The next installment of the concentration journey is finished! This one, made in the same format as the others, utilizes the spray can tool a lot to add shadows and darken the landscape around it. Other than that, I used the same line tools and colors, blending a lot of dark, pale colors with blues and purples to simulate a dark nighttime atmosphere. The main difficulty with this one, was that I wanted to add a light rain, barely visible in the dark. But rain is hard to create realistically in this program. There's nothing specifically tailored to making raindrops, so I did the best I could with what was available. Using the drop spray tool and think effect lines, I made my best attempt at a drizzle without obscuring anything important. It's not noticeable, but it does the job.
So, continuing within the story, our adventuring cat has finished the first leg of his journey and came across a wide, expansive forest with twisting roots and vines that blocked his way. With no path around, he decides to dive straight through, still following the horizon North. The sun quickly set, and still weak with weariness from traversing the seemingly endless plains, he decides to take shelter under a covering made from the drooping roots of a tree protruding from an overhang. Just as he settles down, clouds cover the night sky, blocking out the stars and moon as a light rain patters down on the forest landscape. Cold seeps in from the earth, and the cat curls in close, tucking his body under the thickest parts of the roots to protect from the rain. Unable to force himself to sleep, he looks on instead at the darkened world around him. Now, in this moment of rest without the focus of movement to keep them away, the doubts and fears come crawling back. For the first time it dawns on his mind the vastness of the world he travels, and just how alone he is out here. The darkness closes in; compressing around him as an overactive mind spots danger in every shadow, behind every root and in every tree knot. Beasts with sharp teeth, tearing claws and a thirst for blood. A vicious howling sounds through the wood and the cat shivers in fear, pulling his tail in closer. It was going to be a long night.
I was striving to stimulate thoughts of loneliness and fear through the use of shadow, coloring, and the cat's posture itself. I wanted viewers to sympathies with his worries, his fear, and get a since of how alone he is right now. We've all felt homesickness at least once in our lives, or faced a seemingly unconquerable challenge, and this picture is supposed to humanize the main character, so that the viewer desires to see his goals accomplished in the face of hardship.
So, continuing within the story, our adventuring cat has finished the first leg of his journey and came across a wide, expansive forest with twisting roots and vines that blocked his way. With no path around, he decides to dive straight through, still following the horizon North. The sun quickly set, and still weak with weariness from traversing the seemingly endless plains, he decides to take shelter under a covering made from the drooping roots of a tree protruding from an overhang. Just as he settles down, clouds cover the night sky, blocking out the stars and moon as a light rain patters down on the forest landscape. Cold seeps in from the earth, and the cat curls in close, tucking his body under the thickest parts of the roots to protect from the rain. Unable to force himself to sleep, he looks on instead at the darkened world around him. Now, in this moment of rest without the focus of movement to keep them away, the doubts and fears come crawling back. For the first time it dawns on his mind the vastness of the world he travels, and just how alone he is out here. The darkness closes in; compressing around him as an overactive mind spots danger in every shadow, behind every root and in every tree knot. Beasts with sharp teeth, tearing claws and a thirst for blood. A vicious howling sounds through the wood and the cat shivers in fear, pulling his tail in closer. It was going to be a long night.
I was striving to stimulate thoughts of loneliness and fear through the use of shadow, coloring, and the cat's posture itself. I wanted viewers to sympathies with his worries, his fear, and get a since of how alone he is right now. We've all felt homesickness at least once in our lives, or faced a seemingly unconquerable challenge, and this picture is supposed to humanize the main character, so that the viewer desires to see his goals accomplished in the face of hardship.