painting.. need some advice!

[Scratched Glass]

hey all. i need any thoughts and opinions crits etc about a large oil painting im about to embark on. I wanna pull myself away from the computer a bit and start hittin the brushes again.. its soo hard when i have every color mixed at my disposal on the computer.. but ok here we go.

i did a quick color study thumbnail in painter.. bout 45 minutes of what i think i want to paint. i havent shot any reference yet so there is obviously anatomical and lighting errors. if you have any crits about color. composition, anything let me know! some great minds on this site, i know you guys can let me have it =P

ok heres a small description of kind of what im shooting for.

what looks like blood is supposed to be seen as blood at first looking at it... to me and i guess if you notice the brushes in my hand its paint. an idea of how my body relies on my art throughout my life and the pain its brought me at times. If people wanna see it as blood let them. I'm really trying to convey a mood here. a sense of entrapment, a sense of individuality, a sense of being alone in this huge fucking world, and all I can really count on is what i make with my own thoughts and actions. Its when you crawl into bed at night and theres nothing but what runs through your head. Its the pain we endure as humans that sometimes make us feel alive.

this is what i have for a thumbnail. im gonna try to strech the canvas tonight and also shoot reference this evening. thanks guys!!!!

http://www.rsad.edu/~dgreco/selfpainter.jpg

[I.was.ink]

I like the thumbnail, and your idea. The only thing I would consider changing is the position of the hands. I like them, but I think that if you were to experiment with different positions, that maybe you'd get a different feel.

[Elwell]

Try it with the hands on the shoulders. I'd also play down the blue of the pants, its competing with the red.

[Scratched Glass]

very good idea guys thanks. yeah i shot the reference for it and the hands on the side didnt feel natural either. i could either not show them or i could try them on the shoulder. and yeah ill def punch the blue down more... i agree completely!

thanks iwasink and elwell!

[Scratched Glass]

hrm i probably should have shown another step but i saved over that last file on my ftp so it actually replaced the pic being shown. i darkened the pants up. they turned out really dark in my reference and eliminated the hand on the right. i think it looks better.

[Scratched Glass]

lol sorry for the 3rd reply in a row. heres a thumb of what it was before i changed it... something to compare...

http://www.rsad.edu/~dgreco/picsmall.jpg