User Menter on the Facepunch Forum Creative Work thread posted the following image
Originally a study from a photo of war-torn Syria, turned into a more fantastical composition
My criticism - the placement and shape of the Mantis isn't helpful for the composition - both the actual direction the mantis is facing as well as the abstracted forms of the legs and claw serve to lead the eye off the right edge of the page.
If this is desired for conceptual reasons, fine. The current image does tell the story of a soldier observing this creature pass by in the distance, which (depending on the specific brief) may be appropriate.
I feel a more intimate relationship could be set up between the mantis and the figure, and the eye could be contained within the image better if we changed the posture of the mantis.
I mentioned this and Menter noted that the eye of the mantis is looking at the soldier - this is very tiny details and doesn't help the overall initial read though. Paintover below.
I changed the height of the legs so that they sloped downwards, leading the eye leftwards. Also the overall twist of the body and the raised claw also lead the eye towards the soldier. Antennas lead the eye down towards the head, and from here the flow of the body curves downwards to the street - or we may follow the point of the claw.
I feel as though the foreground could be brought out more to clarify the form of the soldier - perhaps a lighter background behind the soldier so that his right edge isn't lost.
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