Help me to help myself

[Nedsta]

Evening guys and gals, I am asking the community for some brutally honest criticism to help me improve my painting. I feel that I have improved my painting dramatically over the past year but now I need your help.

This is a WIP of a FW Orc that I have been working on again over the past few days, I have repainted the face as the original was way too bright and am now looking for ways to really make it pop. I will be highlighting the eyelids again and probably glazing with a purple or blue, but what else can I do to the face?

 

[MAXXxxx]

maybe something like this?

View attachment 45267

basically:
- made shadows darker
- made highlights lighter

I think these are important.

and the optional ones:
- added a blueish purple to the shadows + around eyes (here I'm not sure it's good or needed, but whatever)
- added some yellowish-green to the highlights

 

[Josh The Stampede]

Yep, I think you're on the right track, just add another level of greenish-yellow highlights, and then if you want even another level of extreme highlight, in yellowish-white, on the very birghtest points, like the nose, brow ridge, chin, edge of his upper lip, ears, etc.

I also like to use a reddish brown in the deepest shadows on greenskins, but the purple suggestion above is good too.

 

[Dirty]

Yeah, get some more contrast in there. Also, adding in some purples, pinks or blues around eyes/nose/mouth or whereever you feel it could work usually makes the face more interesting to look at

 

[Nedsta]

Thanks for the advice guys, and a big thank you to Maxx for that picture, very helpful indeed. Well here' where I am so far, little bit sloppy in places, but I think I'm getting to the limit of my ability, now to finish off and get the rest of the bits done. Many thanks again.

 

[Dragonsreach]

?........but I think I'm getting to the limit of my ability, now to finish off and get the rest of the bits done.

Right I'm going to tell you one thing, unless you stretch what you think is your limit you'll not get any further.
What I see here is good so far, I'd like to suggest several things, increase the contrast of the lines and creases on the face by adding traces of purple into the creases. Add some flesh tone to the edges of the top lip to give a bit of life then glaze yellow over the cheeks and eyebrows to get a spark into the face.

 

[Josh The Stampede]

Right I'm going to tell you one thing, unless you stretch what you think is your limit you'll not get any further.
What I see here is good so far, I'd like to suggest several things, increase the contrast of the lines and creases on the face by adding traces of purple into the creases. Add some flesh tone to the edges of the top lip to give a bit of life then glaze yellow over the cheeks and eyebrows to get a spark into the face.

Exactly this. I'm not sure who the quote is from but it's something along the lines of "Making great art often requires destroying good art", meaning that at some point you'll stop out of fear of ruining what you already have. What you have is good, but don't be afraid to try one more level of highlights or shadows. Worst that happens is you don't like it and you paint another one.

 

[Webmonkey]

another option,.. (just as a point of interest),.. is to draw attention to the face by adding a scar or tattoo on part of the face,.. just a thought.

 

[ten ball]

Good work. Agreed with others, glaze some other colours as suggested will bring him to life