Excellent critique, Bayani. You voiced pretty much all my thoughts, and relayed some that bothered me which I couldn't put to words.
As to the piece, it is a beautiful piece, and I admire the detail and dynamic lighting/shadows nearest the point of swords' clash.
@Liz!
sketches on tumblr | finished pieces and resources on dA
Currently most active:
Shining Finger: 40 Elec/Titan][Summer's Son: 38 Fire/Fire/Pyre
Badgers:
Hyperion Tekk][Dark-stream
City of Heroes LiveJournal community.
Friendly, helpful and surprisingly light on the drama.
Save our game Master post.
Let me reitterate....Mr. DJ, that is a FINE piece you have collected! Gratz! 
~*~VexXxa~*~
The City Scoop Art Correspondent/Writer "ART IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"//"Don't hate because VexXxa is HOT and you're NOT." - JOHNNYKAT
If I may counterpoint the Devil's Advocate.
What if the attacker is the defender.
A lunging side swing, with the back foot off at weird angle.
The former attacker is defending with the full length of the blade blocking a horizontal batter's swing, thus throwing off the bottom hand on the katana's grip from the "clang" of both blades, in this case the heavier Rularuu...
We are looking at a reverse angle, that has the attacker on top view, but is actually the Defender from behind view.
Okay I'm reaching. But it would explain a lot of the "mistakes"... I agree on the point of the unsaturated background and the over use of lighting effects. I believe a warming up though of the background would have been a slight disassociate with the sudden warmth, and that a slight tinge to some of the lighting effects could have made one more important than the other, instead of all of them being the same wattage.
Overall however, I think it is very aesthetically pleasing and skillful.
I'm more bothered by her peach size chesticular areas, that hang rather non superheroically... quite distracting.
[ QUOTE ]
I'm more bothered by her peach size chesticular areas, that hang rather non superheroically... quite distracting.
[/ QUOTE ]
I giggled :3
LJ's always staring at teh bewbs. I wonder if this leads to problems in the homeplace....
@Liz!
sketches on tumblr | finished pieces and resources on dA
Currently most active:
Shining Finger: 40 Elec/Titan][Summer's Son: 38 Fire/Fire/Pyre
Badgers:
Hyperion Tekk][Dark-stream
City of Heroes LiveJournal community.
Friendly, helpful and surprisingly light on the drama.
Save our game Master post.
LOL... umm no, the wife is gifted.
edit: though my brother in law does call me the Boob Man, he says all I do is draw boobs all day. That's not true, I draw the occasional beefcake... when somebody asks me. 
Seriously. Everyone knows I'm the perv.
Yeah Liz, don't steal Foo's thunder! His mouth is so filthy, Ivory Soap supports 3 plants just to clean it...
Wait, what? Foo the perv? You got a lot of people to go through before you can claim that title. 
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Massacre_Melanie -the original Fire/Dark Corruptor -
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=115217
The Guide to BURN
srsly...
*angry stomp*
He's not allowed to go trough ME!
I think he stepped on you, Missy. You may need to take your clothes to the cleaners now and send him the bill. 
~*~VexXxa~*~
The City Scoop Art Correspondent/Writer "ART IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"//"Don't hate because VexXxa is HOT and you're NOT." - JOHNNYKAT
No no .. that was me stompin'!
Ah got sum' stompin boots!
With spikes?
~*~VexXxa~*~
The City Scoop Art Correspondent/Writer "ART IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"//"Don't hate because VexXxa is HOT and you're NOT." - JOHNNYKAT
Stilettos!
And a spiky necklace.
Kool! You go girl!!
~*~VexXxa~*~
The City Scoop Art Correspondent/Writer "ART IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"//"Don't hate because VexXxa is HOT and you're NOT." - JOHNNYKAT
Darn straight ... that's what they were made for after all!
Y'know, going, walking and running!
[ QUOTE ]
The Fight Within
My latest commish from http://totmoartsstudio2.deviantart.com/
[/ QUOTE ]
Very nice!