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place catcher :)

This is lovely Andrew - the lighting is amazing and this really tells a story - i want to know what's going on!

Only thing is, I'm wondering why if it's snowing there isn't any snow on the ground?

I did wonder what that was, but I hated to ask... it kind of looks familiar. Have you used it before?

I only got as far as a partial drawing. I've got to get it together!

Anyway, she's got a lovely face, I love her hair and I really like the squirrels. I've got a bit of a thing for squirrels lately. They are kind of fun to draw. I keep thinking I might have seen this before, or parts of it.

I'm thinking that some of the snowflakes are a little too large. I'm not really sure what else to say at this point because I don't know the story behind it.

I was thinking I could see the snow drift on the sidewalk here. I love how the light looks and the feel of the image is great.

I *think* there is snow on the ground, because some of the animals are kicking it up...am I right? But unfortunately, it looks like concrete, like part of the sidewalk.

Other than that...I love the lighting, love the dimensional snowflakes and seeing their shape,and the girls expression really draws me in...right there. I want to know if she is lonely or sad and why...

Well done!

The lighting on this is amazing. That is something I admire as I always struggle with getting enough contrast in my work.

I think if you just lighten up the snow on the ground it would work.

I hope the little girl's toes don't get cold. Brrrrrr

Wow thanks everyone. I have to admit the last time I saw snow was 1996 :) - and I was so cold I didn't really see it.

I'm so glad I posted this - the snow is blue because it is at night. The animals ... well I'll tell you about them later.

I'll beef up the snow and maybe put some tiny footprints in?

Karen the snowflakes that's a good point - it's meant to be design rather than realism....

thanks again!

Ps Becky - are you using the levels in photoshop to adjust your digitised images?

Just copy original layer, paste it and experiment with the levels in that pasted layer - then erase what parts of the top layer don't make the image better

I'm speechless - masterful!

well I've already told you I think it's great but I will say it again, I love it, it really showcases your work well.

hey dt.haase and Karen - thanks so much! I really appreciate your comments.

(I'm still waiting for blog to come b ack to life - moral_ don't buy a domain name :) )

or if it's not broke don't fix it!
cheers from Oz :)

placemarker

holding pattern

I like the boy on the right and how he's sort of sticking his tongue out to the side. with the boy next to him (to the left) I can't quite see it as his tongue - it looks like his bottom lip to me.

Nice to see that we're all inspiring each other! :)

My favorite is the one on the far left, leading in. He has personality.(maybe it's the cocked brow) I also like the one on the far right, I see what Kim means now that she said it. I saw it as a tongue before and now I keep seeing lip!

Hey lil kim thanks it's good to find which one is best and which one is woreseter - oh yes I can see a lip :)

Karen, well I l=really like your new work on your blog. Maybe you should stick it here as well?

Thanks for picking out your favourites too. That one on the left he is the closest to the original model (so is the best looking - the original model I work from is made to be a perfect represantation of an 1890's caucasin Englsih kid I think - like a youngish Peter in Narnia?). The others are morphs that I made of him. So they are all the same person pulled out of shape with different hair and textures that I have painted (in the main)

cheers

:)

That on

thank you Andrew, I was thinking of posting it here after yours got a few comments, don't want to steal your thunder. I'm working on my "cup" illustration too, yay!

Oh Karen the more stuff here the merrier ! in fact we have thunder and lightening here !

Ah, you know I am teasing you. Well, I finished my changes at like 1:00 in the morning and when I get back from grocery shopping(yuk!) I will post the final(?) image for critique. Thanks Andrew, hope your having fun in the hot, hot sun! I just pulled out my sweaters here ;)

holding pattern

nice work Andrew; They all seem to be enjoying the tale about the glowing skull, it's got lots of great details and elements going on.

First impression...I love it! You've really captured the spooky story mood here with the range of expressions and the lighting.

One area of confusion...where the storyteller is sitting...what is she sitting on? Is the goblin behind her leaning over the back of her chair? It looks like his chin is resting on something...then his fingers also look weird...is he holding a sharp object? What about those couple of fingers below? They look incomplete somehow.

Love all the things you find in your images. The cat, the frog, a glass orb, the keys...it all works well.

One other nitpick...is the goblin girl with the long blond tresses...there is a bird in the background that is right by her right side ear...I might move that away from her head a bit so there is no confusion about where her ear starts and ends.

Otherwise...just plain awesome.

Hey Karen thank you so much :) Are you going to spoook us with some ravishing work I hope!

