Critique on WIP "A Robot Grows" - Updated

[Jason Kilthau]

Thank you for the pose feedback! I'll be working on it tonight after work and in the morning so I will post another update.. As for the leaf, your comment made me laugh. I will most likely just move both the smaller ones up to the bottom of the larger one.
Thanks again!

[TessaW]

Good job on being willing to explore options. I would watch the tangent of the leaf on his pelvis. It reminds of those fig leaves that people started putting on the pelvises of classical statues.

What I would recommend when exploring poses for paintings, is that you actually get into the poses yourself and act out the scene if you need to.

[TessaW]

Haha, Tom beat me to the leaf placement issue.

[Jason Kilthau]

Thank you @TessW I generally look for reference photos online but perhaps I'll start posing myself as well so I can actually feel if its awkward or not myself.

[RHirsch]

I really like the idea for this piece. My suggestion for this would be to tone down the red in the sky, it draws the eye because red is such a hot color. It makes the viewer think the sky is more important than the plant. But perhaps you will make the plant stand out another way as you work on this, like with more detail. Just a thought. I like the design of the robot as well.

[Jason Kilthau]

@rhirsch Thank you for the feedback on the sky, I will keep this in mind as I continue to work on the piece. I plan to add some dark clouds to cover up the red so hopefully that will help tone it down too.

[Jason Kilthau]

OK so here is the progress so far in the new pose. I am still working on the robot and his proportions/coloring. I plan to darken his lower part more. I am taking a break for a couple days to visit some family so maybe while I am gone I can sketch some things to take up the blank spaces I marked. But I also have to work on the trees in the back still. Though I feel like the hills will pretty much stay as they are.

[Jason Kilthau]

Final piece (until I saw the amazing below critique!), also updated original post. I would still like critiques and advice, but I won't be editing this further until the weekend.

[stringfellowart]

Great job Jason. My critique/advice is keep pushing the contrast and pay attention to shadows and light. You picked a challenging concept, as you have two very strong light sources. The sunset, and his hand. The mountains and the trees should get lighter and less saturated as they get farther away from us. The things closest are darkest and most saturated. The sunset should be causing some strong cast shadows.

His beam would also be casting some strong shadows and highlights

I did a rough paint over to show give you an idea of what I mean. I hope it helps!

[Jason Kilthau]

@stringfellowart this is fantastic feed back. Thank you! I have a sketch for a piece I am starting next that will run with a similar background but it will be cooler instead of warm, I will definitely keep this in mind. And I like your touch up a lot so I think I just might revisit this one and make some more adjustments in the near future.

[stringfellowart]

@jason-kilthau Great, you are welcome! Also, you could work on the depth of the eye. I wasn't sure if it was also emitting light, if its not it will reflect the light

[Jason Kilthau]

@stringfellowart couldn't help myself and went and did the touchups today. Here is what it's looking like now. I didn't really do much with the eye because it is actually emitting a slight glow. But I have taken the reference into account for future. Thank you again for the help I really love this now.

[stringfellowart]

@jason-kilthau Good job! Looking forward to the next one!