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=37908&highlight=cid228

[Josiah]

Hey. I like what you guys have been posting. Good work.

Here is my castle. I redid alot. (as you can tell)...I decided to change it alittle from what I was originally thinking of. I really like how it has turned out though. (considering this is the first scenery painting I have ever done :roll:)

Hope you all enjoy it!! :) And I may post another whole painting.....

Josiah

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/7946/castledonecopy5hk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[NordicDemon]

Really like the update josiha. I see you added some reflected light in there. It connects the image much more together.

[Josiah]

Thanks :)

And I like how you do yours in real paint. Not like me. (I can't paint for real. There is no ctrl z ;P)


See ya...

Josiah

[mim]

NordicDemon – nice watercolor
cid228 – your castle wip seems amazing,I wait to see your new work.
Josiah – I can’t see yours work; please attach your work directly in forum, man. I wait to see your work, thanks.
Mim.Armand :max:

[Josiah]

Oh no problem man. That stinks that you can't see linked works :grr:
Do you have dialup?

Anyways, here it is......Hope you like it :smug:

Josiah

[mim]

Thanks Josiah, now I can see your work and enjoy to see that lovely work, and about my connection, no I use ISDN(128kb/ps) in my company but it have a stupid proxy filtering that I hate it, anyway it is just way that I can use to connect in company, thanks again for effort, I wait to see your next amazing work(s).
Oh, I forgot, please say your technique or software that u use in future, if possible, thanks man.
mim.Armand :max:

[Josiah]

Hey, no problem :) Glad you like it. :D

I use photoshop 7 and I used a 12 by 12 wacom tablet. I got the tablet this year for christmas, so I don't really know how to use it as well as I would like.....But I am improving :roll:

That is too bad about your filters. Sometimes they can be sooooo anoying.. I will try to post more works through threedy from now on. It is just way easier to link stuff though imageshack.com...Oh well :)

Thanks for the compliments.....See ya around :)


Josiah

[mim]

Hi I work in mine entry, a half of hour again, and now the general sketch is in final forming, I put it in a thread to hear other voices about it, you can see it and say your comment and critics about it (please!), also you can post your “in progress works” for this challenge to discuss about; I update my work tomorrow (maybe), and glad to hears from you, don’t hesitate and click me now ( http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?p=434052#post434052)(http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?p=434052#post434052 )!

Josiah thanks again, & wait to see your next works.
Cheers, mim.Armand :max:

[HammerCH22]

Mim- great start on yours. going to be beautiful I think.

Josiah- Very nice, I think I'd stay back from the edge of that cliff, Looooong way down. ;)

[Josiah]

Josiah- Very nice, I think I'd stay back from the edge of that cliff, Looooong way down. ;)


Yeah, well you know.....Sea dragon has to get fed once in a while....right? :evil:

Gald you like it :)


Josiah

[Josiah]

*lol* here is another one that I am going to do :D

This one is going to be fun :dance:

josiah

[stephendm]

Hey all,

Just thought I'd throw up a few (I use that term lightly - apologies) comments since I haven't had the chance to post in a while.....

Hammer: REALLY like the pic though I thought the first 'finished' one you posted was better - since you lowered the detail of the mountains and cleared the sky, IMO they don't really fit in with the foreground/castle & hill any more (unless you intend on changing it again or leaving your first post of the finished pic as your entry!?) - Nice work either way

Artecnl: Not to worry about having very little time - I think your pic is class anyway. I love the scribbley painted look. Problem is when I do that, I go WAY overboard so when I step back and look at it after scribbling away for ages, it's usually ruined and I'm out of undos! Bummer ;)

Chilly-Willy: I quite like the night atmosphere and its simplicity. I might have put a small bit more light detail in but apart from that ....very good

Josiah: I honestly can't decide which of your two pics I like more (the unfinished one, though was just right as it was IMO, or the 'finished' one!?) They've both got unique things going for them. Damn good for a first scenery attempt...this is my first attempt too - I should have it posted within the next day or two....it's gonna be interesting to hear everyone's opinions ...yikes!

NordicDemon: Amazing for only an hour and a halfs work. I tried painting in watercolours once and it was a complete disaster :) You've some talent there...keep it up

Undertow: I can't believe you did that with a mouse...I would've quit after about five seconds when I smashed it through the screen! Stunning work. Love the colours and the corroding rock idea. Works really well

Waheed: Impressive stuff - gotta say, I like everything about your painting. Tell me ....with something like that, do you visualize it and sketch out your pictures first or just start throwing down colour and build up the scene and idea as you go along? My composition methods are all wrong - I gotta do some studying on the subject.

Anyway, that's all (for now) you'll all be glad to know.

Great work everybody!

