Drawing, WIP?

Okay, I need everyone's opinion on this one. Without a complete redo, how can I put some zing into this rather boring drawing? Contrast is a little stronger than the photo.

Here are the four latest paintings I've done. I'm working on a companion piece for the top one. I'll post it soon.

re:

some quick value and color comps of my challenge piece that i did before getting Tyler's comments. i know this comes across as more of 'safe' composition more than something extremely original and groundbreaking. i'll do some more experimenting with different images to see if i can come up with other solutions.


ALSO:
great to see these guns are still alive!
i'll suggest that when it comes to design, variety is your best friend, so do ALOT of variations. but of course doing 'alot' takes time, so skip the rendering at this point and work on the fundamental silouette, grab a sharpie. it's easy to get caught up in the details and think that they make the item, but a good silhouette with cool details will totally kick-ass!

that being said, i really like these shapes! i would counter Vince and vote for the middle one, as its the most original. but be careful of the overhand handle on top, and its similarity to a wang. i made the same mistake in my designs and didn't catch until much later.

guns

So tonight I just got the urge to dive into some gun concepts. A while back, Geoff and I collaborated a little and he came up with these, which were great.

Sounding off those, I wanted to get some Wild West feel into them. These are quick sketches referenced from an old Colt rifle, and some early Winchesters. On the top two, I literally turned the colt revolver on its head; I like the barrel extending from the bottom.

I'm going to do a more refined drawing once I figure a design out. Which ones coolest?

WIP

I'm doing art challenge for Jon Schindehette's ArtOrder blog doing this illustration of a dude lost in a dungeon. These are 2 variations each on 2 different compositions that I like, switching up the light source and weapon.

Thoughts?

Grandpa's Baby

For those not at the show this was my favorite new piece I think the best watercolor I've done so far. It's only 6x6in. but I learned some new things painting it.

Upcoming Show

Okay, so this probably would be better broken up into different posts, but stay with me guys.  I've got a space in the gallery walk this Friday.  All of these pieces will be in it.  Take a quick scan and let me know what you think.  Both general feedback about the show as a whole and more specific ones about individual paintings will be much appreciated.

As always, thanks guys!