Northern Flickers

Let me begin by saying overall, the piece has good compositional elements and great color. I also want to comment generally on my ratings--I marked down vision and originality because it is my understanding that this is based solely on a reference photograph. I have no problem with the use of references, but it does limit a piece's originality and unique vision.

Some things to work on:

Some of the anatomy, particularly of the upper bird, feels a little off. Without seeing the original photo, I can't be sure, but to me something doesn't feel quite right about the beak, eye, and neck. The foot of the lower bird also looks a little awkward.

While I like the attention to detail (and most of the detail work came out great), some of the details don't have a natural feel. Again, this is mostly in the chest and under the wing of the upper bird.

I want emphasize that I appreciate the work that went into this piece--I know I couldn't do this with pastel and pen. I like the color and many of the details, particularly in the lower bird.

Keep up the great work!