As you know (or don't) I'm using photo references from my local trout stream for the BG's on my project. When I took the pics, one series was me standing still (more or less) & taking shots as I rotated about 270 degrees or so. I didn't really have the intention of one giant panning BG when I took them, but after reading this thread a few times the idea of connecting the pics was too much to resist.
Since I didn't take them with this purpose in mind, they don't all overlap perfectly, but it's enough to get the idea & I should be able to keep perspective when I paint. Anyway, the intention is for the pan to create the illusion of the viewer turning & looking around 270 degrees. I may go take one or two more shots for the full 360, but this works for now. It will take a while to paint I'm sure, but once done I'll be able to use this BG for the vast majority of my toon, the total dimensions right now are in the range of 11,000 x 2,300 pixels. Each pic was 1600 x 1200 originally, but most were resized or rotated when putting them together.
I'm curious what people think, forgive the ugly camera movement, this was just a quick test. I may tweak the allignment of some of the pics as well.
Here ya go:
Link to fullscreen
*EDIT*
Some people have been having trouble viewing the .swf, so here is a QT version that you should be able to see. Not sure what the problem was, but let me know if you can't see this one.
Link To QT Version
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Another BG Concept
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Final - I think
Here's what I think is going to be the final version of my first Falling Rock BG. At this poin I'm not really sure what to add & am afraid I'll do more harm than good. Seems like a good time to call it a finished piece... Any accessories or moving pieces I'll add in Toon Boom or Pencil. I might mix it up a bunch with the bitmaps & vectors... we'll see. Long way to go before I worry about that. So until my next posting, let me know what you think of this one. Comments on the texture & such would be particularly helpful as I'm thinking of doing the rest of my planned BG's in the same style of mixed media. Does it work for you in general?
Friday, March 21, 2008
Update on BG WIP
Went at my background wip for a bit today. Just added some lights & darks really & worked on the reflection in the water. Pretty happy with it, I think I'd just like to further define the overhang of the embankment. It needs some grass or twigs hanging over in places & maybe some roots & such popping out of the dirt as well. I'll post that when it's finished, but in the meantime, let me know what you think of this version.
And another version using Squirlz Water Reflections (link on right side of page). Let me know what your thoughts are on the effect here. I can tinker with it more, but in general does it add appeal or detract from the painted look of the image?
Here's the link.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Background WIP
Here's something I've been messing with in Painter lately. I'm half working on the painting itself & half just getting used to various brushes in Painter, so it contains a wide variety of mixed media right now, but that's fine with me. I like how it's taking shape so far, & I'm definitely getting more comfortable in Painter. I'm only using the "Essentials" version that came with my wacom right now, but I can see a future investment in Painter X for sure, I like it far better than PS for drawing/painting. I've used it for a few things before but mainly stuck with a small array of chalks & watercolors. I've been trying to expand my toolkit so to speak with this piece & I'm glad I'm doing it.
I used a lot of impasto oil brushes & palette knives for the ground, as well as some oil pastels on the trees (will probably use more of these to add definition to the ground). I also used some watercolors in various places as well, mostly with a very low alpha to help with the water. 
Anyway, this piece will most likely find a home as a BG scene in the Falling Rock project I'm working on . Would love to hear what you think as always, especially if you see something that looks drastically wrong, as this is still a WIP, please let me know so I can fix it before I get too far off on the wrong track.
Other than that, what do you think of the overall look? Does the combination of media work for you? Just curious as I'll probably take a similar approach to the other BG's I have planned. This one & the others are all from photo references. I took a bunch of pics at my favorite trout stream & based this painting off one of them. Didnt trace, but tried to keep it pretty accurate. Anyway, hope people like it, I'm very curious about your opinions, so please feel free to leave feedback.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Concept Art
Was continuing to mess around with Pencil today & ended up with a scene I may use as a BG for a project I'm getting started with. I'm going to animate the story of Falling Rock. Not sure how many people are familiar with it, but it's a story that I believe originated in the Boy Scouts. I thought for years that my father had made it up, but after some research I found other re-tellings of it around the net.
The versions I found vary greatly & were all interesting reads that just made me appreciate the oral tradition even more. Anyway, the common theme in all of them is that they take place in a mountainous area, and they involve an Indian by the name of Falling Rock. Sometimes he's a boy, sometimes a man, sometimes anywhere in between. In my version, he was always a boy, probably because my dad kept him around my own age to keep me interested. If you live or have traveled anywhere near a mountain region in the U.S., then you've probably seen a sign that says "Look Out For Falling Rock." The short, short version of the story is that the boy grows up the son of a Chief, and learns the ways of the tribe as he grows. Eager to impress his father & show his strength, he goes off to hunt on his own & never returns. The tribe searches endlessly for him & go so far as to have signs posted to keep people on the watch for him.
It's really a great story & one that I was old a hundred times in my youth. I think it will make a great animated piece, I only hope I can do it justice. Anyway, here's the sketch I scribbled out today, obviously needs refinement, but I like it as a start.
