[CMH09]

Hello, this is my first WIP post here. I've been working on this painting for a few months and would like critiques and suggestions.

I also needed a little help with the ground and mountains. They seem off but I can't put my finger on what needs to be added or taken away. I look forward to your replies.



I'm really struggling with how to do the mountains. When I look at reference pictures with the sun in this position the mountains look black. However, I have others telling me that since the mountains are in the distance they need to be lighter.

[Ross]

Heh, honestly I'm having trouble finding reference photos like you are saying, where the mountains are all black. But regardless, I agree with these "others". I mean, artistically, something like this wouldn't make a very good painting. So for the sake of your image, look a little harder. Having a few overlapping mountain ranges with some aerial perspective (fading into the distance) will really help convey more depth. Try a few of these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...unset_6057.jpg
http://www.outdoor-photos.com/_photo/4136577.jpg
http://ih3.redbubble.net/image.37199...x550,075,f.jpg

It also looks like you're trying to paint the cast shadows of the mountains, which is . . . wrong. If the sun is at or just below the horizon, the earth will ALL be in shadow. Even if the sun is a tad above the horizon, you are looking straight at it, so you will just have tiny rim lights on everything, and the rest will be in shadow. Like this:

http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/...ho-d2xi22r.jpg

It would be a lot easier on yourself to have the sun just below the horizon, simply because staring straight into the sun is very uncomfortable, and making an appealing painting of that would be quite tricky. On the other hand, I did find this and this, which are pretty cool images if you ask me. So it might just take a little redesigning, and perfecting the landscape in particular. So . . . good luck mate!

[CMH09]

Thanks for the reply, this is very helpful. I will start by moving the sun upward in the sky, as somebody else had shown me in the image I have attached. I also need to figure out what color to use for the mountains that are further back. Would they be closer to the color of the sky?

[Ross]

Hey, I was just watching this interview and thought of your painting, near the end he talks about lighting objects against the sun. Good stuff all through though. http://schoolism.com/interview.php?id=58

[CMH09]

Here's an update

[CMH09]

Update, any advice would be greatly appreciated

[ecanhoj]

nice stuff! In my point of view I think it should add more clouds to have more feeling of sunset. Also there are floating rocks that should needs to cast shadow below the ground level probably to measure distance?. Maybe have global lighting at the globe that he's holding or an effect that it has been empowered like it has magic into it (just a suggestion).

Also Ross has shown nice references to help you . One has a nice touch of lens flare.