Welcome, Petar Meseldžija

I would assume that most here are already familiar with the paintings of Petar Meseldzija, as we have made reference to him and his work numerous times here on MuddyColors. Petar will be writing some guest posts for us in the near future, and I thought this a good time to formally introduce him.

Petar Meseldžija was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, in 1965. He began his career in 1981, publishing the comic strip 'Krampi' in the Stripoteka, one of the best known comic magazines in the country. This was followed by a series of short comics and his work on the licensed comic book 'Tarzan'. He graduated from the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, in the Painting Department. During his studies he continued to work on comics, but more often worked on illustrations. In 1991 he illustrated his first book 'Peter Enkorak', published by Mladinska knjiga from Slovenia.



At the end of 1991 he moved to the Netherlands. Soon after, he stopped working on comics and dedicated himself to illustration and painting. Already well published in Europe, Americans first got a glimpse of Petar's work in 1997 when it was included in Spectrum: Volume 4. He later continued to garner multiple awards from Spectrum, including both Silver and Gold. Petar reinforced his place in the American illustration market by producing 10 amazing book covers for Scholastic Books.



Petar has numerous book credits to his name, but most notable is 'The Legend of Steel Bashaw', a profusely illustrated book which he also wrote, retelling the classic Serbian folk-tale. The project, consisting of 60 paintings and drawings, took him the better part 15 years, and has been received with great acclaim both here and abroad.









You can view a large selection of Petar's work on his WEBSITE, and also get a great behind-the-scenes look at his process on his personal BLOG.



Lastly, the good folks at DrawnToday have very recently conducted an interview with Petar. In this special interview episode, Aaron Miller and Mark Harchar sit down with our Serbian Super-hero and discuss holographic art museums, working for the Medicis, and his working methods.



The podcast can be heard here: http://drawntoday.blogspot.com/2011/04/podcast-episode-27-interview-with.html

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Inspiration: Yugoslavian Monuments

Kadinjača

These structures were commissioned by former Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito in the 1960s and 70s to commemorate sites where WWII battles took place (like Tjentište, Kozara and Kadinjača), or where concentration camps stood (like Jasenovac and Niš). They were designed by different sculptors (Dušan Džamonja, Vojin Bakić, Miodrag Živković, Jordan and Iskra Grabul, to name a few) and architects (Bogdan Bogdanović, Gradimir Medaković...), conveying powerful visual impact to show the confidence and strength of the Socialist Republic. In the 1980s, these monuments attracted millions of visitors per year, especially young pioneers for their "patriotic education." After the Republic dissolved in early 1990s, they were completely abandoned.



For more images and information on these monuments, check out ArchDaily.

Podgarić

Kosmaj

Tjentište

Kruševo

Jasenovac

Sisak

Nikšić

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IlluXcon 4 Trailer

The people at IlluXcon just released a cool trailer for this year's show. The trailer highlights a lot of the demos that take place during the con, and gives a pretty good sense of what the whole thing is about. Whether you're a pro looking to exhibit, or a student wanting to learn, you owe it to yourself to go. 

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The Black Pharaohs, Part 3

Gregory Manchess



This is the 3rd and final painting of the series, a portrait of Piye, featured in the procession painting in Part 2. They wanted to showcase a close portrait of the man they had substantial sculptures and some paintings of.



Apparently, it was their intention to put this painting of Piye, known as Taharqa, on the cover. But I didn’t believe them. They’re primarily a photography magazine, and over recent years, they have practically stripped the magazine of any illustration, whether diagrams or narrative scenes (especially narrative). They were no longer interested in using artwork to illuminate a scene. If it couldn’t be photographed, why bother? That was “old Geographic.”



This line of thinking didn’t last too long. Not because they suddenly had an epiphany that painting was cool, but mostly they just ran into the problem naturally. The Black Pharaohs is a good example. How do you show the grandeur of such powerful points in history? Like this: you use your imagination as art and science come together. This, I believe, is what stimulates readers.



Again, I started with thumbnails. Jeff Osborn and I worked closely together to present Taharqa against a background of pyramids. But as I found out later, these were not your run-of-the-mill pyramids. They were designed by the black pharaohs. Their shapes were more severe, more angular, and quite a bit smaller. There is a site with a number of these as well.

I started my search to find the right model, but to get started, I worked from a silicon head that was used for a portrait I painted for the Real Pirates: the Untold Story of the Whydah, From Slave Ship to Pirate Ship exhibit.

Adjustments were made to Taharqa’s features that NGS requested I make by looking at several sculpted heads of him from the era. I had to add a slight almost-smile.

While working these up, I happened to run into my friend, Willy Gilmore, who works at my Oregon apartment complex. He was perfect. I asked him if he ever wanted to be a pharaoh. Of course he was curious. I set up a shoot to use him as reference for the final piece. I told him there was a slight chance that it would be a cover painting.

I got this far, and I still didn’t believe they would use it. I told them as much. It meant that if I got a painting on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, I would be one of only about five guys over the past thirty years that had the privilege. No way the Photo Dept. would go for it. (Secretly, I crossed my fingers.)

