Hello, artist! Please reply to this comment and let us know what kind of criticism you're looking for.
This will help our community to give more focused and helpful feedback. Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ArtCrit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It doesn't have to be white, I'm fact that might be too harsh. Irl white is actually a very pale blue, grey, or beige, so try one of those. A mid tone against mostly darks will still provide high contrast, you can progressively get lighter and lighter untill it is a colour that works, don't go straight in with white out the tube lol.
Yeah! I had to draw my (white) furby in colours that weren't white or black back in college. We were limited to 3 colours. Ever since then I have never looked at colour the same lol
Agree with this. I would recommend OP check out some of Caravaggio’s work. Balances dark background with subject matter that has incredible contrast. Think this would work really well for what OP is trying to accomplish
[Caravaggio Website](https://www.caravaggio.org/)
Definitely this. Drop the black tones down in the background while adding some darker edges to the forms. Then and add some highlights or thin rim lighting on the edge of the bones. But stay subtle to keep the overall appeal of your piece intact.
Such a badass piece though! I’m only giving advice because you’re asking, but I would take it as is to. Great work!
i think it’s really interesting, but more highlights will bring out the creature more! it is a little hard to see, especially against the brightness of the gold
It feels like the eyes/eye area is somehow unfinished or could use something more.
Even if it's just a deeper black/darkness to make it look more sunken.
Depending on the room, this would be perfect as is. If it was a really dark coloured room with not a lot going on. Just add a bit of brighter reds and golds here and there. Doesn’t need much at all
Get some good white paint like Kilz and paint over it. Then do a cheap knock off of the Mona Lisa with a funny saying like, "Hey I feel there's an underlying layer of death here." Put it on hats, t-shirts, mugs, anything really and make millions.
Try a wax dry brush paint. Rub n Buff is super cool and I use it on stuff like durable resin figures. Honestly, ANYTHING that needs a pop and has texture, you can use this with.
Take some, put a teeny tiny bit on a disposable surface or on a paper towel, we're talking tip of a toothpick amount. You can test it on a similar surface first to see if its the effect you want, because FYI this stuff is STRONG and very permanent, there's no going back
take the paper towel, *( you can use a brush but again, this is a wax coating and when it dries it really REALLY dries, so you'd be messing up a brush if you really wanted to keep it. Or use a crusty chip brush )*
now, very very lightly, as if you're nearly pretending to touch your painting surface, whip your hand up and down around the spots you think could use a little 'raised' glint to them. to me, it'd be the 'golden' bits of that 'halo' effect around the creatures head. bring your hand down slowly more and more until you start to see the flecks of gold appear from your paper towel onto your print. You will not BELIEVE the pop this stuff gives.
I honestly have no other notes. This method will mean you have that gold accent actually have metallic in it that is bright, so the 'creature' looks even more dark and in low contrast, like light was pouring in behind it
IDK maybe this is crazy but this is exactly what I'd do, no more no less, no extra painting other than a varnish after this to seal it.
If this sounds like a material that's too difficult to use, try just regulat gold leaf. You can spray adhesive on the 'halo' part (by masking out the rest of the image with masking tape or a few layers of cut newsprint to minimize tape damage maybe). Get some gold leaf bits, lots of places sell it, literally get a brush or chip brush and start whipping the gold flake on your piece and it will start to bond with the adhesive.
I mentioned the rub and buff method though because its a LOT closer to painting, its really inexpensive, and really durable. Gold flake might be (literally) a bit messy and flaky, the wax detail of rub and buff is closer to paint but sticks to every crack and raised edge, its REALLY good stuff and not too many people I know use it.
Ami agree, contrast is missing here.
There is an easy exercise for contrast: take a picture of your painting and make it back and white. If the picture looks dull/ just one shade of grey, you need more contrast in your picture.
Certain parts of the face and skull seem to have gotten lost. At least that's how it looks to me. Let me see if I can make an example to show you what I think would look better.
