Tree and River as if one.
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4915
Printed Date: 12 March 2026 at 12:22pm
Topic: Tree and River as if one.
Posted By: thesalus
Subject: Tree and River as if one.
Date Posted: 31 August 2007 at 6:29pm
This is my first piece where I have forgone the use of lines and instead opted for the blocking out of colours... such that it looked like a picture straight off the wall of a kindergarten classroom.  I'm afraid that the piece has become rather incoherent and I'm not sure in which direction to pursue the scene excepting the tree. The large ugly brown blob within the nightmarish projection of foliage shall not be permanent fixture. |
Replies:
Posted By: Lawrence
Date Posted: 31 August 2007 at 7:04pm
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I quite like the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haze - haze effect in the background Right now you have http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffuse_reflection - diffuse reflection on the water (as in the shadow there). Water has http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specular - specular reflection instead, so the "shadow" of the tree would instead be the "reflection" of the tree. The rest of the water would be reflecting the sky or any other corresponding feature, so if I were you I wouldn't kee it blue. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mortonfox/13364902/ - Here 's a good reference of a stream of moving water, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/69864550@N00/381667631/ - here 's one when it's still. I don't think the darkest shadow of the grass matches that of the tree, I'd make another darker green shade if I were you. By the way, what's the lighting like? Overcast? Or direct sunlight? |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 31 August 2007 at 7:26pm
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I generally make an effort to avoid having to deal with pixelling trees and water since they are such a nightmare to make believable. Challenge material? Nah. Good point about the nature of the shadows, though. Thanks for the reference images. Shouldn't be too difficult to calibrate a colour to the needs of both leafage and grass. I was thinking slightly overcast with a 10% chance of showers as I find the extremes rather oppressive. Though I guess that still puts into question the need for such bright highlights on the bark. |
Posted By: Lawrence
Date Posted: 31 August 2007 at 9:03pm
| You can still have bright highlights in overcast settings. The only main thing which makes overcast lighting different from direct lighting is that the light source is more "general" so to speak (eg. the slightest tilt of a tree bark can create massive shading differences depending on which part of the surface most light is getting to). I did http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/17572.htm - this piece with this idea in mind, it should be a good reference. |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 8:34am
I hope this one's okay because it was annoying enough the first time. I also reworked the lighting on the roots somewhat.  Which version is better? |
Posted By: Platnium
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 8:48am
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I like the second one, it give's it a bolder look. |
Posted By: Gelsamel
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 9:24am
| The 2nd is much better. |
Posted By: spartan_117
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 9:45am
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2nd is wwwwaaaaayy better. work on the river now.
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Posted By: Camera
Date Posted: 04 September 2007 at 4:09am
Why not do the reflection of the tree in the water and try and merge them in an odd way making it a tree and river as one.
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Posted By: EyeCraft
Date Posted: 06 September 2007 at 8:20am
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Looking very nice! I think the trunk could use more work. The patchy, dithery patterns you have going on are kind of disruptive and noisy, and muddle the shading of the trunk a little, I think. Also the perspective in this piece is all out of whack. Set up a vanishing point and work out your planes (compare river to shadow of tree, and perspective of leaves to eye level) |
Posted By: Aleiav
Date Posted: 07 September 2007 at 12:11am
| I like the second one as better as well. Can't wait to see what you come up with for the river. The shading of the trunk is also awesome and very dynamic. :) |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 6:39pm
 Mm... one additional colour. But since I've increased the contrast, it might not fit into the environment very well. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 6:46pm
#1 colors with #2 treetrunk and shadow shape 
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Posted By: Monkey 'o Doom
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 6:54pm
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I'm going to have to disagree--I prefer the number one trunk because it looks more defined and sharp, and the number two leaves because they have better depth due to colors and the left side is improved. Arguing the trunk bit farther, I think #2's trunk looks kind of gummy and smooth, though not flat, and the green lighting there is overstrong. Number one is a bit extreme with the ditherpattern of highlights, but it gives a more barklike texture. Maybe if you made that trunk's lightest color a little darker? ------------- http://pixelmonkey.ensellitis.com"> 
RPG is numberwang. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 6:58pm
fine then ../pixelart/28411.htm">
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Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 7:24pm
 Is that better? |
Posted By: Monkey 'o Doom
Date Posted: 17 January 2008 at 8:20pm
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I would say that looks excellent. ------------- http://pixelmonkey.ensellitis.com">
RPG is numberwang. |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 20 January 2008 at 8:40pm
 Awesome. Some minor changes. Reflection in the water, the grasses. Too many assignments this week. |
Posted By: Bisque
Date Posted: 21 January 2008 at 2:08am
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wow. looking great :D I think in the latest version the trees reflection is somehow ..too dark. Atleast in contrast to the water. Maybe try lightening it up a shade? Also the shoreline on the tree's side seems too straight. Maybe add in some bumps/curves like on the opposite side? ------------- Poor Alice is dead. They cut off her head. But we'll be okay, didn't need her either way. |
Posted By: Lawrence
Date Posted: 21 January 2008 at 2:28am
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Looks good so far. I think the reflection is too high up on the canvas though. I don't think the tree's reflection is too dark though, since it is the underside after all. The water doesn't seem to be reflecting the sky especially near the horizon.
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Posted By: Fuzzyleaves
Date Posted: 21 January 2008 at 10:16am
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ripples plz edit: current? rocks? this will all change your reflection a whole lot, so change it...  ------------- <a href = "http://www.nitrome.com" > <img src = "http://www.nitrome.com/images/links/nitrome2_button.gif" width="88" height="31"/></a> |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 21 January 2008 at 11:21am
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I was thinking of a more http://www.roundthelake.com/images/Placid%20Diversion%20canal%20april%2015%2007/Placid%20stream%20just%20above%20mouth%20april%2015%2007.jpg - placid stream. But rocks are definitely a good idea. And yeah, that's what I had in mind with the underside of the tree (that and I'd probably need to juggle the colours around a bit more otherwise :p). There's a nice river here with a overhanging trees, but alas it's winter and frozen over at the moment.   Attempted a few ripples (only pleased with the one on the bottom left) and a rock. |
Posted By: tuaarita
Date Posted: 22 January 2008 at 6:45am
If it's a REAL old river it would have some dirt there to separate it from the grass, like this.
kutgw. ------------- I'm running in the desert, running in to the sun, running out of blood and I'm going numb. |
Posted By: thesalus
Date Posted: 22 January 2008 at 8:13am
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Not so much older as more mature (which isn't so much an indicator of age as much as how close it is to base level). But you're right. I should probably add some more meanders in. And work on the greenery on the edge of the river - or even reed-like things in the river itself. |
Posted By: Fuzzyleaves
Date Posted: 22 January 2008 at 1:42pm
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it's nice and peaceful, but it's missing so much... but i just don't know what.
------------- <a href = "http://www.nitrome.com" > <img src = "http://www.nitrome.com/images/links/nitrome2_button.gif" width="88" height="31"/></a> |
Posted By: Larwick
Date Posted: 22 January 2008 at 3:20pm
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Wow just wanted to say this is really cool. You may wanna darken the left side of the background, or show the horizon etc. But you probs knew that. -------------  http://larw-ck.deviantart.com">
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