ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

File: JourneysEndGround.jpg (102.7 KB)
Downloaded 672 times.
License: Public Domain

I replaced my roughly-drawn ground with a texture of peeling paint I got from a CD collection of textures. I applied a perspective transformation to it and added mist above it so that it recedes to total whiteness.

I added some highlights to my wall texture to make it more interesting.

Noting Gerry's comments, I changed the upper path so that you can't see the top of it. I'm really not trying to have multiple vanishing points--it just kinda happens when I'm not paying attention. I'm not adding a shadow for the upper path because by my reckoning all of the background objects are situated such that they don't cast any shadows visible in the scene.

This is probably my penultimate update. Tomorrow I'll clean up Beethro's form, add an effect that Schik recommended, and clean up any other loose ends. There's not much work left, actually!

Yes, I intend all of these images to be public domain. The higher resolution version I have of the image used for 300dpi printing will not be put into the public domain however. Also, there will be a separate version of the graphic with Smitemaster's Selection information on it. Only the images I post here are public domain.



-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

---

[Last edited by ErikH2000 at 07-22-2006 05:19 AM]

trick
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2580
Registered: 04-12-2003
IP: Logged

That looks much better, Erik

- Gerry

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5176
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

I really like this concept. I'm thinking there's a problem with the bridge shadow as it's cast on the walls on the left -- the progression of shadows from our perspective should be that they ascend slightly each time the wall cuts in, rather than descend. That is, there should be no drop in shadow across the part where the wall recedes back a notch (because the shadow isn't falling there), rather than having a steeper drop across the notch.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 07-22-2006 07:46 AM]

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Yeah, Mike is right. The shadows are definitely doing the wrong thing...

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
IP: Logged

Syntax wrote:
I think it's the queen bees.
And Beethro is running for a rather related reason: the queen bees.

They're, after all, bees *and* queens. Beethro is after all *alive* and *running*.

Geeez... and there I thought my MP3 playlist was random, until I read your post with that playing:

np: Styrofoam - Beequeen (Nothing's Lost)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
IP: Logged

eytanz wrote:
Yeah, Mike is right. The shadows are definitely doing the wrong thing...

Well, maybe the Empire's shadows just don't work the usual way? (You know, flawless consistence and all that jazz...)

np: Styrofoam - Your Eyes Only (Nothing's Lost)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

---

[Last edited by Briareos at 07-22-2006 10:14 AM]

Znirk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 613
Registered: 07-28-2005
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
A question I asked myself is what are these things I'm drawing? [..]I'm not going to tell you what I decided, but there is a reason for all the squigglies on the exterior walls of buildings. Just trust me.

Well, either they're the petrified remains of some disturbing beasties from the early Eighth (or maybe even from back when it was still a Fourth), or maybe the Empire just has this inherent Art Déco element to it.

eytanz
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2708
Registered: 02-05-2003
IP: Logged

Znirk wrote:

ErikH2000 wrote:
A question I asked myself is what are these things I'm drawing? [..]I'm not going to tell you what I decided, but there is a reason for all the squigglies on the exterior walls of buildings. Just trust me.

Well, either they're the petrified remains of some disturbing beasties from the early Eighth (or maybe even from back when it was still a Fourth), or maybe the Empire just has this inherent Art Déco element to it.

Seep tunnels?

____________________________
I got my avatar back! Yay!

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

Hmmm, for some reason, the picture just has that uncomplete (for lack of a better word) 'twang' to it. I think maybe, seeing that you have made the lightsource a 'foggy' light source,(like when you can see the sun's rays) thus, you should be able to see the shadow of the bridge effect on that, surly? also, wouldn't the light be coming from directly above?
thus you shouldn't see its effect on the wall?

Also, this is probably me being picky, but i think that there should be a slight buldge in the wall around the enterence to the cliff, as i get the feeling Bethro is walking into a sheer rockface. (if you crop the picture from above the bridge, you'll see what i mean)

Also, beethro's sword looks bent, and his stide too large.

I like what you have done to the rockface, however. It gives it a 'lost temple' feel.

