Hey Marina, If I could make a suggestion with your value range (middle image). I noticed in your reference shot the darkest darks are around the her ears, eyes, nose, mouth and neck. It creates a lot of interest on the figure. I think this keeps the eyes on her face and we don't really drift into the background that much. Also the lightest lights are right up next to those darks. Looking at your picture from a distance your darkest darks are up in the background and the mustache. The lightest lights are on Omni-Mans neck and shoulder. If you want, It might help to exaggerate the values more on his face and dull the ones in the background and non focal point. It would be really easy to do with a color dodge layer for lights and a multiply layer for darks. Or however you like to work your process. Then flatten it before you add your color. Your main light will be the brightest and the rim light will probably be a little less bright. I struggle with this a lot in my work and I had someone on here point it out to me. I've been trying to create a strong focal point with value and I feel like it is a step in the right direction for me. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it.

Hey Jeremy! First of all thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us, and thank you Stan and Proko team for the new platform! My Question: What sets you at ease when seeing a good portfolio? I sometimes struggle with adding sketches/ unpolished work to my portfolio over finished illustrations in fear of solidifying myself as an armature. Although I often hear that showing the journey/ thought process is critical in a portfolio. My Goals: I love entertainment, storytelling, and art! Like most of us here, character design and illustration are a huge motivator for my creativity. My short term goal is to find an entry level position as a concept artist within the indie gaming or film industry by any means necessary! This is a major career change for me and I don't want to go back to a job that doesn't allow me to design, create or make art. Thanks again!

I have some thoughts on this, would you mind a paintover?

I found the second, brighter one better as it shows more of the "drama" implied in the painting. I believe what you could do is add harder brush strokes and contrast. More sharp and visible highlights could do a lot to improve the piece! My eyes were drawn more to the wings than the face, which i would assume the face was the intended focal point, but the brightness of the wings made it less visible. Wonderful art though!

nice colors... i could feel that sorrow and scream... but the mans head feel big... compare it with the woman... u will find the difference... very nice drawing and compostion i must say.. loved it, but maybe u can boost contrast on the lady as well as the mans face.. to make it pop out from backgroung... so we can focus on it... background and its colors are expressing the compostion very well!!! good job.... but i found a bit hard to focus on her and really hard to focus on the man..

I think the second one has more wram/cold contrast, which looks "sharper" to me, but the first one is more harmonic. You can introduce some colder colours in the first one though. And... Maybe you need some sharper edges on the wings and character's clothes, otherwise it felt a little bit musshy to me

I think maybe some gradient in the tones, to separate the foreground from the back might help. Also, the wing tip closest to the viewer seems disconnected---I'm not sure who it belongs too. Maybe some bright, tight, little highlights on her metal armor would help make it pop too. Metal reflects its environment. Right now it's a bit too close to her face in texture and color, in my (amateur and color-blind) opinion.

Hi @Jacob Carson, nice work! I tried addressing some compositional adjustments at the value stage, and this is just one direction that you can take your image in, if it happens to fit the idea that you're going for. So, this image is about how this warrior (Valkyrie?) is mourning the loss of someone close to her, and his death angers her. So, I made the image feel more heavy by adding dark values to the top of the image, which 'weighs down on the character', reflecting the feeling of her loss. Then, I adjusted some shapes, such as her wings and even some broken wood on the ground, to make them more pointy, directed, and dangerous. This is to reflect her anger. Using metaphors in this way really helps to beef up our compositions by strengthening the story or mood that we want to communicate. Lastly, regarding your color options, I'd say the one on the left more accurately reflects the mood of dread, despair, and anger. The one on the left definitely has some nice warm and cool variation, but that light purple feels like it offsets the mood a bit. Hope this helps, and feel free to let me know if there's anything that I can clear up for you

You have really captured the depth of space in your scene. It has believable light and volume.