I just finished this, but it started many years ago with a challenge on CGTalk (as CGSociety was called back then). Since I was a moderator there I couldn't join the challenge, but I was still inspired to make some sketches.
So I made these - she's a willing victim, sacrificing herself, because the vampire was a loved one, and the vampire itself I tried to make it look ashamed, guilty, like he knows he's doing something really bad, but he can't stop.
But wasn't happy with them and abandoned the idea. I suspect now the emotions I tried for were too complex.
Fast forward a decade, I came across the old sketches, and was tempted to try again... I'm very stubborn you see. :)
So, same purply dark interior of a Victorian middle class sitting room, same young girl, but with a different pose, and with more bloodsuckers. Simpler emotions, more clearly expressed.
Objects in the foreground, tea pot and some dead roses, they are there for depth, for setting the scene, and for symbolism. Also for the visual rythm - note how the teapot kind of echoes the pose of the woman.
Objects in the background, I'm going for a room with so much clutter, heavy carpets and curtains that sounds are stifled. I imagine this struggle to be almost silent, she's done screaming and about to give up. Perhaps she's already given up, just looking at the barely visible blue sky one last time.
And the final version:
I do self-upvote, but I wait so I'm not the first. I don't buy votes. Thanks for watching!
This is so good and you did all that in just 4 layers? 3 if you don't count the sketch. How exactly D:
Thank you! There is a step-by-step video narrated by me, which I will post here later. In there you will see me temporarily creating an additional layer for the gold on the teapot, then dropping it down to "Foreground" when I felt it was done or very close to done. I think I did that when working on the golden plate in the background also. Right at the end I added a layer called "Curtain".
I'm very concerned about keeping the layers to a minimum when working, it helps me work faster I think. I really dislike layer-masks and adjustment layers, and having 1 layer for every little change I make to something, and 1 layer for every little item even if their silhouettes don't touch... :) it confuses me and slows me down.
I see! Having a lot of layers is really confusing and merging them into one layer surely cleans it up. I was always been afraid of keeping stuff in one layer as I might make a mistake and damage the whole layer :x
I'd definitely would want to watch the step by step video!
This is amazingly gorgeous! It looks right out of my favourite card game Magic: The Gathering! Maybe you could consider getting work from them haha ;)
I don't know why but I really like the original one of the vampire biting her leg. The vampire had a certain sense of sorrow to his eyes as if he doesn't want to feed on her blood but he needed to while the woman was in pain but looked confident that what she was doing was the right thing.
Good stuff!
This is definitely another masterpiece from you @stahlberg. You managed to capture and portray the emotions of both characters succinctly
man this is great i wished i could draw and design like this. Although i can come up with characters in my mind there is no way i could do such amazing things!
Oooh wow, I kinda liked the discarded one, I think the idea of the self-sacrificing victim had potential, the other one while looks astonishing visually it doesn't reach me that much...just my thoughts
Whoa! This is very very cool....thanks for sharing the steps in it. Makes it that much more impressive what you did here. Great post.
wow its rly good! even ur first abandoned sketch i love both results ! new follower here ^.^
this was so insightful as a learning digital artist . Thank you for this walkthrough.
Ooh, I thought it was an allegorical representation of a person being held back from the light of reason by their superstitions :D
That's pretty good, I might use that next time someone asks :D
Amazing. How long did it take you to do that piece?
I can't never have that kind of patience somehow.
Thanks! about 10-15 hours I would say.
Very interesting concepts!
Nice art. I like that process. So detailed and looks so dope. Awesome
Waw , amazing art my friend 👍👍👍
This art is just too awesome bravo @stahlberg
Amazing, thanks for the share!
Nice, loving this piece :-) it's great seeing your work on steemit. I remember back in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I was learning digital art and 3d, your art really had been an inspiration for my self. Acted as a sort of visual target :-) Keep on posting!
Thanks!
woh, old memories... were you on CGTalk by any chance? Or Sijun?
Yeah I was a super early member of cgtalk (in the first 200 members IRC) and Sijun to. Loved the speed painting threads on Sijun...what a great forum! I had some of the best constructive feedback from there.
Can't forget raph.com either, for my daily dose CG eye candy!!
Cgtalk back then was an amazing time, suddenly the world's cg artist's where chatting and sharing work and techniques. It was pre-zbrush days which for some will be like, so how did you work??
Topology was king , poly by poly Vs box modelling and which is greatest modelling app where hot topics!
I recently had this total moment of nostalgia when our lead character artist at work says... "I was digging through my old 3d reference files and boom found Nicks CGtalk topology images" :) from 18 years ago...
Reminds me I still remember your Maya skin shading tutorial from around the sametime , I tried to recreate it in Lightwave :)
Raph.com yeah I think that was the first place I joined!
Yeah kids today, have it too easy huh? :)
Aye way too easy :D it's reflected in the amount of quality cg artwork coming out from all the university and college students :)
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You did a great job intensifying the ugliness of the vampires by contrasting them with a pretty, innocent looking lady. If vampires were in the different setting I don't believe they would stand out as much as here.
I like more the final sketch you made :D... all those demons look creepy :S..... how can she manage to look so calm?? I'd be crying like the little baby I am haha. Awesome art!
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Awesome art!