Connor's End of 2016 Portfolio (C&C very appreciated!)

Conpatshe

Hey guys! I'm really trying to polish and push my portfolio to the next level but I'm unsure what to improve on next and where I can flesh out some areas of concept art I'm lacking in. I'd love if anyone would lend some honest and brutal critique and feedback or anything at all. I'll post a few of my latest pieces, but my main portfolio can be found here:

www.connorsheehan.co.uk











Again, any feedback, C&C would be most appreciated, Cheers!

Eric Chadwick

I'd say your skill level is pretty good overall. Nice work.

The first piece with the fisherman, the dark tower in the rear pulls my attention, but then doesn't reward it. The rendering in this piece is fantastic, except for that one part. Seems like it would be fogged more, and the tower could use an additional storytelling element to reward the attention it forces. Maybe something sinister about it, like some black smoke, or a gallows? A sinister element might be a nice counterpoint to the pastoral foreground.

The Bay 5 sketch feels unfinished at lower left, compared to the rest of the piece. I know it's a rough style, but the draughtsmanship down there doesn't hold up to the rest. The text also feels too prominent.

I like your painting style. Nice mixture of rough and tight.

Opilo

These are awesome! I like your linework, rendering and your designs are very nice! I really don't have any critique, just had to compliment for the inspiring work.

Elithenia

I really like the quality of your concepts. They are great!

Dedyone

reaaally good design

[HP]

Amazing stuff!

Conpatshe

Eric Chadwick said:

I'd say your skill level is pretty good overall. Nice work.

The first piece with the fisherman, the dark tower in the rear pulls my attention, but then doesn't reward it. The rendering in this piece is fantastic, except for that one part. Seems like it would be fogged more, and the tower could use an additional storytelling element to reward the attention it forces. Maybe something sinister about it, like some black smoke, or a gallows? A sinister element might be a nice counterpoint to the pastoral foreground.

The Bay 5 sketch feels unfinished at lower left, compared to the rest of the piece. I know it's a rough style, but the draughtsmanship down there doesn't hold up to the rest. The text also feels too prominent.

I like your painting style. Nice mixture of rough and tight.

Hey Eric!

Thanks a tonne for the feedback, its been really helpful. I really love the idea of a sinister element to contrast the calm in the rest of the image. I took your feedback and added in some depth fog, fix some scaling issues and added in a gallows scene. I'm trying to work on getting the right balance of making the scene readable without giving it too much contrast and taking away from the rest of the scene.


I will be focusing on improving lineart piece next.

Also thanks to everyone for the comments!

Eric Chadwick

I like the change! 

I think the gallows could use a bit more silhouette emphasis. Could you lighten the buildings behind that layer?

The 4 upper windows to the right of the hallows now command the viewer's attention due to the high contrast there. Does the attention improve the narrative or distract?

One thing I do is a "squint test". When squinting my eyes, does the composition still work? What underlying geometry is there framing the way the eye moves? Does my eye linger where it's supposed to? Also helps to periodically flip the image for a fresh read.