What Has the Spektr Been Up To?

[JSpektr]

...not that I presume anyone cares.

Despite working like crazy at my new day job (321 Studios, maker of DVD X Copy, get Platinum before it's sued out of existance by Hollywood lawyers!), I've still been doing a little illustration on the side.

Below is a halloween card done for Laurel K. Hamilton, St. Louis horror author. She has a thing for penguins and pugs.

Crits etc. are welcome, I don't feel the color came out particularly well (it's supposed to be night, but I didn't put sufficient thought into how that would effect things).

<img src="http://jspektr.home.sprynet.com/halloween2003_COLOR1_web.jpg">

[Scorpio]

Very cool. You know, a lot of your work looks circa 1930's...it's great!

[kyrn]

I like it:) But, personally I think if you gave the houses in the background more of a blue/purple shade that might help it look more like night.

[onine]

That one made me laugh, I'm not sure why - not in a bad way! I love images that make me smile, we see enough sword toting barbarians and robots with guns here that something like this takes me by surprise. Good work. In agreement with kyrn that a purple/blue shade would make it seem more like night time, but thats all the criticism I can offer, nice one.

[JSpektr]

Good point on the houses. Night tends to cast a blue/purple light on everything, I got stuck trying to contrast the houses with the witch's purple costume, forgot what color the background should be.

1930s: I've never been told that before, but I can see it. I have studied old cartoon and caricature work from the 20's and 30's (as well as 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's...). Back when newspapers were king and everything was hand illustrated, there was a certain level of craftsmanship you don't always see today. The emmulation isn't inentional, but if it's there, I'm glad for it!

[mansperger]

you may want to carry the purple suggested from the houses to the figures as well to help tie it all together.

newspapers as king --- god am I in the wrong time period. I love the old newspaper illustrations as well. :-)

[Storn]

I've had great success with a layer in Photoshop as my "evening ground". sometimes even a gradation. The layer is set as "Multiply", so no lines get covered up. And is a Purple/Blue/Grey fill. Then I adjust the % of that layer alone until I think everything is readable. Then a layer over it has the "highlights" which I tend to do all my marks at 50-80% so that ground keys the highlight.

But I love the illo, J! It has a real sweetness that captures that ritual prefectly.

My only suggestion is to have made some "scary" stoops in the background. The houses are a bit plain. And if they were a bit spooky... I think that would have been cute as teh parade waddles by.

[JSpektr]

Good suggestion on a "night" overlay. I'm already employing 2 highlight layers, 3 shadow layers, some adjustment layers and a couple of color layers (I'm a layer fool when it comes to PhotoShop!), one more wouldn't hurt!

I had intended to add jack-o-lanterns and the like to the houses, but ran a bit short of time. There were a lot of details that got skipped or fudged because of that, and I know it's a weaker image as a result.