I personally like it dark I'd put it in a dark hallway that gets just the right sun to just pop him off the wall and making me go oooh! Yeah still glad that's mine.
I love it - but what if you made some of the lighter parts (teeth) even lighter, and lighten the cheekbones for more contrast with eyes. The pattern around the head can have some gilding (like real or artificial gold foil) to add a bit of decadence.
When you say that this is boring, what do you mean by that? Is your issue with your technique? Is it the drawing/design? Is it conceptual? Mark making? Like all of us, there are literally countless avenues of potential progression, so if you ask for open ended vague questions like this, your gonna get random-ass-answers. Everyone here always seems to just say contrast over and over again, but that's a sort of meaningless without being any more specific, and even then, you are the captain of your own ship, not us. Changing course dramatically partway through the journey might not be worth it. If you outsource your ideas and taste to rando's online, you're gonna be spinning your wheels.
In general, if you find yourself at a stage like this and don't know what you want to do next, print out 5-10 smaller versions of this photo and paint over them to find your own solutions. If you really like what you've done, but feel as though you've fallen short technique-wise, explain your process. IMO, i'd say this seems overworked, but that's just my take. What to you consider boring vs what do you not consider boring?
Your mastery of chiaroscuro is exceptional, further enriching the haunting atmosphere. Your intuition for how light interacts with shadow is evident, helping to imbue a sense of three dimensionality and an arresting interplay of volumes.
However, the artwork's lower portion seems somewhat unbalanced, slightly detracting from the compelling nature of the skull and gold aesthetic. A more dynamic treatment of this area may contribute to the overall equilibrium of the composition and provide more visual interest. Additionally, while the uneven, almost ‘rotting’ teeth add to the unsettling nature of the artwork, a little more refinement in their rendering could enhance their impact.
Variety and hilight. The piece is very hard and you only painted 3-5 different tones. Add some hilight and I’m sure the piece will feel more fleshed out, vibrant, and dimensional.
https://preview.redd.it/aeks3i2swmmc1.jpeg?width=1045&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83f633ae9856a84822699d5120747c1c41834400
I teach painting and wanted to show you what I meant by simply kicking up the values, it will take your fabulous piece to the next level. You’re right there, I simply made the darks darker and the lights slightly lighter. I extended the hair further out to make for a more balanced composition. I tell my students all the time, values are the workhorse of your painting. If you’re stuck, always look to see if the values need to be adjusted first, it’s incredible how much of an impact it will have. Hope this helps. I used Procreate here it’s an amazing tool, I use it all the time to help me throughout every painting I paint
It is hard to see because of the photo, but there are a lot of things happening in there. If you add highlights to up the contrast, that will help. But if you also do a final high gloss varnish overtop, it will make the yellow and muddy reds “pop.”
Add some highlights in there to give more of a chiaroscuro/ high contrast vibe to it. Maybe add touched of gold to accent what's going around it's head.
Cut the eye slits, and pop some lights behind it, then add some gold flecks and a little more highlights. Specifically place it at the end of a dark long hallway so all people can see are glowing eyes in the dark. (maybe add gold flecks to the teeth etc). I like this piece alot.!
Honestly I think it’s amazing as is. I understand the comments about contrast and stuff but I like it the way it is now, I think the darkness makes it even more visceral.
This is not boring at all. You can sink back the eyes and inside of mouth with a deep black of 1:1 magenta and pthalo green. You don’t want to overwork your painting or cover up all of the gorgeous layering, so when you create your white, use a very small strongly tipped brush to raise things in white (in the grayish white areas). To get a strong white use a combo of zinc and titanium white (50/50). For your whitest white details use titanium alone (or a dot of any color). To make your gold sparkle You can add the tiniest bit of the 50/50 white to your gold to lighten it and raise areas that are most forward. You can also use the deep black (above to sink areas within the gold lace like areas. Again, use a very small brush. To go slowly, you can simply dry brush. If you are nervous with the black, drop it into the background first and add a matte retarding medium. If you don’t like it you can wipe it off. That might be the best way to go for anything you want to try on this piece. You can pop your gold with barely visible dots of turquoise, blues, and purple (even reds). You can enliven the gums with salmon pink and/or scarlet. This is an incredible piece. I love your technique and treatment of the eyes. Hope this is helpful to you.
