When is lens flare acceptable?

Are there any skilled artists or photoshoppy types out there that can give me an insight on whether or not lens flare is an acceptable thing? From what I understand, lens flare is something of a godwin's law in digital art circles: use it and your credibility is shot.

But is there any leeway?

Take these two images. The first is 'Doctor - the Cyclops Scientist'.

In the future, all science will be done in the dark and look ten times cooler.

And here it is with lens flare added. Is it okay, given the context of a reading light strapped to the man's head?

In the future, all science will be done in the dark with SWEET LENS FLARE and look FIFTY times cooler.

Does it really matter?

At midnight on a Tuesday, probably not, I suppose.

Words and Pictures

I remember about five years ago, bashing out my first ever full length, original novel MS (that I look back on fondly, but with a certain amount of embarassment), I was about to engage somebody to paint a portrait of my main characters. Ultimately, I gave up on the idea, but was about to part with about $300 for a full-length portrait of two characters from a descriptive passage.

One of the unexpectedly great parts about this 'learning to draw' stint I've been on lately has been the ability to create my own concept and character art. This weekend I did some for a lark. Here's some concept paintings for my latest YA novel project, 'Mission'.

'Meph' - A character portrait. Meph is a Cyclops, having dug out his own eye at age 11.

The Titular Character, 'Mission' (left), sits in the room he will call home for the foreseeable future. It's lit only by a set of stolen traffic lights. Meph helps him acclimate.