Now I needed to find some cheetah hide. The best place to find that was… the Halloween Store. Yes, that little bit of animal fur indication on the final painting is the panties portion of a ‘Sexy Kitten’ outfit.

A color comp that I brushed up, then had to adjust the pyramid shapes. Shown here in b/w.

There were minimal changes to the final piece, and once completed, the entire series had taken only three months. Very fast work for a process that usually takes a year and a half. Hats off to NGS for hustling at every turn to get me the information needed.

Two months later, while walking through LaGuardia airport on my way back to Oregon, I spotted the Feb. 2008 issue on a rack. I fumbled getting my cell phone camera out quick to shoot it. I was afraid it would disappear.

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New-fangled Water-Mixable Oils vs. Old, Reliable Traditional Oils

Last Time I listed the 4 qualities I was searching for in an "ideal" oil paint.

1. Paintability

That the paint itself will allow for the smooth, buttery application consistent with that of traditional oil paints.

2. Archivability

That the final product will be archivally sound. (It will allow for thick over thin, it won't lead to long-term cracking, the colors won't yellow unreasonably fast. etc.)

3. Dry-ability

That if needed, a layer could be touch-dry, ready-to-paint-over in 24 hours. (While staying workable on palette and canvas for at least 8 hours.)

4. Non-Toxic

That you can work solvent-free and in a non-toxic studio environment. (Here I am concerned mostly with the fumes. I don't plan to eat any of the materials.)

It turns out to be almost impossible to get all 4 qualities in a single oil paint. Water-mixables offer some promise and I have been very interested in seeing if they might be the solution to the question.

In the last post I mentioned many of the problems I had run into while using the water-mixables and why I was considering giving up on them.

But before I did, I felt like I needed to do one last experiment to make sure of my suspicions.

The Experiment:

I Painted 2 figures, both on the same panel of gesso-primed MDB. I painted the first in Water-Mixable Oils with just water and then painted the second in traditional oils with a Galkyd, OMS, Walnut oil blend as a medium. I timed myself; 90 minutes each, so it would be giving each method a fair shake. (Otherwise I would totally cheat and spend way longer on the water-mixables, because I am biased.)

As I mentioned previsouly, The water-mixable paints are not fast-dry on their own. They dry faster than traditional oils, but still take longer than 24 hours to dry, especially if whites were used. So to solve this drying time issue for the water-mixables, I made my own quick-dry white by mixing 1 part Artisan Fast Dry Medium to 3 parts Holbein Duo Ceramic White (Which is a really nice white that is somewhere between a zinc and a titanium). This mixture gives great workability for about 6 or 7 hours and is usually touch dry in about 24.

(I decided on this fast-dry white mixture after watching Greg Manchess's demo from Massive Black where he mentions that since white gets mixed into most of his colors, he will use an alkyd white for his whites, and this keeps his paints workable but drying fast. If you haven't seen this video, go find it. It is extremely informative.)

Test Results:

#4. Toxicity

Water Mixable: Non-Toxic. no side-effects noted. PASS

Traditional Oil Mix: Toxic. Slight headache. Then grew fangs, claws and unsightly hair. Roamed countryside howling at moon. FAIL

#3. Drying Times

Both dry in 24 hours. BOTH PASS

#2. Archivability.

Both survived to day 2. So, ok, well so it's hard to tell how they will look 100 years from now just yet. But, they both allow for working thick over thin so that's a start. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt and let them both pass for now.

#1. Paintability

The Water-Mixables had to be wrangled with a lot to get them to work in a predictable manner. I found myself constantly stumbling over the paint as it seized up unpredictably, and then at other times became suddenly too fluid. It seemed like just an unnecessary amount of fighting to get the paint down. The final result feels bland and heavy-handed.

When switching over from them to the traditional paints it felt as though suddenly the paints themselves were making good decisions for me. There was no fighting. Everything was fluid and just worked.

To the best of my (admittedly limited) abilities, the water-mixable oils just lack the subtlety and workability that can be achieved with traditional paints and solvents.

Water-Mixables: FAIL

Tradtional Oils: PASS

Final Results:

Both land 3 out of 4.

Conclusions:

I wanted to believe in water-mixable oils. And I still do. I come from a watercolor background, and love the idea of using only water as my thinner.

I think that water-mixables are a step in the right direction, but after my experiences with them, i don't think they are there quite yet.

Clearly the manufacturers have been listening to the community and are working to deliver a solution. That is really exciting and I hope to see them make more improvements as they are able to do more testing and get more feedback.

As with the last post, if you know of a mixture that you believe meets the 4 qualities on the list above, please post it in the comments.

The response in the comments last post was really great and thank you to everyone who contributed. There are a few products I am looking to try out from that list.