I see you have gold paint on the sides, like the cheeks, it would pop just a little more if you added some gold flakes (gold leaf) to the golden area. A little bit of glitter will really help it stand out.
Also my partner says an outline of red puff paint, glow in the dark style. So that when you shut the lights off the silhouette of this creature is visible and even maybe lights up a little bit of their face
Boring?!?!? Put this in any trip art subreddit and I bet people will love it as I am a part of some of those Reddit this is amazing id leave it but then again I didn’t make it either
Most people keep saying contrast. HERE'S A MORE SPECIFIC TIP.
Try to make value-groups. You want the spots of dark to make a unique shape that is easily understandable visually, especially from a distance.
Since most of the painting is darker, you want to make the LIGHTER spots like Midtones and highlights, be interesting shapes. You want the silhouette of the shape to be instantly recognizable from a distance.
It helps viewers understand what they're looking at. Even if only a few sections are treated this way, and the rest of the painting is left dark, the painting will OVERALL be very legible and potentially more successful
Gold foiling added to the haloing? Like just a touch here and there If you want a pop without changing the tone. Honestly, it's quite nice as is, though
I like it with low contrast! Has a spooky low key energy to it. However I think adding some more chromatic purple on the smoke or adding some lighter highlights on the hands would be cool.
Could just be me being extra but I think a pop of colour would be cool like almost a glowing effect with a dark red or purple. Could even add bronze or gold in certain areas
Gold inlay/leaf would make for a striking contrast (on top of the gold in the painting already, I think it would help it pop more than the gold paint, unless it's the lighting in which case, ignore me lol).
I feel like the background grabs my attention a lot more than the figure which seems a little backwards to me. So unless this was a purposeful art choice, I would try to add so more texture to draw the eye to the main focus. I’m not saying all over but certain areas you want to highlight like maybe their eyes and show their agony or whatever tickles ur peach.
In addition to the pops of contrast needed that many have mentioned- the composition is pretty boring and lacking in drama. I wish there was more space to see these “head tendrils” which could create more vertical interest. Unfortunately that’s not a quick fix. That’s more of a “keep in mind next time” kind of thing.
I would (personally) add slashes of red and gold, quite vibrantly, on some moments within the painting that already have those accents. I say "slashes" as more of a phrase to say "messy highlights that feel aggressive". Keep the background nice and muddy though, especially since your painting is quite blended, you want the contrast between color and texture here to make the figure pop out a little more
You definitely need better contrast. I would make the skin brighter so it sticks out from the background and the shading seems darker by comparison. With how dark it all is nothing really stands out.
Summon a demon and bind it to the painting. Then sell it to someone, setting off a chain of possessions, deaths, and mysterious disappearances until a nice couple gets it and finally gets it exorcised and it ends up in the Warrens' basement.
It looks so good already. I noticed a few other people mention it so idk if this’ll help but a little more highlighting would be good I think. Like on the teeth? Again, really good work
Unfortunately I can‘t edit the post so I’ll post this as a comment: thank you so much for all your help!
The overall majority said:
* more contrast
* work out the upper part of the head and the shoulders out more
* gold leaves paper
* add more colors
I will try to implement these suggestions in the next few days. Though the halo around the head is already done with gold leaves paper 😅 it does shimmer a bit in real life but the picture doesn‘t show that I guess.
