Quetzal's 2016 paintings

Update on the Amsterdam Siren... got the cobblestone light and water acceptable, maybe I will go back to them with a bit of texture and shiny highlights at the final stages... I'm working on the scales now, to give detail to the Mermaid. I'm also debating putting in reflections of other windows across the alley, but I worry that they may clutter up the image... another thing to try once the scales are done.

Jumping between images seems to be working!

Back again, after the sudden freeze of my trusty 10 year old laptop... Lots of changes, hopefully for the best, scary none the less... anyway, I promised to post the finished Red Riding Book Club image when I was done...(on that, I still feel the itch to work on it... is an image ever done?)

sorry for the pixelation, I am trying to keep the image small so it is easier to see....
And CONGRATULATIONS on the two year anniversary!!

That's a beautiful piece. It's got a great Arthur Rackham/Charles Vess feel (which is about as high a praise I can give for a fairytale type image)

I do have one very minor crit, and a small suggestion, neither of which are particularly important overall, but they're the kind of thing that I tend to notice.

The crit: The right hand side (image left) of the Wolf's head is getting lost a little in the tonally similar tree root beside it. Almost anywhere else in the image, a bit of a lost edge wouldn't be a problem, but with the head being an important focal point, it could probably do with some more definition.
Maybe darken the root directly to the side a little, and have some lighter hair trim on the head (as you do around the wolf's back higher up)? Either that or bring a bit of the highlight colour used on the roots to the right of the image into the area directly beside the head?

The suggestion: At the moment, the Wolf's nose is the darkest point in the picture, which is drawing my eye down there. I'd suggest making Red Riding Hood's hair similarly dark, so they have equal focus.

Thanks, that is high praise indeed! I am a fan of both artists, and I am glad my image reminded you of their work.
On the crit, thanks again, it comes a point in the painting that you cannot see the forest for the trees, and it helps to have someone else look at it with fresh eyes. I will keep working on it until I am happy, and the nice thing about digital is that you can save versions in case you overwork things.

Very nice indeed. Love the colors.