Time Change Poster -- Fall 2014

Well, it’s getting close to that time when those of us in the US come off Daylight Savings time. (Why we still do this, I don’t know… but we do.)

For the last few years, in part as an “ongoing” look at my progression as a blender artist and to push myself further, I’ve been revisiting this scene, learning new things and adding details I couldn’t before. I’ve got a couple of months to work on this, so some of my time in September and October will be getting this project ready.

Here’s what I had for the spring leap forward:


One image is the composited “night” version (to get a feel for the final effect) and the other is a “day lit” version. This was actually just before I finished one or two details, like the texturing on the phone and on the cabin on top of the dresser. A couple of the models on here are from blendswap, but most of this is my own work.

Some of the plans for this year include finishing up the modeling on the nightstand (I know… it’s not in the shot here, but someday, I might want to shoot that part that isn’t finished, so I’d like to do that), swap out some of the blendswap items for some of my own (first thing that comes to mind is swapping the teddy bear for my plush tiger), and make use of some of my 30 days of sculpting models to add more interest on the dresser. I’m thinking of adding more stuff (particularly on the dresser) and possibly swapping out a few materials. For the most part, though, the core modeling of what you see here isn’t going to change much (this time around).

While I do have my own thoughts on the changes I’d like to make, I’m open to suggestions on things I can do to improve my results, both from what you see here initially and as I make changes over the next two months.

This will eventually have text added and printed, so keep that in mind with the suggestions, and remember, the end result is a night scene!

Attachments


I basically have this next week to week and a half to work on this one. Above is the one I did primarily last year (with minor updates in the spring). I’m going to swap out a few things based on things I’ve done in the last year, but would like any comments on composition, etc that I can use to make this better. This is just the base I’m working from this go round.

Thanks for any comments!


Okay… Here’s a first look at the updated version. So far, all I have done is take out all but the wallet that I got from BlendSwap last year and put in some of my own models. Dresser is finally starting to look like I originally envisioned for it, though I could push it further. Though that stuff is more for “filler” to make it feel lived in.

Hard to see at this small size and low samples, but there’s a Suzanne head on the top small shelf and an ant that I did as part of a project for the Mastering Modeling in Blender workshop. All the other “statuettes” are from my 30 day sculpting challenge I did back in June.

Already seeing a few ideas for changes, but looking for some fresh perspective as well. Lighting will eventually go like the one above, with the focus being on the phone with the date and time on it (which I still haven’t done in the newer version yet). Thanks for any input!


A new piece for the time change poster. This will go somewhere on the dresser.


Closing in on my final look for this scene. Looking for comments and suggestions. Still have a couple of days to add in some finishing touches before I have to run the final render. (I have simply option checked, which is why the lamp shade isn’t completely round. Space to the left is for some text, which will add the missing balance. Any other suggestions fair game!)

One goal of this is to make it look like a night scene. The main “focus” of the image itself is the time on the phone screen. Everything else is mainly there to help the space feel used.

With all this in mind, any suggestions you have are appreciated and welcome! Help me make this the best it can be! (I’m trying to have this ready by Thursday night, so I’ll have to start final full size render by Tuesday or Wednesday!)

I almost feel like an optometrist asking “is it better here, or here?” But here goes. Remembering that this is supposed to be a night scene, does the one in the post above or in this post look better?


A
I hooked my laptop up to my TV, which I switched to a “Calibrated dark” display and worked with the color balance node, and this is the result. On my laptop, this comes off as extremely bright, but on the TV, it looked less intense on the brightness. This will eventually be printed, so I know the “brighter” version will do better as far as a print, but I’m not trusting just my own screens, since I’ve gotten a wide array of responses on how this looks. I think the blue gives it more of the night time look and feel (kind of what we’re used to seeing in movies, at least) while keeping things somewhat recognizable. The trick is finding the right balance, which is where feedback is immensely helpful!


Getting close now. Don’t want to go much lighter than this or it starts to lose the night time feel, but I think this will work. Main thing left is rendering to proper size and doing the text overlay.

I think it may be getting a tad too saturated, less in the most recent view, but still quite overpowered. Generally quite well done, but I am unsure of exactly what is going on quite.