Input on matte painting

[pandora]

Hello! This is my first post here. I made this matte painting for my final project at school. I modeled the structure in maya and then painted over in photoshop. I feel like it still needs some work. Any input would be greatly appreciated.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/pandorablood/cove.jpg

[bcottman]

Hi Pandora
Nice image. Good composition, perspective seems to be good.
I would work on creating more depth in the painting. The values you use to describe the forms throughout the image are inconsistant with their depth from the viewer. For instance, the sphere in the center structure and shadow on the ground to the lower left are going to near black. same as in the woods on the far left of the image. I would have saved that black accent for objects that are nearer to the viewer. Same goes for the light in the image. All of the spheres have the same treatment of light therefore sit on the same plane rather than recede. The same could be said of the trees. You have a lens effect which is helping to push them back at the center, however the values should be compressed throughout the image based on there relative depth. Details like you have in the midground grass should be largly lost. treat surfaces almost like gradients and add detail relative to that.

Hope that is some help.
It's great to see some straightforward painting being done.
Brenton

[pandora]

wow i totally see what your saying about the depth and values...it does look strange to me......I agree with the detail...i put way too much in the mid ground.......guess i freaked out and felt like i had to paint everything sharply...heh...thank you for your detailed response this helps alot!

Lidia