Proud housewife
 

I'm calling this finished unless there are any glaring problems.

I would value your input now, it's been a good practice and I am really seriously pricing up a good set of pastels :)

Carolyn,

One shot!

The paper surface at the left seem so isolated in the picture, you

Hi Carolyn--

It's like that in your reference too... a lot of reflected light maybe... but something about those fingers folded back behind the hand under her chin reads flat with the palm of her hand rather than projecting back behind the palm?

I love how you've handled her face/expression, the wrinkles and age.

Carolyn, I think you have a gorgeous portrait of a gorgeous woman here. What character in her face! What a gentle treatment you have done as well. It's lovely. I really like the way you often leave some unfinished parts where the ground is left untouched however, I find the trasition in this one a tiny bit harsh. I think because our eye is led from the subject to the little table there is an abrupt stop there. I agree, maybe some looser strokes could be added. Maybe a bit longer transition from the subject to the table. Truth is, I have no room to critique such a nice work and what I have said is only my opinon...except the part where I said it was gorgeous. That's a fact! You know, I even like the first picture you posted. Just the head and shoulders works for me too.

Thanks everyone for the input, I actually agree with the points about the harsh transition but I went to such pains to keep the paper clean this time I wanted some input before I carried on.

I have made the adjustments to the background and the fingers but I won't bother posting them, I am definitely putting this one behind glass now.

It was a good practice of a more detailed look at a face and worth doing it for that.

Carolyn.

After reading Cindy's post in the oil critique section I decided to repost after taking onboard all valued input :)

Now I am really nitpicking! These small frames don

Allan,

I couldn't agree more :(

To me it looks childish and amateurish :o

I've actually put it away in and started on a new one but now you've got me thinking about it again.

I thought about cropping it and just keeping the head and shoulders but I should rise to the challenge and figure out a way to make it work, I really would like to keep the depth to the room.

How about a curtain from ceiling to floor and make the whole of the back of the room very dark?

Maybe that's what I liked about the ref in the first place.

Thanks for taking the time to critique, I really do value your input.

I think this composition would be best suited to a full completion of the background.

When I first saw your reference I thought that it was the vertical wall segments, with their variations in value, that connected the foreground to the background. I think you could have more success by re-visiting your reference and covering the entire paper.

This is worth taking further, I think.

Not the best photo, it's blowing a gale outside, it was a struggle sticking it to the shutters (thats a professional photography term ;) )

For some reason resizing it has made the table look a bit bent, but I think I've got away with it for real.

Is it a :thumbsup: or a :thumbsdow this time, if its a no I'm going to crop it :(

ps. Why do I feel just like I did in school when I always got ' could do better' on my reports.

Please don

Phew, breathes a sigh of relief!!

Allan,

Tusinde tak, your :thumbsup: means a lot to me, I really admire your work. It was Mikes helpful comments about the vertical lines that made me realise what I had seen in the original ref.

I think I will stick to using my own ref's in future, they make much more sense to me.

By the way Demark is a beautiful place we lived in Dragor and Kobenhavn for a while, I really enjoyed it!

I would call this a success, I would not crop it.

It's perfect! Don't Crop!
 

I think this is a resounding success Carolyn! Your finished interpretation is stupendously good. Bravo!

Garth

Carolyn, maybe you would be interested in taking a look at this painting, which won the BP portrait award two years ago.
http://www.npg.org.uk/live/prelbpportraitwinner.asp
Many many compliments for this very accomplished piece
Ilaria

Sorry to have not responded sooner , but I have just spent 10 wonderful days touring Italy, I am completely renaissanced out :) But got to see a Lucian Freud exhibition to even things out, really like his work!

Illaria,

Thankyou for the compliment, and also the link, I really like the painting, I actually have been experimenting with some very close cropping for another piece I have in mind so it is very useful. I like her other work as well, seems she likes older faces also.

By the way Florence has to be my favourtie city from the ones I visited, caught a glimpse of the Plazzo or was it Piazza Rosselli Del Turco :sunnysmil

Garth,

Thankyou also for the compliment, I have to say thankyou again to Mike and Allan for their advice and hope they'll do the same next time :oops:

Carolyn

.

It is palazzo, and has been in the family since a few centuries, but my dad now lives upstairs in the attic, trying to keep it all together (we are the typical old family now impoverished)
Anyway, if you hop on this side of the Channel, BP portrait award is on at the National Gallery, interesting exhibition.
Ilaria