Stacia hey :) Boy you have eagle eyes :) Thanks so much for that crit. It's a good point about the bird near the ear. And the goblins weired fingers I didn't notice - the original illustration had those and the witches chair etc lost in shadows - but I szpped up the levels to add details to the shadows - so completely missed all those oddities! Ug :)

so thank you, great points. There is so much going on in some of these things that stuff escapes me !! (read that as inattentive laziness)

cheers to you both!

This is very spooky and fits perfect for this week. Great effects with the light and birds in the back. I agree about the birds too close in the ear. Wonderful and mysterious work.

Hey Chris, thanks very much! :)

I've been working on Cinderella, so I turned her ride into a teapot.

hmmmm, there you go mixing fairy tales again ;) Is Cinderella in that tiny teapot? She must have drunk some of Alice's potion. I love the giant books in the first one. The boots turned out nicely. His costume is much nicer than my circus girls costume, you've outdone me Mr.Finnie, and last but not least, I love the cup and saucer too, so I guess I could have just kept it short and said I love the whole thing, but that wouldn't have been as much fun.

I'm still thinking, thinking, thinking

Hey thanks Karen, you are very kind to me.! Ahh what I do is a trick. I feel embaressed when I see the work of real artists like yourself.

The work is self reflexive - the image reflects on itself, refers to itself, and in the end might swallow itself eh?

Sorry I have been writing all afternoon _ I am heading to the studio to get dirty at last!!!!

see you

that may be true, but I have seen your other work and you are an artist. In this 3D work you use your knowledge and skill to take what is there and put it together into a harmonious composition that is pleasing to the eye and holds interest. That is art. It takes skill, time, patience and I believe talent.
Art is not just creating something from nothing with traditional tools; it is using any tool available to make something that speaks to someone, tells a story, gives visual pleasure, or shock as the case may be, LOL.
ps, not a crit, but I would love to see a different pattern on the teacup... just a thought, so that it won't be so self- reflective that it swallows itself ;0. It may be that you have tried this already and the reflective image 'plays a part' that I am not recognizing, so ignore the advice at will. Hope you had fun in the studio!

I love the look of the little boy...he has the perfect expression of wonder, confidence, and enjoyment. I like his hair too :) It has nice texture and looks wispy.

I also like the first one...makes me wonder if the boy created this imaginary scene from reading stories with those big books as the base.

I agree with Karen, I'd like to see a different pattern on the cup.

Also, the rat/mouse ringleader has a very distant, creepy expression. There doesn't seem to be any life there. His mouth is agape, which makes me think he's surprised, but his eyes don't seem to be looking at anything.

Love the background of the first one too...just murky enough to be dream quality, but I think I see a small door and trees...very mystical.

Nice job, Andrew!

Wow, this is amazing work here. I love how the cup looks so real. Great job. I like the first one too. It's simple but the colors are rich. The other one with the rat does add a little more to the story here. Is the boy looking at the books? I was unsure in the first one. What program are you using to paint these. They have turned out really nice.

Hey Karen, I I hate complements, no more stop Heh.

Seriously, thanks very much. I was watching myself work the other day and it was like pick up the nail pick up the hammer hit the nail with the hammer - but I guess the art was picking which part of the wall to put the nail in? (and not my finger)

Thanks for the thoughts on the cup, I will think on it - but I am a loss for what to put on it ( as simple pattern would fix it but I don't want to go that way). I always like those shirts where someone has a big face on them (they look silly but they make you look)

My original starting point was a grecian urn, believe it or not - with kids running around it instead of Greek warriors stabbing each other

Haha Stacia, you have picked my weakest point (not the only one) in making animals anthromomorphic (sorry can't spell it). It's the nature of the medium that I use - but I need to try harder I think.

I have a fondness for creepy (originally the rat thing had dark eyes with no pupils - that was worse) but of course that will not lead me along the path that I want to follow!

The background is another image that I worked up a few months ago - which I attempted to disguise with fog and blur and borrowed it to try and conjour up a sense of place and character past.

Thank you for the insight. I'll ruminate on that cup! And try and dig up some non stuffed animals :)

Hey Forest, thank so much for your kindness and considered opinion. It's great to get feedback of that sort.

Oh the progarm I use is Carrara - a 3d program. I make my initial images in Carrara and them doll them up in photoshop elements (can't afford photoshop :) :) - heh.)

