This wallpaper captures the urban essence that proliferated the art of Ghost in the Shell in every incarnation of the series. Phill does an amazing job of capturing a moment of surrealism.
While there are a few, stray building angles and shadows, you find that your eye forgives the minor details and instead focuses on the overall scene that is larger than life, with lights trailing off into infinity.
Nah, I don't want new ones I need these ones to break in more. But my left thumb is really hurting right where the knuckle is >.< I guess I have some bad habits on my left hand.
Hello guys!! This is Anna and I am here to present you yet another wall for the Battlegrounds @ povism.org. I am really happy we won this one!
Theme: Discrete/ Non-cliche Melancholy
Basic points of the challenge:
It has to have originality, scenic, variant of colours, and include either NO or MULTIPLE textures (meaning, not just a single texture overlay).
Can be indoors or outdoors; if it's indoors, it must show the outdoors in a way (eg. an open window).
Single character only, must be in a human form
---------------------------------------------
CONCEPT:
Even though the rain has almost stopped, the pain in my heart just won't.
---------------------------------------------
I chose to use this scan. However, it wouldn't fit the requirements if I left it as it was so I had to make it fit the rules of the challenge. Basically I excluded Hitonari and kept only Akane on the wall. I expanded the ground and added buildings that can be seen from the reflection.
I've learned tons of things while doing this wall as far as painting is concerned. I tried to find ways to paint realistic ground and came up with some really useful techniques. I might consider making a tutorial in the future when I'll have some free time. You should know that there are no textures on the ground! I'll explain below how I painted it.
----------------------------------------------------------
So here's the WIP. This time I decided I shouldn't put it in a spoiler tag since so many people ignored it last time and kept mentioning vectors and stuff that didn't actually exist. So please, before saying anything, read the description.
Step 1:
- I outlined and expanded the scan.
Step 2:
- I painted Akane with the Airbrush Hard Round brush of PS default brushes.
Step 3
-Then I painted the buildings and I added textures to only them. I haven't put a texture anywhere else.
Step 4
-Then comes the ground which I painted with two brushes. The basic colors were put with the Oil Pastel Large Brush. Then the details were added with the Spatter 59 pixels brush.
Step 5
-Next was the sky on the reflection.
Step 6
- I had to make the water look more like water so I brushed highlights here and there with a soft round brush at an overlay layer, 50% opacity.
Step 7
- I then added ripples and some raindrops and called it done.
--------------------------------------------------------
Huge thanks to my team for their support. VA rocks hard! I lurve you guys.
I really appreciate comments so please comment and tell me what you think.
--------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: And I know there are two I'll CKBC walls in the same day but I started doing mine 3,5 weeks ago. :P
EDIT 2: I also dedicate this wallpaper to Graphica, a group I recently joined.
It's almost flawless!! I love this! It completely speaks for itself! There's absolutely no need to describe or say anything! I don't think good words can properly compliment the awesomeness of this wall!
Super Ultrastic! Stunning, beautiful, awesome... bah! *FAVS* :D
I would firstly say, it's quite rare to see a wallpaper that is vertically reversed, and it's even rarer to see one that incorporates the details contained so vividly.
Secondly, the character design is well executed. His facial expression ties in perfectly with the words (which I must say are perfectly positioned) and the cityscape / fog below the buildings.
The only thing I'd say (and I'm totally splitting hairs here) is that the water doesn't look like it fits too well with the brown floor (perhaps the shading is wrong?). Again, splitting hairs.
I just can't see how you can't love this wallpaper. Especially seeing the extensive amount of artistic talent and work that went into it, its truly amazing. I love the perspective - seemingly upside-down, or rather looking up, at first glance, but it's really a reflection in a puddle. Good effect.
My only complaint is the brown surrounding the "puddle" - it's a bit plain and oddly cracked. I'm not exactly sure what kind of surface it is.
Well, it's a good wallpaper, indeed. Although I hope you won't mind it if I point out a few issues (that could you help you improve yourself next times) that I spotted here and there:
- First thing that I noticed was that the buildings's perspective felt slightly off, especially the one the bottom left. Composition-wise I also feel that there are too few buildings, or rather, the way you placed them feels a bit awkward (probably too much spacing between each of them). I would have probably grouped them on a side or on a corner, and left the other side empty for the sky, to give a better idea of the perspective and have a more organized and ordinated composition.
