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Posted on 09/10/08 2:25:27 PM |
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stefan
Detail Demon Posts: 401 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
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Posted on 10/10/08 08:27:01 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
First to dip his toes in the water this week was mguyer, with a variety of boats on some rather choppy water - and one in the process of being built. I like the forest background here, most appealing. And the perspective on the second entry is better! An idyllic setting from Andy L, with a narrowboat that fits the angle of view perfectly - and a fine drooping willow. It's the woman with the horse that really add interest here, though. But are we, the viewer, standing on a box? Should our eyeline (on the horizon) be so much higher than the horse? Perfectly matching water from Nick Curtain - and that boat's clearly having difficulty tuning around here. Some reflection of the background, especially the tunnel, would have helped greatly - but otherwise it's a consistent, convincing scene. Some rather choppy water from GKB this week - but at least there's a surfer taking full advantage of the waves. Well integrated into the scene, though; only the rather bright blue of the water is a little at odds with the overcast day. A great new tunnel and some fine landscape from Gerard. I like the shadow of the fisherman, but should he really be standing in the water rather than on the bank? And wouldn't he do better if his fishing rod had a line attached? I like the shark, though - it could afford to be a little more translucent for added subtlety. I like the treatment in Ben Mills' entry - very graphic. The two boats in the distance are good, and the swan is a great touch: but that boat in the foreground is tiny, compared to the swan! Why so small? A great piece of social comment from brewell, nicely counterpointing the ghostly barge and horses with the modern day trucks. Very moving and accomplished. What would have helped would be a reflection of that dark canal edge in the water, though. Oi! Neal! Are you taking the piss? A beautiful rural setting from tooquilos, with just a few hints of the original platform remaining. I really like the motion of the skater, but you need to watch her perspective: she gets bigger as she comes towards us, up to the point when she leaps in the air, but then continues approaching without increasing in size. Also, she's going to fall in the canal if she keeps up those antics. Great boats - with reflections - from Josephine Harvatt, and some fine ripples around the swans. The two nearest boats seem a little small for the setting, though. But I love the idea of the wrong sort of ducks! For those not from the UK - this refers to a series of train cancellations a few years ago which British Rail blamed on the "wrong sort of snow". A beautifully cleared station from dave.cox - getting rid of all those wires, especially, must have been a hell of a job. Excellent reflections, and I love the gondolas. The nearest one's too small, though - compare the size of the gondolier with the man on the platform next to him. Best of all, though, is that series of mooring posts - a great touch! Great perspective from maiden - and the reflections of both the boat and the station complete the scene beautifully. Is the boat a little too small, though? Compare the size of the door with the man on the platform to the right. A fine rural setting from katew, with two great narrowboats moored up against the bank. I like the dog walker here, and the new water surface. That wall could do with a reflection, though, as it's right up against the water's edge. A packed static scene from james, with great use being made of the water amenity - great reflections, too. Of course, as always with James, it's the animation that really captures our attention. I like the way the boat turns the corner, but would have liked it even more if the passengers didn't swap sides at the same time! And take another look at how the walking woman grows in height - a little erratic? There's very little left of the original station in srowden's entry - but we can tell from the shape of the curve, and the distant bridge, that it's the same scene. A very attractive composition, and the sepia version (complete with torn edges) is a nice touch. An intriguing scene from Luis - I particularly like the strong turbulence caused by the moving boats, and the trees have been well integrated into the platform behind. You do need to watch the water's edge around the boats themselves, though: don't use a soft edge brush to mask here! Water doesn't fade out of view, there's always a hard edge. A new member this week - and it looks like Hero Face is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He's produced a stunning version of the platform overgrown with vegetation, and the bridge replaced by an almost prehistoric tunnel. Top marks for the reflection of the canal edge on what was the far platform - but I have to knock a couple off for not reflecting the tunnel entrance. A fantastic first entry, though - welcome to the forum, Jay! Excellent water and reflections from Brian Ruddock, with a new forest on the far platform and a great array of boats. Compared to the violinist, though, all the boats are really too small: compare the ones on the far side with the head-height sign behind them. And why does the violin player have a guitar case? The old platform fits beautifully into Vibeke's view of St Petersburg - and the pedestrians make a great addition to the scene (I'm particularly intrigued by the man in uniform). The boat in the canal, though, looks like it's hovering above the surface: would a reflection have helped here? A glorious night scene from Deborah Morley, with lit streetlamps and a magnificent Nautilus (as I believe Captain Nemo called his submarine) rising from the surface. These canals are obviously deeper than they look! A great view from michael sinclair, with the new canal winding its way between two moored ocean liners (and very fine vessels the are, too). A fantastic perspective on this one, it's thoroughly convincing. Good work, Michael. I love the way we can see the old rails beneath The Mad Lep's water - a really nice touch. The three fantasy characters on the far bank work really well in this scene, with well chosen interaction between their stances. I like the vegetation on the banks, especially the way the path on the left follows the angle of the curve - a great touch. The viking boat is, of course, much too small for the perspective of the scene, but I promise not to mention it. Oh, it just slipped out. That aside, this is a very fine piece of work, and well deserving of a title for you. I think Four Leafed Fantasist fits the bill here. A speedy scene from Stefan, with a fine amount of spray as the boat dashes towards us. Again, though, the boat's just too small: compare the figures inside with the nearest man on the platform. Good turbulence in the water, though. Very appealing work this week! |
