Looking for Critiques

[NRAG]

Before starting my next painting I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how I can improve my next piece based on any shortcomings in my most recent piece? Thanks guys!

[Amit Dutta]

It's pretty nice overall.
There are some inconsistencies with your lighting scheme. Is the light coming from the right, from the left or from behind, or all three? Helmet is lit from both sides, but more from the right. The sword is lit from the right , but his sword forearm armour is lit mostly from the left. Just be consistent over the whole piece.

You could pay more attention to rendering of the rounded armour forms. You've done nicely on the chest piece, but the rounded parts you don't seem to get the value transition down well. About that chest piece too, it seems a bit "stuck on" and hovering a little, and design wise that big spike thing in the middle...that seems like it would hinder more than help the wearer. Cool helmet design; it is debatable that he could even see out of it, but it's a nice shape.

The worst bits are definitely your drapery. I'd say you'd need to do some studies or use ref. for your next piece if it includes drapery. You could probably push the rendering of other materials to read a bit more unique, so leather should really look like leather, the buckles might be a different metal to the armour, which is a different metal to the sword. Studies for those would help as well I guess.

Hope that helps

[NRAG]

@monkeybread Thanks man, probably the best critique I've ever received. There are 3 light sources but now that you point it out I can see the inconstancy. I'll also get more material reference, including fabrics and varying metals. I've never considered using different metals so that will help a lot. Yeah I'm pretty sure that most people who put on this armor would get stabbed in the forehead by that chest spike with in the first day of wearing it. ha. Despite knowing this, I liked it and took the risk of keeping it.

Thanks again, your critique helps a lot and I'll be focusing on every bit of it on my next piece.

[Amit Dutta]

All good dude, glad I could help!