Catching birds with mirrors (revisited) by Rutra
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Description
Please open this full-size, I think it's nicer.
Many thanks to all who took the time to write a comment on the previous version. It was extremely helpful.
I was not entirely happy with the 1st version but I wasnt sure why because I was too "close" to the image. You've shown me why.
So, I reworked lots of stuff here, following many of your suggestions (not all, sorry...). I like it better this time, I hope you do too. The most noticeable is perhaps the lights/shadows in the character and table. There is a tree just to the right of the character, which provides this variation of light and shadow. I tweaked it around until I had the light/shadows just where I wanted it.
In my mind, this picture was born the way I describe below. Let me try to repeat more or less the path my mind took, I hope you dont think I'm mad by the end of this...
Remember the legend about Narcissus? He fell in love with his reflection and as result was transformed into a flower. So, a mirror is a dangerous thing, if you're too beautiful, it can hurt you. So, a mirror could act as a trap to the very beautiful. So, why not use mirrors if you want to catch the very beautiful? I think birds are very beautiful. Maybe I could catch them with mirrors...
And then my mind made a detour to Lewis Carrol's Alice, and the "other side of the mirror". Maybe what I catch with mirrors crosses to the "other side". Maybe the other side of the mirror is full with beautiful things, all caught by mirrors.
So, in this image, you see the other side of the mirror, full of beautiful nature (as opposite to this side of the mirror, where you just see a rock wall, not very glamorous.) There are birds reflected in the mirror that you see only as "ghosts" in this side of the mirror. They are
in the process of being caught by the mirror!... But some birds (and the girl) are still on this side. They are fascinated by the mirrors and probably they are about to go to the other side, very soon. Future preys...
The birds on the other side of the mirror are flying in this direction, of course. What if the birds also see a mirror on the other side and they are atracted to it? Will they be able to cross to this side? If they do, wouldn't they again be pulled to the other side, in a permanent cycle? Narcissus didnt actually die, he was just transformed in a flower. A flower condemned to die every winter and reborn every spring...
Another eternal cycle... just like the birds, once they're caught...
What about the primitive shapes on the table? Just more mirrors. The more there are, the more beautiful things we catch... Due to the simple beauty of primitives, some shapes are even penetrating others, already going to the "other side" of the primitive mirrors. What's inside of these, I wonder?
Go now and catch your own beautiful things with mirrors...
Comments (29)
janedj
Fantastic artwork...Gorgeous!!!!
BAR-CODE
CG This is a damn fine image .. a bit too soft for my taste.. But the reflections are great and the setup is as good as they get.. Top work good be just a tiny bit brighter.. Chris
Bossie_Boots
Superb work !!!
FrenchKiss
Love all the reflections in this and your thoughts on mirrors are marvelous. An excellent idea and beautifully rendered work!
gamito
Hi Rutra, Awsome artwork! Unfortunately i was born with two left hands for designing, but i can tell a master piece of art when i look at one. This is the case. You're designing skills are only surpassed by the power of your mind to create the concepts. Your sky is your limit. Warm Regards, Mio Gamito
JOELGLAINE
One thing sort of throws me. One the right upper side of her head in the mirror is a shadow bird? On the weeping willow--is it supposed to be there? Other than that anomaly, it's a wonderous and majestic piece of whimsy and imagination! It speaks to the sub-conscious takes one to a place of childhood possibilities! Great work!
Heztia
Super! Well done the lighting it great I can see more detail this time. ;0) Heztia
Rutra
JOELGLAINE, that's not an anomaly, that's a bird about to go to the other side of the mirror. In fact, there's two such birds. Those are the counterparts of the reflection right in front of it. My text explains it all...
Kartika
Excellent artwork! Great reflection effect!
ArtPearl
This is magic! Half way between being awake and dreaming... The interplay between the ghost and real birds make this image even more special. And - red birds are cool!
flaviok
Belissima obra,aplausos
Sivana
Artur, as always I love your philosopies behind your images!! I also think that this image is really the better version and a real eyecandy. I tip on my hat for your always very good ideas!!
richard57
superbe my friend+50000!!!!!
BySilent
I like this version
woodant
I think the changes you've made over the first have definitely improved the image. I prefer these spheres by far and her clothes are better too. I love the lighting in the image on this side of the mirror. The sun/shade over her face and shoulder make her much more of a focal point for the image and the birds are much more interesting in this version. Great concept, well done!
chrispoole
She'd have no problem doing an HDRI Probe LoL, wonderful scene, so pretty and the mirrors and chrome look fantastic.
alanpfd
Very interesting image! I'm concerned, though, that if she accidently bumps the table, she's going to have silver balls falling all over the place LOL. Good job. -Alan
kenernest63
Amazing what lighting can do for an image. The birds are better.
Bea
I think this is even better. Well done - the birds are much more interesting :)
Darthmagus
Lighting and shadows look better than previous! Great improvements.
Acadia
A vast improvement! The scene on this side of the mirror now has some depth to it, the shadows really helped with that.
axolotl2
Really great artwork !!!!
Thelby
Very Unique theme and composition, this is Beautiful!!!
pjz99
I actually didn't have any issues with the previous version except the pants thing (which still bugs me here), but this is even prettier. Very nice color additions, particularly the color sync going on between the girl and the little bird sitting up on the mirror frame and the one on her wrist. Lovely image :)
kobaltkween
i think it's much more effective and less cluttered looking now. the i think all your changes have made the work much stronger. and your reasoning is very interesting. that said, i don't think the metallic balls really add to the feeling of dangerous multiple reflections in the sense you seem to be talking about. they're distorted, blurry and unidentifiable, and in narcissus' case the problem wasn't literally a mirror but the perfection of his reflection.
Rutra
Thanks for comments! cobaltdream, in the legend the reflection of Narcissus was in a pool of water, which is also distorted and blurry, like the spheres. So, the reflections in the spheres are indeed closer to the legend than the mirror itself. :-)
TheAnimaGemini
Fantastic details. Great.
DapperMan
Wow... I reeeaaly love the change in lighting here. And I love how the birds more active and central to the composition. Changing the shapes into all spheres bothered me for a second, but only for a second. Excellent work.
JNH
Yes, the shadows...and even the primitive selection is much more interesting. Something about the perfection of a sphere?