@
Pituka
ok, sorry for the delay! the images seem to be working now (no idea what the problem with them was), so let's jump on in!
first off, i think your sense of style and setting is really strong! the first piece you posted especially feels very 'complete' - all the elements work together to lead the eye really nicely, and the whole thing just pops! i think the version without the glitch effects works slightly better; imo the rendering is strong enough to stand on its own without the extra effects overlaid, but really i think that just comes down to personal taste.
i'll start with the boring critique: anatomy. the main thing i'm noticing is that the facial features are kind of 'floating' - it doesn't look like you quite have a grasp of the planes and volumes of the head yet, and how the facial features should sit within that framework. quick redline:
DISCLAIMER i am still learning human anatomy myself so this is probably pretty shaky lol, don't take it as gospel! it's more of a rough illustrative example. when you're drawing, especially when it comes to tricky areas like faces, try and really think about the
volumes underpinning your subject. it's super useful to get your head around a basic head construction technique (pun intended)! i like the Loomis method where you start with a flat-sided sphere and build from there, but there are of course other methods! i'd shop around and see what clicks for you. an anatomy textbook can be a really helpful next step from there.
related to that is lighting! (the reason they're related concepts is that to properly figure out how to light and shade an object, you need to have a good sense of its volumes.) i really like the lighting scheme you've gone for in this picture, it's super dramatic, and overall you stick the landing pretty well. the big thing i'd recommend at this stage is to make sure you're working with good reference photos wherever possible! google is often a big help here - a search for 'portrait lighting' or 'dramatic lighting' can often help you find
examples close to the setup you're going for. or when all else fails, you can always take your own - either reference selfies, or getting obliging friends and family members to pose for you. (i have a lot of really wacky selfies on my phone from trying to get a pose, angle or lighting setup juuuust right...)
more generally, references are just a big help. they can help you nail down details like
how a hood should sit, how
long hair gets blown about, how
wax melts on a candle... i use 'em for everything tbh, because i often find that i don't know how things should look as well as i
think i do. if in doubt, always use a ref!
the second image doesn't give me as much to talk about because there's a little less there, but generally i think it's solid! one thing i will point out is, i wish the rendering on the skull was a little sharper. using textured brushes to blend can look really nice, but imo it's also important to have sharp, crisp edges in there where appropriate. compare the fuzziness of the teeth, for example, to the hard edges of the spines. the spines look clear, sharp and impactful, whereas for me the teeth kinda lose some of that edge. think about when to blend, and when to keep things clean! otherwise, as i said, not much to say about this one. it's solid, but i think you could have pushed it a little further to make it as impactful as the top piece.
hope that helps! like i mentioned above, i think your style is really strong, and your pieces have great atmosphere! a little more work on your fundamentals should really start to bring your work up.
