I had posted the original version of this in the Blender Tests forum and some great suggestions helped me arrive at my final rendering. Now that the scene is set up properly I decided to check out what it looked like painted.
Sometimes I like to use GIMP to make something look a bit more like a painted work of art :D. I can’t remember if this is the exact order or not and the settings make a big difference:
Sharpen
Selective Gaussian
Cartoonify
Selective Gaussian
Sharpen
Cartoonify
Selective Gaussian
Color correction
I may have only used Selective Gaussian twice, can’t quite remember.
I go back and forth as to which I prefer, but I like both. I suppose everyone has a different palate though eh?
The original is a nice crisp, cold and calculated piece of Blender goodness. The GIMPed one adds a a bit of unrealism to the party. The goal was to give it a more hand painted look and I think it was successful. This is a Blender forum though, rather than a GIMP forum, so I can see where people might be less interested in the hand painted look.
I’m confused, atr1337. Your original Blender render displays impressive technical competence, a strong command of color, and a good eye for nature.
I cannot say anything nice about your GIMP treatment, however. Now there are thick black lines on top of the fluffy white clouds, and the rest is covered in tar. Seriously- was that image really edited in GIMP or did it just take up smoking?
Don’t feel bad, though- you got it right the first time!
I’ll have to disagree with Rocketman. I don’t know if disagreement is the proper term because everyone has different tastes, so what you guys like is ‘right’ for you, but not necessarily ‘right’ for everyone else.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
dung beetles like poop, but that does not mean it’s ‘right’ to like poop nor does it mean it’s ‘wrong’ to like poop. To each their own I always say.
Most of the Blenderites on this site seem to be really into realism and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, I like realism too. Creativity can be anything, it can be real and it can be completely off the wall fake, take a look at Picaso. Some people like Picaso’s work and some do not, that does not mean it’s right or wrong, it just is. There are no boundaries in the world of art, no right or wrong.
Just to be clear, I love receiving critiques, suggestions and advice on my work. However; I think that saying a work of art is either right or wrong is in poor taste because those things do not exist in this world. Calling a work of art right or wrong is like saying it is wrong to like pizza, but right to like hot dogs. Some like one and some like the other, some like both and some like neither.
In this particular case I like both and that goes for pizza, hot dogs, my original image and my GIMPed image. You are welcome to like both, neither, one or the other.
–==END RANT==–
Heh, after all that, I’m glad that you liked the original. I had some help on that one over in the Blender Tests forum so you gotta give those guys some props.
I adore your last post, atr1337, because many of my classmates and I had to spend 4 years in art college in order to unlearn precisely what you just said.
I also like receiving critiques, suggestions and advice on my work, but I ask people for comments because I intend to learn something from them, even if I don’t always agree. I wonder-- why do you leave your work open for comments if all you plan on doing is dismiss everyone’s thoughts as mere preference?
Have we all been wasting our time trying to help you improve?
Hold on there friend. I was not attacking you, merely offering my opinion on calling someone’s work right or wrong. I think if you look at some of my previous posts you’ll see that I have no problems taking the advice that people give. You did not give advice though.
If you don’t like the work that is fine, I was simply pointing out that calling it ‘wrong’ is in itself incorrect because there is no ‘right.’ I have posted elsewhere where some people liked the work and some people did not. So who was ‘right?’ Were the people that liked it wrong, or were they right? So are you in the business of telling people what they ‘should’ like and what they ‘should’ not like?
Once again, I actually find both the original and GIMPed version to be pleasing to my eye. Are you telling me that my eyes are lying to me, that my eyes do not actually find them pleasing? I can assure you that they do and they are not ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’
I appreciate that you asked me not to feel bad, and I don’t, but you said my first work was ‘right’ indicating that my GIMPed work was ‘wrong.’
I want to be very clear here. The words I said earlier and the words I say now are NOT uttered in anger. Sometimes it is hard to interpret a persons emotions over the internet, as I understand it 70% of language is not spoken, but I could be wrong on that percentage. Now this is not an attack on you, this is not a form of name calling, but a genuine piece of advice that you do not have to take. Have you ever considered checking out a book on philosophy? If you ever do then I think you might gain a better understanding of what I am saying.
I am sure you are a very good artist, I don’t recall having seen any of your work, but I will probably go and see if I can find some on here and I’m sure I will enjoy it. I apologize if there has been a misunderstanding between the two of us. I am not here to make enemies, if the two of us disagree on this subject that is fine with me, I do not hate or dislike you in any way shape or form.
Thank you, atr1337. Believe me- I’m not mad at all! It’s not my style to take or cause offense on this forum.
Here’s the thing though-- I do read books on philosophy, and I understand exactly what you’re saying. I really really do! Some people prefer image A to image B, and for others it’s the opposite. They’re not wrong about their own experience. I understand that.
Hell, if you look long enough, you could probably find someone who genuinely prefers your image to the Mona Lisa! Are they wrong? Maybe not, but they probably wouldn’t make a successful curator.
Here’s what I’m saying: If you show these two pictures to a hundred people and ask which one each person prefers, you won’t get a 50/50 response. More people will like one over the other, and they’ll like it for a REASON. Your job, as an artist, is to figure out what that reason is.
I agree with you that it is likely that more people would prefer one over the other and it may very well be that the more liked one would be the original.
Personally I feel that figuring out what it is that people prefer about an image sounds like the job of a salesman or at least the salesmen side of an artist. For instance in Hollywood you often find many directors that detest when a producer puts in too much of his thoughts into the movie. The director wants to make their own work, but the producer wants to sell a lot of tickets.
Now that’s not really a disagreement I don’t think. I believe you are correct depending on your point of view. An artist that wants to sell their work or have it displayed in an art gallery would most definitely want to find out what it is that people prefer, but not all artists intend to sell their work or have it displayed. I fall into that second category, I don’t intend to ever sell my work.
Having said that I did search for some of your stuff and I can see that you clearly know what you are talking about when it comes to creating a widely accepted piece of work. In the future I hope to have more interaction with you and I’m sure if that happens there will be a big improvement upon my work with Blender.
What I was taught in art is. We learn how to make it look real just so we can get that skill. Or we learn certain techniques so we can have more tools to use for the outword expression of our inner soul. Then the art is really what comes from within. Whether it is real looking or not. Art is the expression of ones own soul, Or thoughts or feelings. Any way happy blending everyone. And No I don’t mean Smoothies. Though that is good to.
I certainly agree that learning different techniques affords one a wider variety of skills with which they can create. Personally I like realistic artwork and unrealistic artwork, but yes even if you only like one or the other it’s certainly not a bad idea to get a feel for both styles and more. Really depends on how much time you’re willing to invest. A hobbyist might be less likely to learn all the techniques that Blender offers, and it certainly offers a great deal of tool sets, but as long as they’re having fun I suppose any work is a success.
You know what I find really funny? If you click the images I have posted you’ll notice that the filename is PointofView hah!
I am doing blender more as a hobby though I started it so I could create things for some games I was programming. Yet I will learn all I can. Though now I have done other things. I always loved art Growing up. I find I never stop learning in anything. I don’t just take the easy way I like to learn the hard way learn all I can in any path I take. I don’t walk half way. Any way good luck to all.
You are welcome to like both, neither, one or the other.