Alkonost

[MashPotato]

Hello, feels like I haven't been here in a while

I'm pixelling a picture of an alkonost and--what's this...?!  Evil JPEGs?!     Yup, I'm not far along enough to get critique on the actual pixels yet, but I'm at a kind of a crossroads concerning the layout, so I shrunk the pictures down so they'd be easier to get an overall impression.  I'd appreciate some quick opinions about which layout seems to work better, or if there are aspects you like in one versus the other that could be mixed.

Thanks!

   or   

Ah, just noticed the right side of the background seems a little empty in the one on the left... try to overlook that for now

[Ali]

This looks exciting - in a really tiny way! Thanks for teaching me what an alkonost looks like.

It strikes me that her hair streams out to the right creating a sense of motion that works with the long wavy tail an the left but not with the more steeply plumetting plume on the right.

I also think the longer tail creates a more interesting composition, with a less 'empty' backdrop I think it could be very effective. That said, I find the longer tail a little inelegant in the centre. I think it could begin with a more feather-like shape (as in the right image) but continue to taper and follow the path of the left. I feel it could undulate a little more, like a ribbon attached to a kite.

Finally, I think a clearer skyline would create a more dramatic sense of altitude.

I look forward to seeing the actual pixels!

[Chicky]

Maybe something like this would work a bit better for the composition of the image.



That tails probably too fat but you get the idea.

[loominous]

Love the detail n look of the body area, just great.

Composition wise, I think it's kind of constrained n awkward, with the main focus (n contrast) on the far left.

In this rough edit I placed a balancing focal point to the right - some kind of a floating mountain dealy - to balance it out, and added more space to the left, to get her focal point more centered and give some breathing room:



__

Some other stuff:

I messed with the palette a bit, giving it a more monochrome look (which I'm a sucker for) with quite saturated highlights n pretty much greys for the shadow areas.

Also added some lightwrap, since the sky I added seems quite bright, which makes her blend in more.

Keep us posted on the progress!

Edit: added a single frame version

[MashPotato]

Thank you for the responses--I think the general consensus from here and elsewhere is that the extended canvas looks a lot better, and I agree

The other suggestions are helpful as well: I wasn't completely happy with with the shape of the tail either, so Ali confirmed what I suspected, and I will work on the shape .
Chicky seems to address the same problem as Loominous' lovely paintover: the emptiness on the right.  I did notice that, and Loom's paintover gives me some ideas for some stuff I could do

While generally I prefer fiery colours, seeing how elegant the monochromatic palette looks makes me think I will try playing around with the colours a bit

Extending the canvas to the left is also a good point, and I will do that... man, this is going to be a killer to pixel--already it's 400x369, which is already pretty massive O_O  (thank goodness for those space-filling black bars )

Thanks again, all!


EDIT: I should also mention that a lot of work on the wings was done by someone else, although I have altered it quite a lot... I didn't bother mentioning it before because it was more of a layout thing, but since Loominous mentioned the body, I don't want to take credit for someone else's work.  When I post the larger versions, I'll link to the original

[MashPotato]

Sorry for double-posting, but I figure this is a big enough addition to warrant it

Here is the full-size image (the background and tail have not been changed yet).  Please note that parts of this picture were derived from an unfinished piece by the incredible pixel artist Fool, so while I redrew the majority of it and painted over everything else, Fool's lovely work is definitely still in it 

Here's mine:
and here is the original piece by Fool:

Still a long way to go; currently I am working on the wings.  The back feathers have hardly been touched yet and will be modified further later on.

[buloght]

Like i've told you mash it's shaping up to be a masterpiece Amazing work so far on the (stomach-breast) feathers and the feet. The face as well. I'll post something more useful later.

[MashPotato]

Thanks Buloght

Here's an update... not too many huge changes, but I did alter the shape of the tail to something that I think is more in keeping with the rest of the design... but feel free to contradict me
Background is a placeholder for now.
Thanks