Anger

[Seven]

I really do think you're exaggerating your pictures 'flaws.' It looks really good. And if you still don't like it, well, don't feel discouraged. We all have our good and bad pics, and in the end, each new pic is generally better than the old ones. One day, when you achieve the effect you were going for, you'll only smile looking back at this picture, the way we grin at our 'dated artwork.'

We'd have to just think of it as a random, fun thing to do--a cute, non-serious project. And then we can both laugh at ourselves when we inevitably fail, and start complementing each others pictures for being so much better. ;D

[Asila]

*shakes her head* I have no idea how you can be so charitable. I hate that picture so much that I can't stand to look at it. I'm even considering deleting it off of my computer. I even feel bad for deciding to give it to you, just because I think it's not good enough. Yeah, that's right. It is not worthy of your presence.

All right, I made my bad joke. Now I feel a little bit better. *frowns* Why does mocking things make me happy?

As for the landscape thing, you know, I can just see the two of us arguing for ten minutes about how the painting of the other is clearly the better of the two. *grins* Oh, I have a question. What kind of landscape would we be painting? I'm guessing it won't be a landscape that includes a sunset, or a night scene, or a forest covered by snow. It's going to be a tree-lined river on a clear summer day, or something to that effect, isn't it? I really wish we could do a sunset or a moon-lit landscape. That would be so cool, but I'm guessing that the producers of the video didn't share my tastes.

[Seven]

Why do you have to say that! I like it god damn it! *crosses arms* You do realize that by offending your picture, you are now offending my tastes in pictures?

Actually, the video does have sunsets. No moons, unfortunately. But yeah, all of them incorporate water like lakes or rivers. I haven't really touched my oils since my first god awful picture. *grumbles* That, and I didn't have turpentine when I began working (I was naive and ignorant), so I wrecked my brushes. I felt so awful!

[Asila]

All right, I've decided that this picture has a chance at becoming good after all! *ignores Seven's earlier protests about the picture being good already*

So here's the link. I've fixed his left hand and begun to work on the right, but the finished had already looks so cool. More the way a hand should look if it was lit behind by light.

i38.tinypic.com/ejseg1.jpg

[Seven]

Wow! That looks so cool! You're right, the left hand looks way better than the right now that I see them side by side. It's astounding. The left one looks so realistic! I love it, and I can't wait to see what you do with the rest of it!

[Asila]

I hate to say I told you so, but...I told you so. *grins* I knew I could do better. This hand matches up now with my vision, and if I can do the same with the face...well, I'll be much happier. I won't feel as though I failed anymore. And trying to match on paper what I see in my head is really important to me, because I see so much but I never get a chance to work with any of it because I'm afraid that I lack the skills I need to put what I see in my head on paper or canvas. But if I can shade the rest of this picture as well as I shaded the hand, I'll have more faith in my skill.

I can't wait to finish it! I think I'm going to finish the other hand tonight and begin work on the face, then sleep on it and try to finish it tomorrow. I'm beginning to get really excited over this.

[Seven]

*hands up in defeat* Ok, ok, you win...this time. *grins* I'm really happy for you though, and I'm impressed. I didn't realize that the old picture could be so vastly improved. So of course I can't wait to see the rest. *laughs* But once you've completed it, are you sure you're going to want to part with it? After all, the original intention was to give it to me so you wouldn't destroy it in anger (irony). But if it comes out like you desired...perhaps you'll want to keep it?

[Asila]

How could you not notice? The colors were flat and blended so poorly that they made Molly's face look older. There was just no depth to the picture. And if you think the left hand looks good in comparison to the right, well, I already darkened the right hand a bit. It had been as pale/bright as his face. So the contrast had been even greater.

But now...now I should be able to make this picture look as dark and brooding as I had always intended. I just hope that I can pull it off, because I'll be really disappointed if I mess something else up. I've gotten myself so excited now. *shakes head*

As for keeping the picture, I think I'll still be glad to give it away. You need a formal Molly portrait, too, and by the time I've finished this...well, I'll probably be giddy and cheerful (assuming I succeed) for one hour. Then I'll start picking out flaws and things I could have done better. So it will be better off in your hands.

And even if I didn't pick apart everything I do, once you stare at something for so many hours, you don't really want to look at it anymore. Somehow, something you've done yourself never seems as cool as something someone else did. Or that's how my mind works, at least.

[Asila]

All right, it's not perfect quite yet, but it's much improved. Here's what I've finished tonight along with the version that had I had been so disappointed in. Just to compare them.

Before:


After:


I want to try to make Molly's face just as realistic as his hands, but it's improved quite a bit, hasn't it? I'm pretty happy right now.

And here's the full-size version, in case you want to see it, Seven.
i33.tinypic.com/orqzgx.jpg

You know, I'm comparing the scanner version with the original, and it is only half as pretty. In the original, Molly's eyes really seem to glow. But the scanner has dulled the reds so much that they don't seem bright enough in this version. I'm really beginning to hate my scanner.

[Seven]

Wow...
It's really intense to put the before and after. But a great idea, since you really can see the difference. *grins* Alright, so now in your first version, the room just seemed sort of dim, making his skin look darker and reflect the little bit of glow from his eyes. But in this second, I'm getting that the room has no light, save for the eerie glowing of his eyes. only THAT light is capturing his features. And it looks so good! You can even see the vague outline of his shirt sleeves with that dim light. It does really make it seem that much darker and brooding. And angry of course! I'm so happy you pulled it off--I don't think I would have been able to! You're amazing! His hands look especially awesome, and you do get a really strong sense of three-D from them, i.e., they look closer and touchable. I can't wait to see it in real life, since we both seem to have chronic scanner syndrome, and I imagine the eyes and thus, the rest of the picture, would like that much more amazing.

*squeals* Are you sure Asila? Thank you anyways! I'll treasure it always!