No. 3
 

Hi all,
It is time for me to come out as a student and be courageous of receiving critiques for my work. This is an ex-school buddy of my son - Sapphira - 16 x 20 oil on panel. There were several sittings at my home and this resource photo to work from. (Sorry for the glare - fired the photographer). Thanks for any suggestions - greatly appreciated.

Ngaire,

I'm so gld you are posting this! There are so many nice things about this painting, especially the way you put feeling into your description of who she is. It's indefinable, but many portraits lack this quality.

Many part of the modeling are sound, but you should check the shape of the lit edge and the proportions of her face in general from the hand upwards. The space from the tip of her nose to her eyes appears to be slightly too long, and the set of her eyes is slightly off. Try squinting or checking both in a mirror, moving your eyes rapidly back and forth between the painting and the reference photo.

Another place that stands out is the negative space, the triangle formed inside her bent arm. Her upper arm is too far down.

Her eyes have far too much value contrast and the whites of her eyes are too cool and too light. As a result, her eyes do not "sit" comfortably in their sockets! Instead of fussing with them, try painting them over when you adjust the proportions, with just the minimum of detail and value change. You might find that you won't have to go too far with the detail if everything else (value, drawing) is correct.

Another important issue is light as expressed by color. Obviously in the photo the lights are lighter than they should be, but it is important to try to reproduce the luminosity of the photo. I think the color of the blue top in the light is great, but the skin is too dull. There are colors in there that you are not seeing. Look again at the lit side of the chek, the forehead and nose, and the top pf the raised hand. Again, don't just go lighter. Try reproducing the colors you see. In the hair, also, there are some light blues and lavender at the top, then pale ochre/browns as the hair turns down the side of her cheek. Pay attention to the exact shapes of these color notes and put them in. Make yourself think of them as abstract shapes--then step back and see if they create the illusion. If they do, leave the brushstrokes alone. Remember, if the lights are cool, the shadows must appear warmer if you want to achieve depth and transparency Your darks in the hair apear too cool and therefore opaque.

Some of the things I'm seeing might be a result of the limitations of your photo, and if they are, you can just skip over them.

.

Thanks heaps Alex for your reply, I will re-read it again to understand what you saw for me. It is so much different seeing the painting with the photo underneath each other here on the forum, I can see so much more with them together. It is a shame I didn't have this set up when I was working on her.

The funny thing is, I only had a B & W A4 photo of this to work from (I ran out of colour inks for the printer and didn't even think of getting a copy done at a shop), so I had terrible trouble seeing her visually other than the sittings which were different positions each time she sat for me. I didn't copy the position in the photo because of the problem with each sitting. I am starting to realise how difficult it is to get the model to get into the position each time, there was always an angle problem with her pose, different lighting on cloudy to sunny days etc. I didn't realise just how many variables changes colour, value and pose.

Ngaire,

It is fine that you didn't have the photo right there while you were working. I like the fact that you did a lot from live sittings. It probably explains the direct, feelingful quality in this work.

Instead of worrying about achieving an exact likeness, I would concentrate more on the values, color, and feeling of light. A lot of people can achieve likeness, especially with the help of visual aids, but fewer people understand how to make a work of art. The important thing is, overall, to keep in mind your original idea, and stay true to it. What did you want to say about her? The question doesn't have to be answered in words, but you should try to stay close to what you envisioned. Just making that effort, even if it is only partially successful, will be a big step.

Alex, how do I sit the eye into the socket and warm the eye as you suggested, could you please explain it more for me please.

Ngaire, first of all don't think of it as an eye, just as some colors in a certain spot. See how similar the color and value of the white of her eye is to the skin at that point. Can you see how you have exaggerated the value contrast, making the eye too light?

First, paint out the eye completely, using flesh color. Then make a "bed" for the eye by painting the color variations around it. Don't get detailed. try to place the eye accurately by putting in the exact shade of grey--not too far from the skin tone.

I use complementary colors to mix greys. One example is cad orange + ultramarine blue, or cad yellow deep + ultramarine blue. Each makes a slightly different grey. cad yellow + ultramarine violet is also nice. You can mix shades of red in with this mixture to create shadowy skin tones. (Adding white will bring up the value.) Without the red, the grey itself (with maybe a little skintone mixed in from painting wet-into-wet) plus a little white will give you the right value and color for the eye. Some people really like this method but some find it hard to control. You can also mix Ultramarine with just a little of the orange into the hair color (brown/black)in shadow. The more orange you add, the warmer it will be. You also need the cool component to make it shadowy. Watch the catch lights in the eye--don't make them too light and prominent. All the values, even the shine, are much closer together.

