Comments for this Image:

xxxxx xxxxx 2001-09-17 That background leaves me in awe...you never before managed to create a background with as much depth as here, if I close my eyes halfways it has almost photorealistic quality. Send those Bryce guys home! :D How did you manage to do that blueish haze on the mountains, is it done in acrylics as well? My favorite part is the house, those shadows are perfect and the architecture design is extravagant, pretty Japanese yes, but the windows add what is needed for a cool 'fantasy look', really good job there. One complaint though, the characters seem rather stiff to me, something I didn`t like on many of your other pictures, especially the hands are often very awkward...not wrong actually, but it looks a bit like your characters were carved out of wood. Well, one can call it a personal style element, in fact every distance from what is considered to be 'reality' is 'style', don`t you agree? That way, personal styles would be not more than the sum of personal mistakes, abstractions...just a theory though, of course! (I love annoying or at least boring theories, as you may have noticed...) Anyhow, your 'mistakes' are damn good Chris! Now go and paint the next LOTR picture, I could bet you`re already half way done with another one!   (christiaan iken) no i agree about that aidrian, the thing is i dont use photo references anymore, and a picture can sometimes lose its spontenaity aswell, but a artist once said u have to draw a scene fifty times, wehere as im toolazy and just sketch it out one time and thats it. but the pic here. his right hand looks like a sausage, so i looked at the original scan and fixed it so ill have to rescan it, as for the next painting, its done, just waiting for a new scan. (christiaan iken) thanks for the compliments and critisism. ya i agree. im allright with the picture just not too happpy with his hand on gimlis shoulder, which ilooked at the original painting since in the pic it looked like a sausage, so ive fixed it and will rescan it, but ive never admited im a great drawer, and now i dont use photographic references at all for this caledner, or for my past few works, its easy to get a really static picture but im not great at making huge actions but i will try to do that even though it involves more sketches and i tend to do one and thats it.the next lord of the rings picture was finished last week, just am about to scan it now and put it up. John Shannon 2001-09-20 Another winner chris !! the background is expertly done..and how did you get the details on the grass ??   (christiaan iken) the detail is just done with a paintbrush, a small one, i could hve got alot more detail in it but im not someone who thinks mega detail is as important as the feeling of a painting,. thus why i dont try to get so much detail in a pic as to warrent me taking a month per painting, instead a week usuallysuffices. yifat shaik 2001-09-20 hmmm, I don't think I can write a comment as long as adrian's... so I'll jsut tell you that i love this pic, especilly the mountains on the background...   (christiaan iken) thanks yifat, now ive fixed up his hand and his eyes arelooking more at gimli im finally happier with it. Martin Gruelle 2001-09-25 Nicely done Christiaan,I agree with above comments, I like the walkway also.Just my opinion, but I think the shadows on gimli in the shoulder and head area are a bit too dark causing his arms to look a bit akward.   (christiaan iken) im trying to go for that feeling of sunshine shining through leaves. so its not that even. but it is hard not using models at all, but i fixed up the hands on legolas so its not going to get any more changes , just a shame u cant see a larger version since its kinda compresed badly and his face looks funny Terry A. Ernest 2001-09-25 your aving a lauf.. Come on Chris, your just haveing a laugh!with us,..with Legolas holding Gimli`s chopper and Gimli`s hand placed where it is, no wonder Legolas is smiling, are you sure there only good friends..ha ha ..sorry Seriously though, I love the background, and the last homely house. I see the house a bit like that, sort of the roof turn up slightly in the corners and a bit of Art Nouveau decoration, thrown in for good measure. I`m in the house now Chis, so you will be able to get your own back on my new dragon pix, (it`s still pending at the moment though)   (christiaan iken) hehehhe.. actually when a friend saw it he also said..hmm, no wonder legolas is smiling. heheheh. and trust u to pick that up.. but i swear, hes holding a arrow.:P im excited about this new painting im doing of the nazgul king since i think its the best one for the calender so far with hopefully no dreadful mistakes. Xu Fifi 2002-03-13 Legolas-->axe? *imagining Legolas charging with axe...*   Post a Comment