nice painting, thank you for additional downloads, with help of these bonuses i see how you make that work

I should have included the link to the WIP forum....here ya go

MWTA WIP

Very nice work for your third piece!! Well done...my fav part has to be the figure in the front....her face is very well done...not too sure about the white vertical line near the centre of the image though....alltogether a good piece. Well done!

Sean donaldson
8

finally! awesome full of action!
max pts!

The 'white' line was the glow of the flashlights off the corner...maybe I didn't pull it off so well..

Excellent I've been enjoying watching this in the WIP forum and it's great to see the final piece. I think the most chilling and realistic aspect for me is the blood trail, and then sense of fear that a pregnant woman in this position would have. Great stuff

Very nice overall picture, especially good work on the assassin herself. However, some details could use some work. Her right hand, for example, it seems... eh, I can't explain it... perhaps a little too bright, and a little too flat? There is something about the flashlight guys that makes them look forced, as if somehow they weren't a part of the image... perhaps a little (just a little) more detail, would do it? I mean, compared to the stairs they seem a little too out of focus. And I agree with you on the flashlight corner glow... perhaps you could make it a little less bright in the bottom of the picture, the places that the flashlight doesn't point towards. And now for the good crits
Her left hand is very well done, as well as her face - especially the scars or blood stains are extremely well done. The lightning is pretty awesome, and the textures are great. Keep up the good work!

EDIT: Hmm, weird... the vertical, brighter line (flashlight glow) somehow seems to fit better into the black/white/red picture... I don't know, perhaps it just needs a little more blue, so that rather than being perfectly white it matches the wall?

I love this, but I think that we have two pics in one, do u get me?
I can't explain myself, sorry...but I love the detail of the blood on the floor, and the policemen are really cool, great!
6/7

And am I trying to paint her? Forget it, man. You're damnable better! Max for ya, 'cause I saw no bad things on it! I'm amazed, man!

WSYWYG, I have been watching this piece develop in the WIP and have to say that I really like the result. Thanks also for the detail images, great stuff.
It appears that her right hand is a bit swollen from that cut, she may want to get to a doctor, it may be badly infected. lol
So, does she win the battle? Is the baby okay? I suppose we'll all have to wait for the next issue?
I can only hope that my 3rd piece turns out nearly as good, I just have to get my 2nd one done first. Keep it up man!
7/7

YAAH Brett its posted awesome I am going to have to agree with what everyone said here above me
but one thing Morre said: Her right hand, for example, it seems... eh, I can't explain it... perhaps a little too bright, and a little too flat?
Pam says: I think it looks like too puffy swollen and I think it needs to be more flat and more detail of her knuckles to bring it more to life...right now it looks more like a crab claw
excellent work and you put your heart and soul into this baby
well done my friend
{{{{Max Points}}}}}

PS examples maybe for hand?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/president/forthosewhoserve/images/07-hand-on-heart-p13455-05-ed-398v.jpg
http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/corbis/DGT164/CHA0012.jpg
http://www.sherryweb.com/BB2/images/hand-on-heart.jpg

Sigh, ok the hand...I spotted this problem right before after I posted, even after looking at a reflected image of it I didn't notice it until it was published.

Screw it...her hand is BROKEN...yeah, swollen, that's why she's holding a pistol in her LEFT hand from a RIGHT draw holster

Haha, that's right. Very good save indeed

I think you have a lot of feel with the acsessories like gun, coat, glasses, belt: These things are really good. But the human parts sren't alive yet.
It's very hard criticizing on this because i witnessed the whole hardworking process.....But there are quite a few small details that are left unfinished. I get the impression you got impatient in the end.
The nose is very small and low, the lips are very small, the hand...well, the hand. Plus a few color aditions would be nice, because it's all kinda...clinical.
The tiles on the floor look rather filtered and the cops are to blurry in comparing to the stairs.

O my God, I am horrible
Don't get me wrong, I still think there's a lot of good stuff in it. You get +7 now.

How is color clinical? C'mon art professor please explain!

Tiles filitered....in reference to Photoshop filters?? Nope. Didn't use any tricks.

BURNING HELL, BRETT! I won't paint her anymore, ok? You won! Best wishes, dear!

AAHHH don't give up Dani...finish the painting!!!

and thanks for the Burning Hell...NOW I feel like I accomplished something.

How is color clinical? C'mon art professor please explain!

