A little weird the finished texture in this angle. When you looking from the top it will be okay but in your posted angle it looks a little weird because we never see a underside of the berries. I cant ignore this because they are so highlighted and in the focus of attention.
(looks like a green intransparent fluid with swimming berries for me)
Maybe you can create normalmap with deeps around the berries to simulate a shadowed underside?
"I will be painting diffuse-only textures because I enjoy being able to paint lighting into the diffuse itself"
Amen, sista. I feel the same way about my own work. A lot of people are trying to get me to normal map my scene, but it just doesn't look good with hand painted texture (usually. Here and there, it looks good).
First let me say Jessica that I've been watching you for a while off and on for about 2 years now and WOW you have really developed as a great artist! I'm really impressed. I do feel though that I should put my two cents in on the whole " should you paint in your lighting info into your diffuse" subject.
Honestly, you can go either way. Ultimately you want whatever will be the most consistent for presentation. Right now for better or worse (i say better but the others have a valid point) your 'style' is to paint in your highlights, even mildly, into your textures, which when in a whole environment kinda creates an over all feel which is well. unique to you and makes YOU stand out. Now if your in a production setting you may have to get rid of that for it all to work together so it's good to know when your style "breaks" so please do listen to what the others are saying.
I for one like your version of your grass ground cover texture because it 'FEELS' like someone did it out by hand. the corrected one is more technically accurate but it lost a lot of it's charm in doing so. However the corrected Stone example that someone posted earlier FEELS better the the one you originally posted.
All I'm trying to say is that it's not a " one way or the other" deal. you can choose to do one texture one way and another one another as long a the group sum of all the textures, models, lighting, etc in the environment work together to make a good whole.
Sorry to be preaching, i took a peak again at your portfolio so i know you understand all this. I just felt it needed to be said. Trust me your doing fine. your stuff is the closest to feeling like a painting and your doing it by not following all the rules.
LOL, here is a shorter way of saying what I want to say. Basically, It's up to the Art Director. While the comments your getting do have a good Technical side to them which everyone should know and use in the end it's an Art Direction question. And every good art director knows that just because you CAN do something one way doesn't mean you SHOULD do it that way.
OH! a great example is that on one of the Friday recaps on here someone is doing a enviroment with a chinese painting lookish to it. It's purple. i forget who did it. Anyway, THAt enviro is seriously playing with levels of renbering. The rocks are fully normal mapped and popping in 3d but other parts are rendered in really flat simple color. He's not doing it "wrong" he's just really good at directing his art and knows that some things call for some techniques and others don't.
OOOOH! i just can't get enough of YOU! i just have to post more! BWHAHAHAHAH!
Anyway, about stylization. your grass ground cover texture reminded me of this
and this
See the lighting itself is very flat but forms are definitely modeled out with shading. If I wanted to make something like this in 3d i would choose your way but if you wanted more of a WOW or Darksiders actual 3d space feel I would pic the others way. It just depends on where you want to go with it. Knowing your work I'm pretty sure you wanted something more like this. but i could be wrong.
Replies
(looks like a green intransparent fluid with swimming berries for me)
Maybe you can create normalmap with deeps around the berries to simulate a shadowed underside?
Amen, sista. I feel the same way about my own work. A lot of people are trying to get me to normal map my scene, but it just doesn't look good with hand painted texture (usually. Here and there, it looks good).
Keep up the killer work
Honestly, you can go either way. Ultimately you want whatever will be the most consistent for presentation. Right now for better or worse (i say better but the others have a valid point) your 'style' is to paint in your highlights, even mildly, into your textures, which when in a whole environment kinda creates an over all feel which is well. unique to you and makes YOU stand out. Now if your in a production setting you may have to get rid of that for it all to work together so it's good to know when your style "breaks" so please do listen to what the others are saying.
I for one like your version of your grass ground cover texture because it 'FEELS' like someone did it out by hand. the corrected one is more technically accurate but it lost a lot of it's charm in doing so. However the corrected Stone example that someone posted earlier FEELS better the the one you originally posted.
All I'm trying to say is that it's not a " one way or the other" deal. you can choose to do one texture one way and another one another as long a the group sum of all the textures, models, lighting, etc in the environment work together to make a good whole.
Sorry to be preaching, i took a peak again at your portfolio so i know you understand all this. I just felt it needed to be said. Trust me your doing fine. your stuff is the closest to feeling like a painting and your doing it by not following all the rules.
OH! a great example is that on one of the Friday recaps on here someone is doing a enviroment with a chinese painting lookish to it. It's purple. i forget who did it. Anyway, THAt enviro is seriously playing with levels of renbering. The rocks are fully normal mapped and popping in 3d but other parts are rendered in really flat simple color. He's not doing it "wrong" he's just really good at directing his art and knows that some things call for some techniques and others don't.
Anyway, about stylization. your grass ground cover texture reminded me of this
and this
See the lighting itself is very flat but forms are definitely modeled out with shading. If I wanted to make something like this in 3d i would choose your way but if you wanted more of a WOW or Darksiders actual 3d space feel I would pic the others way. It just depends on where you want to go with it. Knowing your work I'm pretty sure you wanted something more like this. but i could be wrong.