The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion

[Drwyd]

That is very good indeed Jvila

[Big Frank]

I'm going to nit-pick. The ONLY thing I don't like about the image is the repeating tile texture which should perhaps be repeat inverted so that you don't see the lines of the tile joins:



But really, I'm nit-picking. It's a truly excellent study

[jvila]

I'm going to nit-pick. The ONLY thing I don't like about the image is the repeating tile texture which should perhaps be repeat inverted so that you don't see the lines of the tile joins:



But really, I'm nit-picking. It's a truly excellent study

Beretgascon,
I made a change let me know if it is better.
Best regards

[stygg2003]

Beretgascon,
I made a change let me know if it is better.
Best regards

The tile looks better but it still looks like a towering building behind that great shape, use the mould tool to alter the tile. It will appear to be sitting on the tile rather than a bout to climb it.

Stygg

[stygg2003]

Just so you can see how it would look with the tile altered, sorry I can't do those great fills as your shape has, but you can see how it would look, hope this helps

Stygg

[Gare]

Here is what I am suggesting, folks. Javier, I cannot criticize your icosahedron—it by itself is terrific.
BUT...do we go to an art gallery and appreciate only one element of a painting? No.

Artists need to practice composition. How do all the elements direct the viewer's eye?

Today's bonus lesson is on how asymmetry is usually better than symmetry in a composition.

Javier, I have taken your latest post and simplified it to show you and others how the three elements in your composition appear.

You have a white background in back. First of all: why? White and light colors make reflections look dull. Your tiles that the icosahedron are resting on are right in the center of the white background. Why? Why should the tiles be centered so perfectly? Then your icasahedron is resting on the tiles, almost in the center of your composition.

By making everything of almost equal size and centered, you take away from the importance of the icosahedron, which should be the star, the hero, of your composition. Look at what I did, and don't laugh because I did it so quickly.

Obviously, the green icosahedron is the star of the composition. The tiles are second in importance and the background is nothing, it's black.



The lesson: let the part of your drawing that's the most important be in front, compose the picture asymmetrically so the vier's eye will go to the star of the drawing and stay there, don't let other elements be too important.

Also, look at the perspective of the tiles in the original images I posted. Look carefully, and use the Mould tool to make a very severe angle.

Don't let your icosahedron fall off the tiles!

I'm attaching a XAR file with the elements. Most of them are bitmaps, sorry!

—Gary

[jvila]

Here is what I am suggesting, folks. Javier, I cannot criticize your icosahedron—it by itself is terrific.
BUT...do we go to an art gallery and appreciate only one element of a painting? No.

Artists need to practice composition. How do all the elements direct the viewer's eye?

Today's bonus lesson is on how asymmetry is usually better than symmetry in a composition.

Javier, I have taken your latest post and simplified it to show you and others how the three elements in your composition appear.

You have a white background in back. First of all: why? White and light colors make reflections look dull. Your tiles that the icosahedron are resting on are right in the center of the white background. Why? Why should the tiles be centered so perfectly? Then your icasahedron is resting on the tiles, almost in the center of your composition.

By making everything of almost equal size and centered, you take away from the importance of the icosahedron, which should be the star, the hero, of your composition. Look at what I did, and don't laugh because I did it so quickly.

Obviously, the green icosahedron is the star of the composition. The tiles are second in importance and the background is nothing, it's black.



The lesson: let the part of your drawing that's the most important be in front, compose the picture asymmetrically so the vier's eye will go to the star of the drawing and stay there, don't let other elements be too important.

Also, look at the perspective of the tiles in the original images I posted. Look carefully, and use the Mould tool to make a very severe angle.

Don't let your icosahedron fall off the tiles!

I'm attaching a XAR file with the elements. Most of them are bitmaps, sorry!

—Gary

Gary, what can I say???, your comment is what I was expecting to, you sent the light, the artist's secret, you've showed me what it bugged me from the drawing, thank you very much, here it goes my last attempt following your advice

[jvila]

Stygg,
Thank you very much for your recomendation, I'm uploading 2 files, the first one is modified according to your recomendation, the other one is just the object to show how the shadow is projected.
Best regards and thank you very much

[jvila]

Wow, what a kind messages, thank you very much I really appreciate them.

"attempt" means "to try".

What you did, Javier, is "accomplish"!

It is obvious from the image above that you understand reflections, transparency, shading, the Fresnel effect of light accumulating like is does with a lens, and perspective in the scene you reproduced.

As you can imagine I made a lot of try and error to achieve it, this kind of object are very difficult to know what is shown in every facet due to reflections, etc, I think you need to be an expert in math to know it, I think I need to work more on solid object until I perfectly understand how lights and shadows work together

Overall, your work is outstanding, and you get +20!

Advice?

Yes, that's the best part

1.) It's an icosahedron, and your file calls it a dodecahedron. You can hate me at any time for being petty about this comment!

You're right, I'm having some problems counting
I'm uploading a new file with the correct name (in spanish)


2. I'd feel more "comfortable" with the scene if you cropped it more tightly instead of "floating" the surface upon which the icosahedron rests. You can still make the composition asymmetrical as you have done. I think the think that bothers me just a little, little, little, is the gradient you have in the background serves very little artistic purpose, so it steals from the wonderful polyhedron for interest. If you have only two elements in your composition—the tiles and the polyhedron, I have two things, and not three to look at and will enjoy the polyhedron more.

I'm not pretty sure of undertanding correctly what you mean with crop, I'm uploading a new file to see if this is what you mean, if it's not I can upload the xar file



Make sense?

I think so, in fact something in the image bugs me and I'm not able to realize what it is

3.) Where do you want to go artistically from this point? You have learned a lot. With your talent, I would like to see something that is NOT a polyhedron. How can you take what you have learned about reflections, transparency and all that stuff, and make an original drawing?

I had a go with spheres some time ago (http://www.talkgraphics.com/album.php?albumid=13), you can see them in my profile, I'm going to have a look at them and see if now I'm able to improve them, lets see

Suggestion: draw come jewelry and make this study in reflecting facets of an object into the gem in the jewelry, like a woman's ring?

I drew some of them some time ago (http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...ing&highlight=), some are from pictures and others not, diamond ones is just came from my mind, ring ones not, as the previous point I think I can improve it for instance adding the shadow concepts you've tought to us

It is wonderful work. Now I want to see a variation on it, to show what you have learned.

I'm a difficult fellow to please, aren't I?



Better, there's only a way to improve

—Gary