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Eowyn and the Nazgul... Critiques: Round 2

Thanks for all the kind responses to Friday's crits! Several people mentioned that it is difficult for readers to make comments regarding a particular image because there are no names attached. I did this because even though someone has entered the Art Order competition, it does not necessarily imply that they volunteered to have their work publicly criticized. Thus, I felt it best to keep the crits anonymous. If you would like to make a comment about a particular piece, simply post a link to said image in your reply. There are so many awesome submissions pouring into Art Order every hour. I really wish we had the time to mention them all. Rest assured, whether or not we got to discuss your piece, we are looking at everyone's. Now onto Round 2! **************************************************************************************************************************

AF: Very nice stylization, reminiscent in a way of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Eowyn's pose seems too forced and stiff when compared with the fluidity of the Witch King (and that's some long arm!). Try repositioning her legs and other arm to give her figure more natural balance.



DDS: Like Arnie, I really enjoy the stylization of this piece. But the character's poses could be better, The Nazgul is really just standing there with the mace hanging at his side. You need to twist their torso more and add a sense of weight to their poses. I also think the horse in the bottom left seems like an afterthought. Either show more of it, or get rid of it completely. **************************************************************************************************************************

AF: A strong, well designed interpretive illo. I could easily see the finish as a book cover or movie poster. My only suggestion would to raise the Fell Beast a bit so that the Witch King's crown is not competing with its mouth for clarity.



DDS: This is a really beautiful image. But be careful of symmetry. Even though you may have the same thing going on on both sides of an image, the sides should not looked cloned. For the most part you've handled it perfectly, but the mirroring of the smoke looks lazy and takes away from it's 'organic' quality. **************************************************************************************************************************

AF: Yes, proportionally this is all wrong...but it works as a symbolic interpretation of the scene. Eowyn is tiny, forlorn, and hopeless as the Nazgûl approaches. You feel for her, you're drawn into the scene. The color seems to be coming along nicely, too, so...good job.



DDS: Gorgeous! My only suggestion would be to tilt the Nazgul's crown forward a little. The ellipse it creates will make it look like he is looking at her. I would also move Eowyn's sword into the foreground and showcase it a bit more. It's not doing much for you at the moment, and you can make better use of it's angle. **************************************************************************************************************************

AF: Powerful piece. The beast's head is getting a little lost with its position in relationship to the neck; I'd suggest lowering the head a bit to give it better definition. Also, the sword (or scabbard) in Eowyn's left hand looks a little awkward. I'd suggest lowering the arm and perhaps giving her a shield.



DDS: Close the Fell Beast's mouth a bit. What you gain in drama from the open mouth, you lose in composition. The silhouette of his head is much more important. I think you can also make Eowyn bigger.

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AF: This is a lovely piece, but the looming Nazgûl seems too dark and lacks definition while the detailed foreground seems too light and draws the viewer's eye away from the action. (The horse's teeth and mane are what you look at first.) I'd suggest reversing the values, making the foreground darker (probably not this much!—I was in a hurry!) while lightening the top a bit, more or less putting Eowyn into the center spotlight. The only other nit is that her shattered shield is a little visually confusing. I'd suggest refining or eliminating it entirely. (Paint-over below)

Paint-over by Arnie Fenner

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JE: This one just is fantastic! I really am impressed with the drawing skills and compositional skills it shows. But it could almost be any old fantasy painting. Without the dead horse and Theoden dead trapped underneath it is a bit too generic. I would add the king and some more twisted bodies and horse legs sticking up of the mud instead of the swords. Two small things: the grip on the sword looks weak. The cross guard could be turned so it follows the underarm. It gives more powerful grip: grab a sword and hold tight and feel how awquard the weight is if you hold it wrong. The other thing is the Fell Beast's legs, they are a tad too similar. I would stretch his left one a bit and raise the other one up for for-shorting. Just to ad a little more interest or spring to the pose. AF: Beautifully done. My only suggestion would be to increase Eowyn's size to help make the viewer an active participant in the action, not a passive observer from a distance. (Paint-over below)

Paint-over by Arnie Fenner

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EF: Ummm...this is great. The only thing I might suggest is a little more interaction between the figures. I'm a bit torn, they could be looking at each other but then you sacrifice the nice face of the female. I'd have to consider this for a while...Suggestions?

JG: This is a great piece and I really look forward to seeing it finished. First off, I am fairly sure the artist intends to add eyes, but in the off chance that they don't, I will mention that it really needs it. We can get a sense that the Nazgul is looking at Eowyn by the orientation of the crown, but I think that because of the hands position, which gestures down to the left, it really needs the glowing eyes to show that he is definitely looking down on her. I really like the choice to sort of leave a hint of a shadow where the head should be. The shadowy silhouette is a great approach for the Nazgul, and David has handled the edges here really well. I wouldn't mind seeing just a hint of glittering metal in places to kind of give the form just a little more definition. Also it wouldn't hurt to add just a little more atmospheric distance between the foremost hand and the hand holding the mace. Overall though, I really like this treatment with the ghostly edges. As for Eowyn, I like her pose, but would like to see her legs just a little longer. I realize she may be hunched over a bit, but because of the lighting it kind of reads as though she has small legs. Part of it may be that her right foot is under the wing of the felbeast and her left foot is in taller grass. I think this could be played with a little and it would feel a little more natural and fit a little better with the really excellent treatment of her upper body and the sword and shield. In the comments the artist mentioned that something needed to go in the bottom left and I agree. As to what, I tend to say something that isn't distracting but that adds to the narrative. I would lean towards something that shows the aftermath and carnage of the battle. A dead horse's body, a fallen soldier or arrows and broken banners. Whatever it is though I would want to make sure it stayed dark and vague and didn't pull us out of the great lighting focal point that is on Eowyn. Overall though, killer work and I really look forward to seeing the final. **************************************************************************************************************************