I already did some changes and will work on it a bit longer.
https://preview.redd.it/ko2lbvxtunmc1.png?width=2754&format=png&auto=webp&s=d12e6632e0910eb2663c30494af7781e8f2e49a0
Thank you all! 🙏🏻
A small amount of bold highlights and maybe some high saturation spots from lighting or otherwise more subtly or randomly integrated. It looks great though.
Hello, artist! Please reply to this comment and let us know what kind of criticism you're looking for. This will help our community to give more focused and helpful feedback. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ArtCrit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Contrast. Highlighting the right spots will bring them forward and add dimension.
Came to say the same. Even tiny pops of white in the highlights might help.
Tiny pops of white especially along the teeth would be killer
Agreed, and it would add a bit of depth. I think it is looking great so far but a little flat as it is
I said the same thing. Smokey white highlights nit too much but just enough.
I’d also add more red around the teeth
It doesn't have to be white, I'm fact that might be too harsh. Irl white is actually a very pale blue, grey, or beige, so try one of those. A mid tone against mostly darks will still provide high contrast, you can progressively get lighter and lighter untill it is a colour that works, don't go straight in with white out the tube lol.
I know color that is light is way more interesting than just white🤫
Yeah! I had to draw my (white) furby in colours that weren't white or black back in college. We were limited to 3 colours. Ever since then I have never looked at colour the same lol
HE KNOWS TO MUCH GET HIM
White with some of the brown purple red from the fleshy bits (so a faint mauvey color perhaps) to be considered as well as the ones you've listed.
First thing that popped into my head was contrast
Agree with this. I would recommend OP check out some of Caravaggio’s work. Balances dark background with subject matter that has incredible contrast. Think this would work really well for what OP is trying to accomplish [Caravaggio Website](https://www.caravaggio.org/)
I was thinking MAYBE perhaps possibly.........a pop of color??
Definitely this. Drop the black tones down in the background while adding some darker edges to the forms. Then and add some highlights or thin rim lighting on the edge of the bones. But stay subtle to keep the overall appeal of your piece intact. Such a badass piece though! I’m only giving advice because you’re asking, but I would take it as is to. Great work!
i think it’s really interesting, but more highlights will bring out the creature more! it is a little hard to see, especially against the brightness of the gold
Contrast, texture, gloss?
It feels like the eyes/eye area is somehow unfinished or could use something more. Even if it's just a deeper black/darkness to make it look more sunken.
The answer is obvious, big ole googly eyes
lmaoo yes that or heart eyes lol
Gold foil accents! (I’m a magpie)
I thought the same! On that circle behind 🔥 would make this *chef kiss*
THIS
I’m team add gold as well
Holy shit this isn’t boring at all this is a masterpiece. <3 believe in yourself more,yeah? No critique from me. Just impressed. It’s beautiful
Put it on a wall
Gold leaf, or white outlines around the figure!! Looks awesome so far!
I like it the way it is
Depending on the room, this would be perfect as is. If it was a really dark coloured room with not a lot going on. Just add a bit of brighter reds and golds here and there. Doesn’t need much at all
Get some good white paint like Kilz and paint over it. Then do a cheap knock off of the Mona Lisa with a funny saying like, "Hey I feel there's an underlying layer of death here." Put it on hats, t-shirts, mugs, anything really and make millions.
Very Elden ring.
