Right well this is a thing. Prior to this I did not focus much on smudging/sharpening/dodging/blurring/etc. in many of my pieces because I was usually in a rush/only used the aforementioned for minor details that added a few small effects here and there. However! Things have certainly changed as I am now in possession of the lovely Photoshop and can more easily conduct fancy things. I was able to read up on a few tips beforehand, mind. So here we have a tag conducted in the conventional style from a silly newbie who has very little experience, so critique would be appreciated immensely! (Also, I am aware of the simplistic colours - I used a simple gradient map because it is a bit late here/I am tired and currently lethargic/I feel that I must touch upon colours in great depth when I have more time in the future).
Hey, the gradient map works really well I think (I love the sepia sort of tone, I overuse it an awful lot). You should experiment more with graident maps by using different opacityies and blending options (like soft light, hard light, overlay etc. I don't know their proper name). I also really like these textures which you have used and your 'cutting out' for the one in your signature is lovely, the veins work well and I am curious as to how you did them (or was it just manual?). I think you should also continue to experiment with smudging as it can produce beautiful effects and you have executed it quite well as you've given the piece flow. However, you should have smudged your stock a bit more into the background so they feel more together rather than just put together. Also, I love the stock you have use <3 Keep it up What? you have done well.
You blended and blurred the edges a little too much. You have good composition, placement and color, but it is hard to find the lineart at the edges of your renders. They should be more easily distinguishable from the background in my opinion.
