Help with Edelgard from FE: 3 Houses fan art

[agoodman13242]

Hey guys, I've been working on this piece for a couple of weeks now, and I am sort of starting to get to the point where I'm second-guessing all the decisions I'm making. I think it'd be really helpful to get some other pairs of eyes on it, because I feel like something looks generally "off" but I can't tell what it is. I am especially struggling with her face and the lighting of this piece. I want it to look like a beam of light is coming straight down from the top, but I've always kind of sucked with strong lighting in my work. Do you guys have any advice? If there's anything else that looks wonky to you, please let me know. This piece still has a ways to go in terms of polishing, but hopefully you can see the direction it's headed in.

[malcom]

I think this is a great start. When it comes to the face, you have to make the lighting stronger on the planes of the face the light will touch. You would do the same treatment on other areas of the painting as well. Try thinking of everything as basic shapes like spheres or cylinders. I did a quick PO to show you what I mean.

Push the lighting some more. You can even have a nice rim light on the top. Also I wasn't sure what the background is suppose to be but I guess you'll figure it out later. I didn't add it but to make the eyes stand out more, you can make them a different color(as in a more saturated color or a different color) or make them glow a little bit. The chair perspective needs a bit of work but that's about it. This is a really nice piece so far. Not sure what else you'll add but I look forward to the rest of the progress.
Hope this feedback helps some what.

Hope this helps a bit.

[moirae]

I think the blank expression hurts it a bit too. I don't know anything about the character, but maybe a slight turn up at the edge of the mouth, or a little expression in the eyelids or eyebrows? Even a stoic, regal expression like you may be going for has a little variation in it, all the features are just so level and even.

Lastly, the legs are very confusing, I can't tell where her knees are supposed to be. (gravity would show the fabric shaping around them) . The whole dress pinches in just under where her hips are, and where I presume her thighs would be making it a little shapeless and looks like she is floating above the chair rather than having contact with it.

Hope this helps.