Abriur kid and her kitten

I have been following the images that you are creating for this new world, and I must say that I am impressed by them each time. The level of detail that you integrate, while still keeping the overall composition simple is astounding. I think more than anything else, what sets your works apart for me is the character that you put into each image. Whether you are telling part of a story with the picture, positioning and portraying different elements in order to evoke an emotion, or just adding tone through lighting and color choice, you are asking the viewer to looker deeper than the paint on the canvas (Literal or digital). There is more to the piece than initially meets the eye, and the closer one looks, the more detail and care they will find.

For example, in this image, we have two main subjects: the Abriur, and the Cat. However, the way in which the image is composed shows us so much more than two simple subjects. We can see that the girl has her arms positioned in a way to be somewhat self-guarding, and she is looking slightly off center. Perhaps she has seen something just out of focus that has startled her, or that makes her somewhat unsure. Her feline companion is close to her, though not directly in front of her, suggesting that it is loyal and protective, without feeling the need to protect her directly.

From an artistic perspective, I enjoy the execution here. The strong brush strokes make it look like a painting, and the cold colors help to set the mood for the atmosphere that seems to exist within the scene. There is detail and expression where it matters, such as on her face, on the Tigers head, but more muted and subtle accents in other areas of the image, such as the more blurred fur, or fewer fine details that can be seen in the environment. You have opted instead for the painted scenery style of background, and I think it works to great effect here. This helps to direct the viewers’ attention where it needs to go, and helps to avoid wandering eyes from drifting to elements that aren’t as important in the scene. It gives viewers the opportunity to fill in those blanks, or those areas of fewer fine details themselves. When used properly, as I feel it is here, it helps the viewer to place themselves into the world, as they are actively taking part in creating their own scene, and their own story for these characters.

The only criticism that I would raise would be to perhaps smooth out some of the elements in the snow and the sky. I do appreciate the harder brush strokes, but you have some, for lack of a better word, “blotches” that can be seen in the snow. They appear a bit too vertical for my tastes, and I would have preferred to see somewhat of a radius on them. I feel that stretching them out in this manner may have helped to make them look more like trodden snow. For me, and this could just be a personal preference on my part, it seems a bit inconsistent across the snowy landscape. In particular my eyes find their way to the patch of snow nearest the front most cattails, on the left of the tiger near the bottom of the painting. If you trace a line straight across (to the left) of the tigers paw, you will see the area that I’m referring to. Again, this is a minor gripe, and a complete matter of opinion and preference. The only other minor complaint that I could find is in the upper right corner of the sky, there is a portion where the darker tones meet the lighter tones, and the transition is somewhat harsh. I would have liked to see a bit more blending between the two for a more seamless conversion. Again, these are minor gripes, and are more a matter of preference than artistic fallacy.

All in all, this is a fantastic and beautiful piece, and one that I thank you greatly for sharing.

Keep up the amazing work,

Visray