EF: This sketch has potential. It looks as if Eowyn is staring at the ball at the end of the mace. Because her face and the ball are so close together this interaction between the two keeps our attention cycling in that small area. Maybe having Eowyn looking at where the Nazgul's face would be will expand the viewers attention between the figures a little more. Also, stand on a chair and have a friend swing a bat one handed to note how the body may twist and shift weight etc. This nazgul is feeling pretty stiff.



DDS: Increase the size of the Nazgul's body, and arch his back more. His pose needs a LOT action to it. Remember, swinging a mace (or a bat, or even a punch) starts in your FEET. It moves up to your hips, through your back, then shoulder, then elbow. The motion uses your WHOLE BODY. Show us that. Make the impact of the impending blow a real threat. Aside from that, I think you need to better 'connect' the Nazgul's crown to the body in some way. Be it proximity, or a black haze, or maybe a cast shadow. There is a lot of empty space there at the moment, and it's killing the composition for me. **************************************************************************************************************************

JG: I like Eowyn's pose here, it is much more dynamic and interesting than the initial pose. Her right leg seems a bit strained because of the turn of the foot, but still the overall pose is stronger.

However, it still looks as though she doesn't have a chance. Donato pointed out that not all monsters need to be super-sized, larger-than-life to be effective, and while I will always enjoy the man vs. enormous monster dynamic, I think that in this case he is right. There is just no chance for her. By the laws of physics her swing cannot possibly have any effect before she gets bitten in half. This is bad because the suspension of disbelief is strained too far and the audience begins to check out.

To fix this, we dial it back a little by shrinking the head and neck of the monster. This will not only make it seem more plausible that she manages to dodge the strike and land her blow, but it also gives us a chance to work more monster elements like wings and claws in. This adds further narrative depth and interest to the characters and the scene.

Another issue is that the values have begun to blend together too much. We begin to lose the sense of foreground/background. I am always in favor of playing up the atmospheric perspective in massive scenes like this.

In the work-over below, I have played up the distances between the objects by deepening the value changes between those objects. The monsters head now seem more separate from the wings, which now seem more separate from the battle which now seem more separate from the city and so on. As objects recede away from us their contrast is decreased.

Overall, I like the energy and dynamism of this scene. It's got a lot of great potential and I look forward to seeing the final. (Paint-over below)

Paint-over by Justin Gerard

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JE: I really love the angle of this picture. The focus on Eowyn is great. The color rough just doesn´t help the reading of the picture. What works so great in the grey tone version is the flatness of the surface she is standing on. Keeping it light is going to be the key to success. Keep all black out of the middle and background and max out on the contrast in the Witch-kings hand to pull it forward. One thing I would do to pump up the drama is to make a drop shadow on Eowyn. One that covers half bottom of the shield. That way we know the Nazgul and Witch-king is closer and the connection between them is heightened. The mace is a bit boring. Look up some historical ceremonial weapons for inspiration. That mace is surposed to be the baddest mace in all of Middle-earth. **************************************************************************************************************************

JE: I love the way the composition all circles in toward the action of the sword thrust. The posing are really dynamic and the color theme is great. But I thing the whole image is somewhat to squashed. It would benefit from opening up and adding a bit of space. Maybe loose the wing? The only thing I really thing is wrong is Eowyns sword arm. She is behind the Which-king yet the hand and arm is not thrusting forward. The grip feels wrong and not forceful enough. I would stand in front of a mirror point a sword or a broomstick to study the foreshortening and angle of the hand in a forward thrust.



DDS: There is some amazing stuff going on here. But as is, the focal point is the Nazgul's back. This is due to the hard edges and high contrast. You need to add that same level of focus/contrast to the area BETWEEN the two figures. Move Eowyn's cape and hair as necessary so that you can add that bright sky between them and emphasize their silhouettes. (Paint-over below)

Paint-over by Dan dos Santos

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JE: The acting of her face is genius. The facial expression is to me the most difficult thing to capture, but this one is just right. Lets just say that the stray from the story is not important. She takes of the helm, revealing she is a woman and then fights the witch king, not the other way around. But the drama of this illustration is just great. The wing tip that bends in toward the focus is good. If you should continue on this sketch I would think a lot about the posing of the Witch king. Right now I cannot tell if he is lying half on his back or his knees?



