UkuleleMoon on DeviantArthttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/https://www.deviantart.com/ukulelemoon/art/Digital-Painting-Map-of-Skulls-495587162UkuleleMoon

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Digital Painting: Map of Skulls

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▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩ Attention Viewers! ۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

:iconreadplz: Please read the entire description below before commenting or sending me a derogatory note. If you do not follow these rules I will ignore you and hide your comment. :chainsaw:

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩ Description of this Artwork  ۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

“It was called the Smiling War because it left so many skulls, white and grinning, in the fields.” ― Stefan BachmannThe Peculiar

:iconukulelemoon::iconsaysplz: I was thinking about my OC Ukulele Moon and her love of old treasure maps when I drew this piece. It was originally a study of the human skull that I goofed up. Normally I post a stand-alone piece to compliment the larger pictures but it wasn't worth it. I just screwed it up too badly to fix and this was the result. I like this picture not because it's anatomically accurate but because it just has that 'campy' feel to it that my OC has about her. It looks like something you would buy in the Paisley Islands gift store before you departed. Informative links provided below.

I haven't given up on my skull study. I am going to try again and get a better result. Of this I know! Well, still you can enjoy this funky little piece.

Here is a related piece of artwork that inspired this one:

New Header Image by UkuleleMoon

I think I am going to be drawing more Paisley Island inspired artwork in the coming future.

Genre of Artwork: Digital Painting
Informative Links: www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio…
Artwork Created by: UkuleleMoon
Can this artwork be used, modified or transferred in some way?: Banner: Not Allowed - General by pjuk:police:
:daprints:Available?: No.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩ Deviant Art Community Artists ۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

:twocents: Here’s my two cents for you.  It is my wish to touch as many under-recognized artists as possible in the :dalogo: Community. :dalove: I do this through contributions to the :devart: Community in many forms beyond my own artwork.  Here are some points of interests about me, UkuleleMoon

:bulletred: Please feel free to critique my work. Please keep your comments constructive.
:bulletpink: Leave comments, let me know what you think. I often visit your page as a result.
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:bulletblack: Contact me on :googleplus: or :emailsend: @ Moonkulele@Gmail.Com. It also works for AOL Instant Messenger.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩ Additional Credits and References ۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

Original Vector Artist: :fella: None.
Additional Vectors or Resource Artist(s): :fella: None.
Background Image Artist: :fella: None.
Stock Image Photographer: :fella: None.

If this is a ‘Digital Painting’ References Used: Creative Commons Image Libraries for poses and ideas. Generally a non-attributed image that is ‘Free to use’ but must be altered in some way. All of my images, unless otherwise stated in the description are illustrations with no graphic manipulation involved. If anything has been used in error, let me know via a :email: note and I will promptly fix the issue. :firelite-photo:

If this is a ‘Fan Artwork’ References Used:  Fan Artwork is generally derived from vectors made from screen shots of the original artwork and then modified in some way. Some of my work is free-hand or just ‘show inspired’ and will be made evident in the description. If a piece of fan art work has not been properly attributed or credit, please let me know via a :email:note and I will fix any issues regarding this problem. No fan artwork is used in a commercial sense as it is not an original concept or idea and therefore illegal to reproduce in that context. I do not claim ownership over those characters, shows or concepts. :pokeball:

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░۩۞۩ Programs and Tools ۩۞۩░▒▓█▇▅▃▂

Stamp - Photoshop User by firstfear Stamp - Illustrator User by firstfear Stamp - Inkscape User by firstfear Stamp - Paint Tool Sai User by firstfear Stamp - Gimp User by firstfear

I do use a variety of brushes, filters, fonts, plug-ins and effects to create my artwork as well and may or may not choose to list that technique in the above description.  If you like my signature font, it’s called j.d. and available via Google Searches.
Image size
1920x1279px 4.58 MB
Comments22
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Laurazee's avatar
:star::star::star::star-half::star-empty: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Vision
:star::star::star::star-empty::star-empty: Originality
:star::star::star::star-empty::star-empty: Technique
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Impact

This is the first piece that drew my eye in your gallery. You have a lot to like.

Digital painting. I don't know how it works, so my comments are going to be strictly on the aesthetic look of the piece. Color and form and style, which is probably all I'm qualified to talk about anyway.

It speaks to my thoughts on digital painting that this was the first piece that caught my eye and you say, "it was originally a study of the human skull that I goofed up." I’m not going to get all Bob Ross on digital painting, but that's the one thing that bugs me about digitally created work: it can very easily look mechanical with copy-and-paste detail. The lines are too straight, the perfection too unreal, and the transitions too smooth. This one doesn't do that.

I like the different sized eyes. That speaks to quirky. I'm not sure about the shape of them. The little bites out of them seem like they should be referring to something but I can't think of anything beyond typical anime stuff or Pac Man. What is the stylistic reference?

I like the texture—there's enough of it to *seem* random, and the best part is the way it looks like an old Treasure map from pirates. As I stare at it, I can see the repetition but it takes a lot of staring. Be cool to add some folds and highlights as if the thing was crumpled paper.

Color. You've captured the "old map" look well with the gold tones and swirls. I like the earthy greens and golds. Maybe you could add some "map color ocean blue" if you ever want to experiment? I'm sure you can imagine the tone -- sort of a watercolory aqua because it almost feels like this skull could be an island unto itself rather than in a field of something earthy. However, the simplicity of the palette is a strong point. I go overboard with color, so restrained palettes always attract my attention.

I'd also be curious to see what the irises of the eyes look with red tones in them. Like an old illustration out of Treasure Island somehow hybridized with The Terminator. That would be very postmodern. The eyes look completely modern and digital but everything else is not. That elevates the meaning: what treasure are we seeking in a digital age?

Form. Centered skull in a horizontal page is basically a pirate's flag. That's not a bad composition. I wouldn't change anything there but I might play around with adding some kind of detail at the bottom that makes it look like a modern day architectural or schematic drawing because I like to politicize everything and turn it into a cartoon. Like you could add a directional symbol and instead of North South East West have it represent something more digital. G for Google could be North, F for Facebook could be East, and so on.

Style: You're mimicking a woodcut look with the black lines and bits. It's appealing. Vary some of the line shapes and make some outlines much thicker and some less so. I like what you've done with the nose. It looks just random enough to see shapes but not, which is perfect. It might also be interesting to do a "digitized" woodcut of binary 1s and 0s just to put a message in it. Matrixy but not.

What else? Aesthetically, the whole piece is nice to look at. The "pirate map" feel makes it especially interesting and overall the organic tones and the woodcut texture is what makes this piece stand out to me. Plus, probably, the fact that it evolved from a mistake you couldn't fix. What was that mistake, anyway? Because it's pretty cool to look at and should be much higher up in your gallery!