Week 2: Painting into photos

In class we were given the task of painting boulders, based off the Moeraki Boulders, into a random beach photograph.

We used a custom tools set to try and make them look as natural as we could.  I particularly liked a colour shift brush which had an irregular shape as well as angle and colour jitter.

This is my first attempt which I painted in class.

Figure 1: Boulders on the beach

The positive feedback I received on this painting was:

• The rocks have complementary colouration to the original photo
• The perspective and sizing of the rocks 
• Good addition of water splashes

Things that needed improvement:

• The line work of the edges needs cleaning up
• There isn't enough distinction between the furthest rocks
• The shadows and highlights need a bit of work- the shadows are sharp but the highlights aren't so they are a bit unbalanced
• The rocks are also very smooth and may need some cracks and scratches added.

I had another go at this at home with one of my own photos that I think was more successful.

Figure 2: Second Attempt