The Last Prince (Character piece)

#1

This is based on the death of Llewellyn (The last prince of Wales). I wanted to try a painting with a sense of drama rather than a straightforward portrait so chose to do a character piece with a story behind it. I have focused on a veteran warrior making a last stand, defending the body of the fallen prince while the battle rages on around them.

My original idea for a setting was a misty morning but the overall effect was to dark, the forground and background merged into each other. By adding a snowstorm I hope I’ve managed to increase the sense of desperation in the soldiers plight and make the foreground characters stand out from the background. I still have concerns at the moment with the shadows on the main character - are they too deep?

Any advice or critique is welcome - thank you, Bych.

#2

It’s an excellent painting, well done!

I think the shadows are perhaps a little dark , especially contrasted with the white of the snow storm. I love the evolution of the concept but I feel the picture is a bit tightly cropped in terms of composition.

#3

Hello Bych.

I like the atmosphere (the snow storm does add a measure of despair), the dramatic pose and the action reads well.
However, it was only after reading your full description that I understood which character was the prince. Obvious differences in the quality/regalia of their gear would help ; the prince’s tabard, especially, could afford to display brocard, rich embroidery, pearls, and so on.

Another detail, you might want to make your metals more reflective (the blade and hilt of the sword, armour parts, …). Not necessarily shiny, but right now it’s hard to tell the difference with any other mat fabric.

Regarding shadows, I agree with the previous comment: they’re too dark, espcially in this very reflective environment. Even in plain daylight, if there’s snow around then there’s bound to be lots of diffuse luminosity in the atmosphere, plus soft reflected light coming from the snowy ground.

#4

(Deleted due to replying to the wrong thread.)

#5

Hi all, thank you for your comments, much appreciated.

I have made some adjustments to the image based on some of the feedback and concerns I had initially. I have tried to reduce the shadows, and brighten the reflective areas. Also I have changed the composition back to it’s original landscape format - hopefully this opens it op a bit.

With regards to telling a story or it’s purpose, perhaps my image is a little vague, but then again so are most of the images on this site without any explanation from the artist. The real facts surrounding the death of Llywellyn are also surrounded in mystery and every article had it’s own theory. Personally this is not about concept art or design, merely my interpretation of what might have happened and a way of learning and improving my art.

#6

Oops–sorry, my previous post was meant for another thread–I must’ve typed in the wrong window. :banghead:

#7

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