Looking for Feedback on a WIP Digital Painting

[robgale]

Hello everyone!

This is my first time asking for feedback, it's made me really nervous, but I know it would be great for me to start getting out of my own head and see if I can get some help.

I am creating a piece, right now for myself and to start building up my portfolio.

The idea is to do a series of paintings inspired by characters from fiction and the movies. This one is inspired by the character of Yojimbo from the Kurosawa movie of the same title.

What I'm showing here is my value study / sketch. The style will be more refined than this, but the final will likely be in black and white.

I have settled on two "versions" to act as a starting point (each basically just has a different background) and would love feedback on the composition and the way that the values and big shapes are working to express the idea / feeling. The backgrounds right now are just photos that I grabbed and tweaked to get a quick idea for the composition, but I will be painting these in the final version.

Any other feedback is welcome of course, but the composition is what I'm focusing on at this stage.

Thank you all!

[Justin Moss]

I like what you have so far. Each one is really telling a different story with this character. Or it's the same journey but each painting is at a different stage of the journey. These are just my initial reactions to either one.

I would go with the first one.

The value study shows that our eye is going to be drawn to his face and then to the door. The fact that his face is surrounded by darker values will really "push" the face forward. The lightest values are at the door, which works well. The character seems to be moving towards it. The angle of his face and the sword are all pointing toward the door emphasizing this is where the character is going. It creates the sense of motion or direction. It creates a line of action for the eye to follow.

The second piece has a really strong line of action. The buildings are framing him along with moving our eye down the piece.

Anyway, these are just a few thoughts and reactions. Excited to see where you go next.

[braden H]

I agree that both are good. However, I like the second one more simply because it's a dark object on a light background.

[Samu]

@robgale
Valius and big shapes are perfect for me. On the second one perhaps light up a little the area in front of the "eyes, nose, mouth" but not too much, I love that line that (Clouds, vegetation, roofs? I don't know what it is) like I said, I love the line but only that area I want to have a little more contrast.

Lines are great in both. The first one is perfect for me. In the second perhaps I'm a little bothered for the line of the building with the tree in the right. Is like the perspective doesn't match with the principal subject perspective, but Just A Little. I'm a photographer and I use to be bothered for that things. I will rotate a little that line clockwise, but just a little. I don't want to lose the effect or the line. It seems to me like the way is now for the perspective to be correct the building and the tree has to be near, very near. If we take that line, lock it in the lower area and rotate it from the upper area like a cm to the right, the building and the tree move away and set themselves on the background more clearly.

Again, I always try to point out technical stuff and not artistic stuff and my opinion doesn't have to be right. You take the information and let your guts decide if you can use some of that to improve the piece or don't.

I really love it, the two of them. Your whole concept is great! "Yojimbo" inspired "A Fistful of Dollars" and they are both great!!! I would love to see William "Will" Munny from "Unforgiven" on your style!

Thanks for posting!

[robgale]

@justinmoss Thanks! I like hearing how you are seeing a different "story" in each one. I'll have to think about that a bit more, what the story is I am more interested in telling here.

I agree about what you're saying about his face popping out in the first one. I wasn't sure if it felt weirdly like it was floating in this sea of darkness. Of course there are ways of fixing that with lighting and what not. And I do like the stronger line of action in the second one. Again, I guess it comes back to what story I want to try to tell with this.

Thanks again for your thoughts! I really appreciate you taking the time to have a look and let me know.

@Art-of-B Thanks for the feedback! It's always cool to see how different people react.

@Zombie-Rhythm Thanks for your thoughts. I totally see what you mean about the perspective. I will have to go in and really try and work that out. I definitely appreciate the technical details and your photographer's eye on this! And you just may see some spaghetti western work coming up as well. I'm such a sucker for that stuff. Thanks again!