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Watchers Giveaway Prize - 4/6
Sept. 7th update - Fixed some color and feather texture issues. Also corrected the wing claws and the toe claws and added some motion blur to the hummingbird's wings.Finally finished! This one took me forever. X.x
This is one of the watcher giveaway prizes for epicwang. It's her archeopteryx character, Pim, running into a current-day hummingbird. She seems a little surprised by the unfamiliar creature and the unfamiliar setting. I guess she's a newbie to time travel. P:
I gotta say, this one was pretty difficult. I certainly have a lot to learn about feather textures, flowers, leaves, and foliage in general. I did get some good life-drawing practice in from those flowers and leaves though! It was a lot easier to paint them when I had the real-life versions of them to use as reference. (Seriously, go grab some leaves or flowers from your yard the next time you have to paint them. You'll thank me for it.)
Hope you like it!ART INFO
Art © 2013 by
AlpineOwl
Pim belongs to
epicwang
Special thanks to everyone who gave me helpful feedback while I was working on this.
If you want the chance to win a prize like this, go watch me! I'll hold another Watchers Giveaway contest when I hit a combined 2,000 watchers on FA/DA.
Critiques are fine with me. I tried to research the Archeopteryx's anatomy as best I could but, as I'm not an expert, there may be mistakes. I'm not really going for a 100% scientifically accurate illustration here, though I am open to feedback on it.
Tools used: PSE and a pencil
Time Taken: No clue, really.
You are not allowed to use this artwork without my permission!
Sept. 7th update - Fixed some color and feather texture issues. Also corrected the wing claws and the toe claws and added some motion blur to the hummingbird's wings.Finally finished! This one took me forever. X.x
This is one of the watcher giveaway prizes for epicwang. It's her archeopteryx character, Pim, running into a current-day hummingbird. She seems a little surprised by the unfamiliar creature and the unfamiliar setting. I guess she's a newbie to time travel. P:
I gotta say, this one was pretty difficult. I certainly have a lot to learn about feather textures, flowers, leaves, and foliage in general. I did get some good life-drawing practice in from those flowers and leaves though! It was a lot easier to paint them when I had the real-life versions of them to use as reference. (Seriously, go grab some leaves or flowers from your yard the next time you have to paint them. You'll thank me for it.)
Hope you like it!ART INFO
Art © 2013 by
AlpineOwlPim belongs to
epicwangSpecial thanks to everyone who gave me helpful feedback while I was working on this.
If you want the chance to win a prize like this, go watch me! I'll hold another Watchers Giveaway contest when I hit a combined 2,000 watchers on FA/DA.
Critiques are fine with me. I tried to research the Archeopteryx's anatomy as best I could but, as I'm not an expert, there may be mistakes. I'm not really going for a 100% scientifically accurate illustration here, though I am open to feedback on it.
Tools used: PSE and a pencil
Time Taken: No clue, really.
You are not allowed to use this artwork without my permission!
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Thanks!
I love, love, love the dogwood petals and the detail in the character's feet and feathers.
Dogwoods are so pretty. <3
Though I'm wondering what made you choose to put the wing feathers on digit 3 rather than 2(as with deinonychosaurs and birds)?
The wings look much better, but the toe you corrected here is actually not the flexed digit - the innermost toe is vestigial, the second digit would have been the retracted toe. Here's a good skeletal ref - http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h....._WDC_small.jpg You don't have to change it of course, and had I realized my own ref sheet was so out of date I would have said something way way way sooner. I'm so sorry!
This painting is still just absolutely immaculate :) Thanks again.
I guess I misinterpreted the diagrams. Do you mean something more like this shape? http://sta.sh/0efif45n28x
You also did a great job rendering Pim's feet, her toes look so soft and fleshy - I'm so impressed and so happy!
Thank you so very much for this. I'm so lucky, and I appreciate all yourtime and effort you put into this piece - it paid off, this is lovely.
Thank you.
By the way, is her name "Pim" or "Pump"? The ref sheet said Pim, but you referred to her as Pump so I don't know if you changed her name or something. I remember you calling her Ping as well... but I might be misremembering that one. XD
I also updated the picture today. I added the killing claws you mentioned a few months ago (couldn't get them to look right at first) and changed a couple of other things around as well. Nothing major, but I thought you'd like to know anyway!
I did see the corrected killing claw, my comment was actually aimed at that! The innermost toe would have been small and raised and the second innermost toe would have been the killing claw, as in the skeletal diagram. Unless that is what you did change it to a second time, and my browser won't reload.
I am not wanting to pressure you to change any more whatsoever, I do love this painting so much! But I wanted to apologize and acknowledge my reference mistakes, however overdue they were.
The innermost toe being raised is the newest version. The older version had a more bird-like toe. I understand the mistake now, but think I'm going to leave the picture as it is. I'd have to redraw both the feet to correct it and I simply don't want to do that. Thanks for the skeletal reference, though! It will certainly help me if I decide to paint another archeopteryx sometime. <3
And don't feel bad about that, I certainly wasn't helping, hahaha.
It was an absolute pleasure working with you ^_^
I love everything about this piece <3<3
LOVE dinosaur/prehistoric life-related things, and seeing one of these guys with its descendant is so neat. <3
(When you say pse do you mean photo shop elements??)
Yep! PSE = photoshop elements.
I’m extremely taken by the light in this piece and how the setting sun makes the most beautiful rich colours on the border to shadow. Like how certain parts in the archeoptoryx’s plumage seem to be lit from within, or the multitude of chocolate browns in the branches.
The source of the light also works perfectly with the composition – the lit flowers seem to lead the eye around after you’ve gotten a good hard look at the centrepiece.
(Oh, and I’ve a weakness for eyes lit up like that. It makes me feel nostalgic somehow, perhaps it is linked to Nambroth? Who knows? It certainly works for me!)
The textures are also just… so, so good. I wish pictures were edible, ‘cause this would taste like a piece of heaven to me. I’m actually licking my lips as I study how you did the feathers in the wings and the scales on its legs and the folds in the leaves and flowers. I feel kind of creepy, but also grateful that I get to experience this for free. The Internet is a wonderful thing, indeed.
This painting has so many good things going for it. I think one of my favourites is how you handled the white or light-coloured parts. I’ve a thing for “white-that-is-not-white” thanks to such artists as James Gurney and M. Hussar and the cream, peach, light browns, warm and cold grays, pale yellows you’ve managed to pack into this is spectacular.
If my comment made no sense, I just wanted to tell you that you did a great job on this one. It’s certainly my favourite from you to date. The effort and time put into it was truly worth it.