Crucified

I'll start with my first impression. I was merely browsing for a couple pieces which requested critique, and yours right here popped right out at me. Therefore, it sparked my interest not only because I love fantastical creatures and space, but because your color choices worked so successfully in creating a subtle, yet powerful composition.

As for the concept/idea, I'm already on board with it, and I must say it's quite unique. This piece can tell such a great story no matter which way you look at it. The blood, the aura in his hand, and that determined gaze do all the speaking. It's hard to come up with anything original these days, certainly in the realm of the extraterrestrial, but you pulled this off quite sufficiently. This creature is definitely not a generic looking life form. Of course, that notion is subjective, but this is based on all the things I've personally witnessed. Its design is not bland, nor is it ridiculously over the top. I'll also add that its anatomy looks consistent, I cannot find anything that looks awkward.

Moving onto your technique, I am not an artist who normally incorporates backgrounds into my pieces, but I will try my best. For starters, the texture on the creature is fabulous. Its skin looks amphibious and moist, thanks to those scaly highlights and slick shading. Although one thing I feel needs tweaking is the highlights on the head. I do not think there's enough of them, given that one of your light sources appears to be that nebula/supernova in the sky. Actually, I cannot quite tell what that is, but if it's something that is supposed to be giving off strong brightness, then more highlights on the edges of the top of his head would be necessary. Other than that though, your technique is pretty spot on. In my thought, the wisely distributed contrast is the strongest design element in this piece. The viewer's eye moves throughout the entire artwork.

Overall, I really enjoy this piece. Your concept is neat, and your execution is near perfect. This idea obviously built a great composition that is imaginative and well-balanced. Nicely done.