[stevethomas]

This is a redesign of a video game called Forbidden Forest. Remember that one? Done for challenge on another forum. I still try to cram too much crap into images and lose the effect I want which is to focus on the archer in this one.


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[TimDavis]

A simple way to make to make the archer pop out would be to make him a different value, either darker or lighter than the rest or the painting. Or vice versa. But don't just change the archer, make paths with your values. This will help you lead the viewers eye around the page.

Right now the white tree is what pops out the most to me because it is a much lighter value than the rest of the painting.
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Tim Davis
The Art of Tim Davis

[Matthew]

I agree with TimDavis but I have also problem with too find where the actual light-source is coming from. On the planets in the background the light-source is from the left, on the character the light-source is from right and the top and also left, maybe there are more suns but it makes it confusing to look at unless you are not actually seeing all the lightsources.
Nevertheless a very good painting and nice painted details. :)

Matthew

[Torstein Nordstrand]

Hep, i tlooks good, but if you want to win, you need to start separating and downplaying elements. And since Forbidden Forest is the best C64 game evar, you better take the time
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[stevethomas]

Thanks for the comments. They really help.

Tim, I think you really nailed it with the tree being almost the root of the problem. I did play with the values a bit, but found I lost some of the elements I liked best about the piece. This was, of course, after I'd finished it so I only had a bad overall composition to work with. Better planning from the start next time.

Matthew, I didn't have an original light source from the beginning. I kind of just threw in highlights where they looked good. I guess you could say that there is a spot light coming in from top right, and light coming from below and below left. It doesn't help that I alway seem to paint the background first and work forward. This leaves me with problems focusing on the subject. Again, better planning from the work go would help.

Torstein, it is the best C64 game, eh? You could always tell which enemy was coming next by the change in the music. It was hard to kill those pesky skeletons. I think the arrows went right through them. I definitely need to start downplaying elements, I completely agree. I always have a problem with that. Unfortunately I think I'm done with the image so it'll have to go as is. Thanks for the comments, though. I'll keep them in mind for my next project.
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[jasonN]

Hey Steve, I saw this over at Conceptart.org, it's an amazing image. I really love the figure and the energy in his pose. The background is really great aswell. My only crit would be that some of the things in the background, such as the tree branches, are too sharp. Maybe if you blurred or faded the edges a bit, you could achieve a better sensation of depth and thus bring the character out more.

But that's just a nitpick, other than that, I am in awe

[stevethomas]

Thanks JasonN. I appreciate the crits and comments. I had originally started to fade some of the branches into the background, but lost my way somewhere along the line of playing with contrast and saturation.
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