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thomaswievegg — Exile
Published: 2013-03-17 15:46:54 +0000 UTC; Views: 46559; Favourites: 2583; Downloads: 971
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Available as high quality print here www.inprnt.com/gallery/thomasw… !EDIT: I made some minor adjustments before submitting it to Exposé 11. The most major one was taking the striped shades off of the "bug" alien to make the main character pop more. Thanks to the person pointing that out!
...finally... calling.. this... DONE!
Okay. So, I've probably invested over 150h into this painting. And I really feel it's one of the better pieces I've made over the recent years. If not it's certainly the most enjoyable. This started out as a really fast and sketchy speedpaint of a hooded alien-like face. It then developed into a more massive project to say the least... there is a lot of detail in this piece and I had so much fun being in this world, making up these characters that we see in it. I also find it very fascinating how different people interpretate the scene so differently and come up with their own story about what's going on. I find that really exciting. So, if you want to share what you think is going on; comment away! I look forward reading it!
Thanks for watching everybody ♥
PS. Something that I realised halfway into this piece was how much it looked like this piece from the awesome Marek Okon omen2501.deviantart.com/art/Hi… The fan shaped shades, the baby, a hooded character!.. it was a bit heart crushing to be honest. Some people will probably think that I ripped off his idea or whatever, but the truth is I had no idea they were that similiar until I was far into my piece. Subconsciously maybe I had his painting as somekind of inspiration, I don't know
I hope you like it anywaysDS.
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Comments: 287
This is my first critique, so please go easy on this novice and his irrelevant opinions e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
Exile is a fantastic piece and a huge accomplishment for the artist, it was claimed that the finished piece took over 150 hours of work, and it shows.
Where shall we start? Well, to begin with, let's discuss the colouring.
Everything here is suitably grubby, from the tattered robes of the alien protagonist, to the subtle dents and scrapes of the gargantuan cement monstrosity upon which the citizens of this dystopia seem to shuffle across endlessly.
More than that, the artist has incorporated a foggy, hazy feel to the entire piece - bringing to mind at once the chaos of a bazaar or the smog-filled Hell of an inner-city slum. The atmosphere this creates is striking - we are cramped, we are crowded, we are unsafe.
This inherent seediness is deftly accentuated by the subtle neon signs at play in the background, merging both squalor and architectural brutalism with the faintest hint of sleaze and decadence. This place is Hell and all the poor wretches within are being tortured on all fronts.
My only criticism of this piece is a minor one. Every human face seems blocky and expressionless, whilst some emotions seem to be at play, they remain as lifeless and sterile as a waxwork.
But as I consider this, I wonder, is this a valid criticism?
Because I can't help but feel that this was intentional on the part of the artist.
Look at the alien, I earlier called him the 'protagonist' of this piece, and I stand by that. See how gently he cradles the baby, notice the slumped way he clings to the wall - as if afraid - and within his eyes is a subtle glint. But this is not the bloody hunger of a stereotypical alien, out to consume whole worlds and species, this look is one of affection, perhaps even love?
He, despite being physically dissimilar from us, is the most human character here.
The policeman, grim and unsmiling, has no eyes, they are covered behind a mask of faux justice. Robed in symbols of authority, he hunts down the alien, and yet he is the most alien and foreign creature within this scene. For he has no glint of affection in his eyes, only a black screen. He does not hold a child - a symbol of the future and life itself - he grasps a gun, which only has the power to end life and so destroy the future of whomever he shoots.
The masses look straight ahead, lining up and walking aimlessly like cattle being herded to the abattoir. A child gazes at the policeman, clearly distressed, only to be hurried along by his father, perhaps worried that the gun could soon be turned on him.
The police, with the tacit support of the people, hunt down this creature. The humans hunt the aliens and so become alien to us, not men but a horde of slack jaws and glazed eyes.
The love the alien has for the child will soon be extinguished, their bond forever broken by the screech of gunfire and the incessant march of jackboots. This love, this pure love, between a parent and a child, must be destroyed by the laws of the people and the police who enforce those laws.
To the sensibilities of the audience, it must look cruel, even absurd. For who would think to hunt down a parent innocently cradling their child?
But the artist has masterfully exploited that cruelty, enhanced that absurdity.
What I see is not an unnatural beast with a hideous face, a misshapen form and a soulless glare.
What I see is the pain and terror of a human exiled to an alien land.
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This critique is almost as interesting as the painting!... almost.
