Time for sharing, what I have no idea!

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Comments

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    I think Szark does amazing renders always!!!

    I also think it would make an amazing puzzle!!!

    Thank you. Maybe a xmas pressy to myself. :)

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I don't think any of us think you are bragging, this entire ART forum is specifically for us to show off our stuff isn't it? I've always looked as this place as a great way to show off things I am proud of, and to enjoy and learn from all the other people posting here, to be inspired and to get help and constructive criticism.  I really enjoy your renders and am always inspired to know that one day, mine will be as beautiful.

  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017

     I think it is cool you share and teach a bit too. I like seeing others work the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know some of mine fits the later categories right now. lol

    Everyone gets busy. I know my time is coming soon again with spring on its way. Winter is the best time for me to do more things unrelated to farming and gardening. I think Ice dragon said it best. :)

    Post edited by Liana on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    oh trust me some think we are "showing off" but I don't care what others think. What I do like is constructive critique though I hardly get any and sharing stuff when I can. Haven't done much passing knowledge on for a few years now and did have a Iray basics tut planned and started. But man the job became so big I ran out of time. 

    Not being an artist myself I would say most people should be able to pull some nice renders off but it does take a lot of time and energy to learn this game. It needs a focused mind set that some won't have. Speaking personally I am not that educated but if I like something then I put my all into it. If I don't like something I will know very little about it. Plus I can learn things I like at a high rate. Yes I looked at other peps images and looked at mine and became disheartened but I got over it. What matters is I enjoy what I do and do it for myself for the right reasons. FUN

  • LinwellyLinwelly Posts: 5,795
    Szark said:

    oh trust me some think we are "showing off" but I don't care what others think. What I do like is constructive critique though I hardly get any and sharing stuff when I can. Haven't done much passing knowledge on for a few years now and did have a Iray basics tut planned and started. But man the job became so big I ran out of time. 

    Not being an artist myself I would say most people should be able to pull some nice renders off but it does take a lot of time and energy to learn this game. It needs a focused mind set that some won't have. Speaking personally I am not that educated but if I like something then I put my all into it. If I don't like something I will know very little about it. Plus I can learn things I like at a high rate. Yes I looked at other peps images and looked at mine and became disheartened but I got over it. What matters is I enjoy what I do and do it for myself for the right reasons. FUN

    Pete, you are wrong, you are an artist! I've seen some of your works and I am convinced you are very much an artist. You put thoughts into your work I never even come to thinking about and it shows in the results. I don't coment often in your thread, but I keep looking ans seeing things evolve. Usually once I have ended my work on some scene I don't come back to rework, so that process you do ist something I still want to achieve.

    And yes I guess we've all been there, getting disheartened... it's something that comes and goes like the moon depending on my own mood.

  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017
    Szark said:

    oh trust me some think we are "showing off" but I don't care what others think. What I do like is constructive critique though I hardly get any and sharing stuff when I can. Haven't done much passing knowledge on for a few years now and did have a Iray basics tut planned and started. But man the job became so big I ran out of time. 

    Not being an artist myself I would say most people should be able to pull some nice renders off but it does take a lot of time and energy to learn this game. It needs a focused mind set that some won't have. Speaking personally I am not that educated but if I like something then I put my all into it. If I don't like something I will know very little about it. Plus I can learn things I like at a high rate. Yes I looked at other peps images and looked at mine and became disheartened but I got over it. What matters is I enjoy what I do and do it for myself for the right reasons. FUN

    I think your an artist. At least I like your art. Of course there is that old saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." What some think is art I may not, but that is my personal preference and theirs. I personally like to try to recreate the beauty that surrounds us. I do agree it takes loads of effort to learn this stuff. It's defintely not a plug n play kind of thing that's for sure.

    I believe the "showing off" part comes with how a person approaches or presents themselves. If they are sharing, looking at others stuff, learning, and helping each other it takes that element of "showing off" out of the equation. Believe me I have seen people who "show off' just for the sappy, butt kissing appraisal they get and it was not on this site that is for sure. At least i have not ran across it yet.

    I since I do not know a whole lot about artwork in general I hestitate to give a constructive critique. I might ask questions though. I know how to model up to a point and use drawing/photo editing software up to a point. I am no expert. I don't pretend to be either, but I do have some practical experience which counts for something I think. :) Like you said if you enjoy it and like something a person puts the time in to learn it and strives to improve. It has to be fun though. Take the fun out and well I know I lose interest. I have enough 'work' to do without adding to my list. :)

    Post edited by Liana on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited March 2017

    @Linwelly I suppose in that sense I could be considered artistic but for me I fall short of where I would like to be. Now that is something I can't really control not having certain skills and the way I envision things in my head or don't see. My imagination has come on leaps and bounds, doing this for several years but still not out there enough for me. I am happy with what I can do, don't get me wrong. I have worked hard to get where I am so it it be counter productive not to recognise that.

