Castles and clouds

[fskn]

Maybe something stronger, like...


(that's a bit of a half assed attempt, though.)

-----

If you're worried about the color count... You could probably remove some of those colors. Some blues, especially, are very close to one another. Some browns too. You might be able to tighten up that palette, then add a few more.



-----

Eh, let's go for longer... flag things:

[cels]

Great edit, thanks! The flag things look great. Also, fair point about the color count! I'll have a look at it.

Also like what you did with the clusters. Makes it look like chainmail or something to that effect. I'll try to make this my own though, instead of simply copying it. And bring back the green from the early version. Hopefully the green will provide some kind of link between the points of interest.

[fskn]

Y'know what could be cool? Kite shields instead of tower shields.



-----

You could tip one of those slightly...





Either way, that would make them a bit more dynamic.

[cels]

I love kite shields and I agree that they look better. However, as I am determined to illustrate my never-to-be-finished novel, I must stick with the tower shields. Even accepting the fact that tower shields and pikes is a really weird combination for two solitary guards in the middle of the frozen desert.

As a very tiny improvement, I tried to adjust the angle of one shield. As you say, it looks more dynamic when they're positioned differently rather than copy-pasted.

Experimenting a little with the clouds and wondering if lowering the color saturation is an improvement. I don't think so, so I guess I'm left with trying to repixel the clouds and see if I can find a more pleasing shape. Or just calling it quits and accepting that I'll probably see what I did wrong at some point in the future. I've been staring at this piece for 3 months now. 

[fskn]

Oh, right! If it's tied to the setting, then it's got to be that. (i had considered that, actually, but forgot to mention.)
But the angle change does make a difference!
I also liked that you gave one of the guys what looks like a bit of a skirt. Pretty cool.

The falling snow is a nice touch too.
And I do like the new sky colors... Maybe it looks colder? More of a wintry time?

[cels]

Thanks, guy! And I forgot to say, you really did a good job with those shields. I'd steal them if I could.

Posting this on PJ now, so I'll be moving on unless someone shows me something more that needs fixing. Thanks for the help, everyone!