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.