     

    yeah reworking can be a pain and it is ony certain images I have done this for. Lately I said to myself no more,leave them be and look forward. 

     

    @Liana I do understand about not having enough insight to critique an image and that is the main reason I don't moan about not getting it. It is hard and it does need a trained eye to give good insight.

     

    No matter what people may think about Dreamlight, one thing I will say about Val (Wally) is that he sure does now his way around a picture.  I did learn a lot from him on that regard. Still hard to put it in to practise but he did give me enough insight to help me. I just wish he just stuck to teaching the artistic side than outdated DS vids.

    Yes everyone talks about surfaces, lighting (especially me) and that we can learn through trail and error or tutorials but composition is the main key that combines the surfaces and light into a cool looking image. I have found that composition is the hardest of them all to pull off. Also composition is NOT just where you put your scene elements but how it is framed by the camera, dof, light, surfaces (shadow play and highlighting key elements and postwork, if you are that way inclined. I love postwork and I love no postwork. Whatever the image needs. 

     

    Some have said I do composition well and have asked me how I do it. I cannot answer. not then, not now. I do start fom the simple rules of thirds and go from there to balance the scene. I just look at it and see a spot to fill and go find something fitting to fill it. So there isn't a system I follow that I can type out. It just happens. Yes you could arge that in that sense it is artistic. So I will clearn I am talking more about my output. Trying to get what is isside out in a form I am elated about.

    Post edited by Szark on
  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    I don't think I qualify to critique your work either.  And its definitely art.  Art to me is putting what's in your head, out there for the world to see.  Now, wether its good art or bad art is a whole different conversation lol. And I really believe that no matter how good I get, it will never be good enough, I can't imagine a time when I would not want to continue to improve and learn, to make my art better.  The wonderful thing about programs like these, it allows people who may not have the skill or hand eye co ordination to draw or paint, or whatever other traditional art forms are out there, to still, make beautiful things, and get those images out into the world.  Its not any less art than anything else.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    exactly Ice I cannot draw so learning all this was the best ting I have ever done and really helped me in my personal life.

  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Szark said:

    exactly Ice I cannot draw so learning all this was the best ting I have ever done and really helped me in my personal life.

    Yeah, I tried drawing.  It didn't work out that great.

    About 6-8 years ago, I thought I would start simple with pencil sketching, and progress from there.  I bought a ton of books and art supplies.  I got pencil sets and sketch books.  My wife got on board, and bought me a kind of a drafting table with these lights. I tried to follow Youtube tutorials. I signed up for an Adult Extension Evening Course in pencil sketching at a local Community College. (once a week for 6 or 8 weeks)

    I discovered I could follow along with a tutorial, or follow a "How to" book and get a decent result, but if I tried to look at something and come up with a decent pencil sketch of it, or draw something I envisioned, it was extremely sub-par.  At least in my eyes.

    Studio gives me a creative outlet of sorts, and scratches an itch I seem to have. Then again, looking around at what others are able to accomplish with the same materials and resources, I don't see myself as an "artist".

    Artists have desire and talent.

    All I seem to have is desire.

     

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Honestly, 98% of the time, desire is enough as long as one is willing to work at it.Yes some people are so talented that they don't have to work very hard to make something beautiful.  The rest of us with varying degrees of talent, just have to work harder.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    That is we have to work that much harder and all wat through my life I have seen talent oozeing out of folks with me working harder to be better than then and in some case I was. As the talented ones had no desire or drive. 

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548

    Yes, because sometimes, talent makes people lazy.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    lol too true. Shame but true.

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191

    Art is very subjective.  That's the whole nature of the field.  What one person calls good, someone else might call crap but it's still art.  There are lots of styles of art I don't understand and yet it's still art.  I happen to think your images are great and I would definitely call it art.  I don't think anyone seeing them could call them crap so I think you're safe no matter what!  ;)  

    Never worry about what anyone else thinks of your art.  I know, hard to do!  Believe me, I have some of the same issues.  I'm very insecure about my art and yet I do call it that even when I think I've done a lousy image.  Even my bad images still qualify as art.  I don't think I've ever seen you upload a bad image, though.  :)

  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017

    I have seen the lazy aspect of smart or talented people. I have to work at anything I do. I also have to understand it oddly enough. If I don't then I feel like the dog chasing its tail. hehe

    I think everyone here does good and great art. I share all my art the good, the bad, and the ugly. I figure I might learn something from it. lol

    Post edited by Liana on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    yes art is very subjective by its nature and I cannot judge others as I look at some so called top artist output and scoff. From painting to sculpture. I do think a lot of it is pretentious. I don't mind abstract if the artist gets the colours and form right, otherwise it just flops in to one big mess. Yes that is a personal taste thing. Looking at my images many recently have revolve around realism just because Iray is my life at the mo. I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017

    That's a cool image. I agree there what some really like I don't. I do like what you have done so far even the ones you went back and changed like the older man smoking a pipe. :)

    Post edited by Liana on
  • dHandledHandle Posts: 617
    Szark said:

     I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

    Now that is one fine image, Pete!  Looks realistic, and fantastic at the same time.