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

mrimer wrote:
I really like this concept. I'm thinking there's a problem with the bridge shadow as it's cast on the walls on the left -- the progression of shadows from our perspective should be that they ascend slightly each time the wall cuts in, rather than descend. That is, there should be no drop in shadow across the part where the wall recedes back a notch (because the shadow isn't falling there), rather than having a steeper drop across the notch.

I don't know if I agree with you. I stacked 3 books together (in the real world--not on a computer) and turned a lamp so it cast a shadow from a ruler across the books. Lo and behold, I reproduced the shadows as they are in the drawing. It would be necessary for me to move the light source below the books/ridges in order for the shadows to stairstep upwards.

I think probably I've screwed up somehow, but just not in the way you are saying.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

trick
Level: Legendary Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2580
Registered: 04-12-2003
IP: Logged

File: shadows.png (27 KB)
Downloaded 578 times.
License: Public Domain
From: Scroll up

No, I think Mike is right. The wall panels step inwards as we go towards the camera, right ? Have a look at this image:



The red line shows where the shadow would fall if the panels were aligned. The purple lines show where two of the "shadow edges" from the bridge arch approximately falls, as defined by the first shadow. As the upper line crosses the edge of the first panel, it's seen as going "higher" (from our perspective!) than the previous maximum, and ends up following the yellow line. (If you gave the first shadow a steeper angle, this effect would be lessened.)

Oh, and I forgot to mention the bridge support perspective before =P. I think the lighter sides of the bridge supports should get smaller as they go further right ? (If I'm right about where the vanishing point is, anyway.)

- Gerry

---

[Last edited by trick at 07-22-2006 08:48 PM]

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Okay, I made a paper cutout version of the building and bridge and tested some more. And what I found out was...

you guys were right.

My brain isn't a very good raytracer, apparently.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

File: JourneysEndFinal.jpg (89.5 KB)
Downloaded 556 times.
License: Public Domain

Here's the final version. ...unless I get really guilty or obsessive about some detail and have to come back to it.

The white background is made more convincing by an extra glow that makes the whiteness bleed into the area of the objects obstructing it. This effect was demonstrated to me by Schik earlier.

I fixed the stupid shadows. It was a fair amount of effort to do it, but I agree it looks better.

I felt the placement of the leftmost wall ridge was too ambiguous, and I wanted to be clear that it was closer to the viewer than the other ridges. So I made it slightly darker and saturated and detailed some of the texture lines with yellow.

Beethro and his shadow were cleaned up.

Some suggestions of brickwork were added to the bridge sides. These are a compromise to style over realism that hopefully makes the image more interesting.

I put bluish clouds between the foremost and background architecture to emphasize distance and make the sky more complex.



-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

---

[Last edited by ErikH2000 at 07-22-2006 10:32 PM]

Briareos
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3516
Registered: 08-07-2005
IP: Logged

ErikH2000 wrote:
My brain isn't a very good raytracer, apparently.

On the other hand, a raytracer isn't a very good brain, either.

It works both ways...

np: SCSI-9 - Elegia (The Line Of Nine)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Oh, also I forgot to mention that I changed the crevice Beethro is walking into so that it glows from inside. This was in response to NiroZ's feedback.

And the lines were changed to a darker blue. The bright blue I had before was distracting.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

Phweengee
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 66
Registered: 03-02-2004
IP: Logged

That's awesome, man. I've noticed and rather enjoyed your unique art style. I particularly like how it's remained consistent from day 1. It's cool you shared with us how you do some of it. Thanks.

____________________________
-Phweengee

bradwall
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 424
Registered: 02-12-2003
IP: Logged

As I say a lot... I totally love your artwork, Erik.
Fantastic.

ErikH2000
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2796
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the compliments.

-Erik

____________________________
The Godkiller - Chapter 1 available now on Steam. It's a DROD-like puzzle adventure game.
dev journals | twitch stream | youtube archive (NSFW)

larrymurk
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1917
Registered: 12-09-2004
IP: Logged

I'll add my "thanks". It was fun to follow your process.

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

I like it. Its also the best artwork i can argue i helped make.

*beams with pride*

---

[Last edited by NiroZ at 07-27-2006 01:29 AM]

Jason
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1076
Registered: 05-05-2006
IP: Logged

Nice Job!

