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gothams--reckoning — Humpbacks
Published: 2014-05-03 22:49:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 1874; Favourites: 67; Downloads: 2
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Description
I like whales.
I had no idea what I was doing, but this is an original piece not copied off of a photograph. It is also the first real digital painting I've done, aside from those speed paints I posted earlier.
CopyrightArtwork © junglebright .
This is not a stock image. It may not be copied, reproduced, or edited in any way without my permission.
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Comments: 63
I find whales in their natural setting to be the most beautiful, which is why I choose to paint them there. I have a very literal mind and like to keep my art as realistic as I can, unless there is some message I wish to convey in a surreal manner. ^^
None the less, thank you very much for your input. I really do appreciate it!
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Alright. Well, as long as it looks good and it conveys a message, you're good!
I am curious: What does this painting represent?
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That's what I'm saying: this is just whales in water because I like whales in water. There is no rhyme or reason other than that, which is why they aren't doing something more "original" or surreal.
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Well, this piece looks interesting. I like its movement. Great use of values there. Considering this is your first time trying digital painting, I really think you should keep doing these. If this is your first try, imagine your next attempts.
I think though, the "underwater whale" theme is a bit usual. It feels a little bit cliche; everybody has seen pictures or drawings of whales underwater. It's not a bad thing, though; the piece's worth is not diminished, it just lowers the viewer's curiosity towards it.
Your technique is super great, I love how you handled shadows and the refraction of light underwater over the whales. You say this is your first time doing a complete background. I would recommend to add anything that suggests depth or distance. Something like birds or smaller clouds in the distance or smaller fish underwater. This would make your painting look more 3D.
The division between water and sky is good but it could be better though. You have colossal animals shaking the water, it should have more movement and more splashing. Even if the whales are supposed to move slowly they will still stir up the ocean.
I don't know if you need this last advice but I'll say it anyway in case someone else reads this. Don't fight Photoshop (or whatever program you did this with), use it in your favor.
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Haha, well, I am quite passionate about whales, and they do typically live in the water. 
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Hi, I'm from the Golden Critique Club. Just wanted to share a few thoughts with you.
My first impression is that I love the two subjects. Whales have often been associated with creativity, awe from their sheer size and their voices. The contrast between the values are also working wonderfully, with a nice pattern of light / dark / light / dark, which adds so much visual interest. As a viewer, I want to ask "What is the message?" Of course, not every painting needs to have a deep dark meaning, but in this case I find myself wanting to know what motivated the artist to paint this scene? I think if you (the artist) communicate your thoughts and feelings to the viewer, the piece will become even more impactful and relatable. Overall, this is a well done skilled work and I want to encourage the artist to push things even further. Is there a more dramatic angle we could see the way? If you think of things like a movie, the viewer is far away, almost removed from the scene. I think if we were closer, perhaps hidden in the dark ocean the viewer would feel like they are a part of the scene. Also, consider things like the world itself? Are there islands, birds, other fish in the sea? Currently, only the whales exist. A few touches of little fish might help to show the whales sheer size.
Keep up the good work and happy new year!
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It's a beautiful piece of digital art. Everything is well drawn and I really love the motions of the whale under the sea.But I think you should have added more wisps of clouds.
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This is a beautifully made picture! The idea is not original (with the whales) but the details are awesome. I like the reflections, and may I ask how you did the clouds (layering or a brush type)? The contrast is beautiful, but when makinf digital paintings, there should be some kind of an abstract/surreal motif (at least in my opinnion). The first look at this image reveals its impact- you are instantly tempted to check it out!
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I just used a 1px soft brush for the clouds.
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I love this. It immediately caught my eye, especially because I'm an animal lover lol. The black and white gives it that serene kind of feeling to it. It reminds me of the mother and pup blue whale that was showcased on Earth.I like the added shimmer on the backs and fins of the whales from the water reflecting light back on them, or however you call it. I enjoy when artists add subtle touches like that to their pieces, and take the time to think of every factor acting on the subject of the piece. Like the barnacles on the tail fins of the mother and pup, just another great example. The shape and detail throughout the picture is phenomenal, however I only feel like the fins are a bit too long. But that's just my opinion. Overall, I think this is just fantastic, in every aspect
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I forgot to add this for the critique group I submitted it to :/ sorry
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This is breathtaking. I love the colouring, it seems to add more impact. Whales are magnificent, graceful creatures and you emulate that beautifully. You've really done the spectacular beasts justice. Just gorgeous.
I think possibly more dynamics within the ocean would benefit this a great deal. After all the shifts whales cause in the water is huge, I imagine there would be a lot more disturbance and splashing. Though I find it really difficult to fault this. You are very clean and your use of lighting is very good, you obviously have wonderful technique.
This really doesn't look like your first time, its very very good, you have done a magnificent job
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I like how you made this picture of the whales look so calm. That really fits their nature.
