Alright, so the first thing you'll notice is that this looks way better than my other pieces of work. Why? When I do art like this, it's NOT drawing or making things from nothing. I use my skills with manipulating photos to make something new. Pictures like these...I make these out of many many many different pictures, desktop backgrounds, and renders. I merge them all into something new and unique to me, depending on what I feel like making. If you don't consider it art, okay. I respect that. Some people paint/draw some amazing things way better than what i make, and they deserve more credit and praise.
This is made up of 16 pictures. It's the Kerning Swamp/Kerning City with a realistic touch. This is a tribute to thieves!
Storytime..i'll try to keep it under control. I tend to ramble (sorry for all you tl;dr). This is based around my Shadower.
When I took the boat from Maple Island, rumors were being spread around the ship that deep within the city, the Dark Lord is recruiting able bodied people to join his organization. Since I was striving to become a master thief to bring wealth to my poor family, this rumor was too good to not check out. The trip itself was pretty hectic. There were 4 of us at the beginning of this journey. We've had to dodge countless Ligators and Jr. Neckis. Two of us weren't so lucky and were dragged into the deep dark corners of the swamps by Ligators, probably to be feasted on. We had tried to help them, but in the end it was futile, and we were too weak. When I got stronger, I will come back, and I will look for and save them..or their remains to give them the proper burial they deserved. This stranger and I decided not to talk about it while we would sit next to our fires over the next few days, always half awake in fear of suffering the same fate as our past comrades. Over one of the fires of the last few days, he had asked about me and my past. As I told him about me and my dreams, he just nodded and listened quietly. When I was done, I asked him what his story was, and he wouldn't tell me anything. He flat out told me he didn't want to say anything. I thought that was a bit odd. This converstaion stuck with me later on while we traveled. As our journey had continued, we started to see a glow against the trees and the mist. We were getting closer to Kerning City! Just as I was about to tell him we made it, I heard congrats kid...you passed. It was my traveling partner's voice. Confused, I turned around as I heard a poof noise. I saw nothing except a small wisp of smoke quickly disappearing. I had no idea what this meant, but I wasn't going to wait in this nasty swamp any longer. Kerning City and this Dark Lord better be ready for me, because I've arrived!
47 Comments • Newest first
I like it and I would definitely consider you an artist and you deserve praise for your work, it's great and I admire your skill. If anyone doesn't consider it a great skill then I dare you to try it lol. Great job
Well you saying that makes me feel really awesome about myself! Thank you for informing me
[quote=thenvs]Hmm browsing over the comments..so real..because it's made up of real pictures? Photoshop? Yes. I use Photoshop. I thought adding the snakes/alligators would be too much. Guess not..oh well. It's supposed to look realistic. Photo-manipulation and maplestory..well people like it. Good enough for me. Matte painter..?[/quote]
A matte painter is someone who essentially collages real photographs together using editing programs to create new images, often combining them with actual paintings. Most often the backgrounds of movies are paintings built up using photographs. It's also a technique used in concept art to quickly create environments, as well as adding an additional layer of realism for works that need it.
[url=http://www.fxguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/wayne/f_7_swords05.jpg]It's a really good skill to have.[/url]
Amazing as always Nathan
[quote=Splutter]Photomanipulation is all about being realistic- which maplestory is clearly trying to be the opposite of. Trying to transition from one to the other can be possible, but you lose one or the other in the process. As for the artist, he's lost the "maplestory feeling" of the piece. If he tried to make it more relatable, he would lose the realistic aspect of photomanipulation.
@thenvs: This pertains to you as well.[/quote]
I still don't see why not, it's just a style, for me i like to see how MS would look like irl
[quote=juni]interesting work you have here, i like the story too. it's a little strange how the trees farther in the background are kind of transparent but overall it has a nice atmosphere and composition. don't be discouraged from deviating from the norm and pursue your photomanipulations (you've improved a lot!), i enjoy seeing unique takes like this on a subject such as maplestory.[/quote]
I knew how to do things like this long before my other pieces. I used those other ones to play around and learn more to contribute to artwork like this. This isn't the first one I've done like this..but my many others aren't maple related.
interesting work you have here, i like the story too. it's a little strange how the trees farther in the background are kind of transparent but overall it has a nice atmosphere and composition. don't be discouraged from deviating from the norm and pursue your photomanipulations (you've improved a lot!), i enjoy seeing unique takes like this on a subject such as maplestory.
[quote=Psydei]I don't see why not[/quote]
Photomanipulation is all about being realistic- which maplestory is clearly trying to be the opposite of. Trying to transition from one to the other can be possible, but you lose one or the other in the process. As for the artist, he's lost the "maplestory feeling" of the piece. If he tried to make it more relatable, he would lose the realistic aspect of photomanipulation.