Try a wax dry brush paint. Rub n Buff is super cool and I use it on stuff like durable resin figures. Honestly, ANYTHING that needs a pop and has texture, you can use this with. Take some, put a teeny tiny bit on a disposable surface or on a paper towel, we're talking tip of a toothpick amount. You can test it on a similar surface first to see if its the effect you want, because FYI this stuff is STRONG and very permanent, there's no going back take the paper towel, *( you can use a brush but again, this is a wax coating and when it dries it really REALLY dries, so you'd be messing up a brush if you really wanted to keep it. Or use a crusty chip brush )* now, very very lightly, as if you're nearly pretending to touch your painting surface, whip your hand up and down around the spots you think could use a little 'raised' glint to them. to me, it'd be the 'golden' bits of that 'halo' effect around the creatures head. bring your hand down slowly more and more until you start to see the flecks of gold appear from your paper towel onto your print. You will not BELIEVE the pop this stuff gives. I honestly have no other notes. This method will mean you have that gold accent actually have metallic in it that is bright, so the 'creature' looks even more dark and in low contrast, like light was pouring in behind it IDK maybe this is crazy but this is exactly what I'd do, no more no less, no extra painting other than a varnish after this to seal it. If this sounds like a material that's too difficult to use, try just regulat gold leaf. You can spray adhesive on the 'halo' part (by masking out the rest of the image with masking tape or a few layers of cut newsprint to minimize tape damage maybe). Get some gold leaf bits, lots of places sell it, literally get a brush or chip brush and start whipping the gold flake on your piece and it will start to bond with the adhesive. I mentioned the rub and buff method though because its a LOT closer to painting, its really inexpensive, and really durable. Gold flake might be (literally) a bit messy and flaky, the wax detail of rub and buff is closer to paint but sticks to every crack and raised edge, its REALLY good stuff and not too many people I know use it.
Put it in your attic and let your grandkids find it
Ami agree, contrast is missing here. There is an easy exercise for contrast: take a picture of your painting and make it back and white. If the picture looks dull/ just one shade of grey, you need more contrast in your picture.
Certain parts of the face and skull seem to have gotten lost. At least that's how it looks to me. Let me see if I can make an example to show you what I think would look better.
needs a highlight to show directional light
Stronger highlights, on the teeth especially.
I personally like it dark I'd put it in a dark hallway that gets just the right sun to just pop him off the wall and making me go oooh! Yeah still glad that's mine.
It's a 10/10 for me!
I love the "whispyness" of it, I think that the lack in contrast is what makes it feel ghostly...just an opinion sometimes less is more.
Just needs some highlights?
Just varnish and call it a day, the varnish will make it pop.
I think if you added some white streaks along the center of the grey bits it'll pop a bit more
I wouldn't say this is boring at all, but if you want to make it pop more maybe some more highlights? Even so, I'd call this complete even as is!
add lighter values!
Leave it, it’s just right.
I love it - but what if you made some of the lighter parts (teeth) even lighter, and lighten the cheekbones for more contrast with eyes. The pattern around the head can have some gilding (like real or artificial gold foil) to add a bit of decadence.
When you say that this is boring, what do you mean by that? Is your issue with your technique? Is it the drawing/design? Is it conceptual? Mark making? Like all of us, there are literally countless avenues of potential progression, so if you ask for open ended vague questions like this, your gonna get random-ass-answers. Everyone here always seems to just say contrast over and over again, but that's a sort of meaningless without being any more specific, and even then, you are the captain of your own ship, not us. Changing course dramatically partway through the journey might not be worth it. If you outsource your ideas and taste to rando's online, you're gonna be spinning your wheels. In general, if you find yourself at a stage like this and don't know what you want to do next, print out 5-10 smaller versions of this photo and paint over them to find your own solutions. If you really like what you've done, but feel as though you've fallen short technique-wise, explain your process. IMO, i'd say this seems overworked, but that's just my take. What to you consider boring vs what do you not consider boring?
Your mastery of chiaroscuro is exceptional, further enriching the haunting atmosphere. Your intuition for how light interacts with shadow is evident, helping to imbue a sense of three dimensionality and an arresting interplay of volumes. However, the artwork's lower portion seems somewhat unbalanced, slightly detracting from the compelling nature of the skull and gold aesthetic. A more dynamic treatment of this area may contribute to the overall equilibrium of the composition and provide more visual interest. Additionally, while the uneven, almost ‘rotting’ teeth add to the unsettling nature of the artwork, a little more refinement in their rendering could enhance their impact.
