ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Description
I've always been a fan of Michael Whelan.
My inspiration for this piece: [link]
He was one of the many that made me want to get into Fantasy Art. I only hope I could become as good with 3D as he is with a brush one day.
By the way, I decided not to use the Beautifier on this one. That plugin only seems to do any good when you only have one or two layers, the second being a background image. This has 6 layers. The Beautifier makes the image stand out more... Like it's disconnected from the rest of the piece. Use wisely, and it'll look great.
EDIT: Fixed a pokethrough glitch I noticed when it was rendering and just forgot to fix in the postwork.
Also, I wanted to say that for this type of work, at least, I'm finding a lot of benefit to rendering each layer separate... but leave the lights in. The dragon and the girl were rendered separately here, so that I could get some smoke between them. Two layers of smoke, in fact.
My inspiration for this piece: [link]
He was one of the many that made me want to get into Fantasy Art. I only hope I could become as good with 3D as he is with a brush one day.
By the way, I decided not to use the Beautifier on this one. That plugin only seems to do any good when you only have one or two layers, the second being a background image. This has 6 layers. The Beautifier makes the image stand out more... Like it's disconnected from the rest of the piece. Use wisely, and it'll look great.
EDIT: Fixed a pokethrough glitch I noticed when it was rendering and just forgot to fix in the postwork.
Also, I wanted to say that for this type of work, at least, I'm finding a lot of benefit to rendering each layer separate... but leave the lights in. The dragon and the girl were rendered separately here, so that I could get some smoke between them. Two layers of smoke, in fact.
Image size
1280x2000px 1.68 MB
Mature
© 2009 - 2024 roadkillarteest
Comments23
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Overall Vision Originality Technique ImpactThis piece has a depth and complexity to it that is quite mind boggling--the 6 layers you mention using have definitely added to the piece. This is one of those pieces that reaches out and drags you forcefully into it, though I confess I was quite content to go peacefully. The woman (Fyre?) dominates the piece with her bold pose and let's not forget the fact that she's holding a flaming ball of magical fire?! The layers of smoke are perfect for this piece, and they way they separate the woman from the dragon is, I think, instrumental in creating that phenomenal perception of depth I mentioned earlier. The moon hovering in the centre of the sky is a lovely touch as well. Normally I would say get it off to one side to counterbalance the centredness of woman and dragon, but the fact is that it, too, reinforces the feeling of depth. Besides which, the way the larger ball of Dragon Fyre overlaps it is exquisite.
The textures in this piece are gorgeous. The smoke seems so silky yet dangerous; the dragon looks like it's about to jump out and maul me terribly (I love the sandpapery texture of the wings); the dress is a brilliant design choice--the reference to the Black Widow spider just reinforces that realization that This Woman is Dangerous. The lighting as well as the texture of the skin is just divine. I love the way you sometimes employ using different colours for highlights and shadows to create a supernatural effect, but I think the choice to keep things natural here intensifies the idea that this is real. This is happening. Fear, ye mortals!
…Sorry, got a bit carried away there.
Anyway, I really do hate to seem fawning, but I can't see anything wrong with this piece--each time I try, I'm just even more floored by the plain old-fashioned brilliance of each and every detail. In the description of what to be thinking about when rating Impact, deviantArt offers the following wisdom: "Does the artwork resonate with you or evoke strong emotions? Does it make you think? Does it blow your mind?" This jaw dropping render does more than that--when I look at it, I am reduced to shaking my head in reverentia (Latin, combination of reverence, respect, awe). Suffice it to say that this piece blows my mind and then some.