"Come on back baby. Ain't noone gonna love you like I do"

[N D Hill]

WIP

Crits welcome.

[Kya Hill]

I feel like I will need a drink or illegal substance to understand what the fuck is going on in your piece. Other than that, rock on!

[Falchion]

A big issue with me, aside from not being psychedelic enough, is that the eye frame things aren't aligned with the rest of the head. While the face is tilted slightly away from the viewer, the people-eyeball-holders are head-on.

[wooblood]

This looks like the beginnings of an epic piece! I'm loving that embryo head.
I'm not sure what exactly what you're planning for the background, but I would like to see something a little crazier than a sunset sky, something more along the lines of interstellar space, or some such.

[N D Hill]

Spiralingvortex: Thanks.

Falchion: Thanks. Yeah, I see it especially when I flip the canvas horizontally. I'll have to fix that.

wooblood: Thanks. You're not the first person to say so. I'm deliberately steering it away from being too spacey and am already aware that I'm straddling the line of it being an amateur Alex Grey rip off, garage metal band album cover. That might push it over that line. From here on out I really want to focus more on the tactility and on the rendering and less on the heavily graphic, formal components. The piece will be framed with two Indian oxen and then maybe some scattered cicadas.

Update:

[Pavel Sokov]

That is fucking awesome, I love it!

I actualy love the way you rendered the clouds as well.

Makes me want to make my own crazy none-sensical painting

[N D Hill]

update: I hate painting foreshortened fingers. Again, any critiques are very welcome.

[N D Hill]

Just got back from the technologically barren wilderness. Quick update. I could really use some crits for those hands I think. Something feels off with the foreshortening and they're looking kinda meaty. Also the torso will be fixed.

[Whyatt Thrash]

About the hands, the biggest problem I see is with the thumbs and his left pinkie. Have a look in a mirror for reference.

What's up with the flying lizards? I can imagine there being some sort of symbolism behind everything in this painting apart from the lizards, they just feel thrown in there to look absurd. A transition from baby to old man/death would make more sense and look cooler.

[N D Hill]

update. I'm kind of on the fence about the oxen. The one on right will probably be redone if I do decide to keep them. The lizards are actually an extinct species of salamander. They were part of plan from early on because I wanted to have some sort of outward radiating halo and these boomerang salamanders had a very cool shape and I thought they introduced kind of a primordial element.

[Pavel Sokov]

I really love this painting, and I dig the oxen.
The only complaint I have is the womanly pecs.

As for the symbolism not making sense..
Well I am very sceptical about meaning in art. Sometimes its ok to just throw flying lizards and oxen in for no reason at all.
Not everything begs an explanation in my opinion, and I feel that 90% of art doesnt mean anything

[N D Hill]

Thanks Pavel. I still have a few ideas and some sketch layers with stuff I'm considering introducing. I'm still thinking of scattering some bio luminescent cicadas into the piece and some kind of carpet of spider crabs or sea scorpions. I'm also playing around with the idea of putting cherry blossoms on the stomach veins to push the whole creepy androgynous element.

As a post-structuralist and someone who maintains an interest in semiotics, I can only partially agree with you about symbolism/meaning and art. I think the problem you're describing is more of a matter of artist and viewer not speaking the same language and that's perfectly okay most of the time. I also generally like the idea of creating a work that is instantly eye catching but does not reveal itself to you all at once.

[Jason Rainville]

Hey ND, nice job. Being an anatomy nerd though I can't help but feel the pecs are off. Did a quick overpaint to show what I mean;

[N D Hill]

Thanks, Jason! Very much appreciated!

[Pavel Sokov]

Oh those new pecs are really an improvement!

[N D Hill]

Thanks again, Jason.

Update.

[shrunkendesigner]

Excellent! I've enjoyed seeing this piece develop into an impactful piece of art.