Lost!!!

With the help of a bunch of talented, friendly, awesome artists, this piece is nearing completion. They reminded me to pay attention to things that I overlook sometimes, like setting up a hierarchy of light sources, letting scattered debris like snow build up in architectural crevices, and using long, dark shadows to add drama. I also had the benefit of very sharp extra sets of eyes to notice some of the strange things happening with the figure's anatomy, perspective angles, and shadows. Special thanks to Nathan Ota for suggesting that I add the staff's marks in the snow to the figure's tracks to strengthen the narrative.

I've gotten to the stage of staring at it for long periods of time, hunting for something to work on. I still have about three weeks before the final paintings are due for the contest, but I will definitely be posting my final, final, final image, and the results of the contest as they become available.

To check out the other sketches/WIPs for the contest, go here:

http://artorder.ning.com/forum/topics/dungeon-delve-challenge

And to see the final pieces as they build up, go here:

http://artorder.ning.com/forum/topics/dungeon-delve-challenge-finals

Lost

I'm working on a piece to enter in ArtOrder's Dungeon Delve Challenge. The winner of the contest gets published and paid, but it's worth it just to enter and have some of the top fantasy art directors looking at my work.

The idea is to show a adventurer lost in a dungeon at the moment that they realize there may be no way out. I wanted to show the immense space and variety of paths available in the dungeon. The character is realizing that he's doubled back on his own tracks, recognizing them from the drips of blood leaking from his left leg (which will hopefully read better once I add color).

The sketch is due tomorrow on ArtOrder, and afterward I will have another month to finalize the piece. I would love to hear any feedback on this piece. I'm putting as much time into this as I can, and I'll take all the help I can get!