[star in my jar]

Hi guys, I'm a first timer here. It seems like such a helpful site.

I did a commission for my school's newspaper this past week for a thanksgiving special edition.

Personally, I feel it needs to be a little more balanced, but I was curious as to what anyone else thought. It was slightly rushed at the end due to a deadline.

Any thoughts?

[Ian Jones]

Cool concept and good fun overall feeling. It is lacking a clear focal point though. Of course in terms of subject matter it is clear what the focal point is but aesthetically the tonal values and composition don't create a strong focal point. I think you need to darken some area's such as under the table to create a bit of contrast. Overall IMO I think you should make the spotlight brighter than the other lights and background area. This should focus attention where it is needed. One last comment, the coke bottle probably shouldn't be a specific brand... for copyright reasons. Try making a generic label.

[star in my jar]

Thank you! When you work on a piece for a while, it's easy to make mistakes that you 'just can't put your finger on'..

I used the burn tool in PS to create some shadows. Has it improved?