workbook / rationale

Rationale

My illustration depicts Atlantis being destroyed by a giant mercreature in a tsunami. I used a low viewpoint and scale to show the mercreature and wave towering over Atlantis, as well as making it use up most of the space in the composition, to make them look powerful. This also meant I could show some Atlanteans screaming/running/clinging together in fear to heighten the emotional impact on the viewer. The warm colour makes them stand out in contrast to the cooler colour of the wave.

The tilted view and lots of diagonals (primarily the mercreature’s arms) and foreshortening to create action and movement, the details such as lines in the wave, fish, and water droplets also create rhythm and movement.

The mercreature is a dark silhouette with obscured features – apart from the glowing eyes, mouth, and gills to make them look menacing and create a focal point through contrast. They also have pointy ear fins and claws to add to the antagonistic feel.

The almost-neon green in contrast with the orange also adds to the evil, antagonistic feel. The orange light above the wave and lighting the Atlanteans is like a firey sunset, or could even be a volcano erupting nearby which creates a feeling of doom.

final image

I finished painting it and tried four colour washes that I liked - I put these on facebook (and twitter)  for feedback on which one works best. the votes were pretty evenly spread, so not sure if it helped...

I had a comment that this one looks most evil and also that the contrast works well. but I also just...don't really like these colours? the colour in the corner with the atlanteans looks a bit gross.

I do like the way this is simpler and lets you see more detail rather than overpowering with contrast? and I like the cool colours - I imagine a giant wave shadow would be very cold

I also really like this one - it's cool dark colours, but there's also some contrast with the purple - that's kinda sunsetty.

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I took the last one and  made it a bit more contrasty? but I think it looks a little too...pretty fantasy colours? with the pink and purple.

I toned it down a bit. I think this one is more pleasing to look at..

but this one is more evil looking. so I'll probably go with this one.

painting progress

I've decided to make it painterly, so I've been working on the detail of that. I simplified the shape of the top of the wave a bit, and also matched the colours to the rest of it a bit more. I've also added another character (and a few more small ones) at the bottom.

references

I decided to make the illustration painterly, and that the splashes around the hands were not really working - so this is some references for that. plus some of myself screaming in fear for the people down the bottom. (i took a whole video and sketched a bunch of them at random intervals)

colouring progress

I tend to lay down flat dull colours in different layers and change the colours with overlay layers and filters, 

I like the cool blue - it feels cold and kind of menacing? and like there's moonlight behind them - night is creepy.

the bright sunset orange/sickly green is quite good as well - sunset aka they'e doomed, and the green makes it seem a little radioactive or Wrong in some way...malevolent anyway.

tone/colour

 a few tone tests:

the second one with the dark wave crest works better than the light wave crest because of the dark-light-dark between that and the mercreature. and having a bit of light on the figures/fingers and bottom of the buildings creates a focal point down there? as well as the contrast of the eyes/mouth.

Overall it should be darker because it's a big scary thing towering over them, etc

I made the figures bigger so they're not so lost in the corner, and made most of the other smaller mermaids into just fish so it's not as confusing in regards to scale.

colour tests- at this point I like the mostly blue ones best, possibly with a bit of orange in the corners? to make it stand out/and  like the light from the sunset is over them. 

atlantis architecture

I wanted to make Atlantis have aspects of ancient (greek, etc) looking arcitecture, as well as modern/futuristic, because it is thought to have had advanced technology. Also, there are a variety of modern interpretations (stargate atlantis, the disney movie) in which it's very magical/sci-fi ish.
I tried to keep the overall shape round to echo the circular shape it's supposed to have been in, and also so it's seen as good

some random sketches from my sketchbook beforehand:

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Some things I drew from:

Greek architecture // the columns are obviously a major symbol of greece, and the blocky cubic buildings and domes are quite recognisable too.


Venetian architecture/canals // Atlantis is thought to have rings of water around the city, like canals. Also, adding some other kinds of old architecture to make it interesting and not /just/ greek. they were probably well traveled and influenced by many cultures?


Sci-Fi/Futuristic // self explanatory


as well as some fantasy things

linearts / artist models

 I edited this first version so it' a bit closer to the second one, (using the spiral for composition)

then lined both of them:

I think  prefer the first one more, I like the extra detail in the city from it being closer

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a test for each artist model.

(the second atist model I chose more for the way he paints the light in waves more than the actual style)

some tone/colour studies of fury road screenshots (I didn't colour pick or anything)

and rob rey;