| » Forum Index » The Friday Challenge » Topic: Contest 142: Behind bars |
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Posted on 20/04/07 09:23:13 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4033 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Hi Hi-liter, I love lateral thinking! |
Posted on 20/04/07 09:26:00 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
A great reference back to a recent Challenge from 2bfree, with excellent eye contact. I like the way walls on the inside of the bars are left ragged, and the interior of the cell matches the perspective well. Good shadows, too. A few colour issues with the faces, though! Ever get the feeling that Neal isn't a diehard Republican? An excellent bush scene, with hands that really grip those bars. And the added stubble is a big bonus here. Think he'll be able to get his head out from those bars, though? A first entry from Gerberababy, created in Paintshop Pro - and that's the first time this has happened here, I believe. The cutout on the bars works well, and the angle of the building beyond is a fairly close fit. The main problem here, though, is the 'reveal' on the window: as it looks out onto a sunny day, this should be much brighter than the interior, not darker! Move over to Photoshop, Stacy, and I think we'll be able to talk the same language. Stunning work from stefan, with a wealth of added texture and a patched wall that matches the original perfectly. Tremendous attention to detail here: the bloodstains on the hand and wrist, echoed on the blocks beneath, for example. I've chosen the second image, because the lighting here adds a lot more drama to the scene; but they're both fantastic entries. Beautiful, evocative stuff! A really neat twist from dave.cox, with a cunningly bent bar - and, of course, it's good to see my skeletons being pressed into service once more. My only issue here is the shadow of the bar on the skull and ribcage: it's straight up and down, but of course it should bend over the contours of the body. A hugely appealing entry from katew, with a wonderfully detailed demon glaring out from behind the bars. I'd be interested to know how this was created: the angle of view seems too exact for it to be a found image. Poser, perhaps? What really makes this one work for me is the attention to detail: not just the striking shading on the demon, but the highlights on the bars and on the inside of the window frame. A thoroughly consistent, polished image, and one that certainly earns you a title. So, let me see... Virtual Virtuoso seems appropriate here. Fantastic work! I don't even want to think about what that yellow stream might represent in michael sinclair's accomplished animation. But I do like the way the shadows move with the cockroaches and the rat! Delicious. Again, though, the window reveals should be brighter! And a great second entry, too. An amazing underwater scene from Tom, with many different layers to it: that's a stunning light effect, and the lifebelt gives a real sense of a surface to the water. What a fantastic ruined cathedral, too! Thanks for sharing the tutorial with us, it's a great technique. Poignant stuff from Dirtdoctor23, with a cunningly offset shadow on the face. Is the hand a touch too small, perhaps? Great wrinkles on the sign! Rather wonderful chameleon in GKB's entry, and I like the way the weeks are marved by those scratches on the wall. If these were done on a separate layer, I've have added a little bevel to make it look more as if they were scratched into the wall. But is the Eiffel Tower falling over? Such a jaunty angle! There's a lot of mystery in james' entry: I like the fact that the window appears to be glazed as well as barred. Why does she have her fingers in plaster? Who is the mysterious man? Intriguing! Always good to see another Dr Who fan... steve hill seems to have got the troublesome critters well locked up. There's something of a perspective viewpoint issue here, though: we're looking up at the window, but down on the daleks. Maybe the space-time continuum works differently in their universe. Another new member this week - and Corey has turned in an excellent piece of work, with fantastic lighting and a truly gruesome looking prisoner. The stencil lettering and flag are also perfectly distressed, and the wall's been cleaned up beautifully. The quality of the light coming through the window is great: the perspective of the window itself is a little at odds with the foreground scene, though. But this is very skilled work - welcome to the forum! A subtle entry from Eggbox, with a cunningly crafted sign. Best thing here, of course, is the way the shadow bends over the sign itself, and behind it: good work! Very funny entry from Deborah Morley: surprised this is the only Clouseau this week! Good to see those rooftops from a few Challenges back, but I'm not convinced that shearing them has produced the right angle for the view: we may be looking up at the window, but that doesn't mean the whole of Paris should be askew. Excellent barbed wire! Intriguing work from hi-liter, and thanks for posting the original so we could compare them. The quality of the light through those bars matches the feel of the scene perfectly - this must have been tricky to accomplish. Very neat work. And the second entry is a beautiful fit: a great idea, very cleverly accomplished. I do like the view in Whaler's mirror - nicely distorted, it's very convincing. And the new Paris Opera building is a good backdrop there, too. Perhaps a little more perspective distortion required to match the original? Very tasty work from Wayne, the duplicated pipes producing a very convincing H R Giger effect. Scary stuff! A simple, but very striking image from celosia: that's one very despondent sky out there, Helen. I think this is the first mother-daughter team we've had on the forum - it's all getting a bit dynastic! Steve Mac's entry is full of promise and potential: he's turned an everyday scene into something quite evocative. My only small problem here is with the extreme hue difference between the interior and the exterior: perhaps the room could have had a touch more blue in it? |
Posted on 20/04/07 09:41:12 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thanks Steve! The devil was a found image (took ages to find - finally tracked it down on altavista images). I just rotated it to fit the perspective. And yes, watch out for the mother-daughter team ... we're going for world domination!!  _________________ Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up ... |
Posted on 20/04/07 10:02:55 AM |
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stefan
Detail Demon Posts: 401 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thanks very much for the VERY kind words Steve. It's really encouraging... |
Posted on 20/04/07 1:50:03 PM |
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Whaler
Visual Viking Posts: 330 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thank you, Steve, for your commending words. And you're probably right about the need for distorsion on the new Bastille, eventhough it's not terribly disturbing. But I guess I probably was more occupied with adding more levels of window panes than to think about that... _________________ Only in my brightest moments I understand myself |
Posted on 20/04/07 3:46:17 PM |
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Wayne
Printer’s Devil Posts: 312 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thanks for the comments, Steve. I tried for a Giger effect, but fell some way short I'm afraid. |
Posted on 20/04/07 11:51:52 PM |
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hi-liter
Pastiche Painter Posts: 108 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thanks Gordon! It was fun putting together and I wanted to try and fit an astronaut/cosmonaut some additional element in, but it was so last minute that Steve was on when I posted it... so, next time maybe! 
And Steve, thank you for the comments. It was tough with the first entry to get the light matched, ended up using an adjustment layer (hue/sat) masking out everything but the window and adjusting until it was good. _________________ Drawing attention to what otherwise might be overlooked... emphasizing things that matter. |
Posted on 21/04/07 01:19:49 AM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thanks Steve. And as for the shadows, well, ummmm, oops. I did mean to fix that.  |
Posted on 21/04/07 02:41:16 AM |
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Corey
* Posts: 5 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Steve, YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY!!! Thanks for the encouraging words, perhaps one day I will live up to them. Also thanks for facilitating this community of aspiring creatives. |
Posted on 21/04/07 03:56:09 AM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply  |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Thank you Mr. Caplin. Great point. It will be secured in my mental toolbox for a future project. _________________ Steve Mac |
Posted on 21/04/07 6:45:50 PM |
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celosia
Wondrous Woolflower Posts: 58 Reply |
Re: Contest 142: Behind bars
Afraid I beat her to it, all my entries were created in Paintshop Pro. I think I have Photoshop round here somewhere, along with other graphics programmes, but I feel most at home in PSP.
Thanks. If I'd made a bit more time to play I think I could have done a more thorough job, and I had an idea to develop it further so maybe I will... |
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