Everything has a warm and cool component--it is the balance of warm and cool that we can adjust. You might prefer a completely diferent way of mixing colors. Everyone's got their own way. Some pople like raw umber mixed with different colors. You can experiment!

Alex
Thanks. After reading your explanation I could kick myself. Why? I nearly did what you suggested, I did paint the eye in with a skin tone and then thought it was too dull, so I went over it with a greyed blue/white, that was too bright so I added the flesh again to what it is now. I should have put more flesh into it. I will try to make the same colour of flesh again and work on it, although I am hesitant because if I don't get the exact colour I will need to rework the whole face again.

Hi Ngaire,

When you want to start working from live models in repeat sittings, in my opinion the easiest way to set this up is to have her/him face you in a full face position in the same chair a few feet from the same window at the same time of the day. (Put a piece of tape on the floor so that you can get yourself back in the same spot, too.) Get a good shadow pattern on the face. Take a look at that full face view and make sure you can see both ears (pull hair back if you need to) and make sure there is no tilt (hold up a knitting needle and line up the outer corners of the eyes so that they are horizontal). Anything else you add - a tilt, a rotation, a hand - just makes it harder for both you and the model to find it again during the next session. Make things really easy on yourself at first and you can work up to three-quarter face and profile poses later. You've picked a pretty tricky three-quarter pose here. I really admire your courage and your perserverance.

Alex is giving you good advice (I think I will run all my work past her, too!) The only thing I would add is to squint down and see if you can lose detail and edges in the shadow side. Keep posting these!

Linda,
Thanks heaps for your sound comments. Yes I didn't realise it would be a tricky pose until I was knee deep in it. I just like the composition for her personality. I have certainly learnt a lot and I will definitely try to make it easier on myself the next time. I found it hard to organise model and day weather to be compatible for artwork, this certainly was an eye opener for me.

I will have a better set up next time.

Alex,
I have greyed down the eyes, shoulder, and jaw (in shadow), it seems to have made a difference, I think with the focus back on her eyes again. Also blue/lavender in the hair for highlights. I hope the changes I made passes your scrutiny.

No.3
 

Ngaire, you have received some excellent advice already but I cannot help but feel your struggle. We all know that oil can be quite forgiving and keeping that in mind I will make a suggestion or two. First, you face in shadow re-paint one tone say the darkest tone on her face. I would paint the eye as well being that to put the eye back in would be a brush stroke of dark and light gray. Then I would do the same for all the lights the cheek in light, the hand in light, the arm in light, the forehead in light. You will notice from your reference that the had and the arm in light are the lightest, then the face and the darkest light the forehead. The chest in light is approximately the same value as the forehead. Remember no eyes just the three values plus the darkest which is the hair. Now, we should not forget the window, the wall and the other props. They as well have their place and most important value of tone.

So, at the moment you have a drawing, now you are adjusting the values in the desired hue/color. At the same time you can create the form. Adjust these until you get them perfect. Don't be afraid to get the hand in light as light as white if need be for if all the other values balance and hold their place it will look ok. Look at the photo, it looks ok doesn't it.

I have made some visual suggestions, I hope you do not mind.

One more thing. Most of the major drawing corrections are adjusted at this stage. So when you get into the form stage only slight drawing adjustments are made otherwise one must rework the entire section.

All the best to you.

Mischa
Wow, your instruction is understandable with the photoshop rendering. I will have to learn to use photoshop, I have just got it and all I have learnt to do so far is change the image size down to attach to threads. I understand lightening the value on the hand but will have to re-read what you said about the eye socket - gray tones - where?

Ngaire, I am glad I was able to help. The whit of the eyes are not pure white. One must experiment, by mixing and correcting mixes in order to reach the desired hue and value. This is how you will receive the grayish hue/value for the white of the eye. A solid understanding of value, temperature and hue is what one needs to paint well. Drawing and the values are the essentials and the foundation. Master these and the hue will tag along with a little extra study and experimenting.

