| » Forum Index » The Friday Challenge » Topic: Contest 243: Castles in the air |
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Posted on 08/04/09 10:55:44 AM |
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maiden
Golden Gif Gagster Posts: 471 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
The only way to travel in luxury  |
Posted on 08/04/09 4:08:56 PM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Blimey ! That is zipping along at a fair rate ! Lovely clouds _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 09/04/09 5:54:22 PM |
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Emil
KAFKAsFRIEND Posts: 413 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Wow, there are a lot of nice ideas. I am sending second and third try.  |
Posted on 09/04/09 5:54:56 PM |
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Emil
KAFKAsFRIEND Posts: 413 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
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Posted on 09/04/09 6:48:59 PM |
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Deborah Morley
Makeover Magician Posts: 1319 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Really not to sure about this one. Josephine, I started singing "on white horses" before I saw your comment - obviously strong childhood memories on that one! Emil - I love your 2nd picture it reminds me of Star Wars fighting machines!  |
Posted on 09/04/09 7:59:00 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Its fine Deborah. I like it from an art prespective. Makes us have to think a bit more. I like the flying swans (not geese). Its amazing they can fly. I don't know White Horses, but I like the images 
I had a misplaced childhood  (- Marillion).
Nice to see some new use for nuclear(?) power Emil? . And second one intersting too, but not floating ....... yet ..... soon will be ..... ?
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Posted on 10/04/09 06:07:25 AM |
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Emil
KAFKAsFRIEND Posts: 413 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
I like the picture. It reminds me one fairy tale from H.Ch.Andersen. Really nice dreamy picture. |
Posted on 10/04/09 06:14:07 AM |
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Emil
KAFKAsFRIEND Posts: 413 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
I like that animation, especialy the subtle moving of layers give the picture strog impression that the castle is really flying. Nice work. |
Posted on 10/04/09 5:30:54 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Sneak another one in  while Steve makes his way back from Barcelona (hope you had a great/productive time Steve), just to compliment the other, but still some issues
Happy Easter for all those inclind.  |
Posted on 10/04/09 5:41:29 PM |
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Jeepy
Modeleur Mystique Posts: 174 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thank you Jota 120 and Happy Easter for all |
Posted on 10/04/09 7:53:21 PM |
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Jota120
Ingenious Inventor Posts: 2615 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thanks Jeepy. And I give wishes to all too. Too much information:-> Its my birthday today Born one Easter Sunday, close now, but will never happen again in my life......
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Posted on 10/04/09 8:28:14 PM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
I've just flown in from Barcelona, and I'm astounded at the quality of the work that's greeted me on my return. There are many truly beautiful entries to this week's Challenge - so much talent! I can see I'm going to run out of adjectives... The bar was set high by Ben Mills, with an astonishingly realistic vision of the castle being airlifted out of the mountainside. The subterranean 'roots' are highly convincing, the angle is just right, the hole looks like it's just the right size, the whole tone is perfect. What a great piece of work! A new member this week - and a good first entry from lotz. I like the idea of the castle being winged away on a giant seagull - and the foreground element in the long grasses works very well. I think you need to look at the lighting here, though: the castle is very bright compared with both the bird and the foreground. Welcome to the forum! Clever work from Gerard, with the castle borne aloft on the back of an airship. The sign on the side is a great touch - and what a cool idea! Perhaps a little too soft where the two elements merge: surely a hard line needed here? A terrific scene from gaoxiguo. Great landscape, I love the hole, and the way the castle is just hanging in space. Excellent. The mist works very well in Jeepy's entry - and the texture of the stone beneath the castle is very tactile. Good shading under the edge of the land, too - very nice work. I love the animated version! And the flag works well on the second entry, too. This certainly earns you a title, Jean-Philippe. I think modeleur mystique suits this week's work. Very fine. The lighting in GKB's entry is beautiful, and eminently suited to the late evening background. (We won't quibble over the position of the sun relative to the shadows, Gordon, that wouldn't be fair.) I particularly like the seagull, and that great cascade of a waterfall. Is the building on slightly too much of a curve, though? I'd have thought the pianos would be in danger of rolling out of the windows. A very interesting second entry - especially the reflection. But wouldn't even transparent ice refract a lot more than this base? And why is the castle a different colour to the snow-covered background? It's not often that I'm lost for words, but Nick Curtain's gorgeous entry leave me speechless. I love the thinness of the rim, the the delicate shading, the difference in tone between the underside of the floating land and the mountains behind... truly beautiful work. Then there's the subtlety of the subjects - a floating contest between the French Mont St Michel and the English St Michael's Mount. I'd really have been proud if I'd created this image. One for framing, Nick. Outstanding. And a most entertaining second entry too. The castle has been so well slotted into The Mad Lep's entry that it's hard to believe it wasn't part of the original photograph. The lighting, the colour, the coral base, the way it's tucked behind the shark - a perfect montage. I like the delicate way vibeke's castle is shrouded in cloud, particularly towards the bottom of the hill. I feel the sense of perspective would have been better gained if the uppermost parts of the towers stood clearly in front of the clouds, though; as it stands it give the castle a sense of leaning backwards into the scene. Perhaps, even, a touch of blue sky? The subtle touch of lens flare adds a great linking quality to Luis's beautiful post. The three planes of the image - the foreground hills, the castle, and the mountains beyond - have been graduated from dark to light exactly as would be seen in real life - an important point to note when creating the illusion of distance. And the birds do accentuate the sense of height. Very nice work. When I saw brewell's entry, the first thing I looked for was the reflection - and there it is, directly beneath the floating castle. We're looking up at this very