Courtier

Chow number 199. I really wanted to participate in this one because it marks 100 Chows on from one of my first entries. December 2007 is when I took part in Chow number 99 and Ive been planning to use the latest one as a chance to look back 2.5 years ago and see where Ive gone. Looking back at old work is good for me to find comfort that I a improving. Seeing mistakes and ways to improve old pieces that I used to be the best I could produce shows you are on the right track.
If I was to give some critique to younger me from 2007 on his piece I would point out: The silhouette is not that strong, the pose is stiff, the anatomy should be thought about more rather than just imagining the figure on the surface (imagine him without his clothes and he is quite deformed!), everything is too flat on and there are no variety of depth (like foreshortening), the lighting isnt consistent and is quite generalized (doesnt give you an exact idea of where the light source is and it can be used to enthuse a mood), and the background is carelessly done without thought (what do the crazy patterns and marks have to do with the subject?).
Anyway back to the actual piece. The topic is Courtier. For a long time I wanted to take my designs in a direction that is rooted in fantasy. What I mean by that is trying to come up with designs that might not be so mundane and limited to reality (but is still believable). So the kind of reaction I am trying to encourage from my designs are intrigue and curiosity. Hopefully there is enough recognizable elements to connect the viewers to reality and enough juxtaposition and bizarre things to make it look other worldly.
Coming soon: A tribute to Peter Parr (my tutor)
EDIT: The Parr tribute may have to wait. ChoW #200 is upon us and Im too excited to back down from it XD