Awake (painting)

[Meltintalle]

This is what I did today. From Prince Caspian, it's the scene where Lucy meets Aslan in the woods.

Awake

Comments and constructive criticism welcomed.

[Narnian_Archer]

Wow, Meltintalle, it's beautiful!!! I just lvoe how you did the moonlight and the way you made Lucy's dress - it looks like it's actually twirling!! I'm a little confused with the proportions of Lucy's hand and Aslan...he looks like he's far away, and yet her hand is placed as though she is touching his mane. Maybe this is on purpose, although Aslan does not look as though he's an arm's length away. But altogether, it's a beautiful painting, and such a beautiful moment!! Lovely work!!

[wild rose]

wow, wow, wow, that is a real beautiful painting, it's very magical, and simply stunning! I especially love the designs on Lucy's dress, and the back ground is absoultely amazing. The painting is amazing, I really love it, beautiful job

[Windsong]

I am very impressed with your lovely painting. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Bravo!

Windsong

[ValiantArcher]

Ooh, very nice work, Mel! I love Lucy's hair and dress, and the landscape is very pretty. I think I see what Narnian_Archer is talking about: At first, I thought Lucy just had her hand raised in greeting, but in looking at it a bit more, it does look a bit like she has her hand on Aslan's mane which totally messes up the perspective. It's not at all a big deal---I only saw it that way because of what Narnia_Archer said---but perhaps if her hand were moved a little bit, it might look less like that... /ramble. At any rate, lovely work!

[7chronicles]

Wow! That is Beautiful Meltintalle!!!!
I LOVE it! I Love Lucy's Dress and how it twirls!
The coloring is beautifully done, just how I pictured it!!!!
I love how the moon is peeking just above the trees.
And the trees are also wonderfully done!
You really captured the feeling of this great scene!
Great, Great job!!!!

[Reepicheep775]

You painted that?! Amazing.

[Mehinen]

Oh, it's lovely!

I like most of all the trees and the light. It's so difficult to make the trees look real and that's precisely what you have done here. The moonlight coming through the leaves... just beautiful. The little plants are also great, just the right amount of detail to capture the viewer's attention. Lucy's dress has great folds and the embroidery brings it out well.

I'm not sure about Aslan's legs, though... There's something a little off in them, possibly because a lion's back legs are not straight. They bend a little like a horse's legs. And if Lucy's hand were a tiny bit lighter, it would show that the moonlight hits the hand and make sure that it doesn't look like Lucy is touching Aslan's mane.

But overall, even though I personally don't want to use the word "love" when it comes to art and such, I can say that I almost love this painting .

[De_De]

Wow, wow and a thousnad more WOWS!!!!!!!!!! Soooooo cool! I love it! I really like the way Lucy's skirt is spinning! Really, really cool!

[Meltintalle]

Narnian_Archer, Valia, and Mehinen: the hand. Yes. I've been thinking about it and I think it's because it's not obviously in a different space. I do need to work on that, so thank you for pointing it out. I've been considering trying to make Lucy's figure darker because she's further away from the light.

wild rose, funny you should mention the embroidery, because I thought about you while I was painting it!

Thank you so much Windsong, 7chronicles and De_De! Your kind words mean so much. (Also, thank you all for being consistent in pointing out that her skirt is twirling. I think I need a different reference for running figures. )

Reepicheep775, yep, I did. Some days I even amaze myself!

Mehinen, I'll work on my lions. I think the back leg might be too big, as well as bent funny.

[Hermitess of Narnia]

The way you captured the moonlight is so pretty. The emotions are wonderful. I love the picture and am so glad you posted it. The only thing that could be improved is that Aslan's legs look a little bit too stiff like a horse's.

[Aravanna]

I keep forgetting to post how much I love this painting Mel! It's absolutely gorgeous! Love all the texture in the plants, the lighting from the moon, Lucy's stunning dress, and how it looks like she's spinning!

I would say that it looks like she's touching Aslan, as other's have mentioned, but that's a minor gripe.

How long did it take you do paint this and what media is it?

[stargazer]

I really like this - you've done a great job capturing the lighting in this nightime scene. (It reminds me of one of my favorite pastimes, camping in the woods under a full moon!)

I also like the shadows of Lucy and Aslan, as well as the detail in her dress. Well done!

[Meltintalle]

Thanks so much for the comments, Hermitess.

Ara, I'm so glad you like it! It's all digital, I'd end up with paint all over me and not on the canvas if I tried doing it traditionally. I did it in Photoshop and it took somewhere between 5 and 6 hours. If anyone is interested there's a sort of peek behind the scenes at it here.

Thanks, gazer! The shadow was one of the things in the description of the scene that stood out to me in a recent reading, so I had to include it.

[Adeona]

That's so beautiful! Your costume design is lovely as always, and the coloring is so cool and yet welcoming. I like the peep of the moon and stars between the trees, as well.

The "Making of" is very interesting and helpful. This is a bit of a silly question, but do you use a tablet connected to your Photoshop? If not, how do you manage such accurate work with a mouse?

[Meltintalle]

No, it's not a silly question, Adeona! I should have thought of that myself. I do have a tablet and the pressure sensitivity and flow settings are my best friend in something like this.