some help with depth

[kingamongpawns]

hello all and thanks for takin a peek. first i need some guidance on how to push the crowd in the top left of the painting back this is also where one light source is coming from the second is from the dragons fire. is my painting to flat and how would i best give it more depth and atmosphere. and if you see anything else wrong please tell me any and all help is appreciated thanks.

[darktiste]

I think the problem is the composition.
Why would you fight a dragon in a arena if it can fly... it could kill everybody in the coliseum(trying to make it possible)or add a chain.
If you call that a dragon(can be a drake) it rather small so make the dragon bigger would add drama more to the scene also it not recommended to have a actor(the dragon) outside of the frame of the image and the wing give the dragon is personality so make sure if fit in the image.For the last point the structure in the back is really catching the eye you could push it back a bit.Try to work on the pose of the dragon

[kingamongpawns]

thanks for the reply. i did intend for the dragon to be the size of a human or a horse but it does look better set in a bigger arena. i was trying to achieve a smaller arena kinda like an ancient mma ring where humans fight beasts for sport. but it does look better bigger. everything is on different layers so its not that hard to change it. thanks

[darktiste]

rework all right reserve to the copyright-owner

[kingamongpawns]

that is what i was going for i need to learn how to make my camera angles more dynamic instead of just plain frontal shots. here is it done with a bigger arena and dragon

[darktiste]

add the flame to mask the big black space in the middle of the image
and change the pose of the dragon to cover a much larger part of the image because it feel empty(the bottom right)
try to resize the door thing a bit smaller and add more crowd
and change the head posing turn it to a more profile look
those are only idea do as you feel

[Psychotime]

Start over. Your gladiator is misshapen and the composition is boring for the subject matter.

Draw up some thumbnails to plan out what you're going to do.

If you want depth, your composition must employ it. Right now you're just drawing something that looks like a screenshot for a 2D sidescroller. And that doesn't sound like what you're going for.

Think of where your camera is going to be, and what it will accomplish. Think about the techniques dynamic compositions employ for effect.

Here's some useful stuff you could read.

http://sevencamels.blogspot.com/2012/04/...matic.html
http://muddycolors.blogspot.ca/2010/11/thumbnail.html
http://muddycolors.blogspot.ca/2012/08/c...cture.html

[Audie Eagleheart]

I feel like starting over is the solution. Like Psychotime wrote, just start with a few thumbnails. Choose the most dynamic one. Make sure you're getting the right focus on the subject you want for your viewers. Also, take your time planning the scene, meaning experiment as much as you want. Dont rush to rendering until you feel you got the whole foundation right.

edit: Hopefully I didnt sound like a dick. Not that I think I sounded like one, but I know how much it sucks when you invest time on something only to have some guy to tell you "START OVER. I AM THE LAW!" heh.