Black arrow of old you have never failed me.... Okay, I am back with a vengence. Got home from the road, and caught up on stuff finally. Now back to important things like Poser. Here is my most ambition project to date, and I would really love some helpful feedback as I am a huge Tolkien fan and want to do the subject matter justice. At this stage, I am still trying to get the overall scene set up - camera, lighting, etc., etc. Doing it all, ofcourse, in Poser, so keep that in mind. When I get the scene framed and lighted (whatever yah call it) right, I will add people running around with buckets of water, diving in to escape the flames, etc., to finish out the pandemonium. For now, feel free to rip away. I am looking for any/all thoughts and feedback I can get as to what to do to make this picture better. Thanx Rob

Looking really good...I loved the Hobbit, LotR series. Hope to see more of these... :)

It is wonderful to see you back!! The image is coming along very well -- that was no easy composition. Thank you for not leaving out Gwaihir the WindLord! (In my opinion, a much under-appreciated character in Lord of the Rings). Very dramatic!!

Cool pic. can you group the underside and give it a crystal reflection look? No idea how to do it... I just finished the Hobbit LAst Night, too. How wierd is that? DonnyD

Hi Cromwell1, I hope to do more along this line in the future as time permits. Heya sparrowheart, I agree that Gwaihir the Windlord is under-appreciated and I will definitely have to do a picture featuring him. Unfortunately, and I really really hate to disappoint you on this, the bird pictured here is suppose to be the old Thrush that came to warn Bard the bowman when Smaug attacked Laketown. :o( Thanks DonnyD, I take it what you mean is to give the water more of a crystal reflective look? Yes, no, maybe? I will see what I can do. Thanks guys. Rob

I meant the diamond and jewel coating on his soft underbelly. Except for the place over his left breast. (I wouldn't have picked it up except I read it so recently). It's a very cool pic. I was supposed to read the Hobbit for middle school. Didn't - I watched some movie and based a paper on it. It did not stick with me. I decided to pick a copy up and read it. (You can only hear so many good things about a book/author before you have to try it). I figured I would read the hobbit as an introduction to the world before tackling the Lord of the Rings. (The books not the movies). DonnyD

Right! Absolutely. Just have not gotten that far along yet. Yes, Smaug was jewel crested underneath, except for a hollow patch in his left breasts. Well for many, myself included, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (books) are well worth reading and re-reading. Much like revisiting old friends after a while. If you enjoyed the Hobbit than I am sure you will find the LOTR enjoyable as well. Thanks for the feedback. It really does help to have other eyes and thoughts to help steer you along. :o) Rob

Rob, I like the overall effect, and realize that you are going to have a lot of work ahead with this scene! So, some helpful suggestions: It is difficult to recognize that is a bow he is holding, unless you know the story. I would angle the hand/arm a bit differently so the curve would show, or something. I would spread out, or reposition, the flames from Smaug's breath so that Bard's face is silhouetted a bit more. This would make the scene more dramatic, provide a clear focal point, AND show us his resolve (firm jaw and pursed lips) when everybody else is fleeing. Relative sizes are tricky. If the thrush was smaller in scale, no one would mistake him for an eagle... but you risk losing him in the turbulence. I agree with the posts above regarding putting some subtle diamond crystals on Smaug's "waistcoated" underbelly: it will identify him and help delineate him (although being part of the murk does make him scarier). Good luck with the scene! Carolly

Rob, I think I was completely in the wrong part of the story!! Thanks for straightening me out, and also for giving me the hope of seeing Gwaihir in all of his heroic glory one day! By the way, what did you use as the Old Thrush? I am in desperate need of such a bird.

Carolly, getting the scene laid out so that it works best is what I was really needing help with. Your suggestions will help a lot. Thanks! :o) Heya Sparrowheart, as Carolly mentioned, the way the bird is depicted it is easy enough to mistake it for an eagle. Nevertheless, do not despair, I am mulling over an idea of Gwaihir and will do a pic with him in the future - most definitely! As for the Old Thrush, that is just Sharkey's raven with a brown texture (I used a wood texture I had and it seemed to work.) I am no real bird expert but I have seen pictures of Thrush and Ravens and I think from certain angles etc. I can fake it. If not, someone will just have to help me come up with a Thrush. :O) Thanks again guys. Now if I can just get this pic finished before I have to head back out on the road (the 20th, and for who knows how long this project will run). Looks like this is going to be the year for me to be exceptionally busy. Rob

