Thanks for being patient :) I must say, I'm pleased there's a Phyllis in the mix - I think this is the first. Your mission statement made me want to visit this city - perhaps go there for a holiday. In this respect, Phyllis is one of the less ambiguous of Calvino's cities, in so much as it doesn't appear to be guarding any secrets or shadows. It is an opportunity to evoke romanticism and play with light and mood and colour: I'm tempted to suggest you look to the paintings of Venice itself by Thomas Moran - because of the colour palette, golden hues and sense of misty, hazy impressionism:
You might consider colouring picking in Photoshop and actual palate of colour from Moran's images; the other thing to perhaps take from these references is that idea of 'translucency' that sense that everything is bit gossamer and dream-like, so while Phyllis is indeed carved from stone, it also shimmers like a mirage or perfect dream of a city.
I've really enjoyed the development of your digital painting as expressed by your most recent thumbnails, Sky - there's a real sense of you relaxing into Photoshop as a drawing tool, as opposed to just 'drawing in Photoshop'. Certainly, in terms of building up these hazy views of this sun-kissed, rose-coloured city, I'd suggest you could really exploit Photoshop's layers : different opacities blending together to create a Moran-like effect.
In purely technical terms, you should look at the effect known as aerial perspective: http://studiochalkboard.evansville.edu/images/aerial/05.png http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m58dqfWt511rtfjjmo1_1280.jpg
Just as 'King Kong' constructed views and vistas using multiple layers of scenery etc, maybe Phyllis could be a place of receding shapes, all softened by golden, peachy light?
It feels to me as if your world presents real opportunities for atmosphere and a high level of stylisation to help create almost a fairy-story quality. Again, if you look at Moran's paintings, you'll see lots of actual brush marks and surface texture in the paint itself - just as Mary Blair's concept art for Disney celebrated painterly textures:
For further inspiration, you should look at impressionism and the impressionists more generally, so you can feel bold and courageous in terms of going for a more painterly approach:
You suggest in your mission statement that you intend to set your world in a Grecian world, but you do have Calvino's reference to Onion Domes etc. which is suggestive perhaps of other architecture influences - Greek temples etc were not known for their domes etc, so I'd let that little bit of detail enrich your thinking about the different ethnicities your city might be drawing upon - do a bit of research around the religions etc. associating with the onion dome as a feature of religious buildings etc and I think you may find Phyllis becomes more interesting still :)
Im short, Sky - I want you to enjoy yourself! Onwards!
OGR 10/10/2015
ReplyDeleteHi Sky,
Thanks for being patient :) I must say, I'm pleased there's a Phyllis in the mix - I think this is the first. Your mission statement made me want to visit this city - perhaps go there for a holiday. In this respect, Phyllis is one of the less ambiguous of Calvino's cities, in so much as it doesn't appear to be guarding any secrets or shadows. It is an opportunity to evoke romanticism and play with light and mood and colour: I'm tempted to suggest you look to the paintings of Venice itself by Thomas Moran - because of the colour palette, golden hues and sense of misty, hazy impressionism:
http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/-view-of-venice-thomas-moran.jpg
http://www.allartclassic.com/img/Moran_MOT310.jpg
http://www.canvasreplicas.com/images/Opalescent%20Venice%20Thomas%20Moran.jpg
You might consider colouring picking in Photoshop and actual palate of colour from Moran's images; the other thing to perhaps take from these references is that idea of 'translucency' that sense that everything is bit gossamer and dream-like, so while Phyllis is indeed carved from stone, it also shimmers like a mirage or perfect dream of a city.
I've really enjoyed the development of your digital painting as expressed by your most recent thumbnails, Sky - there's a real sense of you relaxing into Photoshop as a drawing tool, as opposed to just 'drawing in Photoshop'. Certainly, in terms of building up these hazy views of this sun-kissed, rose-coloured city, I'd suggest you could really exploit Photoshop's layers : different opacities blending together to create a Moran-like effect.
In purely technical terms, you should look at the effect known as aerial perspective:
http://studiochalkboard.evansville.edu/images/aerial/05.png
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m58dqfWt511rtfjjmo1_1280.jpg
Just as 'King Kong' constructed views and vistas using multiple layers of scenery etc, maybe Phyllis could be a place of receding shapes, all softened by golden, peachy light?
It feels to me as if your world presents real opportunities for atmosphere and a high level of stylisation to help create almost a fairy-story quality. Again, if you look at Moran's paintings, you'll see lots of actual brush marks and surface texture in the paint itself - just as Mary Blair's concept art for Disney celebrated painterly textures:
https://artfictionbird.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/cinderellafromsprinklepuffballblogspot.jpg
The backgrounds for the cartoon Samurai Jack are similarly 'painterly':
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQ5IubyDsWA/UCNFYwNo3qI/AAAAAAAAAPg/BXooICw60Kg/s1600/152.jpg
http://41.media.tumblr.com/a0816a6578ec86831a5721612a0ca916/tumblr_mj3j66Mz5o1qlo56to5_500.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVuNZiYSqrA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JeE5M2Mn38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-eS_xZbgtc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so3NaoOGrV8
For further inspiration, you should look at impressionism and the impressionists more generally, so you can feel bold and courageous in terms of going for a more painterly approach:
http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/i/impressionism
You suggest in your mission statement that you intend to set your world in a Grecian world, but you do have Calvino's reference to Onion Domes etc. which is suggestive perhaps of other architecture influences - Greek temples etc were not known for their domes etc, so I'd let that little bit of detail enrich your thinking about the different ethnicities your city might be drawing upon - do a bit of research around the religions etc. associating with the onion dome as a feature of religious buildings etc and I think you may find Phyllis becomes more interesting still :)
Im short, Sky - I want you to enjoy yourself! Onwards!