thogh id post this, cuz i had more than one version of my new image, grendel. heres the orginal version, no postwork, and as you can see the render isnt complete.

heres the version painted over in photoshop

heres the version painted over in photoshop

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=465423&Start=1&Artist=woodhurst&ByArtist=Yes

and heres the final version w/ some minor color changes, i still dont know which one i should have posted. I was going to leave the render as is, w/ some minore postwork, but i was going thru hobbits, betons and strivings gallery, and i thought id try something new and paint over it.

I like it with postwork myself, that looks like an amazing painting. Out of curiosity, what kind of postwork did you do? blurr + smudge + Polsterize? Great image. I read that book, based on beowolf.. I didn't like it myself. I thought beowolf was a much better read..

thanks ornlu----------the only postwork done was smudge, set at 55%, and some dodge and burn on very small parts. no blurring on this one:) i actually havent read grendel yet, but thats next on my list. i made this simply out of the info from beowulf.

I love the smudge effect, but the painted clouds seem to take focus away from the object of focus in the river. The visual path should draw the viewer to the object of focus, and then along the path up to the castle. Myabe try toning and blurring the clouds a bit, then breaking them up around the castle, maybe with a few "halo" type hues as well...that might bring the viewers' eyes to the castle more easily. Other than that the composition is excellent!

Idk if you want to read grendel woodhurst, it's a pretty disgusting book... On the first page it talks about his testicals... And then later on in the book he starts thinking of how he wants to burn this lady's.. um.. undercairage over a fire and watch "that little brown hole shrivel up" It's pretty damn disturbing if you ask me. I'd stick with beowolf it's the original, and much better. Beowolf is from the human perspective, and grendel is from the beast's perspective.