- Second thing, the colours you used for both buildings and soil. The ground colours are too uniform, and look too saturated, which contrasts in a negative way with the puddle of water. So you either darken the puddle, or you colour the soil with a brighter hue of brown (brown alone by the way doesn't feel exactly like a good colour. Some highlights of blue on it would help the soil blend better and look more realistic). As for the buildings' colour, that colour feels too unnatural as well. Again it's probably because they look too uniform from top to bottom, it's as if they weren't influenced at all by sky and by it's lighting. Their overall lighting and shading still feels a bit too flat, and in fact it's almost impossible to tell where the source (or sources) of light come from. Add the fact that the buildings lack some details (or rather than details they look too "squary") and they do feel a bit odd.
- The texture that you painted on the soil is too unfirom, again. And biggest mistake of all, you painted it everywhere on it. Remember any kind of texture on most of the surfaces or objects will only show differently depending on how close the object is, and most important it will only show on the brighter parts of the object. Painting texture and making it clearly visible even in the darker parts of the soil makes it look too flat. Also, since the soil is actually the foreground element, rather than painting such a grainy texture, it could have simply sufficed to directly paint details rather than the texture. There are a lot of examples at AP scan galleries that you can look up to as reference.
And that's it. You did a good job colouring the character, and the clouds as well (I see aquasixio's tutorial there though, hehe). It's indeed a good display of effort, you just have to pay more attention at lighting, shading, proper texturing (and mind you textures are not always necessary as long as you can paint details) and how the colours and materials are affected by these elements. Perspective and composition issues are not really a problem if you try to spend more time analyzing your work next time. :)
Keep up the good work, and thanks for the plug to the Graphica group!
Sponsors
Highlighted
Fly... by °Phill 2 months 1 week ago
While there are a few, stray building angles and shadows, you find that your eye forgives the minor details and instead focuses on the overall scene that is larger than life, with lights trailing off into infinity.
View more highlighted wallpapers
ShoutBox
View more recent shouts
Download
Vitals
Wallpaper tag(s)
Author's brainspill
Theme: Discrete/ Non-cliche Melancholy
Basic points of the challenge:
It has to have originality, scenic, variant of colours, and include either NO or MULTIPLE textures (meaning, not just a single texture overlay).
Can be indoors or outdoors; if it's indoors, it must show the outdoors in a way (eg. an open window).
Single character only, must be in a human form
---------------------------------------------
CONCEPT:
---------------------------------------------
I chose to use this scan. However, it wouldn't fit the requirements if I left it as it was so I had to make it fit the rules of the challenge. Basically I excluded Hitonari and kept only Akane on the wall. I expanded the ground and added buildings that can be seen from the reflection.
I've learned tons of things while doing this wall as far as painting is concerned. I tried to find ways to paint realistic ground and came up with some really useful techniques. I might consider making a tutorial in the future when I'll have some free time. You should know that there are no textures on the ground! I'll explain below how I painted it.
----------------------------------------------------------
So here's the WIP. This time I decided I shouldn't put it in a spoiler tag since so many people ignored it last time and kept mentioning vectors and stuff that didn't actually exist. So please, before saying anything, read the description.
Step 1:
- I outlined and expanded the scan.
Step 2:
- I painted Akane with the Airbrush Hard Round brush of PS default brushes.
Step 3
-Then I painted the buildings and I added textures to only them. I haven't put a texture anywhere else.
Step 4
-Then comes the ground which I painted with two brushes. The basic colors were put with the Oil Pastel Large Brush. Then the details were added with the Spatter 59 pixels brush.
Step 5
-Next was the sky on the reflection.
Step 6
- I had to make the water look more like water so I brushed highlights here and there with a soft round brush at an overlay layer, 50% opacity.
Step 7
- I then added ripples and some raindrops and called it done.
--------------------------------------------------------
Huge thanks to my team for their support. VA rocks hard! I lurve you guys.