[Josiah]

Josiah: I honestly can't decide which of your two pics I like more (the unfinished one, though was just right as it was IMO, or the 'finished' one!?) They've both got unique things going for them. Damn good for a first scenery attempt...


Thank you for the compliments :) :halo: I appreciate them..

Here is my 2nd entry. Feel free to tell me anything you see wrong in it :)


Josiah

[stephendm]

Here is my entry.....

Amazingly enough I actually got an hour of 'free time' to get it finished tonight..... :eek:

Painted a bit here and there so not exactly sure how long it took but I'd guess approx 6hrs overall using Photoshop, some photos for reference and the cheapest of the cheap (though pretty good actually), an Active XP-Pen Tablet :)

Hope you like it. Any & all comments welcome.

[Josiah]

very nice reflection :)

good job..

Josiah

[artecnl]

excellent job crackerlips :D

[Undertow]

thanks for the comments crackerlips, nice picture love the reflection

[HammerCH22]

About 6hrs total...

[HammerCH22]

Crackerlips - Very nice painting, great job with the reflections, it is very well done!

[Quackles]

Hmm.. I thought I might enter this, but I am not so fond of public humiliation!! ;)

Crackerlips, the reflection is just amazing, great picture.

Josiah, I love the colours in your first entry!!

Hammer - I gotta agree with crackerlips, I preferred the detailed mountains.. the castle hills are so detailed, it just worked together better. To my untrained eye, that is ;)

[waheed nasir]

nice stuff guys...:).
crackerlips, to answer your question, i dont paint on a scanned sketch, i paint directly in computer on a blank file, i even dont draw lines first, i just start directly with paint. its just my way of working, people have their personal procedures and all are right, what matters is the final look...:). i just visualise and carry on, thinking all the way as i proceed. i just follow my heart...:).
what uve shared is good and is nicely composed...:).

cheers and all the best to all of u...:).

[waheed nasir]

hi quackles...dont think like that, there is nothing like public humiliation here...:). this is a speed painting challenge and u can share whatever style u want to, even a quick sketch. no need to post a master piece. just follow the topic...:). its fun, so jump in.

waheednasir.

[mim]

HammerCH22 - thanks for compliments, I hope update tommorow whith first steps of coloring, glad to hear your comments again.

Josiah - so funny, mmm... I think it can be fun if there are a small flag on the castle!

crackerlips - wow, I agree with others, the reflections of the castle and hills are perfect, I like the cloudy fogs on the river also, nice effect!

HammerCH22 - nice one, Just I think (as hamid says befor) there is a problem again by light, becouse the position of moon is in dark side, I think by this lighting we can't see moon in scene, or it is your style, anyway really nice scene, specially the left side I think seems perfect, I mean that I agree whith Quackles, the mountains don't match with whole scene, may the mountains are so bright like they affected by a daylight but other parts is in night darkness, or the left side of image is so dark, I think u need a brightness balance here, hope yuo can undrestand my mean, my english is like my works! both poor!

my castle in progress: http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?p=434052#post434052

[Milan]

Nasir very Nice The patches of color looks very confidence .what is the way u did it . R u using a tablet or without u did it i am also trying to make that kind of effect but it is irritating from the mouse. What is the way of doing .

[Milan]

Hammer it looks nice

[waheed nasir]

hi milan...:), thanks for the appreciation. well, i did it, using wacom tablet, not with mouse. and i can surely understand your frustation u are facing, while using mouse for a painting.
i use tablet and i like to paint in quick strokes. thats like a personal preference. but only if i want to get a painterly look...:).
do get a tablet if u can. all the best...:).

waheednasir.

[HammerCH22]

The mountain is probably tall enough to still recieve alot of light even while the rest of the region is fairly dark. The moon is probably too bright for what would really appear in this situation, but I felt it needed something to pull your eye back towards the castle.

It probably does look better with more detail in the mountains, but I am very fond of this particular look. Something I've never really done before, so what the heck.

[mim]

HammerCH22-I mean: is your light source, the moon? if so, the direction of light and shadows is vice versa or the situation of moon, anyway this scene is so perfect in my look and this isn't a big problem really! and about montain you are right.
...
thanks, mim.Armand :max:

[stephendm]

Thanks everyone for your positive feedback - it gives me hope for future pantings since I'm still quite new to all this digital painting lark. :)

Hammer: I like the changes you've made.....Going by the colours of the sky, the sun, though not visible, is on the right side so the light direction is as it should be (the moon can be visible during the day (obviously) but the sunlight reflection from it would be hardly noticeable as a result) so .....good choice I think - the moon is a nice touch. I suppose at the end of the day, the point is to paint how and what you feel so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Quackles: Please do post some work up - would love to see it. As you can see from the past or present threads, the comments are honest but helpful and will hopefully give you some inspiration, and confidence to expand your skills. As long as you enjoy yourself. ;)

[Quackles]

Ok.. I'll do my best to get my pic done. I'm tinkering with photoshop for the first time so don't expect great things!!

