u/Illustrations-flow

The scene is part of my own world. Zverna (oc) is traveling with Haxan(oc), a member of the Beetlixs civilization. They are climbing a very steep mountain using a giant desert beetle. The beetle loses its grip because of falling rock, which causes Zverna to fall. Haxan follows her with a rope to try to catch her.

I know the figure drawing and clothing still need a lot of work, so I’m less interested in those areas for this critique. I’m trying to improve the larger visual decisions first.

I’m mainly looking for feedback on composition, lighting, shapes, movement, and readability.

• Does the action and fall read clearly?
• Does the composition guide your eye well?
• Should I push the lighting more onto Zverna as the main character?
• Do the shadows/value structure read well, or should I push them darker?
• Do the shapes and silhouettes work?
• Does the environment feel like it belongs to a coherent world with a clear sky/sun/light source?
• Is this level of rendering enough, or should I spend more time developing rendering and lighting? I’m currently trying to prioritize design, shapes, and storytelling over making the figures highly rendered.

Rendering vs design

One thing I’m unsure about is how much I should render this type of painting.

My intention with this piece was to focus more on the moment, composition, shapes, movement, and storytellingrather than making the figures beautiful or pushing the rendering as far as possible.

Do you think this level of rendering is appropriate for where the piece is, and I should continue focusing on design/composition?

Or do you think I would benefit from taking pieces like this further and practicing more rendering, light, and material definition?

Basically, should I be learning more rendering now, or should I continue prioritizing design and composition?

I’ve included earlier failed attempts before the final version and my reference sheet. They might help with your critique. I’d like feedback on whether you think the composition improved through the process, whether my workflow makes sense, and what area besides figures/clothing you think I should focus on studying next.

I’m still learning English, so I had some help making this post easier to understand. Thanks for taking the time to look at it.

A moment from Zverna’s world.

In this scene, Zverna steps between Nazaf, her shark companion, and one of the ocean’s most feared predators: an orca.

Orcas are the natural enemy of sharks in Zvarn waters. The Zvarn have raised sharks for generations, using them for speed, endurance, exploration, and helping gather resources beneath the ice. They are trusted companions, not hunting animals.

Orcas rarely attack the Zvarn themselves. Instead, they hunt the sharks the Zvarn depend on. When an orca targets a companion, the Zvarn have no choice but to fight back.

Orcas are enormous predators, so dangerous that they are rarely fought alone. When a hunt is necessary, the Zvarn work together.

Ironically, the Zvarn admire the orca’s strength so much that their civilization’s emblem is inspired by two orcas. Orca blood is also used to create a rare red dye, a color treated with respect rather than worn casually.

This is part of an original character/worldbuilding project. I used references ( not a copy just inspiration and poses ) while creating the illustration, but the characters, setting, composition, and story were developed by me.
This took me roughly 5–6 hours.

Style: I’m aiming for a stylized, painterly illustration rather than realism. Some of the artists who influence what I’m trying to achieve are Nathan Fowkes, Pascal Campion, and Zac Retz.

I’d really appreciate honest critique, particularly on:

• Composition and visual hierarchy
• Storytelling and readability — does the situation make sense without the explanation?
• Staging and posing
• Character/environment integration
• Construction, perspective, and anatomy
• Design and shape language
• Color and lighting

I’m especially interested in underlying problems that I may not be able to see myself, rather than just rendering advice.

I’m mainly looking for honest, constructive feedback that can help me understand what I’m not seeing yet and what I should focus on improving next.