The Spirit World

I recently got around to having some large scale matte prints done at Staples. Very expensive but I think the results are worth it.

Ashteran and Aurora found themselves in a beautiful but eerily familiar place.



ASHTERAN: Is this the place from our dreams? Is this where we meet...him?



TREY: Indeed it is. But do you know why, Children of The Dreamstar?



TREY: You, Ashteran, whose eyes have been eclipsed by the dark...



TREY: And you, Aurora, whose eyes have been blinded by the light...



TREY: But I can help you find your way back to the truth. Come, sit with me...




TREY: Now, take my hands. Where you must go, it must be together.




AURORA: Ashteran, this stairway - I remember it, don't you? This is where we lost our way...but also how we find it again. Are you ready?




ASHTERAN: This is it - we're back in the real world. But things have...changed.



AURORA: Is that...a Giant's skeleton?

Gorgeous prints -- and, of course, figures!

How eerily and Intriguing. I hope their is no sad ending

Interesting plot line. Is this the start of a new story line? The prints look awesome. What did that set you back at Staples, if you don’t mind my asking?

Great job, puts your Dios to the next level. Transition between waterfall and foreground feels very organic and seamless.

The tall grass on the second one makes the figures look a bit tiny though, but well, the world has changed maybe that's the plan.

Is Aurora on a diet or is it the clothes?

Wow, those printed backgrounds photograph really well, and you did a great job blending them into the foreground. Wonderfully surreal story, strange and dreamlike. Thoroughly enjoy it.

Great work once again. Thank you for sharing.

Stryker2011 wrote:Interesting plot line. Is this the start of a new story line? The prints look awesome. What did that set you back at Staples, if you don’t mind my asking?

It's something like that. The actual story is still a jumbled mess in my mind...I just have various short scenarios I'm telling out of order. As for the prints I got five 24×36 for around $30 each. So around $170 w/ taxes. I was still shocked, as it's literally the most I've ever spent on paper. I still have a few I haven't shown here yet.

Ovy wrote:Great job, puts your Dios to the next level. Transition between waterfall and foreground feels very organic and seamless.

The tall grass on the second one makes the figures look a bit tiny though, but well, the world has changed maybe that's the plan.

Is Aurora on a diet or is it the clothes?

I agree, but yeah it's one of those deals where various things have been mutated to large scale for a Wonderland-type vibe.

Aurora has a new body, I wanted one a bit more athletic and tall for future action scenes. But storywise, yes she has been training and doing a lot of cardio.

ReverendSpooky wrote:Wow, those printed backgrounds photograph really well, and you did a great job blending them into the foreground.  Wonderfully surreal story, strange and dreamlike.  Thoroughly enjoy it.

I'm glad they turned out so well too, a few were taken a long time ago with a lesser quality digital camera and I was afraid the resolution would not be too good, but they got the job done. Thanks for the praise again, I know our universes have different tones and overall polish, but at the same time I can imagine our characters coexisting and interacting in some alternate dimension or something, haha.

I like the backdrops and how you blended the foreground into them. Did you get them printed on paper or plastic?

very expensive background, you mentioned...well, that's how to keep this hobby expensive, on top of the already expensive figures!

great diorama as usual!

I've got an OLED TV and have started experimenting with using that as a backdrop. Can't get the photography lighting right. Either there are reflections on the screen, or it is too dark, or the brightness from the screen causes back-light issues. It does seem to be a lot better than regular LCD TV's.

That's cool, and you blend in everything really well. I actually thought you had made that staircase and window part for an instant.

shazzdan wrote:I like the backdrops and how you blended the foreground into them. Did you get them printed on paper or plastic?

It's just a high quality paper, but some have already slightly creased in places and could probably be easily torn. I guess next time I will have to ask if there's a similar matte that's more durable and long-lasting.

shazzdan wrote:I've got an OLED TV and have started experimenting with using that as a backdrop. Can't get the photography lighting right. Either there are reflections on the screen, or it is too dark, or the brightness from the screen causes back-light issues. It does seem to be a lot better than regular LCD TV's.

When I got my very first TBLeague body I attempted to use my laptop screen as a background because it was one of those reversible flippy-foldy type laptops, then also my TV screen, but yeah the reflections and lighting are dealbreakers unless you have some kind of higher quality non-reflective screen.

Theboo-bomb wrote:That's cool, and you blend in everything really well. I actually thought you had made that staircase and window part for an instant.

I was also pleased with the seamless illusion in that one. I DO still have an unused window frame and have some experience making staircases, so I may give it a go in the future.

AlKelAstra91 wrote:It's just a high quality paper, but some have already slightly creased in places and could probably be easily torn. I guess next time I will have to ask if there's a similar matte that's more durable and long-lasting.

Printed vinyl is supposed to be more durable.

Those backdrops are stunning -- imo, it's well worth the money for stuff like that! They really do add another dimension to the scene!

And I did notice Aurora's new shape, but wondered if maybe it was just her 'dream/spirit' form, lol.

AlKelAstra91 wrote:

ReverendSpooky wrote:Wow, those printed backgrounds photograph really well, and you did a great job blending them into the foreground.  Wonderfully surreal story, strange and dreamlike.  Thoroughly enjoy it.

I'm glad they turned out so well too, a few were taken a long time ago with a lesser quality digital camera and I was afraid the resolution would not be too good, but they got the job done. Thanks for the praise again, I know our universes have different tones and overall polish, but at the same time I can imagine our characters coexisting and interacting in some alternate dimension or something, haha.

Nah man, you're doing top notch work, and I love the tone of your stories.  There's a really unique aesthetic to all of your character designs, and an overall quirk and dark playfulness that stands all on it's own.  And your clothing designs are all things I'd buy in real life.  Have you ever checked out a manga (and now anime series) called Dorohedoro?  I feel like it operates on some of the same wavelengths.  Strong feeling you'd dig it.  

And I'd love to see a Radio Kings or House of Seasons crossover!

AlKelAstra91 wrote:

shazzdan wrote:I've got an OLED TV and have started experimenting with using that as a backdrop. Can't get the photography lighting right. Either there are reflections on the screen, or it is too dark, or the brightness from the screen causes back-light issues. It does seem to be a lot better than regular LCD TV's.

When I got my very first TBLeague body I attempted to use my laptop screen as a background because it was one of those reversible flippy-foldy type laptops, then also my TV screen, but yeah the reflections and lighting are dealbreakers unless you have some kind of higher quality non-reflective screen.

 
Yeah the TV/monitor thing can be tricky.  I've seen it work in the right circumstances, and been unable to dodge that glare in others.  I actually worried about the glare with printable as well though, although these worked flawlessly. And the backlight can actually be your friend too. I used a monitor for the wastelands behind my radio station dio, and I think the glow actually helps it look like light coming in from outside.  That, and it's sitting in an otherwise dark alcove behind the dio, so that minimizes the concern about glare.  But pics like these (and Blackpool's always stunning photos) definitely have me tempted to try the printable route.