Gnoll...

[Tedsuo]

Hey guys. The run of orcs kicked off by the excellent John Mueller got me fired up to paint my own favorite cannon fodder: The Gnoll. I really want to finish this, but my eyes are bleary from staring and I don't know where to go next. Can anyone help? Advice, comments, anything. I'd really appreciate it.


http://tazmanianhamster.tripod.com/pics/Knoll_WIP_Web_2.jpg



:confused:


Teaching myself to paint is the pits at times like these! I really wish I could take more traditional painting classes at school. Pretty much everything I've learned so far has been from you guys.

Thanks,

-T


PS- I changed my avatar to something more befitting of my personality. :)

[rimwalker]

I like his expression, I also like his tiny little eyes.

Forgive my stupidity, but explain a "Gnoll".

[Atomick]

*nerdalert* Rimwalker, "gnolls" are a D&D race o' critters, a popular replacement for orcs.

My main feedback would be...just keep going. The details and face need to tightened up: I'd wanna see the pointy teeth, the fur, the facial musculature, etc. What you've got going around the well-rendered eye should expand across the canvas, then go one level further. His hair is also pretty well groomed for a semi-bestial hyena-humanoid. :-)

Might you consider a background of a contrasting color or tone?

Rawk on,
-Atomick

[Tedsuo]

Thanks guys.

Rimwalker: Thanks! As Atomick explained, Gnolls are a Hyena-like creature very similar to orcs in stature and strength, accoring to the famed "Monstrous Compendium." I imagine them as having feline characteristics as well. I always prefered them to orcs, as I imagined them being more tribal and cunning.

Atomick: Thanks. Just keep going? The same thing only more so? :) I agree that's still pretty loose at this point, everything was starting to get pretty muddy near the end. I will experiment with adding dark, warm green notes in the background, but I would like to keep it mostly warm red-oranges in order to motivate the warm lighting of the character. Perhaps instead of adding green to the background I will intensify the greens in his face, and create contrast that way. Or both even. If anyone knows a better way to do this, please let me know.


I showed this to a friend of mine, and she suggested moving the center of interest (the eye) farther away from the center of the picture. Maybe I will lop off the right side of the pic, about the signature's width plus a bit, but I'm afraid of crowding the image. I think I'm also going to give him some armor, leather with a bit of metal on the shoulder, and use the highlight on that to create a second point of interest. Do those sound like good ideas? Or should I just tighten the rendering as is? Armour sounds like a good idea, the more I think about it...