Still, nice work everyone, setting that bar awfully high! :)

[nucron]

hey, there is some really good stuff on this thread so far! castles must be good subject matter for people. here's my shot at it. feel free to c&c if you want to.

heh, I didn't notice until just now, but there seem to be a few patterns in what people, including me, think of when they think of castles (sunset, water reflections, mountains, mist, etc., etc.). just an interesting observation. props to those who break the trends.



1 hour, photoshop elements 3.0

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y297/ronaldraven/Castle-01-speedpaint.jpg

[BuffDady81]

Ok heres my attempt - done in Photoshop in an hour from scratch.
Tried to go for the Creepy Castle on a hill look, And I'm quite pleased with the way its come out!

Really good entries this time - turning out to be a good challenge.

[stephendm]

Nucron: Really nice tone of your pic....I like it a lot. Quite simple but effective :)

BuffDady81: I really like the clouds and moonlight. I'm looking at it on a 14 inch monitor in work though and since your pic is very long (which I also like btw) I can't see the whole thing at once...bah :grr: Will look again when I go home. One thing though.....I can't make out the objects flying around the castle (or am I imagining things? ;)) What are they?
Nice job anywho :)

[BuffDady81]

Thanks Crackerlips - the stuff that appears to be flying around the castle is just a few stars i put in to make it more nightish!

[stephendm]

Ah - just some of them are in front of the clouds so I thought they were some type of flying creatures in the darkness......Don't get me wrong it's still a class pic :)

[mim]

Hi!

Nucron- can you attach your work in forum, I can’t see yours; server that you upload to (http://i7.photobucket.com) is filtered here, anyway it is law!

BuffDady81- Hi man, glad to see you again, and as always with a great work, I like the colors of your work, also the concept; stars seems fine, but the bunch of them seems like an airplane under the moon.

Ok, people I update a primary colored scene here( http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=39629&page=2&pp=15 ), please help me by your C&Cs, thanks.

mim.Armand :max:

[Milan]

This is my second one in Painting challenge .
nucron -looks nice

[mim]

I can’t post anymore attachments of updated works, what does wrong; please help me; I don’t know what happened at all; is there a limitation of posted works?

:wall: :wall: :wall:

link are her: http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?p=434746#post434746

:wall: :wall: :wall:

Oh, s**t!

:wall: :wall: :wall:

[Josiah]

why don't they let you? what does it show? That suckz

josiah

[mim]

I don’t know really, I just click the “manage attachment” button and nothing happens, no attachment window appear, really I don’t know, I restart computer but problem is here, yet!

Hope tomorrow it resolved; I am going to be crazy, :wall: :wall: :wall: ( oh my head ! ).

CU, tomorrow.
...
oh my god! :hmm: :hurt: :ugh:

[Aogor]

Nice entries this week. My favourite ones are those made by hammerch22 and undertow.
My castle is too much simple, just a bunch of triangles and rectangles. Paint daubs and noise to finish.
The picture took me about one hour and 30 minutes.

[nucron]

hey, mim requested that I attach my entry directly, so for those of you with evil internet filters at work, here you are.

milan and crackerlips, thank you for the kind words.

-peace

[NordicDemon]

I find the luminosity of you painting stunning Aogois. The clouded sky light feel of it is good. I have to give some good words to crackerclips, that is one mean entry.

[Josiah]

You've heard it said that: A man's house is his castle. Well, Here is my 3rd entry of just that. I like the mood that I have created (if I do say so myself :smug:)

Notice the little man/campfire. Kinda a fun piece to make.

ENJOY!

Josiah

[DerekSc]

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well.
Here is my entry for this week, and my only observation is that castles are easier to do in 3d. Based this one on a photograph I found on the web, tried to reproduce it as is. Took about 5 hours on and off, Wacom tablet with PS:CS1.
Enjoyed all the entries so far, keep them coming!

DerekSc

[mim]

Milan- nice idea, seems like journals illustration, amazing for second attempt, and please say software you used and other details like time spend if possible, thanks.

Aogor- I like your style so so; it remember me the style of illustrations of my books when I was a little children, so lovely, but I think you can work more on trees and hills on front of castle, try to use special brushes to paint leaves, and try to paint some grasses on the hills, anyway it is just fine.

Nucron- thanks man for effort:wave:, and wow so nice reflection and really awesome atmosphere here, I love the glow light you create, really amazing man, but I think you can work more on castle, it is just fine but can be better, keep up works.

Josiah- hahahoha:smug:, you are really fun man, so fun; Idea is fine and style is suit, nothing to say all things seems fun, hahaha:smug: I didn’t expect see that, hahaha . . .

