I found this tutorial that I really thought was pretty neat so I decided to try my hand at it. As the chop progressed I realized how many steps and details the author left out (as well as how poorly the tut itself is laid out).

Anyway while experimenting I found that I could make the vase look a bit like glass. So I wanted to continue that and try to make a glass vase instead of a ceramic looking one. (The glass is supposed to have a "streaky-blown-glass" look.)

Anyway I'd like some feedback on it. I'd really like to get your honest opinions of this chop so far. I'm not tender-hearted about this chop and this is all about the learning. Plus I've been working on it for a few hours so by now I've probably gotten some "chopper's blindness" to most of the flaws.

If you think this sucks then let me know. If you think it shows promise then let me know. But, most importantly for me and other chop-schmucks out there, give your feedback on what you'd do to improve on it. What would you do with the composition/positioning of the elements? What would you add? How about specific chop techniques for making glass look more like glass? Or for making the vase look more 3D and not so flat? Or is there anything that should/could be done to make the chrome ball look more like chrome?

I'd really like to learn something from this thread. It'd be really cool if some of you chop wizards (cough-Rey-cough-claf-cough-anfa-cough-vokaris-cough-etc.) would do up your own versions and post them .psd's so we can all see how you did your version of this piece.

I been trying to learn how to make glass stuff for ages... no one want to teach me. Please take me out of my misery.

Your not good enough, don't even try..

I think all they use is sand........................weird

that looks like a huge bong

Nice touches LTZ!

I see what you mean about the highlites and I definitely agree with you. I really like the one you did on the rim of the vase. That one makes it look bumpy. I'll have to give a go at the highlites myself later today.

Many views so far but no opinions. I KNOW there's some choppers here that can help 'splain the highlites, reflections, refractions, etc. SO BRING IT ON!

I tried looking at a picture of a vase but, since I don't have the analytic eye for images, I have trouble picking out the details that help make up an image. Especially when I don't find reference sources close to what I'm doing. Guess I'll search some more.

honnest opinion, right.
The ball looks good although it doesn't look realistic: the highlight on the black part is too soft.
The glass jar is badly cut out and doesn't look like glass, it also looks like it is floating because of its wrong shadow.

YES! YES! YES! Honest feedback is definitely wanted. Thank you Led!

I understand about the highlight on the ball (I'll work on it with the highlights on the vases per LTZ). But can you expand on what you'd do to the glass? I don't understand what you mean about the cut out (since I did the vase from scratch). Also how would you fix the shadow? While I think my shadows are getting better I definitely know they're far from perfect.

I'll have to go look at that thread on creating shadows as well as the one on lighting. Speaking of which anyone want to help pinpoint the light source(s) in this pic? I just went by the tut and what I thought looked good.

The vase isn't casting transparent shadows; its pitch black.
It should have different amounts of shadows (i/e more around the edges of the vase, less in the middle of the shadow.)
The vase is too dark, with glass (i think this is refraction) the light is displaced through the surface and scattered. and if you look at the back side of the glass your'e gonna have some lighting and reflections. You should have those in places throughtout the glass and not just on the front.
The chrome ball looks really good. Two things though, the big reflection seems a little too big and not curved enough, and, if you shaded the bottom of the ball it would fit with the shadow better.

Okay, I'm not he greatest chopper but the top of the vase looks flat to me. Doensn't seem to have the demension the bottom does. Maybe some highligts or more curvature to the top lip. Otherwise, it looks great!

Just a couple little changes. Not perfect but better.

Beautiful Rey! So now the questions. Are your additions all through additional layers or layer effects (or both)?

I remember your previous glass thread and you mentioned lots and lots of gradients. Any chance we could see the PSD showing what you did?

alright.
In my humble opinion, the jar top looks flat like a spatula.Its color is incorrect, the mostly used and seen glass is colorless.Its slight opacity absorbs colors and fools you into thinking it has a grey color but it has none.Glass is moslty observable through its specularity, refraction and reflection.
thickness of spheric glass is seldom constant, rather elliptic sadly, as it males it harder to recreate.sucks.
This is the only attempt I had at making glass from scratch in PS, made four or five years ago and nothing like realistic, obvious.

led,
I think the glass he was trying to make has some color swirls in it.
Some added pigment?
http://www.chathamstudiotour.com/2004site/jpegs/art/resnik-d/resnik-d-group.jpg