Hello all,

I've spent quite a lot of time working on a particular scene, in an isometric style. The problem is, after a few weeks hiatus I looked back at it and found a lot of things I don't like about it. Personally, I think that the contrast is far too high, the colours are too washed out, and that some of the textures need work.

So, I'm trying to fix those problems, and redo the piece (mostly re-texturing, getting rid of all that contrast, and colour fixes). I've included the part I've started with, both the old and newer versions (really early stages), the piece is much bigger but I've got to start somewhere. Let me know if there's anything you can say about either of them, I'm really just looking to improve!

Old:

New:

The new one looks better to me already, even though it's just the start.

The fireplace stone texture and the wood pillar texture in the new one are a bit much though, I think. They're getting into "noisy" territory, and I think something simpler would work better. Remember, you only need to suggest the texture/material enough that it reads as that material, you don't have to show every detail.

Also, I think the dark wood on the fireplace in the old version was a good idea. Decorative wood is often stained, and it provides some nice visual variety.

Don't forget to have some support for the stairs xP They seemed floaty even in the old version. I'm also not sure in general how much the construction on them makes sense. Something like that could be built, but it doesn't seem like a simple/effective way to build stairs.

Thanks for the tips, I've finished up the fireplace, and put in a couple of barrels and features for good measure. I'm not personally keen on the crate, but after the fifth redo I think it'll do for now.

I've also attempted to put in the stairs, there will be pillars at the bottom, but I'm just focusing on the shape for now. They seem okay, but might need a bit of texture. The black lines will also be fixed in time, as soon as I'm happy with the overall form.

Watch out for banding on the light parts of the barrels xP

These stairs look much better! However, I see two problems: