Need some help with lighting and storytelling!

[Codo]

Hi
It’s really cool that there is a forum like this.  
It seems like a great place to improve.
Some questions regarding this image I’m working on.
1: The goal of the image is to present a prince who is fascinated with maps. Are there ways I could present this more clearly?  (It’s the first image of a comic I’m working on and I will add text but it would be nice if the image reads as clearly as possible)
2: Are there ways to make the eyes and the face more realistic without entering the uncanny valley?
 3: How saturated is the image, should I put some Photoshop filters over it. Or does it look right?
4: If you see any lighting errors, please point those out so I can learn.?
Sorry for all those questions and my terrible English. I’m still a student and I want to learn as much as possible. 

It would be fantastic if someone could help me

( Small edit because the first image was way too large!)

[juelle]

Hm first of all, just wanna say you've got a good piece going here, 

2) I think it looks uncanny cause of the angle of the head? Why don't you try tilting a bit to the left ; 


4) You should check your values I think your darks are too strong, try adding another light source maybe from the window?

[Magda_Piatkowska]

Nice work, Codo! I see you've put a lot of effort into this piece, and you've got a good thing going on here. Here are some things that have crossed my mind while looking at your picture - not really a critique or clear answers to your questions, but more like some loose thoughts bouncing from one subject to another.

From what I see, you have one strong source of warm light in the foreground (a candle) and sort of a cold, delicate ambient lighting creeping all around (night sky perhaps?). This makes for a light set-up that's both interesting and difficult to render. What might help you with this challenging task is some good reference. Have you looked up any? If not, here are some examples (for more, you can try googling 'chiaroscuro'):










Here are some questions that you might want to ask yourself in order to benefit from these references:
Notice the vast range of values going on in the objects that are closest to the main light-source and try to compare the references to your painting: are the parts of the prince that are close to the candle-light but hidden from it dark enough? Are the shadow edges sharp enough? Notice how much detail there is in the lightened-up parts compared to those that light does not reach: is the same sort of detail shift is going on in your picture?

A strong light-source models the object closest to it sharply, so in order to get the shading right, it's best to have a clear mental 3D visualisation of what you're painting. If you haven't already, maybe you could make a character sheet of the prince? (sort of like here, simple lighting, simple stance ) It might serve as a reference for proportions, features and such  for illustrative works with him in them. You might also want to work certain problems out while making a sheet like that, for example, how does the prince's face look from several different angles. Finally, it would be a good opportunity to figure out how stylized you want him to look.
 
Regarding getting anatomy right, I see Artloader has already recommended you 'Drawing the Head and Hands', so let me second that. It's a valuable read, and there are a few chapters dedicated to depicting children.

Since you've mentioned that you are creating a comic, the story-telling aspect of each picture is of paramount importance. Let's think about that for a second, and take a step back to creating a character sheet. You might want the prince's appearance to tell as much about him as possible. How old is he? Has he hit puberty? (Again, refer to 'Drawing the Head and Hands'; there's some information there on the differences between the proportions of a bunch of age groups of kids) Is he a bookworm that rarely goes out? If so, maybe he's pale and has little muscle? Or maybe he is adventurous and spends a great deal of time outside, exploring? In that case, maybe he is quite fit and a bit tanned? Is he a positive character, or a despicable character? How can you convey that in your drawings? (If you're not familiar with it, you might want to google the concept of 'kalokagathia')

There is also a great story-telling potential in the table. You might want to consider putting some stuff there that will give us information about the character. Perhaps a messy stack of books, a slingshot or some royal insignia?

Lastly, I was going to write something about the posing too, but juelle has done these cool overpaints that I think tell everything :)

Ok, I hope you can make use of some of my babbling. Keep up the good work!