Starting digital painting, critique my first work please

[kinotvarrr]

Hi! I am starting digital painting. I have some fundamentals in traditional drawiing but not in painting. So I made this drawing in grayscale to better understand how to work with value. My process was:

1. Took a picture of myself with growling expression
2. Drew a sketch on paper and took a photo
3. Drew digitaly on top of photo
4. Made two masks for face and hair

Made hair abstract because I was not satisfied with what I was getting using brushes but I liked this version in the end.
I have uncertainty about the right side of lips that in shadow but didn't come with any solution.

I didn't pursue some particular style or result, just went with the flow.
I'm very inspired by the work of Egon Schiele and creator of Æon Flux Peter Chung.

So the work in question:

Very interested with your honest opinion. Thank you very much!

[brohawx]

Disclaimer : Any examples I draw or paint over here are
not what your art should look like. They are attempts are to show you a
theory, tip, or hack to give you a brainwave and motivation to improve
your skills. A white knuckled grasp at the next ladder rung. Only you
can decide what your art should look like.

Welcome kinotvarrr!

Excellent first portrait and digital painting attempt.

Since we are not following a style guide today I decided to show you how you could push values and form further in your portrait - as well as the edges, you will notice some of that traditional training coming through into the digital .

But over all very cool.

Ta for now.

[a.l.ias]

I like your work here, especially the expression.

The pure black of the hair is a really dominant element compared to the varying grays for the face. This also leads to the eyes being a focus as they aye also pure black.

I am also starting my art journey, so I do not have critiques of the painting. You are at a higher level than me, so I hope to reach this eventually. : )

[harrison.d.meyer]

Wonderful work on the anatomy and expression here. You can really feel the aggression and exaggeration coming through in your work.

I took a look at the artists you are inspired by; Egon Schiele and Peter Chung's Æon Flux, and I have to say those inspirations come through verry cleanly in your work. The exaggerated facial proportions really come through here.

Though, I felt like you could really push the values a bit further. In most of Egon Schiele's work, the eyes are typically the main focal point. In order to do that, he makes the pupil a nearly black circle while the whites of the eyes are nearly completely white. If you lightened up the whites of the eyes in your portrait, they would have much more contrast and would be an even greater point of focus than they are now.

That being said, this is still excellent work. Your use of the natural wrinkles in the face to direct the eye to your eye line is top notch. Great work.

TLDR: Increase the level of white in the eyes to make them stand out as a point of interest.