Again, my sincere wishes

As Daniel Greene (and others) say, a painting succeeds or not based on the decisions made in the first five minutes. Here's what I'd suggest for your next painting:

Work only from life. It will only cause you more difficulty if you try to incorporate information from a photo along with what you see with the model in front of you. This is especially the case when you're trying to use a photograph that has the lights blasted out as in the photo you used with this painting.

Set up a very simple pose, as Linda suggested. Have the model sit up straight and face you directly, no tilt of the head, no hand, and don't sit him or her too close to the light. You want a softer range of contrast that will be easier to capture in paint. Set things up so that the face is two thirds in light, one third in shadow.

Mark the corners of her chair on the floor with tape and mark the corners of the easel on the floor with tape, so you can go back to those exact positions the next day.

If the light is changing too much from day to day, work with artificial light. The Gage Academy here in Seattle teaches all its highly respected and rigorous academic classes with artificial light on the models and on the canvas, to avoid exactly the problem you describe. Don't limit yourself to artificial light long term, though. Natural light is best. While you're learning, though, eliminate as many variables as you can.

Try this a few times with a few different models and you'll be amazed at what you can do!

Mischa,
Thanks again for your support.

Michelle,
Thanks for your support as well. Yes I would like to work more from life but the model was unavailable a bit, due to her being a teenager (parties, casual work etc.) I found that at that age of unreliability for appts with me, I started working from the photo, which caused me more worries than it was worth because her position in the chair was a slouch and I couldn't get the hand/arm ratio to head the same at each sitting. I will take on board your comments and try to be a bit easier on myself for the next one. I think I will buy some sort of lighting to use instead of relying on the wintery days we are having at the moment, the days are just too bleak and inconsistent to work from. I went for the softer shadows because I worked more in life from cloudy days, but the photo was taken on a sunny day.

I am not sure if I should continue to refine this painting more tighter as per suggestions with lighting the hand, face and arm highlights or just take note of comments and use them for the future.... I do want to put it into an exhibition in a couple of weeks. This work will be the first view of my new portrait work and I want to make an impact if I can. What do you suggest?

I would most definitely continue working on this one even to the point of ruin. You must not fer making a mistake. Please do what I suggested and gett the values and the drawing perfect. When you think you have done this put it up for critique. You have only to gain and nothing to lose.

Here is my work in progress of my second entry into the same exhibition, due to be finished in less than two weeks. I want to re-work the hands and maybe darken the top left corner more and fine tune the shapes of fingers more too.

20 x 14 pencil on grey paper

I would not suggest you exhibit this one. Working from life with a simpler pose would help you make a much stronger painting.

As for the availability of models, get a commitment up front from someone for however many sessions you think you might need. If you can't pay them at least offer them an 8x10 print of the finished painting. If you have a hard time finding someone to sit still that long have them sit and watch tv over your shoulder if need be. And then there's always the most co-operative model around: you!

Ngaire,

I agree with Michele that you should not exhibit this portrait. Trying to "get it right" for a show is putting a lot of pressure on yourself--the wrong kind of pressure. It would be better to wake up every morning with the drive to paint better and better. Compared to that, making a good impression in a show is not important. You've received excellent advice from all these people!

Thanks Alex, I appreciate your support.

Alex, Mischa, Linda and Michelle, yes I realise that all advice given here is instruction from those who know what it takes to get there. I do also realise it is a long road ahead of me and hopefully I can grasp and understand such meaningful instruction along the way. I really do appreciate those who log on and who share their own wealth of information with us all. I wish I could watch you in person to see the real deal.

Question? I started to change the highlight values and am having difficulty joining the shadow colour to the highlight. Do you add a halftone to wedge these two tones together. I mean, if I have a 6 value (shadow) with a 2 value (highlight) do I place a 4 value in the middle so that the joining is more subtle? Or a sliver of 5, 4, 3 in between the two???