@thenvs: This pertains to you as well.
[quote=Splutter]Photomanipulation and maplestory don't go together.[/quote]
I don't see why not
I don't like the big gaping opening that goes down the middle, otherwise it's pretty great
Thats pretty cool. C:
Love it as always Nathan ^_^ so mystical!
[quote=klydekiss]@evilslasher: Ahh I see where you are getting at however imagine that this swamps pointing at the location of Kerning mall, which happens to be in a more prosperous region of Kerning City (You can see a poster of the surroundings of Kerning mall plastered on the inside, it shows Kerning mall in the middle of a pretty beautiful city).
Especially because Kerning is designed after NYC, its typical to see run down buildings as well as high rise buildings.
It's even more typical that the malls in NYC would be located in a daintier neighborhood and establishment.
Just putting a little spin on it in hopes it changes your perspective on the image [/quote]
Who knows..the swamp could run around all the way to the daintier neighborhood If you noticed I made it so the city seemed far enough across the body of water for a reason. When I made the city, it actually had an old, crumbled look with the skyscrapers in the background..when I re-sized it, it didn't stick out like I thought it would, and I became impatient..so I scrapped the idea and went with this
one of my favorite pictures in basilmarket.
@evilslasher: Ahh I see where you are getting at however imagine that this swamps pointing at the location of Kerning mall, which happens to be in a more prosperous region of Kerning City (You can see a poster of the surroundings of Kerning mall plastered on the inside, it shows Kerning mall in the middle of a pretty beautiful city).
Especially because Kerning is designed after NYC, its typical to see run down buildings as well as high rise buildings.
It's even more typical that the malls in NYC would be located in a daintier neighborhood and establishment.
Just putting a little spin on it in hopes it changes your perspective on the image
Yup, new desktop background ***** stars
You've done well. And you gotta admit it: Merging pictures with pictures awaken a new atmosphere. Very exciting to play around with.
Holy crap this looks really good
I love it. Nice approach. This is indeed art and I appreciate it too! Thank you for sharing!
Noted. Thank you for the advice guys.
I like the story, but I feel like the city needs to be more... ghetto, if you will. Like, no skyscrapers and such, just short, ratty buildings with flashing neon signs.
it's such an awesome perspective on kerning from the eyes of the swamp i really like it!
i just wish you'd make the city in the background less refined i guess. its a nice contrast, but kerning isn't really a city filled with huge high rises, so it's kind of off in that sense. a small segment of more run-down and small scale buildings would have been more accurate, i guess. but regardless, it's still great!
I like the water; looks really cool.
I love seeing stuff like this. Great work (:
dat nostalgia.
Good job!. Very realistic!
Reminds me of Point Lookout.
Ideas if I do more like this?
Omg this is sad I'm incapable of disliking anything maple-related with the word "kerning" in it.
*squeals* >w<
If you made something like this for Sleepywood or Ellin Forest I would have a spasm. <3
[quote=ExpiredMilk]I guess everyone saw the pile of text and decided to ignore the description.[/quote]
I tried to separate the text so they would only read the top..not the bottom
I guess everyone saw the pile of text and decided to ignore the description.
OMG NATHAN! So cool yet scary because of the guy LOL. First thought was slenderman. AHH! o.o
holy mother of god
that is some nice talent u got there
Slender man!
Hmm browsing over the comments..so real..because it's made up of real pictures? Photoshop? Yes. I use Photoshop. I thought adding the snakes/alligators would be too much. Guess not..oh well. It's supposed to look realistic. Photo-manipulation and maplestory..well people like it. Good enough for me. Matte painter..?
Yay, a matte painter!
Photomanipulation and maplestory don't go together.
I do not comment on photos often, but this looks AMAZING! <3
It looks like New York.
[quote=XXjumpstar1299X]I never knew you could see Kerning inside the Swamp.
The swamps connected to the Subway.[/quote]
[url=http://www.hidden-street.net/gms/worldmap/victoria-island]Apparently you can. Look at this map over here.[/url]
I never knew you could see Kerning inside the Swamp.
The swamps connected to the Subway.
This is pretty freaking cool. I dont really care that its a mash up of photos, I'm not even good at doing that! You did great and yes I'd consider this art any day of the week.
Just need a few snakes (Jr. Neckis) & Crocodiles/Alligators (Ligators/Crocos)
...but I like this already.
[quote=andylong1014]This looks like a real picture o.o Nice [/quote]
it's made up of real pictures
looks so real!
Photoshop?
So.. realistic.