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cryslara — Splash
Published: 2009-12-02 10:55:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 25452; Favourites: 1718; Downloads: 517
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Description
A 'meeting of worlds' commission for Rashan and Nikita. Sky, mountains and water all together.It's in cool colours, guys! See, I do use purple occasionally.
I find cooler palettes a little harder to work with so just because of that I'm going to do a bunch more blue things to figure out what my problem is. I love her little feet. I have so much trouble with hind feet all the time but hers turned out exactly as I wanted them to this time. It's probably a by-product of having been following my cats around with my sketchbook lately.
Time: 21 hours
Tools: Photoshop CS4, Wacom Intuos 4 Tablet
Music: I really enjoyed painting this to the sound of Bright Eyes.
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Comments: 134
Cool! I think you've done a wonderful job on composition! I really love how everything flows so well together! e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h… " width="15" height="13" alt="
In addition, I like that you used only cool colors! It somehow makes it look more dreamlike and soft, which is an excellent contrast to what is actually happening in the piece (Epic dragon fight!). Also, you did a fabulous job with all of the different textures in the scales, mountains, water, and even the clouds! You've really mastered values and contrast!
In addition, I really love that the scales on the wings look like hands! It really adds to the pice e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
The only thing that I will critique (since your background is damn near perfect) is the wings. They're awesome, but I feel like they should be more obviously transparent or non-transparent. As they are now, I can't tell if they were supposed to be one way or the other, but other than that, you did an excellent job! e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h… " width="15" height="13" alt="
Fabulous piece! You should be very proud!
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Since I did a critique on your lovely bird, I'd like to tell you how much you've improved in contrast and in expanding your chromatic palette! So in this critique I'll only post about colors e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
I have to say this palette is wider than your other one, and you successfully blended both main colors into great harmony.
So here in my browser (safari) the wings are not as saturated, but the top dragon does blend itself into the background. The great detail in the clouds looks great but again, takes away attention from your main characters, same happens with the mountains and the water.
Overall I love the theme, and the way you always portrait dragons in a simple, sweet way.
Really good work! Lucky person who got the commission e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Hm, I think the important thing to remember about the blue scale is saturation. It looks great on the dragon, for example, but I really think the mountains in the back could be toned down, or you could maybe toss in some browns in there. Not too many, just some to break up rocks. Maybe make the water dragon's wings a bit less... cyan? Or maybe make them darker. I'd critique the one in the sky a bit more, but my eyesight is not friendly to bright things very much, so I can't make out details in that. Hope any of that helps e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Thank you for the advice!
Hmm, about the wings. I'm gonna go on a musing tangent for a moment here! I recently started using Google Chrome as a browser as well as Mozilla Firefox. In Chrome the wings are almost obnoxiously cyan, very saturated. But in Photoshop and Firefox (which I have a colour management add on for) they're a much paler blue. The difference between browsers is a little worrying, there's such a big difference between them. The colours were intended to be a lot more subtle than what they seem to show up as when the programs aren't colour managed.
Your point about desaturating the background a little with some other colours is very helpful though. I think it's the monochromatic palette that's been bothering me about them. Thank you.
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Well, I'm using Firefox and they definitely look cyan to me. I was actually thinking they may look a bit better if they were darker, particularly closer to the bottom of the image.
Glad I could help a bit, what kinds of add ons do you use for photoshop? *doesn't have/use any*
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Thank you, you have a good point that they should be darker towards the bottom, it seems like there should be a little more shadow there.
And oops, sorry for the confusion, I meant I use a colour management add on for Firefox. I don't have any for Photoshop.
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damn, so beautiful! the colours are amazing, and the dragons are so cute ^^
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You have been featured here [link] I hope you like it!
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aawwww X3 the pose is amazing and these two dragon are terribly awsome
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This picture is really detialed I can't wait to see your other one's.
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I really like this, great piece! I also like the fact that they look happy together. Nice detail.
:3
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oh, and the white dragons wings look a little strange, as they're roundish (is that the word im looking for? prolly not)
but besides that its great!!! i think you balanced everything perfectly, and i love the colors and the dynamic of the dragons poses
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*envys you*
I MUST KEEP DRAWING!!!! IF I KEEP AT IT ENOUGH ILL GET TO THIS LEVEL!!!!!...
possibly...
any hints?
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Beautiful! I love how you used softer cooler colors in here, and I like how it is a transition from light to dark from the top to the bottom. I'm not sure if I like how the top dragon's tail curves around the picture, and the left side just feels a little odd. Overall very beautiful and will certainly keep me looking at it for hours.
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I love the feel of this picture.
Not sure if it is the wings or mountains or even the flow, but it is good.
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This is just absolutely beautiful. The detail that you have put in is simply astounding. The trees in the background, the scales, the clouds, the snow. Just wow.
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Love the translucent wings. I'm normally not a big fan of pastels, but this is really beautiful
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I've been starting to experiment with different sorts of colour palettes and it's enjoyable to try new things.
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No offense to the critiquers... but i dont think they were being fair. in my opinion a critique is not a place to put a pack of praises. but rather a place to critisize, (hence the name critique) without insulting. and tell an artist what they can improve on. and as is, there is no such thing as perfect art, but as a friend of mine has stated, infinite levels of better. 
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I think that a 'critique' is a critical evaluation, picking out both the things that make an artwork work and the things that are holding it back. I agree however that it's often much more helpful to hear about where things could be improved.
And anyone can critique. The deviant art critique box is a fancy feature, I'm glad that they're encouraging critique through it, but it does make me disappointed that it seems to discourage people simply leaving constructive criticism in their comments. Honest observation is helpful whether it's in a box at the top or in a comment; they're equally important to me.
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indeed you are right about that
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what a cool pose from the dragon in the water! Looks like he's about to pull the other dragon into the water with his wings, can-you-feel-the-love-to-night-style
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hi, just wanted to announce this pic as been featured here. [link]
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wow... it is really amazing. I love the colours and feeling of it. just stunning
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Simply beautiful and amazing. It's another breathtaking piece of art by you. I truly admire your style and abilities. You must make someone very happy with the beauty and emotions you express through your art I can only imagine how you express yourself.
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Really lovely work as always...the cool colors are working for you!
You always do a lovely job of showing light coming through the wing membranes. The echoed form between the tails is really nice too, and of COURSE, way to go breaking the borders! It actually doesn't bother me that the wings don't go out in this one, in a large part because you let the tails go out. It comes across as a more intentional choice that way.
One tiny critique (not a big thing, but since you're asking for 'em....) the white tail on the right side of the image does create a lot of tension along that edge, just because it *almost* goes off, but part still wants to stay in. I'm guessing you want to keep the flow of the tail as it goes around, and I completely agree. I just think I'd bring it into the frame just a smidge more, or have it stay entirely in-frame. They're tricky, those tails! Nonetheless, I think you've done an awesome job! Lovely stuff!!
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Thanks, Krista. 
Thanks as always for your observations, I appreciate them! I hope your Christmas went well.
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Hah, well...I'm glad I can be helpful (and not just annoying!)
Have an awesome new year! I look forward to seeing more of your work!
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Follow your cats around more, because these look great!
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The clouds are very pretty as usual, but it seems that the clouds change direction very improbably towards the left edge of the picture. might just be me though.
Also, while the water dripping off the blue ones wing looks great, the water splashing up behind him, whilst good looking, looks kind of... 'fake' is very much the wrong word, but perhaps a bit... forced? It doesn't seem to act like water would. If he's coming up of the water, and I assume so since his tail is submerged, I think it should be more pouring off of him rather than splashing up behind him.
Other than those two small nitpicks this picture looks great.
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