Ruined forest critique request

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

This too adorable and saddening at the same time. The emotions just flow out of the image. Are you planning to color it? I can’t wait. Your work would look great in middle grade books or graphic novels or animations!

[aaimiller]

Howdy!

As others have mentioned, the values on the girl and deer work perfectly.

The background does look like night to me. It look like the moon is high on a kinda misty night.

I think for it to look more overcast / foggy there would be a lot more scattering light in the top of the image. Maybe obscure the moon a little more (like we are look up through the fog more, usually there is a little halo / corona glow looking at bright things through fog), and lighten the top of the sky a bit, to show all the scattering light.

[ArtofAleksey]

This looks great overall. Ive been trying to do a thing with my art where I dont put anything in if it doesn’t have a purpose being in the final piece. It’s very hard. But if I use that filter for yours I would say you can use the trees and their branches to frame the shot. Like branches above where the moon is, overlapping, in black silhouette. Kinda so they form a frame around the moon and the characters. You already have the ground curvig in a way that forms the bottom frame for your characters. I would curve a few (only a few) branches on the top of the image to create a top frame (or you can make it angular branches if you want it to have a spookier vibe.

[ArtofAleksey]

This is what I mean by frame

[braden H]

@chip-valecek

That's a great idea, Chip. I think that's what I'll do!

[braden H]

@gary-wilkinson

Awesome. Thanks for taking a look. I agree that the shadows need to be a little stronger. More contrast better.

I'm hoping that with colour the background will look more like a warm smoky haze, (thick thick forest fire smoke) but I may just make it a night scene

[braden H]

@nyrrylcadiz

Yup, I'm planning on colouring it

[braden H]

@aaimiller

Awesome advice. Thanks for the feedback

The halo around the sun through the haze is a great idea.

I tried to take reference photos during the thick forest fire smoke where I live, but the poor camera on my phone wasn't up to it. I'm stuck trying to pull reference out of my head (which never really works)

[braden H]

@swordofodin

Great feedback, thank you

Making sure there's nothing that doesn't belong in the final piece IS super hard. I'll try adding some branches to frame the piece a little more. However, I want to keep most (if not all, I may fix a couple) of the branches drooping sadly and mostly pointing at the girl and the deer.

I'm willing to bet I can both frame the girl and keep all the branches sad, though.

[ArtofAleksey]

@art-of-b oohhh I see what you mean. You’re doing the branch droop deliberately.

[braden H]

@swordofodin

Yiss, but that doesn't mean I can't do branch droop and the framing you suggested

[ArtofAleksey]

@art-of-b droop away. Curious to see how you do it