goatman461

[R16 - Tatooine - CFS] Refuge in the sands

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Now that's a build oozing with personality! The Eopie really seems reluctant and just tired of life, while Obi-Wan (let's just call a spade a spade) hardly notices it because he's to busy trying to look serene despite his legs hurting like crazy in a position like that :tongue: Comical as it is, you manage to infuse what would otherwise be quite a static scene of just a person on an animal with a lot of life, making for a captivating image!

One of the reasons your build talks so much is that you really manage to capture the weight literally resting on the shoulders of the Eopie. There are bags on top of bags in a variety of angles, as if every free spot was used to put something on. I especially like how that bag on the front right shoulder is angled like that, as it suggests the angular bone structure of the shoulder underneath it. And of course the technique you used for that basket by stacking those 2x2 round plates is just perfect, especially with that subtle mix of old and new brown!

The only disadvantage of all that clutter is that your build is a bit hard to read in some places. In particular, at first I was wondering why Obi-Wan wasn't holding the reins to the animal (though of course you could always say he's using the force :wink:), but then I realized that 1x2 tile with handle bar represents the continuation of the reins below and isn't a part of the saddle or another bit of baggage. I think the continuation would have been clearer with another one of those wip pieces or maybe a rubber hose: just something that keeps the same kind of geometry going and wouldn't merge into the rest of the baggage. You might also be able to tie the harness around the head of the Eopie together a bit more, as now the brown parts look more like coloring on the animal itself to me than parts of the same harness. Maybe a part like the minifig scabber 95348 could be useful somewhere... Another example of where things look unclear to me is at the thorax of the beast. In between the front legs, we can see the dark orange showing through. This would be fine if there would be a level difference with the legs, but as it is now, it's very difficult not to interpret it as a miscolored part of the body rather than a piece of cloth draped around it, so that the legs seem a bit disconnected from the rest. So while I love the clutter you create and the effect that has on the personality of the beast, I think some order would help to make it look even better, and make some connections clearer. The key is to tie parts that belong together visually together as well. Be it through using consistend elements as in the case of the reins, be it by making a physical bridge of color to anchor everything to the right instance.

Finally, I find it remarkable that you don't use any articulation in the legs but still manage to pull of a nice pose, with the back foot lifting just enough to keep moving with the smallest effort possible for the Eopie. As if the Eopie is too tired to bend its own legs... Maintaining the studs works very well too, mimicking the 'ugly' joints on the Eopie reference, so I would definitely keep some of those!

In the end, you created a lovely immersive image which manages to tell a story to me and is just pretty to look at. Well done by the way on the lovely diagonal composition in your picture with a nice silhouette and separation of color, and on really placing it in an impressive landscape. You prove again that no challenge is too hard for you: buildings, spaceships, landscapes, creatures... you can build it all and make it look awesome too!

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@BEAVeR thanks for the thoughtful critique. The handle is meant to be part of the seat. I forgot about the reins continuing up. And I really didn’t look at the thorax that closely. This one will be built for a while so I’ll certainly work through your points over time. Thank you!

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I, actually, doubt that if is a forced perspective; just a wider angle, and big distance to the building. :classic:

As for the eopie - an awesome rendition of a quite uncommon beast. Makes me want to return to the sands.

Edited by WickNole

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3 hours ago, WickNole said:

I, actually, doubt that if is a forced perspective; just a wider angle, and big distance to the building. :classic:

As for the eopie - an awesome rendition of a quite uncommon beast. Makes me want to return to the sands.

Thank you. You’re right. It’s just under 96 studs to from Obi Wan to Lars. I built the homestead because I wanted to try the dome with some balloon pieces, then just kept building the sand for the heck of it. It was kind of funny for a while to have a 96x112 stud build that was mostly sand.  Then we got the UCS Falcon and it fit just right. I think some of customers have posted pics of it on Google. Look up Rogue Brick Builders’ Lounge in Fort Worth, TX

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