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Wow, this blew me away. I've never enabled the "critique" thingy before, after reading this I am super glad I did. Just superb writing man, superb. Really makes want to create more paintings like this in the future
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What a great critique - are you honest when you said that this was your first?
There were several things you pointed out that weren't apparent to me, at first, like the smog in the environment, and the the signs being a hint of "decadence." You made a fair analysis and covered all the bases.
However, Thomas may have been leaving the characters in the far back without a significant amount of emotion so that viewers attention does not pull away from the "human-like alien" whom almost looks as if its crying.
Nice job!
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I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume that the story behind this involves a "Chosen one" style prophecy, an oppressive interstellar government, and a powerful long-thought-dead alien race suddenly returning to kill everything. How wrong am I?
At any rate, great piece.
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Clearly cthulhu wanted a snack and the Dredds are here to save teh baby.
Ah duh.
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Hi. You're amazing! If you could take a quick second to answer this, you would honestly change my life: What do I physically need to do during practice, each day, to eventually be able to create art like you? How did you learn and become so amazing?!!
Can you please break down exactly what one extremely motivated beginner student would need to do, each & every day when he or she sits down to practice, in order to create these incredible photorealistic 2d digital drawing/paintings?
People just say 'Practice.' But I do not know 'exactly' what this entails.
Can you maybe make me, like, a list or something?!! So I can then go out and explore those topics? Or at least tell me what I need to physically be doing with my practice time so I can get as good as you?
If there's any books/DVDs/tutorials you can recommend that totally helped you get better, that would be so freakin' incredible!!!
Thanks for the help!
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yeah there are some similarities seems you where going with more of a "humans are monsters/b@573rds" motif with this one, so, my interpretation is that, this is cthulhu right, and he was about to rise from ryleah to do some craziness, only to find that a random child was left on his doorstep (i know ryleah is under the sea, it, urm, rose up) and that the world had changed greatly, hence the space soldier with the gun and the empire is after that child because he's supposed to bring about a new era or something, and at first cthulhu thinks "i could use this child, he would be a great weapon" but after a while he finds two things go wrong with his plans, one, humans have become massively powerful, and half the other creatures that came with him to earth are destroyed because, humans, we eventually find a way to kill anything given enough time, so he has to hide out, striking from distance, the best way to hide firstly is to shrink, then he realized he has to keep the kid safe till it's old enough to be a force of destruction, only, he starts to care about the child and one thing leads to another and now cthulhu is seeking help from the anti empire rebels, who want the child for the same purposes he does but not him cuz he's a monster, and he's trying to hide from the empireal soldiers, so he's running from both, while trying to convince the rebels to help him, hence he has become exiled, specially since they completely demolish ryleah like, an hour after he awakens, oh and before he shrank they blew his wings off, so their now painful scars, reminding him why he should never fight these humans alone....so now he hides in fear, running, until he can find help, doing all he can to protect this child. huh, that's not half bad
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that's a pretty cool story actually
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Awesome picture dude. I like the Judge Dredd touches.
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Fantastic work! I was browsing for robot references and came across your stuff. Very inspiring stuff!
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Thanks! That's cool to hear
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glad to hear, thanks!
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Wicked kool pic. Reminds me of starwars .
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wow, that looks nice. Interesting to find an alien caring a human child
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There's a huge story in this piece. The Cthulhu creature has taken this child from what appears to be a sort of "Red Light District" giving me the impression that the child was concealed there for a reason. The child is obviously important to a greater cause. The passage between districts leads to the creatures escape, but he is being sought after by some Dredd-ish style authority. This is also the place where Wikus Van De Merwe (passing behind him) is attempting to recover the liquid the MNU confiscated which will bring him back to his human state.
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Can be anything this - a kidnapper almost sussed or a maid saving the "chosen one"
Whatever the case this is a stunning picture and full of visual nuances that are a treat
You had pain, and you gained!
I think Marek Okon would be proud of a piece like this - I would be
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hehe
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Who ever got the idea that judge dredd and Cthulhu would be good in a drawing is a fucking genius
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I imagine the baby to be a young HP Lovecraft for some reason.
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I like the grumpy Judge Dredd face the police guy has. Nice work. I Love the feeling of this
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hehe thanks a lot
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I agree that you have no worries in comparison to the other piece. They both bring forth very different emotions and look very dissimilar. Hiding babies and hooded aliens are the only thing in common and that's not enough to take away from the uniqueness of you painting.
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Incredible work! I really like style and colors, and especially details. Even background detailed pretty well.
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