Hi Melissa! This branch has a lovely painterly texture and nice detail. My only suggestion would be to make the cast shadow less important. Here it reads like a shape and pulls my attention away from the branch. Try softening the edges of the cast shadow by fading the gray color into the white of the paper gradually, and give it a darker tone where it meets the form of the branch. This is also an opportunity to add a reflective highlight to the branch! Nice work, and welcome back! 🙂
Hi Melissa! This branch has a lovely painterly texture and nice detail. My only suggestion would be to make the cast shadow less important. Here it reads like a shape and pulls my attention away from the branch. Try softening the edges of the cast shadow by fading the gray color into the white of the paper gradually, and give it a darker tone where it meets the form of the branch. This is also an opportunity to add a reflective highlight to the branch! Nice work, and welcome back! 🙂
Thanks for the info and for the welcome back!