Half-toans are funny creatures. When the light is strong they act one way when the light is soft they act another way. Look at your photo and try to figure out what kind of a half toan it is you wish to paint. If there is no halftone then there is a sharp line and only box type objects have sharp lines. Halftone can be wide or not so wide

I wanted to add a little more about half-tones. Not only are they a different value, but also they are a different color. Look at all the colors in the photo (assuming that the photo s now your reference) as abstract puzzle pieces. They are a certain size, shape, color and value. Mischa has demonstrated a good starting point in which these puzzle pieces are quite large. Each piece must be layd down accurately. Notice the shape of Mischa's pale blue/lavender highlights in the top of the hair compared to what you have painted. If you do not paint the size, shape and edge of the light blue shape correctly, if you try to blend it into the dark hair and thus move the edge over and make it a soft edge erather than a rather sharp edge, the painting is already inaccurate! Trust what you see before you! Its all a bunch of color pieces. When you come back the next day, you may see how the puzzle can be broken into finer gradations, a mosaic of smaller pieces. Lay each piece down and move around the canvas finding other pieces of the same color if there are any. This is how to start gaining control of your process.

Thanks guys, there is so much to learn.

I understand that resource photos unless used religiously are only a tool to capture the moment or pose (which I used them for). I notice many others don't even bother to place resource photos with their paintings when they want critiques.

I have looked back on the critiques threads and found many hesitate to show the resource photo with their work. I am not sure what I should do with photos at this stage of my training - use them to copy from religously or just for suggesting the colouring/garment references or pose mannerism.

Ngaire, there are a lot of issues in regard to photos. I will not care to get into the photo business or in the business of photo reproduction. So, I will try my best to advocate the things that one must have in order to be a good and professional artist.

Critiques can be given with or without the resource photo especially when human form, portrait is in question. The reasons the academies use models and casts, to teach students, is because the mistakes are easily spotted. The human form is precisely made. The knowledge of anatomy again a must for artists. Learning how to correctly use line, value and hue again is a must if one wishes to be a good artist.

One can copy a photo, many do and make a living. One can copy a photo and many are experts at it but sit them in front of a live model and the result is...well you be the judge.

To properly learn a kraft this takes time. My first year at the academy was exciting but quite difficult. After that first trimester was over and I was home for a brake, my thirteen year old son asked me to draw his portrait. I was honest and admitted that I did not know how. I told him that I was still learning the basics at that point in time. He would not hear it. He wanted me to draw his portrait and that was that. I did draw the portrait and it came out ok. I applied what I learn't. After I drew his, I had him draw mine and he, with a bit of instruction, did a good job as well.

Why do I share this with you. One must understand that it takes time, many hours of hard work, strain and pain to learn the craft of art.

Many on this forum are to kind with their critiques but a honest critique is worth more to a student than a hundred pats on the back. Whether one can accept the critique is another issue but we must be honest. Good instruction is important and many wish to be teachers. To be a teacher one must know ones craft well and just knowing does not make one a good teacher. To be a teacher takes time and hard work.

So, in conclusion. Each has a choice to make. Will I look to see what others are getting away with, by lying, or will I learn my craft well and stick with the truth? Discouraging issues are all around us and sometimes the people we most trust disappoint us but do not dispare. The narrow path of truth is the right path and will not disappoint.

Mischa

Another great reply, thanks. I envy you that you have been to Angel Academy, this is one of my goals one day too, but I was thinking of going to the Florence one instead of Canada. I have given myself a goal to be in Italy in 5 years time, so until then I want to develop my draughtsman skills and learn italian so that I can gain more knowledge.

I have hesistated to show my development here because I am student, but I figured that it was time I needed direction and guidance, hence this thread.

I am slowly doing the Bargue plates and I have a cast of Clytie. I have used the cast only as quick sketching exercises and have not done a sustained study of her yet.

All replies that I have received have been beneficial to me as I am getting to understand what to look out for and not what to do. I do appreciate your reply. Thanks.

Good for you! Deciding to study at a academy is the step in the right direction. I studied at the Angel in Florence and let me tell you it was tough. When one leaves the Angel school that person has the foundation built on a rock. I unfortunately got as far as the still life's and because of a loved one passing I was forced to stop. I hope and plan to finish.

As for developing your skills do the Bargues. The information how to set up, procedure and finish are here. If you are really serious about your art then you will heed my advice. If it was me, I would be spending more time with the plates than with a brush. Leave the photos bee and train. If you really wish to play with quick portraits then train your self by using the Loomis book. If you wish to train to be a artist then get the The Human Figure by Vanderpoel, I think you have the Barge book, get a good book about understanding color and a anatomy book. This is all you need to get you started and a bunch of pencils. Even if you have all these, as we all know many do, it will not do you any good if you do not use them. Stop procrastinating and put in the time!

Only wish you the best