Hey bud, Nice work here, man! This is turning out great! You could adjust the values a bit more. Right now the scene feels too bright, and realistically, deeper areas of the ocean wouldn’t be this illuminated. Darkening the scene a bit would also give you better control over the lighting and help guide the viewer toward the focal points, which are the mermaid and the silhouette of the person near the surface. Notice how by darkening both the background and the mermaid, the light stands out much more, and as a result, the mermaid becomes the focal point even more clearly. You could also reduce the amount of detail in the background rocks and treat them more as silhouettes. This would help reduce visual attention in that area while also reinforcing the sense of depth and establishing it clearly as the background of the illustration. I’d also suggest making the silhouette near the surface smaller. Right now it feels too large, and compared to the size of the mermaid, the person would practically be a giant if they dove into the ocean haha. Making the silhouette smaller would strengthen the feeling of distance between the mermaid and the surface. I’d also recommend simplifying the wave shapes a bit more and painting larger, more curved shapes so the waves maintain a stronger rhythm instead of feeling random. Hope this helps!
