[m_mecman]

the last light test is Fu#$% awesome!!! I love it!! great mood my friend!!
Keep it up!!! Nice progress!!

[helell]

Come on get to it, you have and army of undead to rise up! Hang on let me get my whip LOL Naw, your nearly there!

I like the lighting you have chosen for the scene It should set Josan's skintone off lovely. It's got a real moody feel to it.

[kelly_romeo]

Thank you Reivaj. Lighting is new territory for me, so your complements are most rewarding.

Mecman - you've raised me to a new level. I've never had anyone tell me my work was Fu#$% anything before! It's like a badge of honor. Thank YOU!

Helell - I'm raising up an undead army... or, at least just the first two, in ZBrush.

-Kelly Romeo

[romansro]

Hey,

Really nice work, very impressive modeling and archetecture, I am excited to see the skeletons and the cleric fighting.

I really like your lighting scheme, colored lights always make things more interesting. I was wondering if the doorway at the top of the stairs leads to another room or leads above ground and it's night-time outside? I think it's the latter, and maybe there is moonlight. You might consider trying out having a ray of blue volumetric moonlight coming in through the doorway and illuminating the fight, it might be pretty cool.

Good luck and keep working, you are doing awesome!

[D-Train]

Hello kelly, I just want to say you're doing a good job man. I sound like a robot saying( your doing a good job) but you're staying with it. Im blowed away buy your work and your work flow and how you staying with it. You have alot of energy man i love that man. i hope and praying that you make Zbrush do what you want it to do. with your skills it shouldn't be a problem. Kelly good luck man on your project man

[kelly_romeo]

Thanks D-Train. Just a few more days to go! We all gotta stick to it. Thanks for the encouragement, and you do the same. - Keep at it.

Romansro - thanks for stopping by. I've always believed that the top of the stairs leads to a balcony to the outside of some sort. (I guess I derived that from a memory of an image I'd seen of Strad von Zarovich [Ravenloft campaign setting] standing on a balcony surveying his land.) My original sketch suggested a bright exterior, but I think it?s much better as a cloudy night-time sky. Thanks for the suggestion of volumetric moonlight. I?m all over that. Expect to see it in the final image.

Ok, so now for the long overdue update: I?ve managed to learn just enough about ZBrush to have it do my bidding; or at least create a monstrosity out of the human model I made.
Anyway, here?s a very simplified undead Zombie-ish creature with low-poly bones and who-knows-what for a texture map. It?s rough, but it?ll be in a dark area of the picture so I?m hoping to be able to hide the obvious flaws.

More updates to follow,
-Kelly Romeo

[nebezial]

just hurry up man, there aint no point in tellin a joke if u aint got the punchline lol oh..and thats a rickin awesome light test

[kelly_romeo]

I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying! I certainly don't want to be without a punchline!

Only a few days left. The sweat beads are starting to show; the middle of the night panic attacks are setting in; the agony of hours waisted at work; all for the glory of a finished piece of art. Are we having fun yet? Yeah, me too.

Ok, thought I'd put the zombies in the scene and give some volumetric lights a try. (I think I may have them too cranked up a bit too high.) Much to do yet. Probably going to take a day off of work on Thursday and finish it up.

thanks ya'll. -Kelly

[kelly_romeo]

Another color test. Trying to find that perfect balance between light and dark, contrast, and color within foreground and background elements. [a big thanks to Ryan Merritt, a colleague of mine for color suggestion tips and tricks.]

[Also, thanks to my dnd group of 5 years for their motivational speeches; Phillip, Matt, Mark, Pauly and Amber. ?Game on!?]

[Siege]

Wow....looking cool...

If your going for moonlight streaming in...it would be a very light pale blue. And the torches come out like 75 watt lightbulb. Can't wait to see this one finished.

[kelly_romeo]

Siege - thanks for the tip. That's good to know. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

I've finished up the Jozan character as far as I wanted to go and then did some preliminary poses. (still deciding on a final pose.) Time is running out, so this is probably pretty close to the final (other than lighting and color touchups.) Looking back on the original sketch, this is pretty much what I had in mind when I started this project. I tried to keep it simple (but it didn?t always work out that way.) At any rate, I hope this successfully portrays a sense of Gothic Horror Fantasy ?and just in time for Halloween.

-Kelly

[kelly_romeo]

More changes, more tweaks, but nearly finished. (still need to add torch flames and light the holy symbol.)

Any last minute recommendations anyone?
-Kelly Romeo

[AvenGeR]

Nice render, i like the skeletons and the lighting is working well.. Maybe have sparks flaring off from the lighting strike..

[kelly_romeo]

AvenGeR - Thanks for the suggestion. I tried to create sparks, but had to give up. I couldn't get it to look right. I had these illusions of doing a half zombie disintegration thing; sorta like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Blade. Um... well, it's harder than it looks. Maybe next time. Anyway, even though this isn't quite what I had in mind it's what I had time for. Sometimes you just gotta cut a corner or two.

So, here?s my final submission to the contest. I want to thank all of you who offered suggestions and advice, and I wish everyone the best of luck. It?s up to the judges now. Honestly, I?d hate to be in their shoes; there?s a LOT of great talent in this competition and I?m sure it?s going to be real hard for them to make their decisions. I wouldn?t know where to begin. Their all great.

So, win or loose; I definitely walk away knowing a whole lot more than I came in with, so I'd call this a win-win situation.

Thanks everyone,
-Kelly Romeo

[Kraken]

Hi Kelly,

Nice job on your image! I love how the zombie is getting it in the head. Good lighting and environmental effects. Whatever the next contest is, I hope you're in it too!

-Krak

[kelly_romeo]

Krak,

Thank you very much. I've had a blast these last two weeks. It's always nice to have something to work on and look forward to. Though, it's not always easy to put in a full work schedule and still find time to work on art projects, but hey, that's why God invented 2am, right?

Whatever the next contest is, you can count me in! I need the practice. (My wife may have a thing or two to say about me entering another contest, but I'm certainly up for it. "see ya in another two months honey!" ) In the meantime, I think I'll relax. Battlefield2 has been calling my name. (so has mowing the yard, but I manage to tune that out.)

-Kelly

[kelly_romeo]

...I can't stand the wait. I keep coming back to check the boards, but for what? It's not like there's going to be an update. But I check anyway. So, I thought I'd add something, just for fun, that would be worth coming back to see. (an attempt at lame humor more likely.)

I call this happy bit of fiction, "Wishful Thinking."
Yeah, I know, it's cliche to insert your artwork over a favorite magazine, but I was bored and restless. (after 2 months of constant pushing, I don't remember how to sit still anymore.)

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.
-Kelly "you mean I have to get back to work now?" Romeo

[Sunstar]

Hi Kelly, really nice image , at first I thought that you have send it to the magazine, lol

Good luck

[kelly_romeo]

Glad you liked it. Like I said, "wishful thinking," right?