I use 3d puppets, paint them, pose them , light them, morph them, knock them around a litle, cut them up and sticke them on other bodies, dress rats in kings robes, and kings in little girls dresses (well just kidding on that one), bend them to my own wicked will, render them then hide their image genesis as much as possible in photoshop elements.

cheers from oz :)

I think I already commented on this one on your blog. I love the hand, the atmospheric effects the ugly creepiness of the giant makes sense for the fairy tale, so I don't mind how creepy he is. I don't really have any suggestions for this one. It's a bit too orange for me but I think that is a lighting effect. That's not a crit, just a thought :)

maybe you could add some purple shadowing along the edge of the table on the right hand side. I'm not sure, like I said, just a thought.

I think Jack blends in too much with the giant. If there were a little more contrast with him it'd give him more importance in the image.

The creepy giant looks awesome. Love the hand and bowl up close...makes me feel like I'm part of the image.

Looking forward to seeing more! I love the old fashioned fairy tales.

This is fantastic Andrew! Great perspective that gives you a real sense of how giant the giant is. I agree with Stacia that some contrast between jack and the giant could help him pop out into the foreground more.

great piece!

Hey, thanks for the crits :)

Karen that's a good idea with the purple in the foreground, thank you. And I agree - I went overboard with the saturation brush I think.!

Stacia and Lil Kim, thankyou too :)
I hummedn and haahed about making Jack 'pop' but in the end I went with this - making him a small discovery, rather than so obvious.

I gave the giant a bit of fog overlay to make him look more distant but this has also reduced the background foreground contrast - that and the sepia glaze.

So I think that yes, in retrospect you are both right - I will work it up again and maybe change the colour balance in places and get Jack 'popping' and see what happens :)

Thank again for commenting on my work.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers and happy weekend

Hey Andrew,
Loooove it!! The perspective is great, and that giant really looks scary and humongous- great job!
I like the orange it kinda gives the giant a fire-like glow of evil, and the use of the same colours with both Jack and the giant does make you notice the giant first and then you discover Jack fleeing.
My only thought was (after zooming in on Jack's face)that Jack looks a touch sleepy-eyed, I think he should look more freaked out and terrified, perhaps more wide-eyed. The rest of his face looks good though.
Yuu are one productive guy!
Great job!!

Andrew, This is so AMAZING!!!! You really did an awesome job!! I really like how well you lit there faces...really the lighting is spectacular throughout the whole piece- you really nailed it!!And you did a great job of making the child more "child-friendly" too...he is very endearing.

My only thought was on looking at the bigger verson, it looks as if the dog isn't making eye contact with the boy, but looking up past the boy. It might make for a stronger connection if they were locked in each others gaze.

My only other thought was to add some more wrinkles/draping on the boys pj's, like on his arm and torso...since pj's are often made out of cotton and drape off the boy somewhat. Or perhaps so a bit more muscle definition in the arm? I don't know if that is possible with your type of computer illustration but it is just a thought.
But really those are so minor....it was hard to be constructive as I think this is so fabulous!! Such a great subject matter too, kids can totally relate to it!! And learn a little history all at the same time- awesome!

I noticed the dog's eyes too...I also think the pooch should look more into the boys face to create that connection.

As for the PJs...I love-Love-LOVE the skull and bones pattern. Really adds to the boys personality.

As for draping...one could argue that he's in space and with zero gravity, the fabric wouldn't cling. I thought, at first glance, that it was his space suit and not PJs.

Overall, an awesome illustration.

I was thinking the dog was looking at something in the boys hands. This is a great image. I love the effects and how it makes me feel like I'm in space. I do think the boy is more child friendly too.

Hello Suzanne, thankyou very much for your kind words and observations.

Heh, the dog's eyes, yes they are out! I was trying to get a good shot of the face of the boy and the dog, and the best I could get was this one. So I thought I'd trick everyone by putting that flash of light in the boy's hand as Chris noticed. It was a slight of hand that almost worked :).

That's also a good point about the draping - it is one of my weak points. I need to put them in by post processing. With this one I tried to make a kind of astronaut's suit- so it's kind of plasticky.

Hya Stacia - and thankyou as well for the comments on the dog's eyes. I agree entirely. As for the skull and cross bones - I'm really glad you liked them. It was a whimsy of mine for fun. Though what they are doing on the outside of his astronaut outfit? Oh, I was aiming to give the impression of a dreaming boy with half PJ's and half space suit!

Hey Thanks very much Chris. I appreciate that. I am trying to be more child friendly. But my wicked nature trips me up :)

thanks everyone for the comments!

looking forward to more work from everyone

cheers

andrew :)

oh, seems I'm late to the party again Andrew. I really like it, I didn't even notice the eyes until I read Suzanne's comment, but I see it now. I love the skull and crossbones, and think the pjs/space suit would look great with some draping, even spacesuits have some drape-y folds I think. I think even just making the sleeve a little fuller might do the trick, it seems too narrow as it is. I do love it though and it is definitely more kid friendly and it's cool too, which is always a plus!