I really appreciate comments so please comment and tell me what you think.
--------------------------------------------------------
Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Time: 2 weeks without procrastinating >.<
-----------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: And I know there are two I'll CKBC walls in the same day but I started doing mine 3,5 weeks ago. :P
EDIT 2: I also dedicate this wallpaper to Graphica, a group I recently joined.
User Comments!
But moving that aside. What else to do but fave? Anyone who can paint water that well deserves a virtual cookie.
Useless by name... awesome by nature!
Q('_'Q) <-- A boxer! Like Bruce Willis in "Pulp Fiction"!
It's almost flawless!! I love this! It completely speaks for itself! There's absolutely no need to describe or say anything! I don't think good words can properly compliment the awesomeness of this wall!
Super Ultrastic! Stunning, beautiful, awesome... bah! *FAVS* :D
You rock and rule, Anna!!
Keep on rockin! :D
-The Firestorm
The Firestorm has claimed Mizuho Kazami
Come and claim your sweetheart at the only group in AP that allows you to: Frenzy Fanboys! See you there!! ^_^
"You can only live in the present. The Future is but an illusion of reality. The Past is just a fading memory" -The Firestorm
and great tutorial
I couldn't help my self and I downloaded it XD
Secondly, the character design is well executed. His facial expression ties in perfectly with the words (which I must say are perfectly positioned) and the cityscape / fog below the buildings.
Overall, well done.
+fav
All to say mentioned above
+Fav
The only thing I'd say (and I'm totally splitting hairs here) is that the water doesn't look like it fits too well with the brown floor (perhaps the shading is wrong?). Again, splitting hairs.
Great job - new desktop =).
+fav
I really don't know the serie, but the concept it's universal (XD it'll be my nick on msn tonight)
=P it's a great job!
To Favs!
kiss!
My only complaint is the brown surrounding the "puddle" - it's a bit plain and oddly cracked. I'm not exactly sure what kind of surface it is.
Anyways, great wallpaper!
~Nightfire
great job on the buildings
Which Final Fantasy Character Are You?
Final Fantasy 7
- First thing that I noticed was that the buildings's perspective felt slightly off, especially the one the bottom left. Composition-wise I also feel that there are too few buildings, or rather, the way you placed them feels a bit awkward (probably too much spacing between each of them). I would have probably grouped them on a side or on a corner, and left the other side empty for the sky, to give a better idea of the perspective and have a more organized and ordinated composition.
- Second thing, the colours you used for both buildings and soil. The ground colours are too uniform, and look too saturated, which contrasts in a negative way with the puddle of water. So you either darken the puddle, or you colour the soil with a brighter hue of brown (brown alone by the way doesn't feel exactly like a good colour. Some highlights of blue on it would help the soil blend better and look more realistic). As for the buildings' colour, that colour feels too unnatural as well. Again it's probably because they look too uniform from top to bottom, it's as if they weren't influenced at all by sky and by it's lighting. Their overall lighting and shading still feels a bit too flat, and in fact it's almost impossible to tell where the source (or sources) of light come from. Add the fact that the buildings lack some details (or rather than details they look too "squary") and they do feel a bit odd.
- The texture that you painted on the soil is too unfirom, again. And biggest mistake of all, you painted it everywhere on it. Remember any kind of texture on most of the surfaces or objects will only show differently depending on how close the object is, and most important it will only show on the brighter parts of the object. Painting texture and making it clearly visible even in the darker parts of the soil makes it look too flat. Also, since the soil is actually the foreground element, rather than painting such a grainy texture, it could have simply sufficed to directly paint details rather than the texture. There are a lot of examples at AP scan galleries that you can look up to as reference.
And that's it. You did a good job colouring the character, and the clouds as well (I see aquasixio's tutorial there though, hehe). It's indeed a good display of effort, you just have to pay more attention at lighting, shading, proper texturing (and mind you textures are not always necessary as long as you can paint details) and how the colours and materials are affected by these elements. Perspective and composition issues are not really a problem if you try to spend more time analyzing your work next time. :)
Keep up the good work, and thanks for the plug to the Graphica group!
shinndou.com | coldshock.net