On the one hand, it will become somewhat sharper, and definitely more detailed as I revise it; now that I'm awake and can see straight, I'm sure I want to keep working on that. On the other hand, though, I specifically chose the reference photo that I did, because I liked the soft, painted look of the heron in the photo itself. So, this piece will still have a soft look, just a more detailed soft look, when finished. (I should add that to the description -- thanks for giving me the idea! *smile*)

Do you mind if I ask if you viewed the reference? I'd love to know, because it might give you a better idea what my goal is, on this piece, and thus let me know whether it's the style of the image, or my rendition of it (or both, for that matter), that is coming across as less sharp than you prefer.

I ask in particular because I've seen a number of your images, and they have a very crisp clean look to them -- but it, in turn, is a little *too* sharp, for my personal tastes, and it makes me wonder how much of this is me missing my target and how much is just a difference in personal style. *smile*

I don't want to offend, and I *do* like your work; in fact, considering that I've got a lousy memory for names, and I remembered yours and correlated it with your work, that's high praise indeed! It's just that though I can still tell that they're very nicely done works, they're not the type of thing I'd pick out for myself, if I were buying art, and therefore not the style I'm aiming for here. I hope I'm being clear here...

In any case, thank you VERY much for the comment, it gives me a better idea how this is looking to someone else (whose eyes are probably working MUCH better than mine were, by the time I stopped last night... *LOL*).

Speaking of which, I've found that after a while of working on a piece, sometimes, my eyes get too used to looking at the picture, and I stop picking up on the details as well. Does this ever happen to the rest of you folks?

Any suggestions on technique to achieve that look would be very welcome, too. :)

This is very pretty... it already is taking on a soft, but detailed look, which is what I like. I looked at your reference photo and so far you are getting there. You can have alot of fun playing with the light that is happening there - you should take advantage of that. I don't know if this applet has an airbrush (I use lascaux only) but if it does, it works nicely for things you want to have a *soft* look to, and then for the details you can come back with a regular brush or antialias brush and add them. It looks like you are using a light opacity, which is good for soft. Keep layering light opacities and then add your detail and I think you'll get what you want. (btw - you have a nice grin! lol)

Believe it or not, this *is* me trying to condense my comments. *sigh* On the other hand, there's only so much I can compress into so few words, and I don't see much point in asking for comments without giving information on what I'm looking for. I also try to give people a chance to know who they're talking to, when I join a new site.

I *am* going for something stylized, not photo-exact, so I'm not trying for exact feathers -- but at the same time I am also trying for something that's got the look and feel of that photo, since that's what made me choose it. So, the question stands, if anyone has any suggestions as to how to get that look and feel a bit more closely on the wings. Regardless, I still appreciate the comment, feedback, and suggestion.

Edit: Thanks for the suggestion, DBA! I'm still getting used to the options on the different applets, and there are some things I seem to be able to get Shi-Painter to do that I can't seem to manage on Lascaux, yet -- but there *is* an airbrush option, I'll have to give it a try, next painting session. *smile* Thanks again!

Groovy heron! ^_^ I like how you drew the outline, it makes it look like an inked watercolour ^_^ *applauds*

oh wow, this looks lovely! gives me a calm vibe *baskes in the calm vibe* ahhhh