DDS: Eowyn is fantastic but the Nazgul needs a lot more work. I'm sure you're still working on it, but try not to make him -all- black. Add some fill-light to his back so we have some details to look at. It will also break up that large mass of black so that the blacks in Eowyn take on a bit more importance. **************************************************************************************************************************

JE: I like the desperate gesture to Eowyn the way the which king towers above her and frames her with the arm is good. Eowyns head is a little too big for her body and there is some perspective mistakes in the mace but as a composition ad the telling of drama this one is great. The cropping should be zoomed out to not cut the crown.



DDS: The poor cropping of this image is defeating an otherwise -stellar- drawing. I don't know if you plan to draw or paint this, but you really should add more bleed to the top. **************************************************************************************************************************

JE: This sketch is the closest to the one I would have drawn myself. The dynamic of the beast and the simpleness of the compositional elements is just up my alley. The way the beasts lower body and tail bleeds into grey is a nice trick, that I might have used before. Only thing that stand out o me is the pose of Eowyn. I know how badly you wanted to show her from the front, and I do know how difficult it is to stage the figures right so that we do not look in the back of the head of either the monster or the hero. But since you do have her frontal, how about crouching her as if she was grieving over her father and only right his second turns her head towards the attacker. Right now she is waiting almost like if she was bored or doesn’t bother about turning around. It would be more dramatic if she was in the middle of the turning.



DDS: I would bring Eowyn and the Fell Beast closer together. I would also bend her left knee a LOT more... like she was really about to take a giant swing.

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Eowyn and the Nazgul... Critiques: Round 1

Firstly, let me say... 'Wow'.



There have been some amazing submissions to the Art Order Challenge. We will be critiquing some of these submissions both today and Monday. There are nearly a hundred submissions at this point, and we obviously can't address them all, but we will try our best to get to as many as we can over the next 2 days.



The Muddy Colors members were asked to simply pick whatever pieces caught their interest. As such, there will be some pieces which receive multiple comments, and some which may receive none. This should not be taken as a comment on the quality of your work. It may simply be that we didn't see any major issues with the piece and feel you should continue as you were. Further more, because there are multiple people critiquing, you may find that a lot of the comments reinforce one another... or contradict. Please keep in mind that every critique is essentially an opinion, and as such, we are all entitled to our own. You are free to accept, or ignore, any suggestion we might have. I also implore our readers to chime in on any pieces they'd like to address in our comments section. No need to worry about hurt feelings, just keep your comments constructive and sincere.



To start us off, our local LoTR expert Donato Giancola, would like to address a few issues in general.

Donato writes:



Wonderful sketches by so many artists!  I am truly impressed and inspired.



To lead off, this should not be an illustration based upon what we all saw in the movies.  This should be from your own heart and the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.  While we cannot help but be influenced (I certainly was!) by the beauty on screen, the interpretations of those artists and Peter Jackson the director are just one way to look at how Tolkien wrote about these characters.  Please look at my comments as from an art director and hard core fan, there are specific conditions to consider when working from the narrative of the Lord of the Rings.  You can of course interpret  the scene any way you truly wish, but as a commercial illustrator, you also need to hit certain chords so that your clients (and fans) know that the content is illuminating the story and not just a fanciful creation broadly interpretating the story.

To start with, please do not McDonald’s Super-Size the winged Beast (or any other creature) as if out of the movie. I know it is a personal nit pick, but I have to raise the issue.

This recent aesthetic development in fantasy and science fiction art to supersize objects and people makes my stomach turn.  Far too often I see size as a poor substitute to generate fear, threat and mass.  The real challenge as an artist is to some how make a normal person look massive, or the winged beast appear threatening through staging, composition, lighting, shadow play, camera angle, foreshortening, etc.  Challenge yourself and your viewers.



This size issue was one of the biggest downers for me in the movie.  The winged nazgul, the balrog, Sauron, and the oliphants looked like they were under the influence of American Steroid Consumption.  As if size was the only reason and way for these creatures/people to generate fear. Use size in an intelligent fashion, and it will become your compositional friend!  Anyone who has been attacked by a dog, knows that it is not the size of the creature that puts terror into your heart, it is the ferocity, speed and knowledge of the threat which does so.  Think about these issues when you are composing the scene.



So...



Tolkien writes that the Nazgul were men.  That means likely they are ~ 6’ tall.  

The winged creature was small enough to:

‘settle upon the body of Snowmane, digging in its claws, stooping its long naked neck.’

You can of course interpret it openly, but the movie creatures size would make it hard pressed to settle upon a horses body without totally crushing and covering it.



Another detail regarding the beast is mentioned by Tolkien:

‘...striking with beak and claw.’

As much as we all love dragons as lizards with teeth, it appears Tolkien imagined this beast as beaked.  That does not exclude teeth, but certainly seems to suggest otherwise.



Another movie issue was the helmeted Nazgul.  Tolkien clearly describes him as thus:

‘A crown of steel he bore, but between rim and robe naught was there to see, save only a deadly gleam of eyes: the Lord of the Nazgul.’

