How do you know when you're finished?
Hi y'all! http://www.artviktor.com/
My first post here on the 2D side of PolyCount.com. My thoughts about this (my) piece here, the "Big Shadow" guy, are when do you know that you're done? I can jam away on details for hours, but what do you guys feel when you know that "this is enough, now I'm done" with a piece? Pleace fire away with all the feed-back that springs to mind.
Cheers!
/ArtViktor
My first post here on the 2D side of PolyCount.com. My thoughts about this (my) piece here, the "Big Shadow" guy, are when do you know that you're done? I can jam away on details for hours, but what do you guys feel when you know that "this is enough, now I'm done" with a piece? Pleace fire away with all the feed-back that springs to mind.
Cheers!
/ArtViktor
Replies
I'm a bit of a utilitarian/minimalist in that respect. My opinion is that you're finished when you've nailed the composition/anatomy, and hinted at just enough detail to let the eye fill in everything else, and no more than that.
If the image begins to feel too noisy, you've gone too far. If people can't figure out what material X on the character is, you've probably not gone far enough.
For a character sheet, this level of detail works very well. I can tell what I need to know from the picture, and understand on a basic level what forms and materials each component of the character is made up of. That said, his left arm and leg look a little funky to me.
I think its very personal when you feel you finished a piece. nL had some very good points thuogh. its really up to you, and its a tallent in itself to see/feel when a piece is done.
From my experience there is a constant state of growth with every new project which makes all of the old feel outdated. It's a skill I've been trying to practice, not getting too caught up with making something work if it doesn't is also an important aspect.
Here's a newer version of the picture I posted earlier were I've tried to take your feedback into account. I'd be very happy to hear what you think! Anatomy, presentation, values, color, composition, anything really
Also, I love the character!
This is the core of it, in my opinion. It's more about erasing imperfections that mar the product than it is about perfecting something that's already acceptable. Look at speedies and you'll see that as long as the imperfections are uniform the piece looks good. But take a piece like yours and any imperfection will stick out because of the higher level of polish, like the fuzziness I see on his arms and groin, for example. You just need to make a consistent pass and not worry about getting it perfect.