Overdone? Underdone? Critiques greatly appreciated :)

EVF

Hello all!

So this is a new environment a recently "finished" rendering.
I would love pointers and advice.
Thanks in advance for any help

EricElwell

I love the feel of it, and the idea reads pretty well. As far as rendering, it seems like you've gone far enough that it demands going even farther (IMO). A few things I might recommend... you could separate the space between the tree on the left and hilly/cliff structure behind it. Maybe push the cliffs higher in value and/or add some diminishing shapes between it and the tree. I might like to see something similar in that pass-through in the center of the building structure... really push the depth there and draw the eye in... that's a fun part of the painting, I might consider making that more important visually.

Then general rendering, I would recommend simplifying colors. Specifically, it seems you're using translucent brushes and overlaying.. which is a fine way to build up your value and color... at some point though it starts to feel murky and the shapes read as overlapping transparent shapes, instead doing what they ought: indicating forms like rocks and flowers.

 Lastly, it might help to cast some shadows on the form of the main building. You've got a few going on, but I think you could really push the form with cast shadows.. of course you can cheat the lighting a bit to make the forms more flattering. 

It's definitely a fun piece. As I mentioned earlier though, to me it feels like it has passed the really loose phase, and it's almost asking to be a fully rendered illustration. 

EVF

EricElwell  Thank you my good sir! I visited your artsation, what wonders you create!

When you say separate the tree and the cliff, as well as the pass through under the house, by bringing up the value, you mean add some lighter value on the bg element to strengthen the contrast between FG and BG right?
I'm googling diminishing shape right now, but I'm not understanding what you mean by that, not familiar with that term
Thanks again! very much helpful

EricElwell

EVF said:

When you say separate the tree and the cliff, as well as the pass through under the house, by bringing up the value, you mean add some lighter value on the bg element to strengthen the contrast between FG and BG right?

Yep, exactly! Lightening up the hill and lowering contrast within the hill shape to push it further into the BG.

EVF said:

I'm googling diminishing shape right now, but I'm not understanding what you mean by that, not familiar with that term
Thanks again! very much helpful

Nothing fancy. The actual term is "Diminution" which might produce better google results for you. (or "associated shapes") it basically just means that same/similar objects appear smaller on canvas as they recede in space. The classic power lines or railroad track examples for perspective, but they don't need to be uniform, just identifiable as similar objects. You could use anything.. like shrubs, rocks, flowers, etc., as long as you show similar objects getting smaller as they go farther back.

EVF

EricElwell Thanks alot for further explanations!
And lol, yes i realize what you meant by diminishing shape afterward... like a wooden fence getting smaller as it gets further... My brain tried looking for a more complicated explanation when it was plain and simple right there!
I appreciate your help very much! Cheers!

EVF

update

Stinkhorse

That reads better than the first version. I think if you're going to push further these are the things I'd work on.
1. Road - Right now it just terminates, and I can tell you want it to be the crest of a hill descending down into another area below. Consider pushing it further so that parts of it pass behind some of the support beams, and gradiating it's end a bit more to sell the arc as it begins to descend.
2. Shadows - The sense of dawn is coming across, but the layering of the shadows, as well as their color tone, causes them to muddy the foreground and make it more difficult to read the path in toward the building (inn? tavern?) than it needs to be. This might be helped if the color of them was unified, and given a tone that's a bit paler and in contrast to the morning light. The center building's upper floors also have enough similar tone around it's center level that it kind of tricks the eye, leaving it feeling flat. If the shadow on the viewer facing side was darker, and the sun-ward facing side brightened up the shape of it would feel better pronounced.
3.That Old Tree - It's clear that you like that tree, you spent quite a bit of time on it, but it's shape and detail both draw the eye away from your subject (the center building) while still being shaped in such as way that it leaves a well of empty space.

I hope this helps. As it stands right now I love the Old-World-Warhammer whimsy of the structure and the vibrancy of the colors on display.

EVF

Stinkhorse
A fresh pair of eye is always great help! thank you very much fi this

So, accentuate the feeling of the path curving down, yes yes yes agreed, i see it now.
-Unify cast shadows of off screen trees, and lighten + saturate the blue hue if I get you right (it's a multiply layer of pale blue)
-I see the flatness of that balcony part now, emphasize contrast on that corner.
-Define identity of the building.
-Lol, yes i like the tree, but i must learn to get rid of thing that do not help me... maybe push it further back, lower its contrast and cancel the empty well by reworking the branches? Or get rid of it and carve a mine of some sort in the cliff, will try both option

Thank you for the kind words and great advice