.:: A Meeting With Scratch ::.

This is quite well done. I especially like your use of color, and the palette you've chosen really sells the atmosphere of the piece. As mentioned prior, the attention to detail on the railing is quite well done and your effort shows.

However, I feel as though there are a few things that are really quite distracting. The roundness to the buildings in the background make it look a bit rushed and it drags the whole piece down a bit. I can see where you were trying to go with it, but I'm reluctant to say you didn't quite make it.

However, the biggest problem, by far, with the piece, is that while the attention to detail on the suit is fantastic and I admire you for it, what you didn't sell is that he's leaning against the wall. The dispersal of weight, as well as the folds on his clothing, the shadows, and just his posing over all gives the distinct impression that he's just kind of floating in midair near the wall, rather than actually leaning against it. There are some other, more subjective things, like I think his pants should be more taut since he's wearing suspenders, or that his head seems a little bit too small, or that his collar should be much tighter and stronger, but those things could go either way. But as I mentioned prior, the biggest problem for the piece is the weight distribution along the wall. I can kind of see that he might be also leaning against the railing as well, but that would be a very awkward thing to do with his stance. Unless his knee is also supposed to be against the railing, which looking at it again now seems possible, but again, that would make his weight distribution and the pose as a whole awkward and not very aesthetically appealing.

Also while I'm being pretentious, I think you could have sold that his head was shinier a bit more. It looks a bit matte right now. And also your shadows are inconsistent. Scratch's shadow is blurred and vague, but the shadows from the handrail are quite cut and clear. They also may or may not line up properly. It's hard to say. But yeah, keep an eye out for that in the future.

Otherwise fantastic piece. The lighting is great, especially the rimlighting and proximity reflections. I envy your ability to do that, especially at such a high level of detail. And in a painting, no less. Props.

(PS: Wow this rating system is completely arbitrary and hollow)