Well dear pupil.... ....I ment cold, liveless. That's good for the purpose, but you can also create a more lively mood, more tention, by adding shades of warmer tones, like green or warmer blue. You've been very carefull with color descisions.
This can be done without loosing the tensed atmosphere, it will even make it stronger.
Aw, hell, I can only explain this properly by showing you.

you've done a pretty good job painting this. i can see how much of your love for your wife has gone into this piece. You rendered her really cool. One can see how hard you worked to make this picture live (the hands are well done - but i think you can do even better with the anatomy next time - hope there will be a next time)
all my best wishes to both of you and your soon-to-arrive-bundle

It's a good start Brett,although I never saw the wip,I'll leave my two cents anyway, touching on what the others left out.Firstly,the right hands lighting I think is correct,however it does seem to be a little claw-like in it's shape.

The drapery of the coat is something I think could be worked on through studying photos.It just seems a little light,normally those coats would hang heavier and have less definition of the body underneath.

The main thing I noticed however,was the thickness of her thigh compared to her waist.They are almost the same size,which I suppose you could blame on the pregnancy.But then where is the weight in her jawline and arms?I would imagine if it hits her in one place,it will hit her in more.^_^

For only your third piece it's a commendable job.I suggest next time when using reference,take it piece by piece.If your feeling that you like the head but not the hand,look for something different and incorporate that.Study anatomy and how light hits certain places of the body to accentuate features,it helped loads when I started working that stuff into my pieces.^__^Keep it up,I'm looking forward to your next piece.

Great Artwork, The light is awesome!! I love the poses the mood.... Everything!! +10

Concept and lighting are pretty good, I did see this in progress in the WIP Forums. Aside fromthe anatomy stuff, I only find the glow on the wall really strange. Toning that halo down and unfocusing the steps in the background could help. Keep it up.

I been following your WIP too and this is great. That blood on the floor is excellent, I know its not the main bit, but I was drawn to it because you got the colour and feel of it just right for this dark picture. And the spatter of it seems perfect too! not at all ove-the-top which is easy to do with blood. I love little details like that.

creative composition

well done man!!

Very good Brett. You've inspired me to finish my painting of Harle. Just don't know when I'll get the time.

Anyway, I'm digging this image. It's painterly yet uses some clearly digial effects. I don't mean cheap filters. I mean you didn't try to make it look like an oil painting or something. You took advantage of your tools. Nice job.

Thanks Samnson, and everyone else for the helpful/constructive comments.

About the only non-painting effects I did use were some layer masking for the shadows on the left and some on the right...It was 2 deep purple layers both set on Multiply at about 20% and one on Linear Burn at 65%...

I was in a real fix about publishing this version or the black/white/red version..

great one man and well done also i`ll give u all i had ..9+ go on but i`m sad u didn`t tell me that u put this one ...

Good job
It does need some work but practise makes perfect

Her clothes are awesome! Great turn out!

not bad. the lighting and her hand could need a overwork
good work on her clothes

The full version is just awesome!
everything is perfect to me except u could cut down the hightlights on the side of the wall, its kinda distracting

+max!

well done, her clothing convinced me it is reall leather

Nice job!
I like her clothing and the way it's shaded (you can really see it's leather!) and the light from the bad guy's flashlight thingies It makes things interesting! >:3

I'm a tiny bit distracted by two things generally:
First is the haircolor, I would make it have a bit more violet... I don't mean violet haircolor, but violetish shades which would make the hair fit the color-theme more. It's nothing important though, it might just be my perosnal opinion!
Second thing is the light on the wall. I mean the wall looks, to me, as it was glowing... i think maybe, if you wanted to show that it is lightened by the flashlights, a "hard" outline of the wall in a light color would be enough?

Those bloodstains are awesome btw, both on her and the steps. Kinda adds th spice to the picture!
And once again I need to say, that the jakcet shading is really great!!!

EDIT: forgot to say: +8 :3

Wow!
So your wife is a commando or something? or is she just in army?
Great mood! +10

It was interesing 'gothrough' in WIP. And here we have Happyend. Great 7+/7

Great to see the finished result Brett. Good work indeed. The only thing that caught my attention as not quite right was the right hand, but you already explained that

I know how hard and how long you've worked on this piece Breatt. I hope that you are happy with its result. I think it's awesome. The detail, subtle shades, lighting, and colors are wonderful. I especially like the lighing effects you used in her leather jacket.
Congratulations Brett! You did so well with this.

~~ Michelle ~~

I think everyone has pretty much said it all, but I'd like to address a few things... since you asked.

The over-all drama is great, and in many cases, concept is king - not whether you can render an eyelash or every strand of hair.

The lighting/shadows falling on the main figure and coming down the stairwell are spectacular! Like I said, great drama. The "onslaughters" look ominous and threatening, and agreed, the blood spatters are icing on the cake (tute! tute!) if blood spatters on cake are your kind of thing... but I digress.

Gun, holster, buckles, etc. nice, but I'm not sold on the folds and wrinkles on her jacket - hard to fake and make look real.

