A Lotus Painting - Pls Critique <3

[Auraluxe]

Hey, so I haven't been on PC in ages, and I'm really not sure where to make this thread, so...
I painted a thing for the first time since second grade, and I really, really enjoyed it. Where would I post a picture of it for some good, solid critique/advice and maybe some instruction on techniques that I should be learning and practicing as a brand-new beginner to painting? I read the rules but still wasn't sure, it sounded like the School of the Arts section was just for people teaching. Sorry to be a bother. >.<

You can either post it as a start to having a gallery and ask for feedback, or just post it here! You can also post it in art school under the "Help" tag if you want a dedicated critique thread. It's a little quiet in there, so I won't mind if you want to post it in the main section.

Well, as stated above, I know absolutely nothing about painting, but it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. It was, but I really want to improve because I know I was doing everything wrong and probably making a million and a half mistakes. If anyone has any advice at all, please share. I just want to improve and learn at this point. <3

Spoiler:

 

[Nina]

Well, as stated above, I know absolutely nothing about painting, but it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. It was, but I really want to improve because I know I was doing everything wrong and probably making a million and a half mistakes. If anyone has any advice at all, please share. I just want to improve and learn at this point. <3

Spoiler:

First off, I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to reply! I hope the critique was not time sensitive.
You re got the right idea with your overall composition. Having the pads be on the edges works very well. the lotus however, is a bit on it's lonesome. I'd like to see the edges of another lotus a room as well is maybe some floating petals. with how close this image is to the surface of the water, you should invest sometime into studying the surface of ponds, as well is being able to see things close under the surface.

In terns of painting technique, try to use a few less colors, and limit your use of black. Water is a reflective surface, and will the on the colors of it's surrounding objects. It's mainly blue because of the sky and atmosphere, but getting this close it should not be such a vibrant blue. With the shading of the lotus you've used, I would not use such a dark outline for the lilypads. One of the great things about paint is it's ability to blend with less effort than doing it digitally, so try to blend your shades little more smoothly!