Kissing an Angel

[Graive]

Started this recently. I'm trying to make sure the colors work together, complimenting each other. Umm just gonna keep workin on it, wanna get the wing started. As far as color and brightness is there a place I need to address, draw attention, or something I should think about while painting skin tones?

[GCMax]

Hey Graive, I like this alot. I think with some changes the angel could be more iconic. Here's a suggestion on colour and bg, hope it helps.

[DAMJAN]

I personally like the original colors. My critiques would be to sharpen up your strokes and girl with purple hair is missing an eye. Work on the hair and angel wings. There is an awesome tutorial on angel wings that you might be able to use. Please follow the blog. Thanks. http://conceptartmasters.blogspot.com/

[wooblood]

I also like the current colors and don't see any problem with the scheme (I am no color theory expert).
Since the kiss is going to be an obvious focal point, I would really look at references (if you haven't already) and get that down, since currently, it doesn't look quite right or convincing to me. Along with that, I think it may be important to clarify whether the girl on the left was expecting the kiss or not, whether she's all for the kiss or if she is hesitant. The body language already somewhat implies that it was unexpected, but maybe you could draw in some hands (either girl's or both) to further express what is happening.
The angel's eye looks too straight to me now. I believe at that angle, it should be a bit a bit curved up.
Oh just noticed too that the angel's ear looks too pointy now. Should look flatter/wider from this angle.
Nice start though!

[GCMax]

Haha okay, when I think of angels they have blonde hair with sparkling blue eyes and white wings.
Maybe you could put a tiara on the angel and some feather/tassles hanging off her top to further the idea. Also, maybe the girl she is kissing is evil? Just ideas

[Graive]

All awesome suggestions and observations. I think that by pulling the girl on the left's shoulders back a bit will heighten the surprise... umm yeah her eye is covered by the shadow, was there but I think I painted over it lol. Cool, I'll work on this a bit today. Thanks all!

[Graive]

Here's a continuation. I'm trying to use more varied brushes, which I need to get used to doing rather than relying on just my rounds. I'm still not sure about the lighting, things just aren't POPPING yet. Do you think the background is causing this?

[wooblood]

Nice progress. No complaints, except maybe some neck muscle definition on the left girl since she's straining backwards some.

[SusanMart]

the second version is much better. I love the idea and work itself.....
Romantic, sweet, mysterious.... great!

A few things which are not really worth noting but still:
1. Shirt black line distracts attention. it's too black, make it brownish
2. The second wing needs a few more lines) it's too thin
3. The place where noses meet - I think there's sth like a black spot.... I guess you think shape the nose of purple-colored girl and thus shade the nose of the angel)

[Graive]

Which do you like better? Girl coming from left or from right?

[Sulphur]

Definetly the original composition. I have no reason to back it however something in my mind is telling me that whoever is on the left is more relatable and who's on the right is more mysterious? For some reason flipping the picture makes it feel like the angel is the protagonist.

I'm not sure if i'm making any sense or if anyone feels simalar or not, but the point still stands that the original is better

[Mancub]

I like the original composition better as well. The color is working a bit better, especially since you darkened the orange behind the neck and shoulder of the girl on the left. You may want to darken this area even more to make it "pop."

[SusanMart]

I also like the original more, and now it's better)))))


I like oyur work a lot!!!!

[Nisshoku]

I'm actually going to disagree. I like the 1st one more then the second one . Also, I would suggest making the girl more taken aback then straight up and down. She's looking to much like a statue right now :/. Also, I think the white spark in the middle splits the canvas too much in half, you don't want to split your composition in half. Make it flow a little, like make the angel's "aura" blend into the girl's.

Otherwise, I really love your work so far! I especially appreciate how you didn't center your canvas and the angel is gorgeous! I'm really liking the touch of her eye shadow .

[Graive]

Yeah I noticed there's a lot of anatomical issues with the purple haired girl which I'm currently addressing. Also I agree, the background is both too distracting and doesn't truly say anything about the situation. I'm going to change it. Probably clouds and sky with the reds bleeding into purples. (sunset) Also re-addressing the wing shape and placement as well as deciding on the best way to render it out. The particle effects are kinda nice, but at the moment they don't fit the scene so I'm removing them temporarily.

Thanks for all the comments! I'll have an improvement up by tomorrow night.

[Graive]

I can't believe it's been so long since I've worked on this but I'm resurecting it!

Hey everyone. I bounce back and forth, coming and going in these forums, and I realize now that I really need put my nose to the grind stone and work out a lot of my painting flaws if I ever want to get anywhere. So here's to a new beginning!

I have this image that I've kept working on for more than 2 years now. I keep getting stuck on the shape of the girls neck on the left. I want to add warmer skin tones to express the shape change without changing much of the value but I keep getting caught up trying to model the clavicle and shoulder. I'm also having problems with rim lighting and... well I just really want to get the ground work done and all the under structure fixed before I begin detailing or changing lighting.

All critiques are appreciated! I really want to get this one done, and I know I can do it with your help!

Thanks, guys!

Ian

[dierat]

I keep getting stuck on the shape of the girls neck on the left. [...]I keep getting caught up trying to model the clavicle and shoulder. I'm also having problems with rim lighting

When you get stuck in this kind of loop where you're painting and repainting an area and not really going anywhere, you need to get a reference. Get someone to pose for you or use yourself as your model if you need to. It seems like with this whole process you've just been rendering something that you don't really understand and therefore haven't really been able to surpass the information you provided in the original drawing. Get a reference for both of them, work out the figures on the anatomical level, then add the hair, clothes, wings, etc.

For some specific things to watch out for, the girl on the right's eye is tilted and too far out, her ear is too low, her shoulder feels high (usually when you reach out for a kiss, you stretch out your neck and push your shoulders back), and her arm is a shapeless blob.

Also, since this image is pretty old, try not to let yourself get attached to it. Use this sketch as a starting point, get some refs based on the poses, then start again from the ground up and make a new and better image that puts this old thing to shame.

[Hexokinase]

This is from 2010?? You should be better after two years worth of practice - why would you trust design decisions by your past self over your current self? Start over from scratch (making several thumbnails!).

[Graive]

Thank you 2. I completely agree with you. I was just thinking after reading what dierat had to say that I should probably start from scratch. Working on top of something that structurally doesn't work only complicates things.

Thanks for lighting the fire under my butt Hexo. XD OK! New thumbnails and a couple studies coming up!

[Graive]

Ok! I did some sketches and wound up liking this thumbnail. Still working out the anatomy, but I like the energy. The left girl's wings are going to be appearing, as if the girl on the right is passing off her power of "angelness" through this kiss. I drew them out just to know where they will start to appear. Gonna show the process by drawing hieroglyphic symbols.

Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong with the right girl's hips?

Gonna keep working on this today.

Thanks for getting me to start over! I'm ready liking this new piece, as it's all original.

[Graive]

Ok I've been working on the drawing some more. I've always made the mistake of moving onto the painting before all the proportions and elements are natural/correct. I think I'm about ready to start lighting and adding tone. Please tell me if you see any anomalies.

Thanks!

[TinyBird]

Why are they posing like that? Like, why is the dark haired one pushing the others elbow behind her back? If she's forcibly/suddenly kissing the other girl, wouldn't she rather pull her towards her? At the moment both of her hands are in a position suited more for pushing the light haired girl away. And what's with the wings? Without any well known physical tropes about angels it's really hard to guess these are supposed to be angels (like when you think of an angel, you're likely to think halos, white bird wings, etc) and those look more like... wings from the old bat plane.