[kaber13]

Hey people, I didn't see a welcome thread so I thought I'd just jump in here. Post a pic and say hi!

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The magic of life is its mystery. Never let the wonder of it all die

[Tinusch]

Something about this image as a whole isn't clicking for me, though I find so many individual aspects that really appeal to me.

The concept is great, I love work that drips imagination rather than derivation and this really is a creative piece.

You've got some sharp edges, namely the veins on the foreground pod, and then so many soft and blurry edges that it looks incongruous and "pieced together," if that makes sense. I suggest picking where you want your detail and focus to be, and work on refining it in those places rather than letting the sharpness happen haphazardly. Define the focus, don't let the viewers' eyes just roam aimlessly.

The composition really doesn't work - far too much dead space on the right, while all the action is happening on the left.

Finally, I think you've really nailed some vivid and interesting color schemes in the top third of the image, but the bottom 2/3 is maybe too saturated and contrasting between the glowing greens and glowing blues. Like your detail, focus your saturation where it should be, because when it's oversaturated all over, you lose focus and depth.

I guess the bottom line is that I like this, it makes me think and piques my imagination, but your work is going to get much, much better if you keep at it because this is a promising piece.

[kaber13]

Thank you very much Tinusch. I enjoyed doing this piece but I just couldn't quite get it right. Some suggestions were made as far as depth of field and bluring the background some but then I lost the impact the crystals had. At the same time the focus was the bubble and the creature so I didn't want to loose that either.

The colors were challanging I had tried to go from a warm to cool, adding the feeling of verticle depth. Feeling the cold sea as it went deeper.

I never was happy with the negative space on the right and had thought to change it to a cooler, bluish tempture but it still remained empty. I felt if I added crystals here it would be too much to take in. I finally reverted back to the original after several hours of playing with it.

So far your crits have been the most indepth and insightful for which I am truly grateful. You have made some wonderful observations and I will take them to heart.

I think this piece has promise but it is finished for now. Perhaps some day I will redo it. I will take your suggestions with me, however and I will keep at it and I will get better.
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The magic of life is its mystery. Never let the wonder of it all die