Lose the helmet if you have one.



The battle took place on the Pelennor Fields, south of the road leading to Osgiliath from Minas Tirith, with the sun rising from the East.  It is Spring time.



Again, there are truths to the writings that you need to consider as a professional and work with as constraints when considering composition and detail. Many of the artists have consider most and all of these details.  If you have not, then it is time to revisit your sketches and art.



Lastly, after all these considerations, you need to make it look ‘Cool!’, ‘Inspired!’  ‘Compelling!’

And you wonder why I go gray considering illustrating Tolkien?  :)



Best of Luck,

Donato 



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Now onto the Crits!



Greg Manchess writes:



There are many designs here that are working very well, and of course, many that are still struggling to get the visual to be dynamic. I'll say right up front: forget about trying to be so clever. This is a specific scene, with specific elements that are doing specific things according to the author's vision. It also happens to be familiar to many viewers.



Stop trying to pull something so clever that no one's ever seen. This is not the time for that. You have to show certain elements to get the scene across, so it already limits your range of ideas. What you want to work for is trying to capture that moment, no matter how many times it's been portrayed, in exactly the way you would like to see it. 



Ask yourself: is this how I'd really want to see this scene? Or am I trying to impress people to say, 'wow, that's so original', or 'wow, that's so clever', etc? Give that up and show us how you see this scene, no matter if you think it looks like something you've seen before. It has been done a LOT, so don't worry about it. Give us your gut feelings, and it will take the piece farther, make us intensely curious about it. That's creative. That's original.



With that in mind, I've chosen a bunch of the ones that are definitely working well. Hopefully the comments about these pieces will help the other ideas take on better life.



First realize, the brain looks at something and generalizes the situation: "what is that?" then it gets specific: "oh, it's that." This happens very fast. In that split second, you must capture interest. The best way to get there is through composition. It immediately sets up the brain to WANT to ask more questions next. In other words, it becomes curious. THAT's when you start telling the story more specifically, and NOT before.



Last comment. I'm not an expert on this scene of Tolkien's, but it occurs to me that the Nazgul doesn't realize that she is a SHE. By showing her revealed, fighting the battle exposed as a beautiful blonde, you 'give away' the crux of the scene. Consider showing her as more masculine, but with small touches to allow us to know it's a woman.



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GM: This composition is great. You've adjusted it to get right in there, to show us that we are part of the action. Eowyn is close enough to see necessary costume detail; we look over part of the dead horse without having to see the whole thing; cropping the dragon enough to get the impression of it's fierceness is key; and lastly our eyes sweep upward and downward from Eowyn to Nazgul, Nasgul to Eowyn. Everything is dynamic, in motion, even the dragon's foot. Keep refining it.



DDS: I really like this composition. The strong angle add a great sense of drama. Though, like any compositional element, even angles need to be balanced. Right now, the Fell Beast's back wing is what is saving this piece from sliding right off the page. That opposing angle helps 'anchor' everything. Try adding a few more opposing angles... perhaps the clouds, or something on the horse.



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GM: This composition is powerful, and even though we have to work harder to understand it, we're already interested enough to do so. I would adjust Eowyn so that her pose is seen a bit more, and definitely leave that one legged pose out. She needs to be in motion more. I would lift the Nazgul's head to face her.



DDS: I know it's still early, but just be certain to make Eowyn beautiful. Despite her guise, she should not read as a man AFTER looking carefully at the image. I think you can also increase her head size a bit in order to make he body look more slight and feminine.



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GM: Once again, the upsweep from Eowyn to Nazgul is just right, following a line that pushes our eye into the scene. Excellent. The angle on the dragon makes it huge and menacing. The figure of Eowyn, however needs to come much, much closer to the viewer. We should be standing behind her, or as a fallen comrade looking up at her challenge. I would rock the Nazgul's mace to angle more backward behind his head. This will give it weight and become scary.



DDS: My only comment would be the Fell Beast's wing. They don't look anatomically sound. Even though your canvas may end, you still need to KNOW what lies beyond it's edges.



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GM: This was one of the first sketches, and I think nailed the general idea early on. Our eye runs from Eowyn to Nazgul and back, as the others. The major problem here though is that Eowyn has absolutely no interesting angle or gesture and so becomes dull immediately. Find a better angle to show her strength. I would suggest slightly below and behind, as some of the others.



DDS: Like Greg suggested, refine Eowyn's pose. Not only does it lack drama, but what she is doing doesn't make sense. She is 2 seconds away from getting her arm bit off. Make us feel like she is about to f*ck that that beast up!



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GM: Another strong compositional start, but we need to come into the scene: a simple zoom would work well here. Zoom in to your main character, Eowyn, without losing whatzizname on the ground. If we can't get something close to us, the whole scene becomes average, and tells nothing. Get in there!



DDS: Great start, but your value structure is really killing it's potential. Consider what a simple restructuring of your values can do for it's impact and drama. Paint-over below:

Increase contrast at your focal point, and diminish contrast to create depth.