Posted on 10/10/08 08:35:20 AM |
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Gerard
Digital Dutchman Posts: 145 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Steve for your fine comments!! |
Posted on 10/10/08 08:45:07 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks for the comments Steve I wanted to do more with the image, but time was not on my side last weekend, so it was a quick effort. If you look closely, there are reflections, but perhaps I've made them slightly too subtle. Nick |
Posted on 10/10/08 08:46:37 AM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Me too, I just couldn't get over those hats, guess they are good for keeping the snow off. You are right about the reflection of the boat, but it was rather cloudy.  |
Posted on 10/10/08 08:50:55 AM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4033 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Steve. Yes, I should have desaturated that water. _________________ Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. |
Posted on 10/10/08 08:54:36 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Yes the overall size of the barge was a compromise, Steve, I didn't want to totally obscure all that painstaking work I had done with the water's reflection of the people on the platform which required quite a bit of manipulation to get right and I still ended up obscuring 90% of it  |
Posted on 10/10/08 09:06:25 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
I think this is a perfect example of a point I made in a query a week or so ago. Place your foreground elements first, then worry about patching the background! That way, there will be much less background to worry about! |
Posted on 10/10/08 09:22:59 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Yes in a perfect world I'd be more organised and forward thinking - but I tend to do all this lovely stuff then think "Ah now where am I going to stick this bloomin' big barge?" - I suppose that's what seperates those who know and those who think they know - I know I think I know, but I try to keep people thinking I know more than I actually know if you know what I mean 
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Posted on 10/10/08 09:33:08 AM |
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The Mad Lep
Four-Leafed Fantasist Posts: 323 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Yaaaay! 
Thanks Steve!! I love that title.  |
Posted on 10/10/08 10:25:43 AM |
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Brian Ruddock
Detail Devil Posts: 31 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks for the really helpful comments. The scale problems are all too obvious once mentioned. Yes, I removed a violinist from the scene as he spoiled the composition. Congratulations to the new Four Leaf Fantasist who is presumably now in clover! As usual the other entries were really interesting. Brian |
Posted on 10/10/08 10:37:14 AM |
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srowden
Detail Devil Posts: 114 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Steve for the kind comments I had a ton of fun manipulating that train station. |
Posted on 10/10/08 10:44:41 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2904 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thank you Steve. I was too busy swapping body parts to think about her size (the damn watermark on her leg was becoming more obvious as she got larger LOL) Celia CONGRATULATIONS - Four Leaf Fantasist. How about that Well done. |
Posted on 10/10/08 11:04:44 AM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Steve. I forgot all about the wall, though I remembered to put some algae on it! This is where I must confess I cheated on the water (well, that's what this forum's all about, isn't it?). I have a Flaming Pear filter that makes floods, so I just had to clip it to a cut-out of the railway line.  |
Posted on 10/10/08 1:10:28 PM |
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stefan
Detail Demon Posts: 401 Reply |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Absolutely Steve and I did notice.....when it was too late.....and I secretly hoped YOU wouldn't, but that was wishful thinking of course |
Posted on 10/10/08 1:52:55 PM |
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Luis
Six-String Synthesist Posts: 236 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks for the comments Steve. This was a challenge for me trying to find some images that will fit this scene. I used a total of 6 photos. The one thing that I was not sure of is the size of the boats. Thanks for the info about the water. I will keep that in mind. |
Posted on 10/10/08 2:35:43 PM |
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The Mad Lep
Four-Leafed Fantasist Posts: 323 Reply |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Brian and Anna! I feel part of the family now! lol |
Posted on 10/10/08 4:37:24 PM |
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dave.cox
Marquee Master Posts: 518 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Thanks Steve I thought that the front gondola was too small, but when I noticed it I was running to short on time to fix it. This challenge was fun though. |
Posted on 10/10/08 7:44:29 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
Many thanks, Steve. I think it almost took me longer to find an image of Nautilus than it did to do the rest! |
Posted on 11/10/08 10:48:27 AM |
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brewell
Pixel Pentagrammarian Posts: 752 Reply  |
Re: Contest 218: Rail conversion
I added a fifty percent opacity strip of color above the old waterline to make a new waterline with a canal edge reflection. I've finally found a healthy obsession in this forum. _________________ "Do what you can to make the world more colorful" - Hugh Sacher-Asian |
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