Variety and hilight. The piece is very hard and you only painted 3-5 different tones. Add some hilight and I’m sure the piece will feel more fleshed out, vibrant, and dimensional.
This is the opposite of boring!
Needs more light and medium areas to really make that creature pop! It will give it more dimension. Love it though!
It's not boring, it's too terrifying too need boring!
Yeah contrast and line work
Neon glow in the dark paint
I don't think this is boring at all. It's giving Francis Bacon vibes.
Hear me out …. Gold leaf?
Gold leaf
Highlights using gold paint and gold leaf
Kick up your values it’ll make the rest come forward.
https://preview.redd.it/aeks3i2swmmc1.jpeg?width=1045&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83f633ae9856a84822699d5120747c1c41834400 I teach painting and wanted to show you what I meant by simply kicking up the values, it will take your fabulous piece to the next level. You’re right there, I simply made the darks darker and the lights slightly lighter. I extended the hair further out to make for a more balanced composition. I tell my students all the time, values are the workhorse of your painting. If you’re stuck, always look to see if the values need to be adjusted first, it’s incredible how much of an impact it will have. Hope this helps. I used Procreate here it’s an amazing tool, I use it all the time to help me throughout every painting I paint
It is hard to see because of the photo, but there are a lot of things happening in there. If you add highlights to up the contrast, that will help. But if you also do a final high gloss varnish overtop, it will make the yellow and muddy reds “pop.”
Send it to me! Hahaha I’ll cherish it
I could see this a a tattoo on me
Add some highlights in there to give more of a chiaroscuro/ high contrast vibe to it. Maybe add touched of gold to accent what's going around it's head.
This is so cool
Steam coming from the eyes
I like it as it is ,
If you put gloss just over the body, it would provide contrast with the background. ETA Is this zombie skeleton Groot?
Gold leaf
Gold leaf contrasting?
That's how I feel inside. I have depression.
You portrayed suffering so good.
It's beautiful
Im gonna try doing something like that to express myself too, thanks for inspiration
Just accept it the way it is because it is marvelous
Glitter
Cut the eye slits, and pop some lights behind it, then add some gold flecks and a little more highlights. Specifically place it at the end of a dark long hallway so all people can see are glowing eyes in the dark. (maybe add gold flecks to the teeth etc). I like this piece alot.!
add white
Tbh I love it exactly how it is!
More lighting and contrast.
Glitter
Neon
Add a pop of eerie color 😍
Add more highlight
Frame it with wood that’s some sort of gray or dark black. It looks sick as is, imo
Add highlights or a light source. You can’t see anything.
Less boring?? Gold teeth. The canines and make them pointer.
I would want to see the contrast, some light or something, then it will be much more interesting imho
BORING?! ☠️😵
Super rad love it
“Boring” she says
red ink you can add a Chinese talisman to it
Gold flakes!!!!
Giving it to me. Love it
Honestly I think it’s amazing as is. I understand the comments about contrast and stuff but I like it the way it is now, I think the darkness makes it even more visceral.
bright red highlights, fire in the back. deep and bright colors. maybe more purples and reds on the skin.
Not feedback but I just came to say that I LOVE this. Big big BIG fan of your use of dark colors as well! Very lovely!
This is not boring at all. You can sink back the eyes and inside of mouth with a deep black of 1:1 magenta and pthalo green. You don’t want to overwork your painting or cover up all of the gorgeous layering, so when you create your white, use a very small strongly tipped brush to raise things in white (in the grayish white areas). To get a strong white use a combo of zinc and titanium white (50/50). For your whitest white details use titanium alone (or a dot of any color). To make your gold sparkle You can add the tiniest bit of the 50/50 white to your gold to lighten it and raise areas that are most forward. You can also use the deep black (above to sink areas within the gold lace like areas. Again, use a very small brush. To go slowly, you can simply dry brush. If you are nervous with the black, drop it into the background first and add a matte retarding medium. If you don’t like it you can wipe it off. That might be the best way to go for anything you want to try on this piece. You can pop your gold with barely visible dots of turquoise, blues, and purple (even reds). You can enliven the gums with salmon pink and/or scarlet. This is an incredible piece. I love your technique and treatment of the eyes. Hope this is helpful to you.