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GM: Excellent design. We're pushed in for complete character studies, while at the same moment experiencing the action and fright and struggle. The composition line drives our eye right into the painting. There's no looking away. Only thing to work on here is getting the subtle actions to be not so expected. See if you can get Eowyn more off balance to add power and fear. Don't forget to put the same love into those background figures. Right now, they are sleepwalking in battle. Make them dynamic. Find your poses.



DDS: I know you've revised Eowyn's pose a few times, but it's still off. She needs to be focusing on the Nazgul. As is, something off to the right just caught her attention and now she is going to eat that mace.



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GM: Really strong piece. I feel the dragon hovering. Great. Now....get your (our) ass in there! Let's look past some of the sword hilts while we look just beyond and up to the Nazgul....and later, the castle thingy.



DDS: Uh... yeah. That's pretty good... I guess.

Seriously though, just add something more interesting to the ground, be it wounded soldiers or whatever. A sword stuck in the ground with no body next to it seems a bit cliche and way too convenient. Your obviously better than that. Give us something that adds to the story, not just meet compositional requirements.



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GM: Strong composition, but suffers from almost becoming wallpaper. The dragon is great and menacing, and really has that neck getting close. Love it. But then there's poor Eowyn, fighting in her nighty again. First, get her in some real battle gear, and second, let's get closer to her.



DDS: Get that shield off the edge! Move Eowyn a few inches to the left, and widen that wing so it frames her head strategically.



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GM: This is strong, but in a typical Frank Frazetta, golden triangle, everything-in-its-place-and-nothing-out-of-place composition. I do like seeing everything here, but on this one I would recommend adjusting elements for size. Try getting Eowyn to overlap part of the pyramid center stage, maybe even get the dragon to come closer to us; give her sword a real swing and not a I'm-showing-you-my-sword feeling; and puh-LEASE get that dang castle closer and into the composition! Great start though.



DDS: Watch your scale. Everyone is too similar in size. Push people forwards and backwards in space so that you can adjust their size. 'Scale' is one more tool in your compositional arsenal, and you're just not making the most of it.



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GM:This is a lovely drawing....your skills seem solid. But it's not enough to carry this scene. The composition works, but leaves us at the moment we aren't really curious about. It's the moment of impact. Generally, try to avoid the moment of impact because a painting is stationary, and there's no getting away from the feeling that whoever is getting "stuck" has been sitting there getting stuck for a dang long time. It's as if the moment has passed ages ago, and really she's just dragging him around with her sword down his throat. It kills the action, not the character. AVOID THAT MOMENT AT ALL COST.



DDS: Think of your canvas as precious real estate. You are wasting a lot of it right now. The Nazgul's cape is taking up such a large portion of the composition, but it isn't adding anything. That's not to say that emptiness is bad, quite the contrary. Emptiness can add a LOT of drama if used correctly. But this isn't one of those cases. Instead, move both figures down, and use that extra space to add some sky around Eowyn's head. This will allot you more space to do something cool with the wing, and in general balance the piece better. You can also consider flowing the cape backwards more to reveal the armor beneath it.



JG: I think its difficult to choose the actual moment of triumph in an image like this.  It's a great moment, and this is a great treatment of that moment. But I believe that visually it is a cinematic choice that fits better within a sequence of images rather than a static image.  A single image has to try to encompass the whole of the narrative moment. If we see the moments that preceded this scene sequentially, where Eowyn is in dire straights, and then also the moments after, when she falls, this choice for a scene would work really well.  But looking at this image all alone, the Lord of the Nazgul isn't very threatening, and Eowyn seems invincible, terrible, unstoppable.  The drama is somewhat lessened. I think part of this may be that we have a sword stuck in the guys head. That's a rough way to go. But it is also the hard part to sell in an image of triumph.  The narrative is over.  He's definitely dead.  Time to move on to some new challenge or mystery. But, the drawing is good.  I think it could work.  If we are going to stick with this pose of Eowyn standing above her foe as he is defeated, (and it's a good pose, and the drawing is really nice) I think there are 2 things that would help:



First, I would prefer to see the right instant before the sword falls. This would still leave more to the viewer's imagination. Here it's just, "well he's definitely dead."  But if we take the moment just before this, where the sword is about to fall, then there are still some 'what if's' posed in the viewer's minds.  And this makes the image more interesting to look at repeatedly.



And second, It will help to show that she has not come here easily.  We don't have to have her bleeding to death on camera, (and really I prefer cheating here and would say have her face and skin still pristine), but she should be torn up a little.  The attention to detail shown her in the design of the armor and clothing is really great, so don't lose that.  Just tear it up some, deep slashes in the plating, chain mail ripped up, nicks on the sword, that sort of thing.  Something to add to the narrative that tells us a little bit about where Eowyn has been and what she has been doing.