Heya Karen

Never too late :) Thankyou for your astute comments again. I better go and practice my drapeing! :)

It's good it's kid friendly! I better do some evil stuff to balance it up!!!!! :)

cheerios

Welcome Andrew! I look forward to seeing more of your artwork.

I love the 3D look! The depth and realism with a fine mixture of textures keeps my eye interested.

I have two comments about this image...one, the boy's eyes are rather pale in an eerie kind of way. Adding a bit of natural eye color might make him look more soulful.

The second, is the darkness of the image. I'd like to see the black shadows lightened up a bit more.

The facial expressions and body positions are all quite exquisite. I know I can learn a lot from you in this regard.

Looking forward to more!

Hi Andrew,
I agree with Stacia regarding the children's eyes...they are a bit eerie, due to their paleness,a more natural eye colour would remedy that for sure.

I really like your dramatic lighting, especially how it illuminates their faces. Very good chiaroscuro effect(oh god I can't spell well in English never mind Italian- my Italian husband would roll his eyes-haha) like the renaissance masters.

I do think though Stacia is right, maybe if you lightened up the black shadows a bit, like under the girls arms, and behind the girl.
I know very little about digital illustration, so it will be really cool to learn from you!
Great job!

Hey Andrew! I'm so glad you followed me. I love the way you make me think. I don't have time to do this justice just this minute, so I will come back to it tonight. See ya!

Hi Andrew - this is a really amazing 3D illustration. It feels like a moment frozen in time, like a display you would find at an antique store.

Were you intending on evoking a feeling of the past?

The pose of the little girl seems a bit funny to me - like she is drumming her fingers on his head? Not sure most brothers (?) would put up with that?

But your characters and setting are absolutely delightful!

Hello everyone. Thanks for all your astute comments.

I can see that the darks are too dark, it's related to the ambient lighting - which I tend to avoid because it washes out the highlights. So thankyou for pointing that out because I hadn't noticed.

The eyes... hmmm - yes. I have been concentrating on 'w'eird' which is why the girl has her hand drumming on the boy's head (he is a dwarf from a past illustration!)

Evoking the past? Good point lil kim. Well, he is wearing a premanufactured out fit which is really odd - that I have retextured to suit the prompt, so I just took it as it came.

So, my job is to make my work more child friendly.... so less weird eyes and less dark shadows is a good start thankyou all very much!!!!

cheers

andrew finnie

Hi Andrew,
Wow, this is an amazing piece really. The cat feels like she might shatter at anytime. I love the effect and the colors used in the piece. The viewer is pulled in by the 3D feel of the characters.
Maybe the skin tones could be lightened up a bit too.
Great work.
Hope to see more.
Chris

Ok, this is the first bit of free time I have had and I still have a toddler crawling all over me. I only have a couple of new items to add. The eyes don't bother me so much because I know you like creepy. In my opinion, kids like creepy too, at least for the age group that I think you are going for. As far as art directors go, I couldn't say really, I imagine that you just have to find the right one for your type of work. If you are going for a more kid friendly for all age groups kind of piece then yes, definitely change the eyes a bit. I love the stroller by the way, it's wonderful. The skin tone is a little dark, which is intensified by the very pale eyes. It makes them look a little doll like, almost vinyl, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just an observation. I love the cornerstone that they are on. My first new suggestion might be to increase the transparency on the paisley pattern on the front tree, the cat, and maybe even just a touch in the dress. I might even completely remove it from the girls shoe. I just think its too many patterns with the same or nearly the same intensity. Secondly, you might consider making the sky solid and "soft". There is so much going on and so many bold elements that I think the backdrop needs to be simple and just a backdrop. Just my 2-cents worth. You know I love your work, so take this critique lightly my friend. Lil Kim's mention of the "antique feel" is one of the things I love most about your work. If you are like me, you just have to try it and play around with it to see if it works for you(I've seen you do this on pieces in the past),it's all just a matter of opinion after all.

Hya Chris

thanks for that comment. I'll check that out on the skin! I tend to go for old people skin on kids _ I take a picture of some blotchy skin and wrap it around the 3d mesh of the face - it's to get away from the usual. But I can see that it isn't necessarily child friendly!