____________________________
Play my holds?

NekoIncardine
Level: Master Delver
Rank Points: 127
Registered: 08-23-2005
IP: Logged

Let me just say this from the POV of a friend of an art critic.

That image is absolutely awesome. Period. Simple, excellently done... Beautiful.

From the images standpoint... It looks to me like a map.

Given the eighth is a low-to-middle-tech little-to-no-magic fantasy world (though the surface knows some chemistry and has a medieval civilization with amazing clockworks - comparing well to 17th or 18th century Europe I think - and the Empire has some severe advances if they're generically engineering their populace and appearently using - makes me wonder what Imperial music is like), runes are an unlikely explenation for the scientific-seeming Empire - even if the Eighth were a high-fantasy realm, I could not imagine the Empire being interested in magic, as it is innately unknowable, and as the Negotiator says, the Empire's pursuit is knowledge.

No realistic/reasonable electronics, sci-fi or not, are going to have that kind of surface-visible circuitry on it. If that was real circuitry on the surface, depending on the system's importance, Beethro could just casually toss a few rocks at it and break an important system. Not good.

This leaves a few logical explenations...
* Looks dramatic - the Empire has some interest in aesthetics (see Perfection), but I can't imagine them going THAT far for it.
* Is an aerodynamic setup of a sci-fi nature - the unique and varied ridging somehow serving to reduce the effect of wind on the bridge in front of it? Not entirely realistic but if we bend physics a bit, plausible.
* Is a giant map of the empire - if Beethro could only see the scale... And given the Perfectionists, the door itself would be a part of the map, too. But what is it representing?

Yay midnight overthought.

____________________________
The secret to using a sword is that you hit people with the sharp end and then they die.

AtkinsSJ
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 107
Registered: 12-23-2005
IP: Logged

Wow. The lighting on the last picture genuinely confused my brain intro thinking there was real glare. Then again, I am due for an optician's appointment...
I love the artistic doodling on the walls, too. Very cool.

Pinnacle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1137
Registered: 06-10-2004
IP: Logged

Are the Perfectionists even related to the Empire?

____________________________
Once (adv.): Enough.
Twice (adv.): Once too often.
~Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Citrus
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1233
Registered: 01-08-2006
IP: Logged

Maybe they're sort of like a school for very gifted architects or something.

____________________________
Call me Citrus.

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1309
Registered: 11-24-2005
IP: Logged

Pinnacle wrote:
Are the Perfectionists even related to the Empire?

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3683
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

NekoIncardine says that:

No realistic/reasonable electronics, sci-fi or not, are going to have that kind of surface-visible circuitry on it. If that was real circuitry on the surface, depending on the system's importance, Beethro could just casually toss a few rocks at it and break an important system. Not good.

What rocks? The only rocks around are apparently Beethro-sized or larger, and not to mention in JtRH level 24 at the latest (if there are some in Perfection, forgive me) That's a long way to carry a rock as big as you, and I doubt Beethro would be able to throw it far enough to damage anything.

Besides, levels 22, 24 and 25 are supposed to keep delvers out, period. Normal Imperial citizens would never partake in activities that destructive, even if the rocks were *right there* and throwable.

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

---

[Last edited by Chaco at 08-03-2006 09:54 PM]

Mattcrampy
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2388
Registered: 05-29-2003
IP: Logged

Oh, don't be so sure. It's an Empire, there's probably been uprisings of some kind in the past.

____________________________
What do you call an elephant at the North Pole?

Snacko
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 448
Registered: 06-08-2006
IP: Logged

I suggest you make Beethro look a bit more subtle. As of now he DOES look small, but the sword is to distracting, it doesn't really have the full feel of Another World/Out of this World.

The background I believe is nearly perfect.



____________________________
Director of the Department of Orderly Disruptions

NiroZ
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1302
Registered: 02-12-2006
IP: Logged

Snacko wrote:
I suggest you make Beethro look a bit more subtle. As of now he DOES look small, but the sword is to distracting, it doesn't really have the full feel of Another World/Out of this World.

The background I believe is nearly perfect.

so you want the sword bigger or smaller, or removed? I personally think its a bit small, but meh.