DerekSc- really amazing man, you post one of good works here, but I think the reflection is a bit unreal, try to paint some waves in water around the walls, mmmm… and I think there must was a little sandy earth between walls and water, anyway this is really good just can be better, specially awesome true lighting, keep up your good works man.

Ok, I am going off until I reinstall windows, then hope that attach problem solved and I can post another update, CU all.
mim.Armand :max:

[Josiah]

*hehe* Thanks for the compliment mim. :D

That was a really fun piece to make...

Josiah :)

[stephendm]

Nice one Josiah.....All your pics so far are like a fun storyboard ....I'm just waiting to see whats gonna happen next! :)

So many entries...I'ts hard to keep up...

DerekSc: I gotta agree with mim.....very impressive pic but the reflection is a bit off - Kinda looks like the castle is surrounded by ice! Unless that's the look you were going for? Great work!

Aogor: As you say very simple but I like it all the same. Having the foreground slightly out of focus is a nice touch. As someone mentioned before, it is very similar to my memory of certain childhood stories also - it's so accurate. Weird :) I'ts definitely unique in this challenge. Well done.

Milan: Very nice abstract look of your pic. How did you manage to achieve the text in it? Love the colours and mood - very evil! :evil:

Mim: I read above that you're re-installing Windows on your PC :!!!: ......you really should'nt have to go to that extreme. I assume what I suggested didn't work, no!? If you want to send me on the specs of the PC and the browser you're using, I'll see if I can come up with a solution to the problem! It's no bother.

[mim]

crackerlips- thanks friend, I write it for you in castle challenge (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=39629&page=2&pp=15), as quoted bellow:

Crackerlips- yes, I use IE.6; and about pop-up blocker, I check it and Untick 'Block Pop-ups' but I have still problem, may would try to reinstall windows (anyway it is a gates stuff! That work just if would to work, else it is your problem!) and hope problem solved, anyway so thanks for efforts dear dude.

anyway no think about dude, I had to reinstall windows anyway because some other problems appeared here ( although it is just 2.5 month I install it ); whether or no I install a fresh windows on my pc and fun to know that there are some strong problems in it from first, I think my OS cd is corrupted (one file can’t copied), but no problem, I replace it future and install it again!!! Anyway it is important that now I can upload works again and it is really enough to have fun with best friends of world, for me. :wave:

Thanks a lot, mim.Armand. :max:

[-t3d-]

Hi ya all, nice to see so many good pieces of work.
I tried to do a fast one, well it looked like a three year old had gone mad with a brush :o lol, You guys who manage it in a couple of hours, i congratulate you, coz its harder than you think;). So i went back to my way, Admittedly a bit slower, but i got there.
Approx: 6 hours
Paint shop pro 7
Wacom tab.
:wave:

[DerekSc]

Thanks for the compliments mim and crackerlips. And I do agree with you about the water, perhaps I'll go back and see what I can do about it. I got tired of it and left it as is... didn't even think about the ice thing, but you're so right, it does look like ice!
The original picture has the castle right on the water like that, but a bit of dirt around the edge would probably sell it better, thanks for the tip mim.
-t3d-: Outstanding as usual, love the lighting and the fence shadow, very nice.

[Milan]

This is my second one for this topic. It isn't as good to keep in competation .
I am painting with mouse so i am facing problem . Thinking to buy soon a Tablet ,Thanks for your suggestion Nasir

[Milan]

MiM- Milan- nice idea, seems like journals illustration, amazing for second attempt, and please say software you used and other details like time spend

Thank u Mim u like the idea which I have done in Different way . While I was infront of photoshop the electricity ran . I lit a candel and started to paint in a wasted newspaper .Which u can see at the back ground. I painted with the Oil Pastle by heating it in the candle at last .Only the castle and little bit sky I painted in the news paper then I cropped the castle and cloud .I kept it behind the miniature hill which is the forground in the painting black hills.than In a candle light I take a snap shot from the camera and edited in photo shop where I added a back ground . How is the idea i don't know but I worked from my own idea to complete that castle.

[stephendm]

-t3d-: Excellent job particularly with the texturing, perspective & shadows. I can't get PS textures to look good for me at all so I end up scribbling them on manually which doesn't look great and takes ages!

Milan: (on your second entry) Like the way I can see the brush strokes - gives it a real nice painted look. I found myself staring at your pic for a long time....the more I look at it, the more I see new things! Very interesting pic - nice job.

Nordicdemon: Meant to thank you for your kind words in my last post - cheers...glad you like it! :)

[Aogor]

Thanks for the comments mim and nordicdemon.
mim - the trees in my picture were a bit better before i've used the paint daubs filter (I have even used a different brush as you recommend), but to keep the same style in the trees and the castle I did so. However they lost a lot of detail in that process.

