Lexie
 

This is a 16 X 20 oil on canvas of my daughter, Lexie, painted from a photo I took with my digital camera. I took this photo in a room without windows and the only light source was a combination lamp.

Thank you for looking, and for anything you have to say that will help me improve.

Janel

Here is the photo I am working from.

I think this is beautiful!

I love the reference photo!

I was wondering if you would allow me to use this photo to do some drawings? Beautiful pictures like this are hard to get ahold of; im always looking for gorgeous, big brown eyes. They're wonderful for drawings.

Matthew

Janel, this is a nice study. I especially like the way you've depicted the hair, suggesting it but not overdoing the details.

A couple of suggestions: the eye on our left, her right, is looking downward slightly, whereas the eye in the reference photo has the same gaze as her left one. This is due to the edge of white above the iris, which gives it that downcast look. The eye on our left is also slightly more elevated relative to that on the right than is the case in the reference photo. The eyebrow on our left is very like the one in your photo, but the one on our right has more of an angle in the middle, going up more markedly than you're showing it. Also her cheek, on our left, should be slightly fuller at the same level as the corner of her mouth. And more variation in values would provide some of the dimensionality which her head and face lack; they look somewhat flat. Your lights could be lighter and your darks darker.

These are minor issues - for the most part it's a lovely painting of a beautiful little girl. I'll bet she's very proud of it.

Thank you Mathew,

A photographer I am not so thank you for saying you liked the photo I took of Lexie. I have a great deal of fun drawing all three of my children because of their eyes.

Note: I am new to the response with a quote so I hope I don't mess this up.

I was wondering if you would allow me to use this photo to do some drawings?

Yes, you may practice from my photo of her, thank you for asking in advance. Good luck, I have trouble drawing her. I think it is because of her personality. She has a sparkle about her that doesn't show up on photographs, especially when I ask her not to smile. Which, by the way is torture for her.

Janel

Leslie,

Thank you for taking the time to point out some areas for me to work on, and for your kind remarks about my painting. I am anxious to try out your suggestions and see where it takes me.

I am still a little self conscious about my work to be submitting it for critique on this site so hearing you, and Mathew, both like my painting of Lexie means a great deal to me.

Thank you for letting me use her.

The younger they are, the more difficult they are to draw. Right now I'm not working so much on likeness; just the shadows. So I don't expect any of the drawings I produce of her to have much resemblance at all.

Matthew

Janel, this is very nice - pretty darn good photo for no windows.

One of the first things I notice is the eyebrows - the one to our left is lower and the one on our right has a nice center arch that gives her a little personality. Maybe look at the eyebrows on her painting.

Kimberly,

I think you have something there about her eyebrow adding personality. Lexie has a small dimple on her left cheek bone (our right looking at her) near the corner of her eye, when she smiles. I have not been able to fully capture her personality because of its absence, but I think the shape of the eyebrow you mention will help a great deal.

Thank you very much.

I'm a little slower to make the rounds these days. Just a couple of quick notes about light.

The wing of the nose in shadow has too much light on it, as does the base of the nose (otherwise known as overmodeling, or "looking into" your darks too hard to find lights). Squint down at the photo and you'll see that the entire dark shadow across the base of the nose and up on the wing could almost be put in as one value. I'd move your painting toward that effect.

Also, too much light on the upper eyelid in shadow (between the eye and the eyebrow), which is making that lid look unduly prominent and puffy. Again, compare the relative amounts of light and shadow in the photo.

One last thing -- in the shadow side of the face as shown in the photo, there's a slight lightening in the area of the temple, in line with the eyebrow. In the painting there's a curious dark shape there. Might want to take another look at what's going on there in terms of form (and the way light describes it.)

Otherwise very lovely, a pleasant soft quality to the overall appearance, nicely handled edges.

Steven,

Better late than never. Thank you for doing it at all.

I will be addressing every area you, and everyone else, have mentioned during the date I scheduled with my studio this afternoon. (I am very excited over here)

I will post a photo of my progress after I am finished.

:)

Here it is. The only change I made that I wasn't happy with was to try and make her face fuller at the corner of her mouth on our left as we look at the painting. She looked like she had a tooth pulled so I brought her cheek back in. I realize I jumped into painting too soon before having the initial drawing nailed.

Taking advantage of a captive model!
 

Janel,

Your design and lighting are lovely. I see you have the ability to really capture the human face.

I rant on about working from life and this is a wonderful opportunity to do so.

As you are obviously adept at photography, photograph your daughter in available light, in the same area where you can set up a canvas. Place your canvas, the photo and Lexie side by side in a row with the canvas being in the middle.

As children are wiggly use the photo to correct your drawing but observe and paint the color from life. Photos miss so much color in skintones it is a shame not to attempt to actually see what is there.

I did a painting of a little girl in a ballet skirt that way. It is in my SOG site. The girl, who was ten, would not sit still for a second. She was delightful, animated and bright. I doubt I could have gotten any of her spirit from the photo, which was perfectly adequate. There is no comparing the color either.

Sincerely,

Thank you so much, Sharon. I have to tell you, when I received the email that you responded to this thread I was delighted. I really admire your work and the first thing that came to my mind, when I saw your name, was the stunning (large) pastels you did of the dancer (who moved to Wisconsin : )

Anyone, reading this, who has not seen them should look them up; they are as I stated above, stunning. I apologize for not knowing how to link you to another thread; if my memory serves me correctly, they could be found in Unveilings for the Pro.

Sharon, perhaps you could help me out here and post a link.

Your suggestion for the live model / photo set up is a very good one. I thought that was a great idea when I read it from another post but for some reason, did not try it. I'm glad you mentioned it because I think that might be the answer to the problem I am having with painting Lexie. She is a very animated child and although you can tell my paintings of her are paintings of her, something is missing. I am missing the life that some artists (you included) get in their work.

I did another painting of Lexie (after this one) that I posted in WIP and finally in Unveilings for all members. It is called My Little Lexie. I feel like I am making progress but I am still not capturing her spirit. I think I will try again with your suggested set up and see if that makes a difference.

And once again, thank you.

Hi,

I am not particularly adept at computer stuff but it under the pro section, under the title "The Biggie Pastel". I am about to unveil a new one, but the weather in the northeast has been one grey cloud for weeks and I can't get a good shot of it.

I started working just from photos as many of the people here on the forum have. I live in RI and am a frequent visitor to the Boston Museum. When I compared my skintones, lifeless, to what I saw in the masterpieces in that museum, I could no longer be satisfied with paintings done from photos.

The color and the paint quality in the Velasquezs, Sargents, Copleys, Rembrandts, Stuarts and Renoirs made me ashamed of my work.
The faces especially in a Renoir or a Stuart are made up of so many shimmering touches of color. The skintones don't go from light to dark with a little pink on the cheeks and lips. To actually see paintings like that up close is a real eye opener.

It isn't always possible for many portrait artists today to have your parons sit, but much can be learned by continuous work from life. It also helps you enormously with the work done from photos.

Children have such wonderful color and freshness.

The little girl that "sat" for her portrait was extremely lively, 5 seconds and she moved! However I was able to grab her color and use the photo for drawing. I had the photo blown up to lifesize as well. Have your photo processer blow up the head to the size you are working.
Another tip, put rouge and lipstick on them (tastefully), the girls love it and the extra color works in the painting.

Good luck in your next effort!

Sincerely,