Oh Rob, don't leave us when you just got back!! Thanks very much for the information, and please have fun with Poser while you can! Your work is just superb! Kimberly

Thanks Kim, I have not talked with you in some time, and I have not made it to the Gallery in a while. Do you have anything new up - say since the first of Feb? That is about the last time I had a chance to go through the Gallery. Good news is, I finally broke down and am buying a new laptop. The one I was using was old, slow, and impossible to use for anything other than checking email. The new one with have 1 ghz Amd processor, 128 rams, and 20 gb hard drive - which means I should be able to work some in Poser while on the road. Yipee!!!!

Only a week? Well, load Poser on that laptop! Good luck with this project! (and balancing work/life) Carolly

Thanks Carolly, I hope to have an updated version of the pic to post shortly with many of the suggestion given here included. Getting the perspective for the scene right seems to be my biggest hang up at the moment. There is just so much detail that I am trying to work in and yet I need to keep a focual point as you mentioned. I really thing the suggestion you made for expanding or repositioning the dragon breath so that Bard's face is silhouetted a bit more is the way to go, but I just can not seem to get it to work just right yet. But I am not giving up! :o) Thanks again one and all, your encouragement and suggestions are really appreciated. Rob

Attached Link: http://www.cp-tel.net/shadownet/

Okay, let's see how I did. Hopefully I am improving on this and not just making changes. If I failed to grasp you guys suggestion, it is because I am dense. So be sure and point out my short comings - actually I don't mind critism at all, so long as it is constructive. There are still a few things mentions, such as the jewel crested underbelly for Smaug that I have not gotten to as yet. Nevertheless, if you think I missed something don't assume I know it, just point it out to me again. Sooner or later I will get it right. :o) Thanks again guys, Rob

Wow! That change in perspective helps. A lot. And the way the flame breath goes now clearly links the two opponents. It is much more dynamic. :) Hmmm... Have you tried posing the Thrush on Bard's near shoulder so that a bit of the firewash behind can illuminate him as well? (extend the wash slightly?) This might help clarify the size and relationship issues, make the bird visible, reduce the separate elements that you are juggling in the scene.... Meanwhile, I think it is starting to pull together nicely. Great work! Carolly

Thanks Carolly, I will give your suggestion for the Thrush a try. Also, I thought of lightening up the background just a tad maybe or else bumping up the ambient light for the entire scene just a tad as it may be too dark overall. I used a texture for the sky on Cypher's stardome (free stuff) and it is lighter and darker streaked in spots - I can lighten up and even change the look of the sky a bit by rotating the dome so that the swirl pattern on the texture renders different. I think if I lower and move the Thrust in toward Bard's shoulder just a tad and mayby adjust the sky prop so that there is more purple highlight than black showing through in the background that it might help with the contrast. Any thoughts on that? Thanks again, Rob

Rob, That changing of the skydome position (I'll have to go look for it, thanks for the lead!)and upping the ambiance would help lighten the entire scene, but then you'd have to brighten the dragon, or make Smaug much darker so that there would be enough contrast to pick him out of the murk. That's a tricky judgement call. Part of what makes the image so effective is the mystery. Hmmm.. the lighting on the buildings suggests a moon off to the right, and you might be able to use that sideways lighting on the dragon, too. OK, I just maxed the brightness on the monitor so that I could see what you had in there. I would try to get a dark swirl right behind Smaug's body (right now the brown and purple are almost the same value), so, yes, moving the skydome slightly rightwards is a good idea, but I'd suggest leaving it dark. Then maybe delineate Smaug himself (diamond waistcoat and a touch of moonlight on wings) just enough so that he clearly is a dragon. The basic composition with the angled light is so strong, that you don't want to lose it by making the scene so light that it is bland. Hmmm... have you thought of bringing some of that same purple from the sky lower into the picture? The planks that Bard is standing on, for instance, might reflect some of the sky color, especially if they are damp from humidity (hanging over a lake at night). Just a thought. Carolly

Wow Carolly, sounds like great advise. I had not even thought about some of it. I particularly want to try your suggestion of the purple from the sky on the damp planks. There are other subtitle details, such as to the water, that I had thought of adding when I got the chance, but I had not thought about doing the planks that way. I was just going to mess around with some different textures on them. :o) Big Thanks, Rob