And for this being your first real painting... You really got a great technique. It's very clean and the shadows look very nice.
I think you could improve a bit on the environment. The surface of the sea looks a little flat, there too little movement. The clouds look really awesome, though! Maybe the sector of the motive you changed is a little difficult, because the sea underneath the whales looks a bit empty, although I think this would be different with colors already.
I think maybe this would have been great a little dramatic. Maybe some kind of a whale hunter boat and only some blood in color, the rest staying b/w. I don't know if that would be something for you, not everyone wants to paint blood, but I personally could imagine that very well 
But for the frist time this is a very good result!
Hope this can be a help for your next paintings
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I really like the look of this! I'm impressed that it's your first digital piece- it has great texture, like a traditional piece, which is something a lot of digital artists have major difficulty with (myself included). Those clouds look so real and fluffy, too! Another thing I like is your overall shading gradient- the image progresses into darkness very naturally, which helps the focus.
The few things I think could be done a bit better- I don't believe the texture of the water on the surface- it appears too thick/slimy. I think the surface section (very thin) and it's bubbles/ripples should be way more fine. The splash is very nice, and I'm glad it goes underwater, too, but it could also use a bit more fine 'shredding' instead of big bubbly details. And this is just me nit-picking, but I feel like the bumps/barnacles on the tails and fins are just a little too bright. They read as reflecting a lot more light than they should be at that area in the picture.
Other than that, I'm thoroughly impressed- and that's not entirely easy to do!
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It is my first complete digital painting, yes. ^^ I've done some other drawings , but as you can see it isn't really the same type of thing.
Thank you very much for your input and your time, it is greatly appreciated!
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Very, very nice! You've done a wonderful job with the realism in this piece. The underwater lighting is gorgeous. I've always found it really difficult to depict the way that light bends underneath waves, but you've done it beautifully. The little swirls of bubbles and the foam are wonderfully handled as well.
Critique-wise, the front flipper on the adult whale looks to be a little elongated and thin near where it joins the body. The shape's a little bit more "kayak oar" than biological. The tailfin looks a little bit small compared to the rest of its body, though that may be an angle thing. It kind of looks like you were running out of room on the canvas and had to squish a bit? Regardless, it's probably not a major issue.
Also, it seems like most of your previous critiques have focused on the fact that a lot of people have drawn whales, so they're not a new topic, but I don't think that's a problem at all! (Nothing new under the sun, after all. 
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Thank you so very much for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated!
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Thank you very much.
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Lovely detail on this, the whales and water both look gorgeous. I agree with the previous comment that there could have been some distinction in value between the mom and baby since the mom is closer to the light. I also think maybe you could have lightened the whales a bit in general or lightened the area of the water they're in just to make them stand out more, because it's all very dark.
Even so, the darkness looks good, and this is really well done.
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Thank you for your feedback! I really appreciate it! 
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There's not much to critique in my opinion this is very beaituful and I cant beleive there was no photograph used DX super jealous, I need references for animals and such.
but anyways this is very lovely, the water reflection on big mama is beautiful and the little stream on bubbles comeing from the fins are a great touch to make it seem like its in movement.
maybe, just MAYBE my only critique is that mama and calf seem to be the same value of gray, so in theory, mama should be lighter as there would be a cast shadow on the calf.
and maybe the clouds should be higher?
or maybe jut leave it along because its beautiful?
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You know, I spent so long working on it that the subtle darkness of the calf compared to the mother was VERY obvious to me, but now that I look at it with new eyes, I can see how there aren't enough values between the two of them.
The clouds were meant to be more off in the distance, but again, now that I really look at this again I suppose I could have done a better job creating that illusion by making them smaller. -nods-
Thank you for your critique! I really do appreciate it!
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You're totally welcome, And I understand whatyou mean, you look at something long enough and either you can note things very obviously because you're the one working on it or, you look at it so long it all becomes a big blur lol
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Thank you very much!
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Hej! Riktigt fina valar! Jag gillar känslan av att den stora beskyddar den lilla. Skulle vara kul att se i färg också!
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Jag vet inte riktigt hur jag skulle måla i färg, haha! Just nu målar jag en Amazon river dolphin i svartvit. Efter, tänker jag att forsöka måla narvalar i färg.
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Lycka till! Spännande med djur som lever i vatten. Vissa känns nästan lite utomjordiska. Vad gäller färgen så tror jag man kommer långt med att använda bara typ en grön och en blå färg och fixa fina toningar mellan dom.
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Vi får se! Jag har faktiskt ingen aning om vad jag gör! xD Tack för komplimangen och tipsen!
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holy balls. so many beautiful details and such convincing waterrrr<333
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Thanks!
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Thank you very much!
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You're welcome! ^^
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They look so graceful, and the water effect is really nice
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Thank you, Cheryl!
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Thank you.
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You're welcome
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