Improving an old piece of art
Using exaggerated forms, lighting, and mindful shape language, Thomas Chamberlain-Keen takes his old work to the next level
Discover how Thomas Chamberlain-Keen takes old artwork to the next level.
I created my original painting around this time last year, having been inspired by the vast fantasy landscapes by artists like Dongbiao Lu and Ruxing Gao. It was my first stylised environment artwork. Yes, it was a little generic and derivative of similar works, but it was also a rewarding piece to finish, especially since I was starting to feel that I was relying too much on photo texturing. I wanted to go back to some pure painting.
A year later I was interested to see how I could improve the piece. There was something very successful about it that was most likely a happy accident at the time, but had continued to evade my understanding until now.
Looking back at it, I started to notice errors in lighting, a lack of engaging design work and unappealing shape design. My challenge was to try and preserve what had worked then, while giving the painting a major overhaul…