there are two different directions to go in and I can't continue until I pick so...
I was wondering a)which one should I choose? and b)what should the next step be?

thank you!!!
I love feedback and getting honest advice knowledgeable persons...

IDK, flowers plus a dude with a machete. Kinda misleading, IMO. What exactly are you wanting to portray?

well that's a hard one to answer. uhm... well the guy is an explorer and so he often has to use various sharp objects. I wanted to put in some plant life to give it depth. otherwise it's just him holding a machete. and they're flowers because I wanted to offset his rugged manliness. should I get rid of them?

I would choose a different kind of plant, not floral. Also, stay away from colors like pink because it contrasts too much with his machete, lol.

Right...I usually don't think of happy-go-lucky flowery fun with menacing machete man.

^ Chev Chelios is a happy-go-lucky flowery fun guy with a machete.

fine. I replaced the flowers.
any other advice?

This. Also, I'd suggest cutting him out better. :x

The cut out isn't that bad, just got to get rid of the rough edges near the shoulder, elbow, and top of the head.