The comment on the porcelain cat shattering has given me an idea thankyou :)

Hya karen, thankyou for your opinions I value them very highly. You never have to worry about me being sensitive in critique matters - though I just had a painting of Humpty Dumpty (1.2 metres by 90 centmetre) with a hook instead of a hand knocked back by a local art competition and I am going round to burn their houses down ------- :)

But seriously, I spent tuesday designing a bad red haired character about 13 and when I'd finished he looked so evil I spent another three hours toning him down, so maybe I need to tone my weird down just a smidgin.

I think I have been putting too many highlights in the eyes so they look much paler and glassy? I don't know!

I'll post him up here for crit later

looking forward to more of your work.

cheers

Sorry Karen I forgot to say transparency especially in the dress is a good idea thankyou. And reducing the paisley amount and lightning of the skin. I didn't realize they were so dark!!

ewwwwwwwwwww, look at that skin, she certainly looks wicked. I think it's the eye, or maybe the teeth or maybe... no she just looks completely wicked. Very nice Andrew.

Thanks Karen, I think it is the wart that does it. (Memo to self, remove warts!)

cheers

Dark and intriguing. Disgusting witch, in a good way.

Wow! This is something that I'll never achieve to do: digital art!

thanks amba, it's just time :)

great pic, hope you don't mind me saying, but your work freaks me out...but it's awesome and I love seeing new stuff...

yep, I still love that cat, strike that I love all of it but especially the cat!

I didnt want a bigger nose but I clicked anyway, cool picture! Like the wood grain detail =)

You're just a pissah, Andrew:)

very nice Andrew, they look so sweet, love the Dalmatian, we must be thinking alike this week ;)

Dude...someday we're gonna have to do a chat and give me a clue how this program works. I downloaded it and haven't been able to figure it out. How's the book coming along?

very cool - as ever! love the lighting! Nice job

these are cool! =)

very cool Andrew!

Thanks Jay.me and Karen :)

hi, cool 3D picture =)
~I tried the link but it wasnt working

Thanks Jay.me! fixed!

very cool!
you're Mr reliable when it comes to producing the goods!!

Awwww, poor teddy, he's seen better days.

Ahh yes, it was fun to paint the patches and the stitches

Very cool pic - yet really quite depressing. Love it.
Love the lighting.

(apart from Mike's recovery of course)

Cast a way or cast out? That is the question.

Nice!

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. your work is awesome.

Very cool Andrew!

Thaniks Karen and Clifford, appreciated!

very interesting, milord

As I am not a caricaturist I have hard time to grasp this week's MAD topic, so I really liked your approach, the caricature of...

Two kings - among the few ones Shakespeare didn't write a play about (OK, I am exaggerating here, but they would probably have been - would be - great material for drama.)

Ah, and the illustration.

Absolutely fascinating and catching of course - as usual. The spiderweb (?) makes me think though...

Hya Kinga and Lu

Thanks for commenting.

Spiderwebs?

For me they mean death and decay and disuse. For this illustration it signifies that even those who welded so much power so badly are now insignificant...

I suppose we are all in the same way, eventually? Maybe not. Hope not!

cheers again

Awesome pic. Nice work!

一沙一世界，一花一天堂，掌中握無限，剎那即永恆..................................................

this really is insanity. boats and floats and i love the texture and mood this creates. the colors and opacity are all great very serealist... pulls me in and keeps me looking at all the pieces. great work.

Thanks very much. This was a fun illustration to do. There are so many fine illustrations of this topic, that there is a great wealth of imagery to draw on. Except I didn't know what type of hat a candlestick maker wears.... Ho!

wow! this is pretty good!

Amazing work! So different and unique!

Thanks very much. I'm happy with this one, I can see myself inthe boat!

another masterpiece - well done Andrew!

Fabulous work Andrew - I'm amazed at the realistic effects you get! Love the skull and raven!

Thanks very much! I had an idea today while I was stuck in traffic, and decided to flip the composition so that you discover things more slowly. Cheers again. :)

Incredible!!

Thanks wahzill! :)

Very nice! I like the way the background sets the mood for what's to come.

Wow, this is beautiful, so well done. Love the idea behind the painting.

great idea for invisible! love the little girl in the floor too.

wonderful

Love your work! Always great.

Good choice, Mike. Andrew has really been turning out some fascinating work. He has a spot on his blog that gives some instruction into 3D art.

Thanks Very much Mike and Pat, I appreciate your very kind words enormously. It's a great site, thanks for all the hard work!

cheers for now.!

This is just fantastic. You're work is totally professional and beautiful.

Thanks Clifford, I appreciate your kind words very much!

cheers !