Crane in Winter

[mkeith]

Do the branches retract from the photo?

[Frog]

Welcome to the forums and glad you are brave enough to start out in the critiques.

This is so close to being a really, really nice one with the subject matter and lines.
One of those types of art with very simple subject and lines but that say a lot.
I don't think it is so much that the branches distract as that they are positioned in ways that do not add.
IF you can clone out the lowest branch, and maybe the leaf on the one closest to body, that one closest would compliment the lines of the bird. I'm not sure about the lower right one.
I'm also not sure about the top right ones. I'm not an artist nor have I any training but am thinking that if you simplified those by cloning some of them and took the end out that goes off frame on the long one, you'd get a simplification of form that compliments the bird shape.
I'm not sure about any of this. I spend the time thinking out loud as I like the photo so much.
Do wish the eye showed more.

[armando_m]

What a great start !

I do not mind the branches, but if you can remove the ones at the bottom it would be great.

Here is a stupid question : is this a real bird or a sculpture?

[mkeith]

It is a metal garden ornament. I like the metallic effect. By the way, it is standing on legs about two feet long.