Elf Portrait art thread: Archer by Ranger M

Post by **Thrawn** » February 21st, 2006, 9:46 pm

well, didn't save to another layer--

I don't get layers at all and do everything on the background (and you can't save layers as png, can you?

TBS, I fixed it--toned it down, gave face some hue back, redid the shading and changed ormement color

Post by **Darth Fool** » February 21st, 2006, 9:51 pm

No, when using layers, you save as .xcf format. You can then save to .png to export the graphics and "Merge visible layers".

definitely better.

Post by **Thrawn** » February 21st, 2006, 9:56 pm

Darth Fool wrote:No, when using layers, you save as .xcf format. You can then save to .png to export the graphics and "Merge visible layers".

definitely better.

Thank you!

Post by **turin** » February 22nd, 2006, 12:28 am

I think that the shading in the circled region looks really... odd.

Other than that, good work. Keep it up.

scott · Post by **scott** » February 22nd, 2006, 1:17 am

The circled region has the folds as dark, but they should be high areas. To be shadowed like that it would have to be pleated or something. Maybe it is, for all I know.

Mith · Post by **Mith** » February 22nd, 2006, 12:56 pm

another thing that perhaps could be improved:
Her left leg should IMVHO be a little more curved (not the more or less straight line it is now), see the red line.

Perhaps, but I am absolutely not sure about it, somewhere around the blue line is room for an other improvement.
I think the cloth would fall of her knee in her current position, unless it is some 'weird' synthetic fiber. So perhaps it is more realistic to reveal her knee. (In other words, get rid of the cloth below the lowest tip of the blue line.)

Post by **Thrawn** » February 22nd, 2006, 6:16 pm

okay
@Scott--it is pleated--the cloth held taut by the gold cicle at the side, yet the legs are stretched apart, so it 'pleats'

@Mith:I see where you are coming from with the red line, but its fine the way it is, and thanks for pointing out the illogic wiht the blue line--I was going to solve that, but forgot.

I've redone that part as much as I need to--remove second ring (with that, the whole front part should have been draped between her legs), and added the reason why the entire leg isn't shown

Website · Post by **Sapient** » February 22nd, 2006, 7:17 pm

I think Mith is seeing the same thing I am seeing. But, I think what the left leg really needs is a very minor smiley-line underneath the left kneecap (to show that it is her knee, not a smooth area). Elves are skinnier than humans, so I think her leg is the right width... it just needs to be made clearer where the knee is. (great picture, by the way)

Post by **Thrawn** » February 22nd, 2006, 7:29 pm

this better?(reposted above)

Website · Post by **Sapient** » February 22nd, 2006, 7:37 pm

Thrawn wrote:this better?(reposted above)

Yeah, that fixed it. Thanks

Post by **Jetrel** » February 23rd, 2006, 2:11 am

This might have been in a PM to you, but I've already said this:

ANTI-ALIAS THE LINES!. That is, smooth out the jagged steps as they switch between different rows of pixels.

The simplest and best way to do this is to trace over all the lines in the entire drawing, into a new layer, with the brush (absolutely NOT the pencil) tool.

Also, make sure that never, ever resize the picture using anything other than "Bicubic interpolation". Nearest Neighbor will produce precisely the problems that I am seeing here.

Thing number 2: Use a greater dynamic range in colors. This can be achieved using a masked "hue/saturation" filter, and/or a "brightness/contrast" filter, and/or a "levels" filter. This is probably easier shown than talked about, though, and I'll happily show you as soon as you tweak the colors.

This picture does have promise, and I'd like to help walk you through things because this will help you learn a great deal as well - you've got talent, and could prove to be a very useful contributor to the project; you simply need to hone down a few rough edges on your skills.

Post by **Thrawn** » February 23rd, 2006, 3:00 am

Jetryl wrote: The simplest and best way to do this is to trace over all the lines in the entire drawing, into a new layer, with the brush (absolutely NOT the pencil) tool.

so I just do that and than merge the layers? Because as I say, the brush, even with 100% opacity never gives me a dark enough line.

Also, make sure that never, ever resize the picture using anything other than "Bicubic interpolation". Nearest Neighbor will produce precisely the problems that I am seeing here.

???

what is this, where would I find it--I just scale image.

Thing number 2: Use a greater dynamic range in colors. This can be achieved using a masked "hue/saturation" filter, and/or a "brightness/contrast" filter, and/or a "levels" filter. This is probably easier shown than talked about, though, and I'll happily show you as soon as you tweak the colors.

again, I have no idea what this is, where to find it.

This picture does have promise, and I'd like to help walk you through things because this will help you learn a great deal as well ... you simply need to hone down a few rough edges on your skills.

thanks, and if I can figure out what you are talking about, I will have learned something, and to hone rough edges, I just but my self into a different layer and brush, right

Sorry, but I need idiots proof instructions until I get use to the subject

gpetersz · Post by **gpetersz** » February 23rd, 2006, 3:34 pm

This portrait is mostly fine. I agree on the knee line should be shown and anybody did the overpaint s/he was right.
I also would change the lens-flare filter, it really doesn't add to the whole and quite a cheap effect (besides is it a photograph of an elf? Lens-flares only made by cameras' lenses.).

Alltogether, quite good portrait.

Post by **Darth Fool** » February 23rd, 2006, 4:21 pm

The exposed knee still needs work, it doesn't look at all like a knee to me.
I would eliminate the bottom few strings in the exposed part of the dress, they are so long they don't look like they are doing anything. I do like them at the top. As mentioned, the lens flare(the couple of circles to the upper right of the hand) can probably go, but the super nova should stay (if I have my gimp effects right). And, of course, getting tutored by Jetryl is not a bad idea.

Ranger M · Post by **Ranger M** » February 23rd, 2006, 4:27 pm

Darth Fool wrote: And, of course, getting tutored by Jetryl is not a bad idea.

Jetryl is tutoring people now

. Where can I sign up

[/joke](with slight hints of seriousness)

more seriously, where is GIMP did you get those effects? (mine didn't come with any kind of help files)