A stream

[Mordred]

I guess it's that time of the year, where I return to digital painting, just to lose interest a few weeks later...

Anyways, I managed to finish a piece, and wanted to share it.
(click for bigger)


Is it too dark? Should I add brighter highlights?

[DarkOwnt]

Nice piece. I like the darkness of it.

Given the values in the sky it might look strange to have highlights that are much brighter. Current highlights are consistent with the idea that no part of the sky (elsewhere) is brighter than what is visible to the viewer.

[D Akey]

I shouldn't think you need to change the values. The color's really nice in its closely keyed tone. For me it has a sort of cross association between a hard weather moment as well it feels like there could be a chemical type of fire like a burning village or crashed space craft (bigger than a plane), or smoke pluming from some industrial thing like where Sauron was cooking something up or Mordor, or even something volcanic (as opposed to a forest fire which has different colored smoke). Whatever it is it's upwind of us and feels like it's heading our way. In any case, it feels very dramatic and ominous and impending. It's a mood piece. I don't recall if you were the one who did the copy of Frazetta's mounted Death Dealer, but it has a bit of that feel for me. Gotta love your use of sfumato.

If you went in and picked around with the light breaking through more dramatically, with "god rays" and picking out certain spots with sunlight hitting, you would have a contrast which would give a different connotation - a 'forces of nature' kind of idea. So it would be your call what tone you want to imply. It doesn't need it per say.

Anyway, it's really nice painting. Glad you took it this far. Has a production illustration for the movies kind of feel.

[Enug]

I really like environmental paintings like this. Nice work!

[RedSaucers]

Really nice painting, has a mystical ambience.

[hildee]

Very moody and mysterious!

[damasocl]

Yo concuerdo con los otros comentarios: Realmente extraordinario!

I agree with the other comments: Really extraordinary!

[Mordred]

Thank you everyone for the kind words. And the constructive ideas/input. Much appreciated.

[Marilyn Anne]

Beautiful and well painted!