Many of the problems I saw on your initial WIP sketch have "disappeared" with the finished rendering and shadowing. There are some proportion discrepancies, but that just comes with practice. One thing; the human jaw does not terminate behind the ear, but in front of it - see your reference pict.

And, I'm not sure the floor tiling is falling in true one point perspective from our view.

But aside from all that, the thing that bugs me the most is that the wall she is hiding behind is so near center it actually becomes visual center and makes your composition look cut in half - moved one way or the other and it would read much better for me - but that may just be a personal burr with me, as it is technically off center. Oh, and one simple fix; re-do that ear!

'Nuff said! The points you have garnished on this puppy attests it's a crowd pleaser overall! Congrats!

Sorry I’ve come in so late, I’ll try and make my critique relevant.

The overall effect is very good- it looks like a still from a movie or a cutscene from a game. ^_^ There’s tension, and we start thinking of the story behind it. The details are great (the gun holster, the gun, the buckles) and the blood is really well done. Your painterly substitute for the lensflares is well executed- looks like the real thing.

The only things I could see that need improving have already been mentioned. The hand holding her belly (the back of the hand should be smaller, with some indication of the major tendons to the fingers) is a little off. The floor (I really like the style of the floor, by the way) looks like the perspective is off. At the moment it looks like it’s running into the wall. The glow on the wall could be dulled a little (the low opacity glow following the line of the wall perhaps could be made thinner- the actual light on the wall doesn’t need to be touched, in my opinion).

I really like the lighting and colours. Your Black & White pic is excellent as well, but in it’s own right. I love this coloured version just as much. Well done Brett! Be proud of this pic- I know how much work went into it! ^_^

+8

I like this a lot. I think just about everything in critique was written...although you got a lot of posts here..lol..so I didn't read them all closely.
I actually thought the hand was on purpose and it didn't bother me at all...the other hand is excellent so I thought the one she is holding protectively to herself was mangled and broken...works for me. I broke me hand once and it looked just like that. And I mean just like that...
In the future don't divide the work with a white line or it makes the eye think...comic panels which I thought on first look. The guys in the background could have been sharper or the stairs less sharp...the floor is out of perspective you would have been better off just making it a flat solid with just a little texture slab of concrete...the lines of the tile in the floor are what is off perspective...If you didn't have those...I don't think it would have been noticed.

But all in all...this is still a great work...good job and I can't wait for the next one.
+8

Nice work.
There's some anatomy issues, like the hands, and I feel that her face doesen't express the situation that you detail.
keep working, it's the only way.

nice. 9 +

I like the drama here, there's something about to happen but what??

Nice work +9

I think you've done a great job -- very cool, and thank you for sharing your process!

I have one main critique: the handling of skin color in a cool light.

Take a look at Enayla's The melody of your demise by Elite, GFXartist sponsor Enayla
...color pick it in Photoshop. Look at how many of her warm-looking (in that context) skin tones are actually purples. Your own skin tones still cling to the orange side of the spectrum -- to much to the "idea" of skin tone than to the reality of skin tone in that light.

Here is a photo that shows how blue skin can get in cool light
http://www.lucido.de/images/Stefan.jpg

Thanks alot, you were really instrumental (as everyone who posted in the WIP) in giving me great references. I thought about the skin tones several times, and yes I painted the 'idea' as you mentioned. Well...something to know for next time.

Great details on her clothes, the blood and the light on the stairs. Great job on this piece, and I think that the small story that goes with it adds a lot.

Dude sorry so late on the critique but I think this is fantastic... I kept track of this on the WIP page... and Im proud to say it came out excellent... Great job....

+10

i think the leg is a bit thickness....but the pic is still good...I like it!+7/7

Individually, each half of the image is spectacular. However, belding the two halves together has left something to be desired in terms of a perspective - - it just doesn't quite seem to line up - maybe I'm not looking at it right. [+8]

Very nice

I think it could be even more interesting in another pespective (not that half and half on the screen), but it is very well done.

I like a lot the girl's clothes

Good work!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment

I never expected this much of a postive response. I've made some mistakes with it, but I've learned so much from everyone's input both here and during the WIP thread.

For some reason this thing has made it to #4 in the Top 10, to which personally I don't think it's deserving, but thanks again, it means alot.

-Brett

Thank you for mail Brett.
I feel the tension feeling very much. Like "24"on TV.

great work!

Just dropped by to say hi and congrats on the use of this image on the home page.

I enjoy our little chats....

You always take the time out to reply, which showws characture... lol

All the best in Iraq..............

Only your third digital painting? I like it very much

Hmmmmmmm ok crit time... let's see.

1) First and foremost that vertical line of line (supposed to be glaring off the wall) is both way too distracting and dividing. It seems like the right hand side of the image could be completely seperate (which in fact i thought it was when i first looked at it). I do agree that there should be some light reflection, but you have to remember that the wall is a rough, textured surface, it isn't a mirror or anything so the light would not be so glaring.