neatly, a viewpoint emphasised both by the view of the underneath of the island and by the boy pointing in the foreground - a good touch. A mystical entry from Hope Leslie Laust, with the castle in a crystal ball - and a good distortion through it. But you need to take a look at any glass object: the edges don't work in that way. Instead, the curvature of the surface means that the refraction increases exponentially until the view behind is completely obscured. I like the shape of mguyer's cloud, which holds the castle neatly like a pillow. Given the amount of sunlight on the castle, though, I'd increase the brightness and contrast on the background to match it. Otherwise, this works well - although I can see no sign of Sheila in there, Marty. I see Emil has taken the brief to extremes - with the castle floating way up in the stratosphere. Good distortion, and the shading on top works well: but with that huge bright earth below, shouldn't the base of the sphere be much more lit up? I like the way it's fired out of the tank in the third entry - but it's the second entry that really amused me. It looks like it could really fly! An almost ghostly quality to stefan's entry - although the perspective of the castle makes me want to see it a little higher on the horizon. The ship works beautifully, and the balloon adds another 'floating' dimension: but its density of colour and shadow does, to me, make it attract too much attention away from the castle. A very ethereal view from Josephine Harvatt: the wistful pose of the child with the book is beautiful. I like the way the clouds blend into the castle, but I'm not sure about the colouring - yellow and green? Are you a secret Norwich City fan? Some fantastic wave texture from powerslave, matching the ruggedness of the castle. The rock beneath matches the upper part perfectly, and the the two dragons add a good fantasy quality. I feel the castle base is perhaps too weighty and too close to the sea, though - does it need to shed some ballast? I've often wondered about james and his penchant for mushrooms, and now I'm convinced he's been smoking too many of them. It all starts conventionally enough, with the castle floating neatly in (like the use of advanced blending here) but the moment when it gets replaced by a giant pork pie is when I start to wonder if the men in white coats know where he is... love the static entry, James! A Disney fantasy from michael sinclair - an excellent choice of clouds, and a particularly fine flying horse. It's a touch sugary for my taste, Michael, but at least the spires aren't pink. A fun theme from horonggo, with a clearly bemused airline pilot. I like the fact that the castle is speeding in the opposite direction - but are you sure the white glow helps it? Very entertained by Les Moore's castle in a box - those exhaust pipes are a great fit, and the Dad is terrific. My only quibble is with the lettering on the side of the box, which needs to follow the perspective of that side - otherwise, a great job. Good use of last week's flag! A brilliant idea from tooquilos, placing the castle amid other mountain-top structures - and I love the way part of it is hanging perilously over nothing. Terrific sounds in the animated version! Love the cheesy music! There's something endearingly wistful about katew's entry: that photograph makes a beautiful starting point. I'd like to see a little more overhang at the edges of the green areas, though: imagine a cliff top, and picture how the land would reach over the vertical face. Good contrast adjustment, though, there's a fine sense of distance here. Interesting work from Jota120: Are there strings holding the castle to the balloon? There's a real sense of it being way up in the air here, achieved in part through the sensitive desaturation of the building. Having some trouble figuring out the shadows, though. I like the second entry: should the balloon be quite so translucent? Ditched the balloon but kept the basket in the third entry, I see - interesting idea! A great idea from Emma: the castle has been neatly integrated into the balloon, and the 'chance' appearance of the smiley face is a very cute touch. A great original image, too - one of your own? The delicate roots in Steve Mac's entry give a real sense of it having been torn out of the ground. I like the way the castle occupies the sun in the distance, with all the shade in the foreground - it gives the scene added focus in a neat way. I think the edge between the foliage and the underneath may be a little hard, though. There's a strong feeling of rapid movement in maiden's entry, achieved largely by the way the clouds move in front of the castle. The jiggling of the castle on its hilltop also helps the sense of motion, as if it's alive: a static view wouldn't have the same effect at all. Most convincing. Terrific clouds from Deborah Morley, which swirl magically around the castle - these are almost touchable, in their idealised way. The moon is ghostly enough (if perhaps a little awkwardly positioned) but the swans are gorgeous! Truly fabulous work from everyone. A fantastic collection of ideas, beautifully realised. Wonderful! |
Posted on 10/04/09 9:41:56 PM |
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katew
Virtual Virtuoso Posts: 681 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thank you Steve. I enjoyed doing this one. |
Posted on 10/04/09 10:02:04 PM |
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The Mad Lep
Four-Leafed Fantasist Posts: 323 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
I've impressed the Master! I'm really pleased now, thank you Steve 
Hope you had a lovely time on your holidays. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a few Spanish Challenges ahead. Welcome back. |
Posted on 11/04/09 00:11:25 AM |
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EMMA
Everglade Artisan Posts: 91 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thanks Steve. Have a wonderful weekend. I am glad you like my image. Believe it or not it took me a loooooong time to finish this simple picture. Ema |
Posted on 11/04/09 02:25:02 AM |
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Steve Mac
Grunge Genie Posts: 539 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
I agree, the edge needs work. Thanks Steve. Hope your trip went well. |
Posted on 11/04/09 06:57:51 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Many thanks Steve. Your comments really cheered me up. Nick |
Posted on 11/04/09 08:32:28 AM |
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Jeepy
Modeleur Mystique Posts: 174 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thank you very much Steve ! |
Posted on 11/04/09 09:13:10 AM |
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josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Welcome back Steve ! Norwich city indeed - Birmingham City of course _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 17/04/09 10:27:58 AM |
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stefan
Detail Demon Posts: 401 Reply  |
Re: Contest 243: Castles in the air
Thanks very much Steve. You're right, and there's that perspective thing again .....but I was too quick. With the castle I tried to be mindful of atmospheric perspective but I do agree the balloon over entirely. |
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