You could try bumping it:


Before bumping:

(duplicate, Filters>Lighting Effects> using itself as bumpmap, reduce opacity to ~25%)
Bumping brings out a lot of detail, but you may need to redo the background with a smooth gradient cos Wallace's stripes get bumped too!

That looks cool Jontait, thanks for the suggestion. that method sure gives it a bit of depth.

Molly, I love your painting. Great job!

Thank you Issabella but I am not too happy with it. I am trying now to change the sky to brighten it up.

Excellent work, Molly. Nice to see you doing more art like this.

Thank you Tux, I am working on another bird right now.

@molly

It's a good little landscape image you have there, you have a good sping-feel to it with the birds and the overall elements. Moko is correct though that there is no real focus to the image, all elements are roughly equal of importance. When composing an image you want to avoid this - you want to "guide" the viewer into your image.

What I think might be an useful test here is to determine what you want the image to be "about". Is it about the birds sitting on their branch? Is it about a lonely tree stump in the forest? Decide which part of your image you want the viewer to look at first, then try to bring this element forwards. You can do this in various ways, the easiest is to use light. You could subtle dim parts of the image to bring focus to the element you want to bring focus to. This is not the only way to do it though, you could for example use colors or stronger outlines to bring forth the element you want.

As an example, take a look at the RAP image I did here: http://griatch-art.deviantart.com/art/F ... -530153302, notice how the background is shaded gray and turning whiter towards her finger? This is a way to help tell the audience just where they should focus. The idea is that once they have "landed" in the pointing finger, they can look around at the rest of the image and take it in.

As for shadows, you are right that there is no clear light direction on an overcast day. But this doesn't mean you cannot use shadows if you want - even on a day without a visible sun you will still have a general light direction - the light comes from the sky above! In fact, on a gray day the colors you see in the world will best match their "real" colors (that is, a red ball will look its "real" red on a gray day whereas it will be affected by scattered light from the environment when you have more interesting light hitting it).

Anyway, I'm glad you are finding good use for MyPaint.
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Griatch

Thanks you very much Griatch.

This is very valuable information and I appreciate it a lot. I knew I should have a focal point or a point of interest and in this one I think the birds would work for that. I learned a long time ago when I was doing water colors that I should lean my trees, branches into the picture to bring the eye in and other different tips so I should take more care in putting these things to work.

That RAP image was a very good example, it lead my eye straight to the girl and to her finger pointing at the rose.

This my try at a Chickadee and I did it all from scratch including the branch. Took around 24 hrs for the bird and one hr for the branch

I have plans to make some more birds or something that I can put into a composition and use them all in one picture.

Nice Molly!

What is this...

Is this any better Wallace? That was his back claw hanging down.

Nice one Molly.

Thanks Odin, I love doing birds.

Is that what it was?
That looks much better Molly.
It was really big though, so I didn't recognize it as being claw from that little bird.

I looked at a bunch of birds in Bing images and most of them got that. they put two claws over the branch and use that back one to hook under it. They have ugly feet

Nice one Molly.

Thanks Odin.

Cool Molly!

You're the "Bird Woman" of Alca... I mean Gimp Chat.

These are all very nice!