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PitchBlackEspresso — Open Sky
#background #dueling #flying #hyrule #landscape #link #nintendo #paraglider #peaks #zelda #botw #pitchblackespresso
Published: 2017-07-28 12:28:14 +0000 UTC; Views: 1074; Favourites: 117; Downloads: 10
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Description
I PROMISE THIS ISN'T FANART (I mean it obviously is, but not just that) HEAR ME OUT (or not, I just ramble about backgrounds, if you just care about the art, feel free to skip the description, I don't mind
)Backgrounds man, backgrounds. No matter how simple of complex, they're a pain. I don't blame anyone who decided to ditch them entirely and just do character art with, maybe, a single colour backdrop, I really don't. I was the same. If you look at some of my old art (don't, it's atrocious), I didn't do backgrounds too often, and when I did, yeah, we don't talk about it (no, seriously, they were abysmal ). That's because I just didn't prioritize them too much. I liked the idea of adding a colourful backdrop to my drawings, but I never realized that backgrounds require just as much (if not a lot more) effort than the characters themselves. So what I would usually end up with were decently drawn characters with horrible backgrounds, simply because I never bothered putting more effort into them, and because they weren't as much fun for me to do.
Fastforward to 2016, and I finally started to put actual effort into backgrounds. Sure, some were still a far-cry, but that's just how it goes. And now, I really enjoy them! I actually don't like drawing characters only anymore, a picture feels incomplete to me if I don't add a background, so that's what I've been doing for a while now. All my Zelda art was (of course) fangirling 101, but I also wanted to challenge myself and try some increasingly complicated backgrounds. This, I think, is the pinnacle of my improvement. Even just a few months ago, I would have never attempted a detailed landscape like that, but guess what, it was really damn easy. Obviously, I used in-game screenshots as references (in case anyone wonders, I had Link paragliding from Sanidin Park Ruins the place with the horse statue with that one memory), but before, I would have never even tried, and that was my draw-back for the longest time. Trying. And now that I did, I'm really damn happy with the result of this. Next challenge: Buildings
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Comments: 25
This is so detailed, I like it! Been a while since I've played but I still recognise the Dueling Peaks and that reddish rock on the right and those peaks near Kakariko. Though I'm not sure what bridge that is. It's also great you've began to feel the joy about having gorgeous backgrounds, they do add something, I say. And just like in the game you haven't overdone it with too much details to draw your eye and make it a mess to look at. Perhaps I'm a little unhappy seeing so much grey, though rocks are grey, but some more variations in shades or colours perhaps...? Also, on the grass since that feels a bit grey-muted too. But otherwise the bakcground is truly striking and don't just get me started on Link. For short: You. Did. Great. For not so short: The anatomy, you've definitely improved on that! Only thing is probably his left hand, being a bit too bit compared to the right one which is closer and therefore ruins the perspective a bit, but that's just a minor detail. I love how he instantly draws the viewers eye being positioned so he also is part of the flying motion that flows your eye from left to right piece-by-piece revealing more about the landscape in a short flash. Though it's not just his placing that does that, the tunic's blue is attractive (or then I'm just too biaised lol), also with even the white lines neatly shaded. 
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i've no idea what bridge that is either, there's way too many bridges in that game (it's right next to the coliseum ruins tho, if that helps) :'D
honestly, you're right about the monotony of the landscape, there's too much grey and green and not really many hues. i'm happy with how i drew the landscape itself, but by now i wish i'd done a different angle (this is a landscape depicting the east of hyrule -further left there would have been death mountain - but now i wish i'd done one of the north, where you can see hebra mountain, hyrule castle, korok forest, death mountain etc. i didn't do it at the time because it seemed too challenging, but i really should have. this is boring to look at)
but yess, i'm so proud of how i drew link here, thank you! i drew him so bold so that he'd be the first thing someone looks at, and then their gaze would sort of wander from him towards the landscape (or at least, if it was actually interesting to look at). pfff i love the champion's tunic, so i'm totally just as biased. the details on the sword and shield were really tricky to draw, and i didn't go full detail either, but it wasn't really that hard, it's mostly a matter of patience. buuut you're right about the hands, which surprises me considering the amount of time i spent on them...
anyway, thank you!
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This is so beautiful, and I especially loved the story behind it. Although I'm not a visual artist, I can relate on the same level of being a creator and striving to improve; years ago I composed a piece of music on the piano that was too difficult for me to play at the time. By writing it just beyond my ability level though, I was able to practice and practice and eventually improved to the point of playing it really well! I was always so proud of that, even more so now, looking back (that was over 10 years ago). Thanks for reminding me of that time in my life. I feel inspired to implement that technique back into my compositional process
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of course my little speech accounts for any form of art! i'll admit my knowledge in music is limited, but the struggle to improve applies for pretty much everything, the key is to persist and to not expect things to happen overnight. let's aim even higher
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This looks incredible! Also, I can relate very much to the backgrounds struggle. I'm in that phase where I'm forcing myself to improve and practice them. But ugh man, I've ruined so many otherwise decent watercolour characters by adding a crappy background (rip). But yeah, like you said you need to put the effort into it.