DerekSc - very good job, man. It is almost real at the first sight.
t3d - outstanding lighting skills, you have got. In my opinion just the mountain is not so good but the foreground is quite perfect.

[Josiah]

Nice one Josiah.....All your pics so far are like a fun storyboard ....I'm just waiting to see whats gonna happen next! :)



:) thank you crackerlips. I am glad you like them. This has been a really fun contest to enter. I have been greatly inspired :)

I may have another....who knows? :wave:

Josiah

[stephendm]

Looking forward to it, Josiah! :)

[waheed nasir]

hi there...:), some wonderful artwork i see here, it really feels good to see such enthusiasm and interest, makes me smile whenever i log and come in here...:). good thing about this is, every piece is so different than the other, every art work has its own character and all are so interesting and unique and thats the real beauty of art...:).
wishing all the very best to everyone...:).
cheers and keep up the good work... :wave:.

[Milan]

hi every one this is my another one .Tried to detaile but couldn't get a depth which i was thinking . the fog which I added is not giving a good scense . and In a warm color I couldn't get a nice perspective How could it be possible to get nice pers in warm color.

[Milan]

Nasir I watched the wacam site There r so many kinds of tablet the pricing is according to their size . Big size Big price . . Which one well be suitable for the biginner like me. A4,A5,A6, there r other also but i don't have money for 21'"LCD and wide screen, Of them A4 is also much for me. How is A5

Thank u crackerlip which u like 2 one .

[waheed nasir]

milan, it all depends on getting use to the thing, whichever size u buy. ofcourse bigger size is better, but no size gives u guarantee to produce a masterpiece, its all in your hands, mind and eyes. in my personal opinion, go for the size u can easily afford, be it smaller even. no prob. ull get use it soon and they all work in similar manner. plus smaller one would occupy less space on your desk...:).
about brands, Wacom is considered to be the best, but do look for others too, they are cheaper. but if u can afford a Wacom, buy that.
at home, i have the smallest size of Wacom and it works perfect. i love it...:).

[DerekSc]

Milan I recently picked up a Wacom Graphire 8x6 and I'm pretty happy with it. It may not be as precise as the higher priced ones, but I don't think I would notice, and I zoom in to do anything detailed anyways. I like the size too, very much like drawing on a piece of paper (the base is big so there's lots of wrist support). It's not too expensive either (compared to the Intuos models or larger sized ones). That's my opinion, others may disagree, as is their right.

[-t3d-]

DerekSc: thank you for the compliment, im getting the knack of this program. :) I like your painting, it feels very tranquil.

crackerlips: thank you, now im getting the knack of this program, i have just brought paint shop pro x, it is very similar but has a few more bits in it, so now will have to learn that. I tried using PS but couldnt get on with it. Your painting is is good i like the feel of it, very peace full.

Aogor: Thank you my friend, i agree with you regarding the mountain,but you should of seen it before i Adjusted it, it was well rough :) it took me a good half hour to get it looking right. ( i have just sharpened the mountain up a bit.)

Milan: You have a nice style of painting, you were asking about tablets, well for xmas i got a Wacom intous3 6x8 A5, it has an easy to follow manual, and it took me about 3 weeks to grasp how to use it, still have a lot to learn on it, couldnt be with out it now. :)

[Corwyn]

Well I was just bought a new intuos3 wacom tablet, the 6 x 8, and its the best present ever! just started sketching out stuff and I drew this out in about 1 and a half hours
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c189/Mastercorwyn/blackcastle1.jpg
its very dodgy but its my first drawing with the thing!

now I have actually started working on an entry for this thread, so far I have spent 3 hours on it, its looking a lot nicer tho I think.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c189/Mastercorwyn/blackcastle2.jpg

if anyone is considering buying one, I would highly recommend it. the learning curve is non existant and the benefits are huge.

[mim]

-t3d- - so nice man, I can’t do that even in 6 hours, really great job, just I think the fence shadows on the steps is a direct line and I think it need to broken in steps edge, but it seems just in a so detail view, let me say again, a great job.

Milan – amazing, I like yours third, sky seems angered.

Milan- as vahid says, if u can afford a Wacom, buy that; I have a “Aiptek” A4-1200u in my work place and it is actually a garbage!; pressure sensitive is 1024 but it isn’t distributed correctly, buttons of the pen isn’t comfort to use and pen broken from swirl after a week, in addition I heard that in wacom, pen change to eraser automatic if you use it vice versa, and also that it sense direction(or rotation) of pen (that is great if was true), vahid is that tow case true or no?!

[Quackles]

Hello all.. Here is my attempt.. my first time ever using photoshop and a cheap as chips graphics tablet (Which I hated and ignored most of the time, favouring the mouse). That was fun :dance:

[Quackles]

Hey Everyone,

Just looking back over the threads.....It's hard to know where this challenge will go next - so many great and unique entries. Very impressive stuff!

