VERSION B : 4.20.07
see a side-by-side comparison of the original and new versions.
the monkeys fly in. the monkeys beat the stuffing out of the scarecrow and the other guys. the monkeys carry dorothy off. long shot of dorothy being carried off.
i wanted to pull the camera in. follow her up from the ground and into the sky. originally i planned to show her high above, but the drama of being lower, with the tree line, and just being nabbed, is a little more visceral.
(technically, the left wing should prolly be in front of the tail, but i wanted the visual element, so, you know, whatever.)
to be absolutely frank, while these are the explanation of my rationale for this piece, from the very moment i suggested this topic, this is the image i saw in my head. i toyed with making her shoes silver as they are in the book, not ruby, but i thought that element would stop the viewer at a point where i didn't want him thinking about the small details.
i know. this is a sketchblog. i had to go to finish on this one.
so, here's a sketch or two.
this is a sketch i did for the monkey, kind of working out the elements. i knew i wanted aviator scarf, goggles and (i thought) hat, but the sweater had to go. monkeys are vest wearers, and a vest wearer mine shall be. i am making a real effort to develop my backgrounds, so there's a little witch's castle in there.
this is a quick sketch, a test to see what "traditional" versions of the characters might look like in my style.
this topic is addicting. i do want to tighten these guys up, apply some ideas i have for them.
5 comments:
Awesome stuff. I love the colored piece and as always I totally dig your color pallete and your composition is great. I didn't even notice the tail vs wing thing until you mentioned and I still think it works. My two cents: because of the underlighting the transparent black you have behind them looks like a cast shadow instead of dark clouds ( I assume this is what you were going for)and it really flattens the piece out. I'd either lose it all together or make it opaque. Again my two cents.
I love the monkey sketch. I agree the sketches are some of my favorite things if not #1. (I'll make a point to post more.) I love the belts/buckles and his goofy look. The castle looks great (you should do more castles/buildings, you do great bricks and shingles). And the flying banner really brings the composition together.
Having never read the Oz books I'm limited to the movie stuff and the small stuff I've read online. Awesome to see everyone's interpretations. Great topic and excellent execution.
Well all I have to say is excellent finished piece and wonderful sketches.
I agree with Kennon, this was an awesome topic and you desire kudos for suggesting it. Makes me think we should do more of these sorts of things, since it really brings out the thoughts in everyone. Hell these pieces would work great in a sketchbook or something of the ASS group, defenders of freedom and fighters of dirty evil. Or something like that.
Simply stunning.
Although, I do have to agree with Kennon about the clouds. Rework them or lose 'em.
I'm not cool enough to offer any constructive crits - I think they are swell all around. Your style is happy and delightful and it brings the 'childlike' qualities of the story to life.. without dwelling so much on the darker themes.. like the rest of us. cough.
And totally, Kudos to you! This is an excellent topic!
Great stuff Topher!
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