[Cuddly]

Hi all!

Finally managed to paint something after noodling around in Painter 7. There's still some problems with it but I don't intend to make any more significant changes, so it's considered "done" for now. Of course, that all depends on the feedback I get from you guys.

A couple of things I think need more work:
1) The light sources seem a bit confused. There's the big bang above and behind him, tendrils of lightning behind and around him and some omni light above and in front. I think. In any case, parts of the piece need stronger definition of lightning sources.

2) The hands need to be more detailed and the fingers made more gnarled. The piece was done at a 1000pixel x 1000+px resolution and I think it would have benefited from being done at a higher resolution. At least I would've been able to cram more detail into the hands and face.

3) The robe/cloak was painted to look heavy and thick, but I think maybe I overdid the thick part on the sleeve of his right arm.

In any case, I'm pleased that I've finally managed to post a painting as opposed to a sketch. Hope I'll have time for more paintings soon! Do let me know what you think.

Apologies for the large size. Will resize and re-upload later (don't have FTP access to the site right now).

[Loxley]

Colors and theme are too cliche and bland. There is conflict in composition - where the image struggles between boring and exciting and ends up going...well, nowhere.

Now that I look at it closer, its the lack of background thats getting to me. Put something in there to accentuate the picture.

Still, points for trying.

[Merystic]

This has potential, definitely. I agree with Loxley on the background issue, it just seems a little stark for some reason. A few more suggestions would be to, first of all, make his outfit more coplex...it seems like a nightgown you could pull over your head. Perhaps a cloak, or hood, a sash...seams even. Something to make it look more than just a peice of fabric. Also, I suggest detailing the lightning bolts a little more.
Like I said, this is interesting. Can't wait to see where it goes.
_________________
Stay Frosty!

"Dreams are necessary to life." --Anais Nin

[Vyle]

I actually really like your pic.
I agree with the lighting issue, if a light is that strong, well the shadow is probably going to be as strong. Especially on the hands that are so close from the source (as a plus when the hands and skin get close to a source, they have a tendency to become very transparent towards a red color).
Same goes with the face which is turned downward, and which is probably going to receive just a little bit of light on the top of the head.
The composition can be changed a bit (but it is so a question of taste) I would say a bit more around the character: one trick that almost always works, is to converge the lines towards you point of eye attraction (were you want to center your interest) not only with the lighting like you did but with the robe, the background, etc.. You can play as well with the crop tool for a while.
Here is my quick repaint of it explaining all this. Hope I helped!

[Eric Pommer]

I like what you've got, although I agree with needing more detail in the clothing. Right now they look very flat and featureless. I'm not terribly bothered by the lack of background. More dramatic lighting would make it a stronger piece, but I think what you've got is interesting on its own.
_________________
-=-=-=-
Mindplaces: Artwork by Eric Pommer
http://www.mindplaces.com

[Cuddly]

Hi all,

thanks for all the comments! Much food for thought indeed. General consensus seems to be that the piece has potential but could do with more details put into the robe and the background. I guess the thing was that I had actually started this as a piece for a speedpainting thread over at conceptart.org and was in two minds as to whether or not I should put in more detail or leave it sketchy. And I guess it was a bit of both and neither at the same time, thus weakening the piece on the whole.

Loxley - thanks for the crits. Your usual frankness is appreciated. Also appreciated that you took a closer look at it and came back with the feedback on the background. I had indeed considered a background, but was unsure of what to put in. Must think harder.

Merystic - great suggestions on additions to the costume. I hadn't even thought of some of those things. Like I said, it started off as a speed painting, then I got bogged down with trying things out in Painter (this is my first real finished Painter piece) and got distracted. I'll definitely be adding in some of those suggested elements.

Vyle - WOW! Thanks so much for taking the time to actually do a paintover! I've admired your work (thoroughly enjoyed your AVIs of how you work) and am truly grateful for the insight you've imparted here. Your version is actually what I saw in my head towards the end of my painting but I guess I didn't have the courage to add all those extra shades and colors. I am still trying to understand shadow and light and value.

Eric - yup, more detail in the clothes would be nice. Although with the stronger lighting producing stronger shadows, I'm not sure how much detail would show up. Still, I guess creases and textures would still be apparent (creases even more so given a stronger light source?).

As I said in the original post, I had originally intended to not do any further work on this piece. But all your feedback and advice is prompting me to reconsider that decision. I will do some rework and post a follow-up when I can.

Should I increase the image size, work on details and then reduce it again? Or should I continue to work on it at the current 1000x1066 pixel size? Any opinions there?

[Cuddly]

Wow, it's been a busy week. Finally managed to find some time to rework the original piece. I think I went a little nuts with using a screen layer to paint in the glowing highlights, but I like the progression of the piece. Still no background, but that's coz I'm not sure what to put in there now. Any ideas?

[Cuddly]

*bump*

Any crits on the updated picture? Any ideas for a kickass background?

[Hyptosis]

nice sparklies
_________________
Hyptosis
Lorestrome
"Living makes me sick, so sick I wish I'd die..."

[Novacaptain]

thinner lightning bolts would be a good idea...they're a little distracting as is. experiment with some more contrast too.

A background would probably not be too effective here.
_________________
It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice - Scooter

[TenshiYamamoto]

If you have some more time, add a sceneary I personally think like ruins would look prety cool, like the ruins of some temple. Rain and a thunderstorm would add a cool effect also, I'm not good at drawing but It's just an interesting thought Keep up the good work