CGAN July 2017 - Random II - Finals

Here is my final(although it still needs work)
wip 1 cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...2017-random-ii#16729
wip2 cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...om-ii?start=10#16918
wip 3 cgartnexus.com/index.php/forums/challeng...om-ii?start=20#17083

This is a bit of a mess but it'll have to do. I wasted far too much time making and then remaking mistakes in a feedback loop of wrongness.

1: Something Wicked This Way Comes.
2: And when I say 'wicked' I mean that evil angle of the head!!!

And here's the 'final' of my Macbeth-inspired pic which I'd better post now because the deadline is tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

No time to spit and polish so here it is. Think I've just sold a print of this to an old friend who loves Bladerunner so I'll be having to finish it some time soon.

Wip 1

Wip 2

And the final:

Voting time again?
And in there first!

Dragon:
I think you did a really good job combining all the different elements in your pic this month. This is another good pose, with the angled tension in the back and shoulders showing the energy flowing through the extended arms, and the lowered head expressing the concentration required.
The graduated cloud-filled sky is lovely and that offset moon does now set up the background for the ghostly figure without interefing with how the image reads.
The spectacular glow of the magic is a fantastic centre point of the picture but I think the fiery hair is not quite as successful, it distracts a bit too much from the expression of the head and face. I can see why you wanted to add more light around the figure and after thinking about it a bit more today it might have been better to do that by adding some blue highlights reflecting off the skin from the magic and the portal. And I do like that granular dissolve around the edge. It's an imaginative choice and one that I would never have thought of doing.

Atto:
Yep, I like a bit of Bladerunner too!
And this story suits the selection of words nicely.
I think you've successfully managed to capture the style that you wanted. The bright saturated colours are handled very well and the contrasting muted tones of the figure give an effective sense of his mood and anguish, topped off with the little iconic details of the origami and the gun, with its wonderful foreshortening.
I also like the crop of the figure, cutting it off at the tilt of the head is visually interesting and creates a feeling of claustrophobia that traps the figure in his thoughts.
One minor thing that irks my eye a little is in the brighter areas where some of the circles are darker than the tones behind. Whenever you see these effects, whether it's a lens flare, glare, bokeh, or out of focus backscattered dust, the overlapping artifacts usually tend to brighten as they stack on top of each other. I always use a Screen layer when I'm trying that so that it automatically "adds" without me having to think about it too much.
Finally I do love the way you've added some of that brighter colour into the drink he's holding. It's a very clever device that links the two sides of the picture and helps to achieve the balance that I hoped you would get.

And for my vote… I'm gonna give it to Atto this time.
In addition to all the things I like about it (the colour, the composition and the fact it's Bladerunner) you've also sold it as a print too! Getting votes is good but having someone pay for it is even better … apparently. And you really can't argue against cold, hard cash. The customer is always right and when someone is right I try to agree with them. Don't spend it all at once.

Firstly let me say that I didn't mention the fact that I'd sold a print in an attempt to garner more votes - personally I feel I've done better work before that no one seems interested in buying

As for the vote:
Dragon - love the fact you added that dispersion effect round the portal - it helps 'ground it in the image much better. I agree with Valence about the hair and with his alternative but wouldn't it have been nice if he'd thought of that a few days ago?

Val - It's still freaking me out that I'm a ghost when I look at this. The addition of the candle and its associated rim light is very nice too providing that warm/cold lighting across our heroes(?) face. I also loved the aged look to the sword with all its nicks along the blade and its worn patina.
So this month my vote goes to Val.
Good work guys.