Icy concept piece- in need of feedback please and thank you!

MiriamN

Hey everyone!

I am new to these forums and I would like to share some of my work in the hopes of getting some opinions on them! This piece for example is from one of my personal projects depicting some SF elements in a very cold environment. It is I believe my first highly photobashed image and would like to know if I did it in a `right way` or not! (the photos were taken from Noah Bradley`s Iceland pack)

Here are the stages of it too:

EricElwell

As for photo bashing, you can use it to work quickly and/or to ideate and get inspiration by responding to the visual elements as you place them. I know it sounds like a tired saying, but be careful that it is not a crutch.

So, a crit for your image:
To me, the ground plain seems to have gotten lost, and the image is flattening out. You could reestablish that sense of space with receding lines, diminishing associated shapes, and clearly delineating the base of your objects protruding from the ground plain. In your later steps you heavily softened the underside of the rocks, the structure, and the shore line. Bringing definition back to the base of those elements would enhance our perception of their placement in the scene. 

MiriamN

Thank you very much for your comment! I can see now where my perception of the image being `flat` came from. Do you also think that it needs more `light` work on it though?

EricElwell

Yes, shadows are a key component in giving us form information. It is possible to pull it off with soft diffuse light, but I don't see a compelling reason to do so in this case. I would recommend focusing on one aspect at a time. You don't need to "do it all" on this pass. IMO, light/shadow would be a lower priority after addressing the perspective/spacial issues. Lighting is important, but I would still put it lower in priority to a good graphic read. 

MiriamN

Hey! Thanks again for the feedback! I added some more details in the front-view now.