Loneliness

[gdodinet]

Hi again!

Here's another painting ("Loneliness") i created with MyPaint (i used Gimp for color/saturation adjustment).  Once again i sketched without knowing where i was going first (initial sketch here). I mostly used the "round wet" brush and David's "soft detail" brush (thus the hatching). The character skin has not been worked too much to let an unfinished/unpolished aspect. Also I'm not content with the character's ear and there may be something wrong with the lightning but I'm not dissatisfied with this picture overall. I haven't put too much work in the foliage neither.

I wanted here to convey a feeling of loneliness and fright -- after having sketched it.  It's the first picture I've created that made me want to know if there was some background story behind it: what's that creature? Is it some kind of zombie? A wood creature? Something else? What is it doing here? It seems scary but it might actually be more scared of you than you are of it. I somehow also pity it, don't know why -- there's something sad about it. Also how did the viewer arrive there?

I would love to hear critics from you.

Thanks!

Image links to a 1600x1200 version.

[Necroskop]

I like the idea of lonely alien kind of stuff but i see some problems with contrast in this painting. I would suggest you take look at this link:color theory.
Based on this is can say that your trees have more contrast than your creature, and they divert attention from the creature.
I hope u don,t mind some adjustments i did:

In short - i increased contrast by darkening creatrue and brightening tress, and I changed color of creature to complementary so it 'pops' a little more.
Hope you can understand what i say - sry for bad english :>

[gdodinet]

Hi Necroskop,

Thanks a lot for your advices. It indeed looks better with the white halo. Besides it adds an impression of mystery. I took a quick look at the link you provided but i get stuck at the "contrast and dimension" chapter: i see the darkest squares in the foreground, right, but i see the other ones on the same "layer". More precisely i see cubes. I guess my eyes get tricked rather by the lines than the colors. Nonetheless i will continue my reading. I'm gonna post an updated version of this painting after that.

Thanks again!

[gdodinet]

Hi Necroskop,

I first add troubles to add the glow because i hadn't planned initially and used the wrong tool. I found that for this type of thing the "blend + paint" works quite well -- for me. I also desaturated lightly the image and reframed it. Now I will stop working on it to not ruin it. Here's the updated version. I like it better than the first one.

Thanks again!

By the way, i love your your ape in the "Sketches" forum. I'd like to see a full composition from you.

(links to a 1600 version)

[numarul7]

To dark for loneliness , more terror or nightmare.

[gdodinet]

Hi numarul,

You might well be right, and my feelings might indeed be biased because of the painting process itself. However when i look at the image, i feel there's a insurmountable gap between the subject and the viewer, as if communication would never be possible - somehow i can identify with the creature, and loneliness emerge.

[Ico_dY]

Looking at your painting I feel suffering and despair.
Surely it's a really powerful work, if give rise to such different feelings in the viewers.

[gdodinet]

Thanks for your comment Ico_dy. I really appreciate it.

[Mazui]

Another solution is to make it darker. I think the creature needs more contrast in any case. Don't be afraid to use pitch black in the deep shadows.  Using dark and light you can make things appear close or far away and avoid that the image looks flat.

[gdodinet]

Hi, Mazui

Using a dark would work as well, i guess. However i prefer the light background for it conveys hope. A black background as you set it up gives a hopeless feeling. As for the last image, i'm not sure to understand what you tried to say. In a way, it reminds me of the second step of the painting process (link: http://gdodinet.free.fr/zen/cache/steps__forest__s_1.png_600.png).

[Mazui]

I wanted here to convey a feeling of loneliness and fright

Why would he have those feelings if there is a bright cozy place right in front of him? Why would he even look back?

The last image is only to show what I did to your original.