    You go ahead and work on getting BACK to it.  I will work on getting TO it!

    smiley

  • IceDragonArtIceDragonArt Posts: 12,548
    dHandle said:
    Szark said:

     I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

    Now that is one fine image, Pete!  Looks realistic, and fantastic at the same time.

    You go ahead and work on getting BACK to it.  I will work on getting TO it!

    smiley

    You and me both!

     

  • KnittingmommyKnittingmommy Posts: 8,191
    Szark said:

    yes art is very subjective by its nature and I cannot judge others as I look at some so called top artist output and scoff. From painting to sculpture. I do think a lot of it is pretentious. I don't mind abstract if the artist gets the colours and form right, otherwise it just flops in to one big mess. Yes that is a personal taste thing. Looking at my images many recently have revolve around realism just because Iray is my life at the mo. I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

    I love that image!  Amazing work.  

     

    dHandle said:
    Szark said:

     I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

    Now that is one fine image, Pete!  Looks realistic, and fantastic at the same time.

    You go ahead and work on getting BACK to it.  I will work on getting TO it!

    smiley

    You and me both!

     

    Me, three.  I'm not anywhere close yet.  :)

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited March 2017

    LOL DHandle 

     

    Thanks everyone. It did help having had the time to do those images as they were long ones, drawing on what I had learnt up to that point in time. That was when I had all the time in the world.

     

    It did help me having 4 years of Photoshop learning before I opened DS for the first time. That helped with overlaying effects on texture maps, making smoke in Photoshop etc. Both image relied a lot on Photoshop. Poser 8 and Photobox helped with the lighting, for the smoking dude, though I did mess with it. :)

     

    The waterfall and splashes in this image http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/Form-an-orderly-queue-please-528637971  was done in Photoshop using Ron's brushes on many layers of single brush stamps (strokes) and only one effect used, drop shadow on some layers. Each layer's opacity adjusted down to suit.

    Post edited by Szark on
  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017

    The peguins are cute! :) Do you do a lot of postwork on images in general?

    Post edited by Liana on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    no not really it depends on the image. With Iray I just use Lightroom to sharpen up the details more and sometimes colour saturation or hue adjustment. I used to use Nik tools for that but since I got the basic Adobe package I got Lightroom with Photoshop. But no not as a general rule. I don't have a render only slant I just think of everything as tools toward an end result.

     

    Most of the time effects in post is more down to either not knowing how to do things in the render or not having the software to do so. Take the Penguins I attempted to use Blender's water sim but it wasn't good enough for the fine splash details. 

  • LianaLiana Posts: 1,035
    edited March 2017

    Interesting to know about lightroom for more than just camera images. I have the Creative cloud suite until october. I got a good deal. :) After that I have to decide what I want to do with it.

    Post edited by Liana on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    I need PS for work so I need it. What bugs me is that I have to buy mine from Adobe UK and yet I am subject to a price increase due to exchange rates when I am paying in Pounds Sterling. At least my increase won't start until Jan 18

  • TabascoJackTabascoJack Posts: 865
    Szark said:

    yes art is very subjective by its nature and I cannot judge others as I look at some so called top artist output and scoff. From painting to sculpture. I do think a lot of it is pretentious. I don't mind abstract if the artist gets the colours and form right, otherwise it just flops in to one big mess. Yes that is a personal taste thing. Looking at my images many recently have revolve around realism just because Iray is my life at the mo. I really want to get back to what I was trying out about 4 years ago when I did  this http://itiseyemeeszark.deviantart.com/art/The-Lair-383120994

    Great render!   Excellent job with lighting and composition.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    Thanks Jack

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634

    Just a reminder that there is a number of links to useful info on page one, post one. Most are somewhat old but valid info nevertheless. 

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited April 2017

    Frog by Ken Gilliland Postwork added Particles in Photoshop and Bloom in NIK Tools 

    Environment is Fern lake by Stonemason
    Iray default Sun and Sky
    EV 12.50

     

    European Common Frog.jpg
    2000 x 851 - 1M
    Post edited by Szark on
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