I agree, spedler.  I read every comment, and on the whole, the were positive, even when they had what could be argued as a valid critical comment (so someone finds lens flares "corny" ... big whoop -- if you are trying to create something in a particular genre that is usually rife with corn, and fantasy artwork is that  -- then you go for the corn).  Have you ever studied Maxfield Parrish??  As cornball as they come.  It's still phenomenal stuff.

If people post something about branching out, or trying something different, try thinking of it this way .... they think what you did is good, they just think that you could be an even better artist if you stretched your limits.  I think it's meant more an encouragement than a denegration of what you did produce.

And really, who gives a flaming fandango as to whether it is a "painting" or a "painted over photograph" or a Poser render.  It is what it is, an extremely well done image.  I don't care what tools you used to produce it.  If someone wants to create an art site that is limited to only certain types of media used in only certain ways, then fine ... let them, and people who use tools they don't respect or allow will just go elsewhere.

(oh, and by the way, great artists have been doing the equivalent of "painting over photographs" for years, ever since the discovery of the camera oscura .... anything to save time.  Tell them to read up on Vermeer and then work on pulling their foot out of their mouth.)

Could be worse, could be raining.