And hey, thanks for the feedback to everyone! It really means a lot. SndCastie raises an excellent point, though -- it needs to be respectful, and some people may not feel that I always operate in such a fashion. (ok, so maybe I sneak a few insults in now and then in the forums blush) so here's an example of what I would write. It is an actual piece of criticism on a specific image in the gallery: Nice piece! Biggest stand out is the near relief of the tatoos and the strong lighting structure (something I'm drawn to). The hair is quite good overall -- a bit too high on the forehead, perhaps, and where it crosses the arms it has a much more painterly look than it does elsewhere. There is an odd lighting artifact in the upper left that perhaps a touch of postwork would help -- not misplaced, but just seemingly out of sorts. The texturing brings the whole scene to life most strongly -- great use of bump maps -- and a wonderful use of the programs. on the sphere, the lighting at the top also seems just a tad off -- it looks good, but the reflection is too much directly overhead -- perhaps more internal or around it to soften the "glare". particularly like the shadowing along the legs -- really accentuates the whole pose, which is very good, very iconic (obviously the goal here). one last thing: the chains along the undersides of the breasts look somewhat "plastic" -- highlights on them are a bit too soft, too evenly spread. Now, assuming the text box has enough space for such a lengthy assessment (unproven thus far), would that be too much?

thou and I, my friend, can, in the most flunkey world, make, each of us, one non-flunkey, one hero, if we like: that will be two heroes to begin with. (Carlyle)