Description
This piece was inspired by a photo I saw of Hokkaido’s famous “Blue Pond”. My first version of this render kept the tropical blue from the original pond, but I am trying out a more wintry color palette here.
Believe it or not The Dreamer and this scene sprang from the same root, even though they couldn’t be more different tonally.
PS: Purely coincidence that I am posting this on my 43rd birthday…
Hokkaido: winteriscoming1
Hokkaido: hokkaido1
Mangoman [liferplus]
It’s a beautiful rendering, as are all your wallpapers, and this is no exception. ‘Cept for the driving snow, it reminds me of the woods where we’d take our Samoyeds to run; the one place they could just run free for a few minutes. Your work always seems to inspire wonderful memories. Thank you, Ryan
Todd [basicmember]
I LOVE this! Amidst the snowstorm, there is a serenity and stunning silence to this image. The heart of winter, and beautifully so.
Steve
Living in Japan, I love seeing these Japan-inspired backgrounds. Keep it up!
Jenanne
Okay, now I see it. Thank you! You’re right; it’s hard to see. I thought it was an old leaf, but when I increased the size it’s obviously a bird. Either the trees are much, much bigger than they appear, or that’s the smallest bird in the known universe. Definitely cool. 🙂
Ray
The trees look like they’re upside down.
BobC
The bird is, indeed, hard to see. I didn’t see it until this version, but when I went back to earlier renders, it’s there. I had to download the work in a high resolution and magnify it to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I guess it’s one of Ryan’s nifty little touches to sort of “hide something in plain sight” like that. Fun! 🙂
Doug B.
@Jenanne –
The bird (coloration looks like a cardinal, maybe?) is about 2/3 up on a branch, left side of the more prominent tree on the right.
Jenanne
Crested bird? Okay, I’m stumped. I guess my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. Can you give me a hint as to where I might find said crested bird, please? 🙂
BobC
This version is much more convincing! The seemingly technical (not artistic) problems with the water on previous versions are far less with the fog or ground blizzard in this one. Love the little crested bird hunkered down in the storm.
Littlemom
Absolutely love this one Ryan!!!the fog is awesome!!!
Jenanne
I love the added fog. This is better than ever!
Ryan
Which size did you select and what is the combined screen-res of your setup?
Rich
i have a tri monitor setup and switched it to Tile but see multiple display images. thoughts?
Rich
i have a tri monitor setup and switched it to Tile but see multiple display images. thoughts?
Heather
But I think it could use something more to attract the eye. I love how it reminds me of our winters here in Mass. Too soon for winter!
Jenanne
Really like the deeper blue coloration in this version; before it was more gray than blue. This gives the piece a “winter at dusk” look and feel. I like the name change as well.
Theo
This piece is not readily apparent what the vantage point is, as it appears there are trees going upwards and trees going downwards on the top edge, meaning we’re looking out on a scene from within the trees or something with the far treeline isn’t right. The trees coming out of the water aren’t very distinct either. This piece could use some more contrast to improve clarity.
Tor
Ohh, much better. I like it. Makes me want to turn on the fireplace.
Zach
I also see it more as an abstract than a nature scene, but it really isn’t my thing. That being said, I’m still glad that you made it and looking forward to seeing how it turns out in the end.
Happy Birthday, Ryan!
ChrisW
I like it. Really puts me in the mood for the cooler temps ahead. Will you also be doing different seasons using the same scene? I always liked those.
Ryan
I’ve created a new render with and updated water texture. You might need to refresh your browser (Shift-F5) to see the new image.
Tor
The trees and snow looks lovely but the water is a little confusing to the eye. At first look it seems to be more like a fog that just obscures the trees. If it was water I’d expect to see more color in it and more distortion in the reflections. If it was ice I would expect to see snow accumulated on it and no reflections. It almost seems like a strange amalgamation of ice, snow, and water.
JMK in CT
To me I see this as more of an abstract than a nature scene. For whatever reason I dont see the water and cant tell what is tree or what is reflection.
Littlemom
I love this render. It really has the winter feel. Amazing Ryan. And Happy Birthday!
Jenanne
Happy birthday, Ryan!
Jenanne
I really love this render. The water underneath the trees is much improved from the preview version; the trees’ reflections also make it clear that it’s water rather than snow. But since I’m familiar with the image that inspired this render, I’ll be interested to see what other members think.
Ryan
This piece was inspired by a photo I saw of Hokkaido’s famous “Blue Pond”. My first version of this render kept the tropical blue from the original pond, but I am trying out a more wintry color palette here. Believe it or not The Dreamer and this scene sprang from the same root, even though they couldn’t be more different tonally. The title is borrowed from the words of House Stark in George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”. PS: No coincidence that I am posting this on my 43rd birthday…
Joel [nonmonthly]
Great picture! The first thing I thought of was Hokkaido. I had the unfortunate experience to be sent there while in the military. Kind of reminds me of a “light” morning snow there. 🙂