2) I think that the main character's right arm has a couple of issues. The hand is a little off in terms of anatomy, and also, the light on the front of her fingers shouldnt be there, her hand bends at the knuckles, so any light coming from her left would stop at the end of the back of her hand, and the light from the torches around the corner would not reach her hand, especially to make it so bright. Also, assuming that the jacket is leather or something like that, the way her arm is bent, there would be some creasing and overlapping of the fabric on the back of her arm, not just on the inside where her elbow is.

3) Theres 2 very minor probs with her left hand, the outside of her hand shouldn't angle in so sharply, and the reflection off the meaty area of her thumb probably wouldnt continue down so far...

4) The front soldier walking down the steps, there should be a small amount of light being reflected off the steps onto the armour on his right leg, but i think you could also sharpen the light and reflections in general on that right hand side of the image, it seems almost blurred (not sure if that's what you were intending), and the other thing that confuses me, is that there is solid black shadow from his feet down the steps, until suddenly, its a different tone at the bottom :S i dunno....

ANYWAYS, that's all nitty gritty stuff, i'm just tryin to give you as much feedback as i can Like everyone else has said, you have achieved the dramatic light very successfully, and the overall quality of the image is quite high. You should be happy with it!!!

- Evan

Brett, sorry I am so late with my comment but I couldn't really point out anything else then the people before me mentioned

It's a really good piece for your third digital work especially since you included more then one character in a story scene - something I am still too chicken to try.

And grats on the frontpage spot - I was going to send you a pm about it to make sure you noticed
I think that's an awesome idea to rotate different artworks there.

I love it. The line is a little to brightly lit, and the SWAT guys gun looks bent. Overall nice mood and feel to this painting

I like it, her coat is really cool, I also looked at the details and WIP. Great work!. And she really looks like your wife!!
the arm with the gun is very good, but the other one is "broken" a bit .
Lots of effort in this piece. My top pts for you!!

Awesome painting and style. The composition and light is superb! +7

So this is how it turned out! Cool!
Would have been nice to watch as a movie. The story seems exciting!

Absolutely a great improvement!!!
Sarah is nicely done, I like the color tone and the red glasses are perfect!
Maybe the vertical line is a bit disctracting, but it's a wonderful work!!!
Many, many compliments!

Cool work and very story telling..I like it...

Great Spooky Mood!...the blood looks so great and real!!! ...top marks

where the hell am I, how can it possibly I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS?
God, this is COOL!
Really really awesome, reminds me of the X Files,,,looks like Dana Scully, hey she's pregnant too in the last season...hehehe

sorry for being SO LATE!...
10+

awezome!

like a thriller scen i love it, i like that show a mood in draw, i like very much

very nicely done wrinkled clothing effect.

I like this one, proberbly your best work to date I think, nice job.

figure is a bit stiff and akward in proportions.. all else is great though. I think it has all been said really.

excellent piece.......again..........

really great work on the skintones and fabric....
and on the illumination of the mercenaries coming down the stairs

maybe fix the light bouncing off the bricks though.....a little less bright and dramatic

and her hands, they're kind of wonky............hands and feet are the hardest things to draw properly though

great work for a 3rd piece

Great image, but the white highlight in the middle has a very bad effect in the overall image. It's almost as the image is 'split', which hurts the concept a bit. Other than that, the details are simply amazing. Great job! +9/9

Impresive work! The tone of the skin is very nicely rendered and the detail of the blood on the floor is so amazingly done. Very convincing especially the trails that can be seen on the stair case.

I have to agree on the comment about the white highlight in the middle. I personally think it's just too wide and glowy. Perhaps by making it less brighter and less glowy will fix the problem.

Another thing is her left upper arm seem a bit too long as well. The elbow suppose to be roughly alligned with the waist if the arm is straight and in this case the elbow will probably end up lower under the waist. I hope that is clear.

I also have to agree that some part of the painting looks unfinished, especially the soldiers in comparison to the very well-rendered female.

Apart from that, I think this is a very well-executed piece. The way you play with the lighting, especially on the female figure, is just lovely. The texture on overall composition is also very well-thought, the wall, the skin, the clothing and the floor. Those look really very well-done.

Sorry if some of my comment have been mentioned before but I have not read through all of them yet and I also hope this is okay. And do mind my bad English as well XD

very good composition

like it very much

+6

good, but it can be so much better. THE HEAD needs a lot of work.
+4

Love it, good composition

HOLY ****

damn nice work wysi,i wish i could do stuff like that,just got PS 7 so wel see what happens

*thumbs up*

Not only the work, but the imagination and desciption behind is really cool
Reminds me of the comic days!