Corwyn: Your entry is amazing so far (I love that style but am unable to achieve it myself). The shades, colour, composition and perspective are pretty perfect, IMO - Really looking forward to the finished product.

Quackles: Very Spooky! Damn good for a first attempt at photoshop and mainly using the mouse too.....nice result!


So here's my second entry - took approx. 5hrs with 'Photoshop' and 'Active XP-Pen Tablet XP-5550A'

Hope you all like it. :)

I see numerous ppl looking for cheap starter tablets..I think my one could be the way to go. Extremely cheap and though possibly not as good as a Wacom (but since I haven't used one or any other tablet for that matter, I can't compare), but I think it's really good.

[Quackles]

Forgot to mention....the post above is from Crackerlips - he's got PC problems.

[Quackles]

Crackerlips, I prefer your second castle. I love the clouds and the roof tiles. Muchos nice-os!! (Back posting as myself again :) )

[bIOHZRd]

Just thought I would add my quick castle that popped into mind. Got the idea while messing around with artrage and swirling the paints.

[Corwyn]

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c189/Mastercorwyn/blackcastle3.jpg

spent another hour on it, thinking its pretty much final! any crits?

[DerekSc]

Corwyn: Looks fantastic! Only thing I'd change is to put a blur on the mountain layer in the background to give it that more "out of focus" distance feel. Other than that it really looks nice, way to go!

[3dmonkey]

here's my entry for this week. So far its been an hour of work. I may go back and put more detail into the castle if i get a chance.

Great entries this week guys.

[-t3d-]

Heres my second entry, hope you like it.
Aprox: 8hours
Paint shop pro7

[-t3d-]

Well as you can see i have been busy this weekend. Heres my third entry.
Aprox 7hours
Paintshop pro7
wacom.

[Milan]

Thank u every one for suggestion I was planning to buy the wacom tablet. I searched in my market but i didn't find and it was little bit more for me to buy .And I got another one which is not fine but It works bettet than the mouse . It cost me only 39$ very low from the wacom. the size is 5.5" by 4" . I worked recently from it for this topic . I feel comfortable than the mouse . Well I am also planning to buy wacom in future . thanks guys for your suggestion . Here is my last one to the topic which i finished in a hour from my Gunius tablet.

[Milan]

corwyn-looking cool
t3d - man u work a lot keep it up . loved yourthird entry
3 d monkey - moon and light give a surreal looks . Nice one and if u can finish it
Quackle- Likes your second entry .
biohzrd - finish it . u r working in the extrem perspective color it I want to see the final one of this

[stephendm]

Just a few more comments....

bIOHZRd: Very simple yet effective abstract sketch. Would like to see it in full colour with textures (maybe a cartoon style - might prove interesting). Good one.

Corwyn: One of my favourites so far. I tend to agree with DerekSc though......maybe some haze/blur on the mountains for improved depth and I might also darken or increase the haze at the bottom of the valley (That's personal preference though, I suppose). Aside from that - 100%.

3dmonkey: Very nice but would try to make the light a bit more realistic - it dramatically takes away from the pic. I would also be inclined to put a bit more texture on the castle....... but it has good potential.

-t3d-: You we're busy, weren't you :) I prefer your second entry (of the two latest ones) .....very nice colouring and motion of the trees and waterfall/river. The trees must've taken you ages! :) Your first pic there is also pretty good - might have put in some windows in the castle (or something i can't quite decide) and a little more colour but I like the night effect all the same - Well done.

Milan: Another unusual yet interesting abstract - Nearly looks to be underwater. Very colourful. You new tablet does seem to be doing the trick.

Ooh... Milan....Just to let you know....

Quackle- Likes your second entry .

It's actually my second entry....Quackles posted up the pic for me (I was having some crazy PC problems)......Thanks though, Glad you like it! :)

.

[mim]

Ok , this one is ready from me, I post another castle ( a more realistic ) tomorrow; this take about 2’:15” to complete, sketch by hand and coloring in PS.cs2 & painter.8 in my gap times in company, with many helps of a lot of guys here (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=39629&page=4), I say to you and him just I love you dudes so!

Have fun, Cya.