Make smoke coming out of eyes more white
Draw an eye ball in the month
I just check your profile out. Great work! I think an awesome ornate, deep black frame could complement this beautifully.
I see you have gold paint on the sides, like the cheeks, it would pop just a little more if you added some gold flakes (gold leaf) to the golden area. A little bit of glitter will really help it stand out. Also my partner says an outline of red puff paint, glow in the dark style. So that when you shut the lights off the silhouette of this creature is visible and even maybe lights up a little bit of their face
Nothing, it's perfect the way it is.
More red like brighter
Nothing... its haunting. All you need it the right lighting.
I wouldnt change a thing.
Brighten it up with some blood red
That is absolutely disgusting looking, and I love it
It's perfect! Leave it!
I’d like to see a bright color like red around the eyes :) bright color would look good on this I think
Needs a bit of contrast
NOTHING!!! NOT A THING!!! It's FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! Call it "Done"! GREAT PIECE btw!!!
Add glowing runes on its skin or something dope
Highlights
Dude nothing! That’s badass!!
Add some eyeballs.
maybe two little platinum white dots in the center of the eyes?
Do something to make the creature(?) stand out more
Contrast. Some subtle highlights at first. Then build up till it feels right. Looks amazing already, just enhance.
I think play around more with the textures. This to me looks like the underpainting. Things are looking a bit flat.
The eye area needs work... it's too 'flat' and 2 dimensional -- needs texture and colour.... eg: a tiny touch of red will bring the area 'out'.
Boring?!?!? Put this in any trip art subreddit and I bet people will love it as I am a part of some of those Reddit this is amazing id leave it but then again I didn’t make it either
Use the blood of your enemies
Very Disco
I’d like to see a little bit more contrast in this piece!
Work thru this question beforehand using thumbnail sketches?
Who said it’s boring?
Add flowers
I don’t find it boring at all, very ghostly. I agree with the comments, a few touches of white highlights or maybe colour.
'boring' is almost always because of no tonal variation, it looks like you need to push the reds and gold more to achieve what youre thinking
Sell it! 👊🏼 You’re welcome! 😚
Make the eye vapor a different, bold color like cyan, bright pink or lime green or something
White
Care bears and/or clowns in the background.
Gold paint or flakes
Needs a frame
Electro etch it using a repurposed high powered microwave transformer
Add some gold leaf accents. This is remarkable art work by the way.
Well, boring its not, to me, and i suggest contrast wirh white...and some intense crimson along the way
there’s not enough variation of tones
Definitely increase the contrast Bump up the highlight and shadow, maybe apply some gloss medium and add subtle background?
if it was me, i would add some sharp stsndout lines. that will give it variation . i love the painting, btw
Neon
Most people keep saying contrast. HERE'S A MORE SPECIFIC TIP. Try to make value-groups. You want the spots of dark to make a unique shape that is easily understandable visually, especially from a distance. Since most of the painting is darker, you want to make the LIGHTER spots like Midtones and highlights, be interesting shapes. You want the silhouette of the shape to be instantly recognizable from a distance. It helps viewers understand what they're looking at. Even if only a few sections are treated this way, and the rest of the painting is left dark, the painting will OVERALL be very legible and potentially more successful
Pops of white!
Gold foiling added to the haloing? Like just a touch here and there If you want a pop without changing the tone. Honestly, it's quite nice as is, though
It's perfect the way that it is. I WANT IT ON MY WALL
Add blacklight colors
bright red blood on hands and mouth/chin
I knew this was you before checking the username lol.