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GM: This composition is just "ok" at the moment, but could become even better. It's a great start, but you are suffering from your reference. It's still photography here, not a guide. Doesn't matter if you are doing this digitally and painting over it, you'll only paint in its dull affect. That's because the poses are POSED! The light on your female model is lovely, but she looks like she's sitting in a nice field having a picnic. The Nazgul looks as if he's been invited to this picnic and is wondering if she has any potato chips. Seriously, I would reshoot your models and get them to MOVE into their poses, not just sit. Your Nazgul figure can really come to life just by giving his legs a dynamic stance. I do love that you blocked most of the castle with the wing....exquisite! (I'd also go in there and make that castle look like it's on crank) I'd take another crack at adjusting the Nazgul's eyes so they are more sinister....definitely not round.



DDS: Don't fall into the photo reference trap. The photos lack drama, and as a result, now your piece does as well. Instead, sketch the most dynamic pose you can think of. Then, take photos to match the sketch. You may need to shoot individual limbs (since the pose may be impossible for a model to actually assume), but that's OK. You can stitch them all together in photoshop and make it look dynamic. Realism = Boredom.



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GM: This one was one of the most powerful compositions for me. Looking straight up into that Nazgul. The dragon is fabulous, even if a little weird in the mouth. I'd get a tongue in there to add interest and not become a cavern. Eowyn's eyes should be looking just to the side as if to say she knows what's coming. You could try an even stronger head twist, but don't think logically about it! Think emotionally, and get a subtle twist that reads immediately. The angle on the Nazgul is great.....now--get him to move a bit, even in the saddle. Right now, he just sits comfortably. Make him a tad unsteady or about to climb down, leaning in, or twisting.....something more dynamic, but not over-the-top. I'd also pull in closer to Eowyn and whatzizface.



DDS: The empty space to the right of Eowyn's face is drawing my eye too much. Try placing the Nazgul's mace in his hand, hanging by his side. The angle it creates will push the triangular nature of the composition even further.



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EF: I think this piece is off to a good start.  The atmosphere and hierarchy with the figures is working fairly well.   Eowyn's head again the dark background really makes her pop.  Again, some photo ref is needed.  Especially on Eowyn.  I like her stoic posture.  However, her hand and leg don't feel believable.  The leg appears to be connecting to her hips a bit low.  Her sword has some drawing issues.   It seems to be bending at some weird points.   Be sure to give her and her garments as much attention and detail as possible.  The antagonist is ok but feels a little stiff.  As for the bg character the sword angle doesn't seem to be matching the hands holding it.  Also, be careful about putting his face and back of his arm too close to the leg of the Nazgul to avoid tangents.  I just noticed the other flying beast in the sky...nice.



DDS: My biggest concern with this piece is the way the Nazgul hits the top of the canvas. Just add a little more bleed up there. The extra space will strengthen his silhouette greatly, and bring more attention to the impending danger of the mace.



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EF: This is looking good so far.  Technically it looks like you're putting in some work.  But it's a fairly straightforward interpretation of the scene.  Somewhat expected and predictable.  Be conscious of using too similar strokes in the grass.  You may want to look at a similar environment to see what other sorts of vegetation, rock formations, flattened patches of grass etc, are available to spice up the land. It currently looks a too contrived.  The bleeding from the neck of the winged beast seems to stop at the Nazgul's leg.  Be aware of tangents.  I think the lighting shining down from the clouds feel a bit flat because they are all parallel.  Perhaps adding a little perspective can give more depth.  Also, there's a purple gray hill just above the beast(also just above the talon wounds in the horse's back leg) that has an edge that may be a too sharp for that distance.  Esp compared to similar edges around it.  IE it should not feel sharper than the beast's wing arm just below it that is closer to the viewer.  The blood pouring from the horses flanks may be overly contrasty for a background element.  It may be difficult to find but the horse looks like he could use a little more reference as well.  The hobbit figure also has some very dark shading and almost black areas.  I would tone those dark areas down a bit and let him fall back a slightly.  He currently looks a little cut and pasted.  Let the atmosphere envelope him somewhat to provide a little more focus to the two main figures.  Get people to pose for reference.  Esp for the cloaks.  They have so much potential to be amazing elements in your piece.



DDS: Merry is -way- too small here. At first glance, I thought he was a soldier in the distance that just had too much contrast. Be sure to make the hobbits look small and short, not miniature.

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EF: I like the dynamic of the angles and movement within the figures.  However, I feel it's missing the sense that an epic battle has been fought.  There is a little tangent where the beast's jawline meets the hand holding the mace, and another tangent where the point of the back wing just touches the forearm part of the front wing.  This piece is also in need of some serious reference for the figures.   This will help with the anatomy, drapery folds, consistent lighting etc.  Pay attention to Eowyn.  The lighting on her is a bit spotty and her head is disappearing into the background.

DDS: Your value structure is working nicely here. Mostly, it just needs more action in the background. I thinking adding some elements back there will not only add narrative, but will also give you the opportunity to add something slightly dark behind Eowyn's head to help her 'pop'.

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That's it for now. We'll have more for you on Monday!

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