Before The Fall WIP

[gestalt1]

Any critique of this would be greatly appreciated.

[Grondhammar]

hi gestalt,

Very ambitious painting! There are a few basic things to tackle here.

There is some good flow in that top line of the wings. However, everything is "in frame". Push both those outer wings outside the canvas boundaries. It really looks like the figures are trying to keep themselves contained otherwise.

I don't know if it's an accident, but with the spear pointing where it is and the lines of the torso and legs going down and up to it, the left angel's crotch area screams out "look here!" This may not be what you want.

While I understand you're in the early stages, the colours are muddy - too grey on the left angel, and too deeply saturated for the lighting conditions on the right figure. Also, the background clouds are too close to skin tone - they're competing for attention with the figures.

Lastly, the poses are stiff. Though you (probably) can't fly, try getting into these sorts of poses yourself and see where your arms, legs & torso end up. There should be movement implied in the leg & arm positions but at present they seem locked in place. Also, the left angel's front-on torso and head make it seem like he's completely unaware that the other angel is there. This may be what you had hoped to convey, but it would be a far more dynamic image if the figures were interacting.

I do like the possibilities here, so stick with it! We'll look forward to seeing what you do.