[mim]

ok, seems the deadline is near and I'm afraid that tommorow is late to comlete and post my secod work, therefore I post it now and if here are more time that I can post it tommorrow within I finish it quickly and update it anyway I,m confused between dates! :haha:
I did it completly in CP8 with a garbage tablet, again in many gap times in company; although as I say it is not complete at all; anyway it is my lat updat on it, here you can find progress of making it, sorry but I'm in hurry!!, thanks. (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=39629&page=1&pp=15)

mim.Armand :max:

[terminator]

Hello world!
here is my castle hope you like it.btw nice jobs all of you.

painting time aproximately 4 hours
software i used:corel painter 9
wacom

[terminator]

tried to fix the colors a bit.
i think now it should be fine

[Josiah]

Hello again! Here I am with another drawing. This is my 4th one! :dance:
Having alot of fun with this comp :D

Question: Should I attatch all of my pieces together in one final post? That way people could see all of my entries on one page. Let my know what you think :wave:

ATTACK ON THE LONER CASTLE: this one was reall fun to make. Hope y'all enjoy it :smug:

Great entries everyone, This has been a great comp :)

Cheers-

Josiah

[Quackles]

Wow, they're flying in now! Good work, folks, colour me impressed!

[DerekSc]

Howdy!
Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback, I tried my best to fix what was wrong, hope you like the changes. I think I put in an extra hour on it (hard to tell, I sorta space out when I'm doing this stuff). Great job everyone, it has really been fun seeing what all you artists have been coming up with (but it's going to be hard to vote!!!). Looking back, there are so many awesome entries this week we could make a calendar out of them and make a million dollars (anyone know a good printer?). Really really fantastic stuff people, it just blows my mind.
One question though: do we just choose the pictures we like best, or do the artists have to announce which one will be their official entry? (not an issue here, I only have one... and this is it! :))

DerekSc

(oh yeah, I updated my web site recently, and put my speed painting and speed modeling stuff in my portfolio section: www.schafferworld.com/ (http://www.schafferworld.com/), feedback is more than welcome.)

[waheed nasir]

hi there, this challenge was real fun, every single artwork posted is so nice to look at most importantly there is so much variety of styles and look to enjoy. every artwork is good in its own right...:). seems like people really loved it.
ill be closing the challenge soon my friends, so please hurry up, well, not so soon, u still have about 7 hours and thats a lot of time guys...:).

see ya soon.

[artecnl]

hi everyone, nice works from all of you :D, im happy to see so any contestants, well finally i have some free time and here is my second entry, done in ps7 in about 3 hours and a half, with pencils and mouse :D hope you like it .

cheers :smug:

[Josiah]

Hello. Here are all of my entries combined into one.

1st: Sunset over the pinacle
2nd: Quietly standing firm (even though it's on stilts ;P)
3rd: A man's home is his castle (even if it happens to be hanging a hundred feet from a cliff :smug:)
4th: Thou canst escape the rath being forthwith. (the dragon is going to win......:evil:)

I had alot of fun with this competition, and I look forward to the next one with all of you :wave:

There have been some very great pieces of artwork here. And may the best man win :wave: :)

Regards,

Josiah

[waheed nasir]

Voting Starts

hi there friends, u can now start submitting your votes. no more paintings pls...:).

see ya...all the best to all of u...:wave:.

[DerekSc]

Really really hard to decide, but here it is:

1 - terminator (post#126)
2 - Crackerlips (post#58)
3 - -t3d- (post#94)

Gotta mention artecnl (post#131) and Corwyn (post#115), great work.

[stephendm]

Well that was a pretty tough descision .......but I've made my choices and I stick by them! :)

1. Corwyn (Post # 115)
2. Artecnl (Post # 131)
3. undertow (Post # 37)


:dance: :dance: The infinite dancing of happy bananas to show some respect to all who entered :dance: :dance:

Honourable mentions to: Terminator, -t3d-, HammerCH22 & Quackles ;) Good stuff guys


.

[-t3d-]

hi ya all, great work from everybody, so hard to choose from,

1st: DerekSc #129
2nd: Corwyn #115
3rd: crackerlips #58

[pleasent]

I vote for
1 - Crackerlips (post#58)
2 - terminator (post#126)
3 - DerekSc (post#129)

HONORABLE MENTION

artecnl (post#131) , Aogor (post #85)

[Nippur]

Hello...this was a really good challenge...it was fun to follow it. This is my voting:

1st: corwyn #115
2nd: artecnl #131
3rd: -t3d- #94

[artecnl]

hi, amazing entries. here is my voting

1.- crackerlips
2.- corwyn
3.- mim (1st entry)

very nice job everyone :) see you in the next challenge, have a nice day :D

honorable mentions to josiah, terminator ,hammer and t3d for the hard work :D

[pasita n_n]

Good work all n_n very nice

1.- artecnl
2.- crackerlips
3.-corwny

[Josiah]

honorable mentions to josiah, terminator ,hammer and t3d for the hard work :D

YEAH! I got mentioned :dance:.. You made my day artecnl :wave:

1: Terminator #126 (amazong realism)
2: corwyn # 115(nice feel to it. Veyr nice job)
3: nucron #86 (nice and simple...I like that)

Honorable mentions:

Artecnl # 131 (good colors, just doesn't seem finished some how. Great work though :) )

Mim: # 124 (man, I know you put forth an effort. I really like the start of this one, but is not really the finished masterpiece that I know it can be. :wave:)

Great work everyone, this was alot of fun-

cheers-
Josiah

[BuffDady81]

Ok here goes...

