Simmie Knox
 

Hi Michelle, I've been to his site many times and love his work. There are many excellent artists to learn from and I search often, he's one of my favorites.

Time to go back to work.

Jean

Almost done
 

This one has been fun! I'm going to work a little more on Nick's hands, Gypsy's left ear, and Chris's hair. Make some last nitpicky (Steven's term) modifications on faces, and call it quits. Any suggestions?

The photo is not as rich looking as the actual work. This is the first time I used linseed oil as my medium. For the final layers I added a small amount of venice turpentine. I've never had such a good time!


Jean

Gypsy up close
 

Sorry Cynthia, but this was a perfect way to sneak an animal in! Still working on her left ear.

Jean

Cute dog!

I'll wait and see if others jump in with suggestions. It would be great to get some additional opinions.

Hi Jean,

A lot can happen during a week of vacation...sorry I missed the beginning of this thread. As always, I find Michele's observations to be on target. I have just a few things to add that you might consider.

The light and shadows aren't reading cohesively to me (at my monitor). I think the main reason is the fact that Gypsy has been interjected into the composition with an entirely different light direction - flash - and the source is completely devoid of a light and shadow pattern that should characterize the whole surface. It's compounded because Gypsy's placement would result in casting a shadow on the boy's hands and lower body. As it stands, they are now brightly lit.

In the shadow areas of both Chris & son's faces, you might want to look at your painting to see that edges and contrast (for example, Chris's eyebrow in shadow) are diminished, in order for them to stay firmly in the shadow. Re-check the values in the shadow side of the boy's nasal-labial fold - they look dark from here.

You are doing well on a complicated composition, good for you for stretching!

Hi Chris
 

You weren't supposed to notice the shadow problem. I'll be darkening the shadows on Nick's hands next and guessing on the shadow pattern on his shirt. I plan to use my other son as the stand in model, with my own shepherd next to him in the same place with same lighting. (My youngest lives with us.) I painted a glaze of the blue-black on Gypsy's shadow side, I'll do it again after this glaze dries. I'll also soften the shadow areas you mentioned. Michele has been a wonderful guide through this one.

I have learned so much about color on this one, I hold you (Chris beautiful skin tones Saper) responsible for my obsession with complements and mixing in general. Sometimes I spend more time experimenting than actually painting. Mixing paint has a meditative quality to it. Thank you.

Jean

Next update
 

I've worked much on Gypsy, been following my own Shepherd around and watching the light patterns on her fur. I feel that slowly I'm getting there. I darkened Nick's hands and they looked awful, yuk, need some help with this. With my "stand-in", there is a space that lets light through between dog and Chris, this light is picked up in areas on his hands. But they look dirty to me. What do you think?

I lightened the shadow in Nick's nasolabial fold and deepened the eyelid shadow on Chris, plus a lot of nitpicky stuff (beard, neck, hair).

I'll be adding another layer to the background to even out the color and add some low key interest.

This painting has had an effect on my son. He now wants to "clean up" his image. Maybe I'll do another one of him cleanshaven and styled!

Thanks for looking,
Jean

Detail
 

Nick

Detail
 

Gypsy close up. I have caught her look and features. This is definitely Gypsy. Now is she incorporated into the painting?

Jean

Do you have hand closeup photos from your photo session? I always take closeups of faces, hands and feet if they're showing.

The son's hands do look dirty, and look like they belong to a much older person. In Howard Sanden's video on hands he recommends that you simplify, simplify and lighten the lines between the fingers more than you think you probably need to.

I wouldn't even out the background. I like the texture. I'd like the background even more if it showed a gradation of tone perhaps, that followed the direction of the light in the painting. You can do a lot to concentrate attention on a center of interest by controlling where the light is in the background.

Dirty hands
 

Ok, I'm on a hand search. I'll post close up of Nick's later. I had to bribe my husband to get this quick note on!

Jean

Close-up hands
 

Hi, Michele, By gradation of tone do you mean lightening on the right side of canvas with the lightest area starting at the figures? If so, then I understand. I believe this painting will end up a paradox, though. A very formal background and technique, with "relaxed" subjects!


Jean

Close-up of Nick's hands:

P.S. Nick's here for the weekend, so I'll play around with the real thing, too.

You'll need to be working from a photo of his hands as they would appear when in the shadow cast by the dog, not in full light as in this photo you just posted.

That's the problem when combining reference taken in different light and with different poses (ie boy photographed without dog there to cast a shadow on various parts of him, then painted with parts of the boy in imagined shadows from the dog.) It'll drive you crazy!

Crazy can be fun
 

In all the pictures I had taken before, there was not one good hand shot in shadow. So Nick and I had a "hand" session today. Same place, same light. I needed to see the difference between the bright light and shadowed light. I may give him a new set of hands. Maybe one of these times I'll do it right the first time.

As for going crazy, I see these problems as puzzles to be solved, not crazymaking situations. ;)

Jean

P.S. New hands below.

Where's his other hand? Or are you changing the hand pose to just this one hand?

This will be easier to paint from than working from photos of hands in light, but mixing and matching reference can be a killer.

Hi Michele
 

I took about 20 pictures of his hands to help me with the value changes between shadows in light and shadows in shadows. The one I posted was to show the dramatic difference between the lighted side of his face and the lighted portions of his hand in shadow. Guess this is what a value finder is used for. So I made one this afternoon, and now will actually use it.

I"m not going to change the hands, just the values. I may like to create problems for myself, but I'm not a masochist!

I was in too much of a hurry when I posted before. (Weekends and computers and husbands.)

Jean

Update
 

I've made many changes, hopefully fixed Nick's hands, made changes to his shirt, (lightened, subdued, and made it fit him better), and worked more on the background.

Somewhere along the line I lost some of Nick's resemblance so I'll be identifying that and fixing. There's still a problem with Chris's light eye, the pupil is slightly off (minor surgery).

I love the look of the venice turpentine but don't think I can stand the aroma, so will start looking for something like it with less toxic effects on the body. I try it again when the house can be opened up! I really love the look of the faces against the dark background. I've learned so much on this one. Thank you Michelle and Chris for your guidance, suggestions still welcomed!

Jean

Wow - love that dark background! I'd be really interested in seeing the painting with a lot more dark background on the right side and just a medium value to the right of the Dad's head.

Hi Michele!
 

Will do, glad you like it too.

Jean

Maybe like this?

Yeh, something like
 

I really like the deep dark along Gypsy's leg! You can definitely tell where the light is and the figures are starting to "glow". This has been a great exercise. My next learning experience (in oil) will be a formal portrait of a beautiful young woman with incredible long red hair. I plan to incorporate these techniques in the painting (along with some decent photo references). I'll just have to open the window and move the air cleaner directly under my nose so I can use the Venice turp!

Jean

Fini
 

This is ready to go to its new home. Did you ever get to the point of boredom? I haven't been working much lately, am in rehab for neuromuscular training and its taking much of my energy. But I have hopes for improvement.

I'm not totally pleased with this for many reasons, but have learned so much that it certainly was not wasted time! I thank you, Michele and Chris, for the guidance on this one. It's comforting to have guides over my shoulder.

Jean

Detail
 

For some reason these are posting lighter than the photos, so try to envision them darker.

Detail
 

Don't know where the lines are coming from. This is Nick.

Detaii
 

Last but not least, Gypsy.

Jean

One more thing....

("Oh, no!" you say.)

I would really soften the edges around the Dad's eye on our right, and a few other edges of features here and there too.

Very nice!