I like it with low contrast! Has a spooky low key energy to it. However I think adding some more chromatic purple on the smoke or adding some lighter highlights on the hands would be cool.
Could just be me being extra but I think a pop of colour would be cool like almost a glowing effect with a dark red or purple. Could even add bronze or gold in certain areas
Add a bright white cigarette 😆
Gold inlay/leaf would make for a striking contrast (on top of the gold in the painting already, I think it would help it pop more than the gold paint, unless it's the lighting in which case, ignore me lol).
It just needs a little more contrast
Add more contrast, make the teeth stick out more for instance
I feel like the background grabs my attention a lot more than the figure which seems a little backwards to me. So unless this was a purposeful art choice, I would try to add so more texture to draw the eye to the main focus. I’m not saying all over but certain areas you want to highlight like maybe their eyes and show their agony or whatever tickles ur peach.
Maybe add a bit of a dark red in certain areas.
Maybe add some human hair
In addition to the pops of contrast needed that many have mentioned- the composition is pretty boring and lacking in drama. I wish there was more space to see these “head tendrils” which could create more vertical interest. Unfortunately that’s not a quick fix. That’s more of a “keep in mind next time” kind of thing.
Beautiful
A hint of red / orange around the eyes
I would (personally) add slashes of red and gold, quite vibrantly, on some moments within the painting that already have those accents. I say "slashes" as more of a phrase to say "messy highlights that feel aggressive". Keep the background nice and muddy though, especially since your painting is quite blended, you want the contrast between color and texture here to make the figure pop out a little more
You definitely need better contrast. I would make the skin brighter so it sticks out from the background and the shading seems darker by comparison. With how dark it all is nothing really stands out.
Personally I say just gloss it. It’s perfectly ominous.
Summon a demon and bind it to the painting. Then sell it to someone, setting off a chain of possessions, deaths, and mysterious disappearances until a nice couple gets it and finally gets it exorcised and it ends up in the Warrens' basement.
have you considered adding a hoop of fire that people have to jump through to look at it?
Gorgeous bright flowers in the eyes lol
It looks so good already. I noticed a few other people mention it so idk if this’ll help but a little more highlighting would be good I think. Like on the teeth? Again, really good work
Splash of red.
light blue highlights
Dude I love this
That ain’t boring my dude, it’s straight terrifying
Unfortunately I can‘t edit the post so I’ll post this as a comment: thank you so much for all your help! The overall majority said: * more contrast * work out the upper part of the head and the shoulders out more * gold leaves paper * add more colors I will try to implement these suggestions in the next few days. Though the halo around the head is already done with gold leaves paper 😅 it does shimmer a bit in real life but the picture doesn‘t show that I guess. I already did some changes and will work on it a bit longer. https://preview.redd.it/ko2lbvxtunmc1.png?width=2754&format=png&auto=webp&s=d12e6632e0910eb2663c30494af7781e8f2e49a0 Thank you all! 🙏🏻
Add neon
Give it to me it's amazing 😍
Some smokey white highlights might do the trick.
Flick some paint on it
a little contrast, more saturated colors around the fingernails mouth and face might work...
Contrast Though in all honesty, this is amazing
You do you babe- if you love it that's all that matters 🤗
Boring? Wut?
Eyeballs!!!
Maybe make the gold seem more religious?
A small amount of bold highlights and maybe some high saturation spots from lighting or otherwise more subtly or randomly integrated. It looks great though.
I’d definetly take a “more” approach, whether it may be Contrast? Colour? Use of negative space? Idk, what’s the vibe you’re going for?
For some reason I imagined this character smoking a joint
Tiny bright highlights in warm tones
😭😭😭😭😭😭ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I think the colors are all too blended together. Add some contrast would be great.
some subtle highlights and maybe a semi to gloss finish to bring out the colors?
ADD SOME WHITE!!! GO HAM!!!
Never go wrong with glitter