After testing lots of your suggestions from this thread, I finally decided in favour of the original version.
So, this is the definite version of my newest picture, now called “Pottery”.
Please comment on modeling, lighting, materials etc. but not on the different versions like “I prefered the other one”. This discussion is over.
Very beautiful.
No comments. This is very professional.
I definately have to agree.
-Laurifer
I definately have to agree.
-Laurifer[/quote]
Me too! 
Fantastic!
What was your modeling technique?
Great work!
But I’m still sort of hung up to the texture on the two large vases that look identical.
//styken
hey man good job
i have seen lots of art prints sell with this exact same look
very well done
you should make prints of it and sell them on ebay 
This is awesome- good job
Fantastic render. Lighting is perfect. Moody and not over powering at all. Juust perfect lighting.
BgDM
beautiful
Hey, thank you for the many positive replies. 
whiteboy: I started with an 8-point disc, extruded and scaled it. Then I extruded individual faces for the handles and finally turned on sub-surfing.
styken: Oh no, I promise that I wanted to change it. However, after all this testing of different ways to improve the picture I forgot about it. 
Make a white/black border of 15-20 px around it, with your text underneath in a roman or classic font in the opposite color underneath the image in the border…did that make sense?
I love it, excellent work.
I liked the image with design/border in the background, with diamonds in this image:
It breaks up the image composition a bit, making it more pleasing. Nice all around.
Usagi –
I have a proposition for you: Have dual Opteron, will render. If you want, I’ll render a huge version of that on my box – just PM me and I’ll see what I can do.
Stunning work.
Matt
Wow, that’s gorgeous !
The shapes of the vases are simple and elegant, the shaders and light you used make the image looks like a painting or maybe a drawing. (because it’s a ligjt grainy, just like a pen of a grainy paper)
It’s an image I wish I had made
i prefer the version without the repeating swirl thing in the background.
the lone jug needs to move a bit to the right to balance the composition - either that or find a way to reduce the black shapes created by the shadows on the jugs on the left. the left side of the composition is heavier than the right and side. (actually, if you were to crop off a bit of the right hand part of the image you could balance it that way too.)
also, maybe try to indroduce some colour. a simple composition + simple colour can sometimes equal bland so either try jazzing up the composition or jazz up the textures and colour.
Thanks again for the positive replies.
Dittohead: As I said: This discussion is over.
meestaplu: Thank you very much for your offering. But the render time wasn’t too long. I think I could do a huge rendering on my own machine within one night. Nonetheless, thanks a lot.
TroutMask: The (possibly strange) aspect ratio comes from the splash screen for which I did the image in the first place. I left it that way. I moved the vases around a lot to find an interesting but still somehow balanced composition. Maybe it could be improved. But I didn’t find a composition that looked better to me. More balance always made the image more trivial.
wow !!!
now that what i call PRO work !!!
great, did you use any texture or (i think) only Blender Shaders… ??