Again this looks amazing! I feel very inspired now, you are super talented! :3
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same here
and thank you! i'm flattered ;;
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Really nice! 
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This looks very well balanced, the lighting and color all done perfect!
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You're welcome
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Backgrounds are always fun to draw the majority of the time for me X'D.
I really like the scenery here~ You can totally feel Link flying over the grassy fields and it really brings life to the image!
I feel the same way XD I feel that a picture is incomplete without a background.
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i only started appreciating them recently, but now i really like them~
aww thank you! i can appreciate character art only, but i personally can't do it (unless it's a request/commission/trade or something) >.>
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Your welcome
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This really random but Link looks like he's going "wheee!" in this :'P
Oh my god, I really feel your pain with background. Or my past self would, heh. Looking back my earliest "serious" drawings from 2005-2007 is so fun because it's just characters standing in a void. Not kidding, when I started my first webcomic back in 2007 I recall that I did not do any proper backgrounds for the first 50 or so pages (there were occasionally some background elements, but just imagine a single tree in vast white emptiness - it was just terrible). Actually, the whole comic took place in huge grassy plains only because it was easy to draw, and later the season changed and I could leave everything white again because there was snow.
I started to change this around 2010-2011 and if you look back my works at that time you can find some that are purely just backgrounds - but only nature landscapes. I didn't start doing buildings (and humans) until I started YTWC's Nuzlocke. And currently I think I enjoy drawing some types of buildings more than just nature...? It's really weird how you can change like that, but you really can't change unless you start doing more stuff like that. And that's what I'm so proud in you. You're actually trying. And I can't say that about all artists I follow. You're actually trying and challenging yourself, going outside of your comfort zone...it's just great, and I think more people should be like that. There's this one artist I've followed for three years now, he's an art student yet he haven't made any significant improvement during these years I have followed him. It's really sad actually - he keeps drawing just fanart with no backgrounds, and the character drawings he does are...medicore.
As for this work, it's decent. The background is nice, nothing too detailed but it really doesn't need to as everything is so far away. My only complaint would be those white details, they just look weird and considering how light all colors (expect in Link) are, it just isn't that pleasant to look at. I do like the details on Link, specially the shield.
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now i can't unsee it, but honestly i'd do the same flying is one of my childhood dreams
"just characters standing in a void" that's exactly what i mean
pure nature landscapes are something i admire, but i feel like there should be at least some living creature in it to make it a bit interesting. i'm in a phase right now where i mostly do nature backgrounds, but i try to incorporate some urban elements (a wall here, a dock there,etc.). tbh, i always found your backgrounds in ytwc's nuzlocke to be pretty good, even from the start. i still remember that pretty shot of newbark town in the first panels, and that's what kept me reading, because i enjoyed the visuals so much. your buildings are definitely stuff to admire now tho
aww thanks, i've been reluctant to change for the longest time, and even now i'm going at a snail's pace, but it's important to be willing to add variety. an art student barely improving tho sounds weird, isn't that what art school is for (and it's hella expensive, too). tbh just characters standing around is boring to look for me, and i don't think i'm gonna do anything like that again, unless it's art others request
i didn't wanna add more details because of the distance, i felt like this was a nice middle. tbh i was super extatic of this when i finished it, but i can see more flaws now (i didn't want the colours to be too bright, but they turned out way too light now) but hey, that's what improvement is for. the white things are supposed to be clouds down below, but they didn't turn out well, i wish i'd left them out. i'm really happy with link though
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Flying is basically my favorite thing/concept ever
Aaand yeah, the fact that my two biggest inspirations were manga artists really shows in my earlier works (and even in my current style, but not that much).
Just a little hint for the future, you really should think throughout what you are going to do AND how you're doing it. If you go in completely (or mostly) unplanned, things can turn out not so pretty...
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i remember the action scenes from ytwc's nuzlocke were sometimes anime-like, especially with the lines around the characters to show tension. although i don't think it's just an anime thing
i'm not sure if you mean this about the picture, or in general. i did plan the picture carefully and had all the landscape sketched before colouring it (i only added the lower clouds on a whim and it didn't end well), and i'm always (at least trying to) planning a bit ahead for instance i can say that i'm done with zelda art for a while, i still have some ideas, but i wanna do some easier pokemon stuff again and SU, whenever the new episodes come out
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Just in general, but judging how good your art has been recently I don't think it's a big problem...but it's good to keep in mind. Whenever I do illustrations I make sketches and thumbnails to get down what I wanna do and how :'P
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Man, this is a really good background. I always enjoy a decently detailed background and so seeing the mountains and waterfalls and sky and fields is really pretty. Just makes the whole piece more stunning.
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aww thank you! there's no waterfalls in this tho haha, but i'm glad you like it, i had lots of fun with it<3
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Ooops. The water looked like waterfalls but I'm not familiar with the game. XD Still looks nice though.
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