Crucifix man, WIP

[sezz]

He's not REALLY on a crucifix, I just couldn't think of a compelling title.

Working on a previous piece I was struck with the sudden desire to paint something a bit more personal. This is only my third painting in Corel Painter so I'm still sussing things out, though I think I have the basics of the program down. ^___^

The act of digital painting itself however is pretty new to me, so I'd appreciate any feedback you can give me! He's mostly finished, though I may yet repaint his lips/ear/face because something there doesn't look quite right. His hair also is bugging me. :s

His chest has actually already taken me 4 paintovers. I've been REALLY struggling with portraying the subtleties of his anatomy realistically; the first try looked like something out of the movie 300, ridiculously buff and over-the-top. The latest is the only one I was happy with.

I was trying my best to get the blending perfect, but I think perhaps I overdid it a bit, because he seems a tad too smooth now.

Thanks for any help you can give!

[JJacks]

Well, it's a very powerful pose and I rather like the flat red background. I'm not sure if the composition is working to it's full effect with his arms cut off like that. Maybe you can extend the drawing out of include his hands?

Also, I think the contrast is a bit too high. Like, I'm not sure if this was a stylistic choice but the shadows are really flat and don't really add much shape. Try putting in some reflected light or something to help combat this. For example, the shadow of the right (our left) of his shirt is just one large flat shape. Also the shadows on his skin are very very dark and almost black which also flattens the painting. Try toning down the darkness and adding other colors to his skin besides brown. For example, you can put some warm tones on his skin so he fits in the background a bit more.

[quickreaver]

Well, first thing...STEP AWAY FROM THE SOFT BRUSH! Experiment with hard-edged brushes at lower opacities, layering the strokes to blend. And don't use the smear/smudge tool, if you do. It mushes away all your texture.

My monitor is crappy, but I see shadows that are way too dark and colorless. Might be an effect of the photograph (I'm familiar with the stock photo your're using.) You have to imagine your way past the darks in the photo to get to the physiology underneath; that's why your shadows are flattening your painting. If you study the effects of light, and how it bounces, you can take a good guess at how to add variety to your shadows. Dunno if this will work, but try looking at the photo with the levels adjusted so that the darks aren't so dark. You might grab clues therein! Good luck!

[sezz]

The contrast was very high in the reference I used, it's true. I liked the dramatic effect the lighting had, which was the entire reason I chose to work from the stock image, but I think you're both right - it looks a little flat in paint. I can definitely have a mess around in photoshop with the reference, see if I can draw out some of the layers in the darkness to reference, but it's a fairly dark image. Almost all of the cast shadows were true black. :s

Oh well, no matter. I'll definitely have a go at lighting up the contrast, as well as adding some warmer highlights to his skin. At the time I was doing his skin, I didn't actually have a background, so I didn't even think to take that into consideration. Something I'll remember to do next time! ^___^

I didn't use any smudge tools, that feels a little too much like cheating to me. But I DID use a soft brush at a lowered opacity for the skin, everywhere except the eye. I'll definitely try a harder brush next time, but if I'm being honest the idea terrifies me! o.O What if I SUCK with a harder brush? lol.

In regards to the composition, I actually really like the idea of showing the rest of his arms. I was working from a stock image, but adding the arms is definitely something to consider to improve the look of it. I think I might give that a go after I try improving the contrast. Thanks!

I think I responded to everything? I'll definitely go back and rework the skin/shadows/highlights a bit more. Thanks heaps for the advice!

Do you think there's anything else I need to look at? It's hard to really notice problems when you've been staring at it for hours at a time. I've flipped it that much that it almost looks identical in both orientations. ^___^