1. CORWYN ( post - 115 ) - Really good - looks a top piece of concept art
2. MIM ( post - 123 ) - Love your style, always have...
3. CRACKERLIPS ( post - 58 ) - Fantastic image

[Undertow]

Some nice entries

1. Corwyn
2. Terminator
3. Buffdaddy

[terminator]

ok.hello!
really difficult to decide but here it is:

1.josiah #13 like the stile
2.t3d#94 good atmosphere
3.nucron#75 simple but a like it

Honorable mentions:
CORWYN,artecnl,crackerlips,hammerch,dereksc

cheers

[Robby]

This are the ones i like


Mim: Post 123

Josiah: Post 132 ( the hanging house)

terminator: post 125

[king-of-retards]

Not bad people: I have been following this for awhile, and I am impressed with:

Josiah: any one of your paintings. (you seemed to have the most spunk :) )
terminator: Very realistic
t3d: just a nice look

great job everyone...

[Quackles]

Ok, here's my 2c worth..

1st - Crackerlips (#58): Although both your pics were fantastic, I chose this one because of the reflection.. mmmm...
2nd - Corwyn #115: I really love the look you achieved.
3rd - Buffdady81 #76: Different in a good way! I liked it!

Well dones all round to everyone else, really tough competition. Insert obligatory banana dance here :dance:

[Milan]

terminator-126
corwyn-115
mim-124
Nice work every body.

[mim]

ok, here is my votes but note that I can,t see some works alike corwyn work (that seems catch many votes), because this s**t filter that would kill me :grr: ; can anyone post his work here?! :o :roll: , altough I think he go to be win, with or without my votes! :smug: , therefore, I put here my choices :halo: (so hard to select!):


1.terminator=> #125 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[ as Josiah also says for amazing realist view in an unreal concept ] (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=436127&postcount=125)

2.crackerlips=> #58. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[ nice atmosphere on water and amazing reflection also ] (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=434250&postcount=58)

3.bIOHZRd=> #114 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[ I really like his new idea and non usual concept and technique ] (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showpost.php?p=435717&postcount=114)

4.Really a lot of you guys=> #1-148 . . . . . . . . .[ for your nice efforts to share your works and knowledges, so thanks] (http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=39528&page=1&pp=15)



whith thanks to who that select me, I really appreciate. :o
hope to see you all friends in next challenge, soon. :lurve:

mim.Armand :max:

[-R3D-]

Here's My vote:

1st:: Corwyn #115
2nd:: Terminator #126
3rd:: DerekSc #129

Well done everyone else, Great work:) Well ahead of me. I'll stick to 3D Modelling :D

[waheed nasir]

RESULT

hello there...:). this was good. thanks to everyone for participating and for making it so much fun...:).

here is the result:

Corwyn - 26.
terminator - 21.
crackerlips - 17.
Josiah - 8.
mim - 7.
artecnl - 7.
-t3d- - 5.
DerekSc - 5.
nucron - 2.
BuffDady81 - 2.
Undertow - 1.
bIOHZRd - 1.

Congratulations Corwyn...:). please write to cdsupport@3dtotal.com and to Ben-3dt or Tom-3dt, with your postal address and your cd choice, do include the link to this page as well.

thanks again everyone. the 41st Speed Painting Challenge will be here soon...:).

have a nice time...:).

-------------------------------------

(P.S. yes DerekSc, thanks. corrected).

[stephendm]

:dance: -~ CONGRATULATIONS CORWYN ~- :dance:

.....well deserved. Loved your entry. :)

See you in the next challenge!

[Josiah]

GOOD JOB CORWYN!!! :D

Awsome work guys! this was alot of fun. can't wait for the next one!! :dance:

*yeah, I got 4th place :dance:*

Josiah

[DerekSc]

Way to go Corwyn!

(btw, artecnl got 7, not 5.)

Good job all, looking forward to the next one!

[artecnl]

big congratulations Corwyn, and to all, great entries, :D see you in the next one challenge,

[Milan]

congratulation Crowyn

[mim]

congratulation Corwyn :dance: , but I can't see your work yet!!! :cry:
CU all. :wave:

[-t3d-]

congratulation Corwyn on a great painting. :dance:
well done to everyone else, great work.
looking forward to the next one. :haha:

[Josiah]

looking forward to the next one.
speaking of which........What shall the next topic be? :shy:

[mim]

speaking of which........What shall the next topic be? :shy:
What shall the next topic not to be?!

[Josiah]

maybe this monday ;P hint hint hint......:)

[waheed nasir]

hello guys...very soon. in a day perhaps...:).