Harry Potter and the Alternate Universe

Where the Hungarian Horntail was a Druddigon.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Attempting: Druddigon
Tier: Complex
Requirements: Two images, 70+

 

Okay, I'm claiming this so that I'll force myself to curate it soon, instead of putting it off like I have been.

 

Harry Potter and the Alternate Universe Curation
@EmBreon;

First Image:

Form

First off, I love crossover pieces. It is super fun creating and viewing work like this. I enjoyed these two pieces very much, just like your Lion King version.

I think the scene chosen really works too. The adapted form of Druddigon to look more stock-dragonish is great. I especially like the piercing eyes and smoothing of the head and body in general for a smoother, less blocky style than the official art. I have no complaints about the Druddigon's basic structure. Things that are different fit with the style and theme you were going for.

It might be that the head is just slightly too big compared to the angle and size of the body. When I look at it, that's what sticks out as being off. I like the positioning of the body, but the head is just a little awkward, even with the arm and shoulder stepping out.

The closer wing too, strikes me as a little odd. I think that's because of the shading between the prongs. To me the appendage looks like it's laying mostly flat, so the shadows confuse me. I do see a slight difference between the bone structure with the scales and then the smooth part, but if you were going for that membrane-like look, I don't think it's transparent enough. The back side of wings are sometimes more solid in color like these as well, but if that's what you were going for, I think the bone support could've been a little bit more defined to make that more obvious. What if the wing was tilted downward a little more on the end? That might make the shadows look more natural. Overall, well done, though.


Technique

I love the little details you put into this. Adjusting things like the tail spikes so they're small is really neat and realistic. I really like the scales too, since they add texture. The spit's a nice touch too. Those little things really make a picture work for me.

I can't exactly tell where this is happening, if it's still at the arena in Goblet of Fire or if its in the vault under the bank. I'm kinda thinking the former only because of the wood. The stone reminded me of a dungeonish setting (as well as a gray floor, that looks like stone). The light and shadows work for the most part here, especially under the dragon's appendages.

What happens if you play around with tone/mood a bit there? I like the picture as is, but what if it wasn't outside? I think a darker tone overall might convey a more dreadful/scary/intimidating mood, since this is a dangerous dragon someone has encountered. It would change a lot of the light and make some aspects sharper, but I think it would be a fun experiment to try next time.

Background

Like I said before, I'm not 100% sure where this takes place, split between indoors in some sort of stone place (as indicated by the floor and wall) or outside in an arena thing, although it's probably an arena like in the 4th book. I think what threw me off the most was the almost wavy quality of the ground because of the light patches. I'm okay with highlights since those are realistic, but the ground doesn't really seem flat like a slab of stone would be, and the color doesn't suggest that it's dirt. I think the majority of what's causing the wavy look are the two diagonal streaks of white on the left side of the head. If its a rocky pane, maybe some sharp cuts or etches would help? Likewise, stains or vegetation growing out of the cracks might also provide clues.

I do love the concrete block wall in the background, though. The moss especially. I think the monochrome background helps the dragon pop, particularly the head because it's red. I would just like a little more clarification of what the ground is. Repeating the moss on the ground could be cool.

Score

Overall, it's awesome, and I would love to see more. I give this a 75/70, so it passes.

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Second Image:

Form

As always, this is a beautiful piece. Druddigon was well-adapted to dragon-form. I like the diagonal positioning in this one too, since it shows motion better.

That being said, this picture is a bit of a safe pose. While it's really cool, there's not a lot of dynamic in it. I love the steam coming out of the Druddigon's nostrils—I think that's a great touch. But what other clues do we have that the dragon is angry? The eyes are very piercing too, but other than the smoke and eyes (and obviously that the dragon appears to be chasing Harry), we only get implied mood. The first image showed mood in the dragon very well with the snapping mouth in the foreground. While this image is different, a similar effect can still be achieved. What if the dragon's mouth was open and it was glowing with fire? Or if it was roaring or trying to bite the wizard? That might add an interesting and more complex layer to it.

The perspective of the piece could also do that. I like this pose, but what if the camera had been looking down into the face of the nearing dragon? Showing off Harry is really cool (and it looks just like the book art to me, so that is double awesome), but what if we only saw a clip of him as he rushed off the page? That would also give you the opportunity to show how far away the ground actually is (we get a taste of that with the curve on the arena, but can't really compare it to much with just a slide), which increases the risk/danger. Another thing to think about for another piece.

Technique

Again, I love the small details. The wings are probably my favorite aspect of this one, since the bone structure is clearly defined, and the veins can be seen in the closest wing. They also have that thin, membrane-like quality to them which makes it much more realistic for me. I really like the spikes too. The grooves and highlights you gave them make them seem rugged and not smooth, which makes sense on a dragon.

The small action lines and slight blurring around the characters also aids in the in-motion look. The shadows are very nice and smooth, particularly under the Druddigon. The same can be said for the highlights. I am very pleased with the little things you put into this piece.

Background

I like the softer background in this case, as the blurred tones really contrast nicely with the sharper Druddigon and Harry. It puts just a titch more emphasis on the focus, which I like very much. I guess the only thing I'm unsure about are the brighter lines in the water. To me, it makes the lake/ocean seem a lot closer than it should be, given that the characters are flying decently high above the crowd (as seen by the clip of the arena). The highlights may be slightly too defined in this case.

I guess if I had to be picky, I would also say some other clue to height would be nice. You do show a clip of the arena, but I'm unsure how big that actually is. The flags are a nice touch for this, but it's still hard to envision. This is where maybe a slightly alerted perspective may have come in handy.

I can't really say too much against it, really. The details in the arena are pretty nice, and the sky and hills fill the rest of the space pretty nicely. It doesn't detract from the foreground, but it's not awkward to look at either, so I like it.

Score

I really liked this piece. Everything was smooth and looked like it fit together. While some things such as mood and perspective could've maybe been heightened, it's still a very solid piece. I give it 70/70 meaning Druddigon is captured! Enjoy~

 

Hooray! Thanks so much, Winter! That's some very helpful insight, I really appreciate it. Some of this will definitely be put into practice. And yes, the scenes were both from the arena of Task 1 in the Goblet of Fire.

I wonder why photobucket broke all my links...