the Yellow Bucket
 

This is a pastel done over the summer. 18 x 24 inches.

closeup

Really sweet Julie! You've done a super job of catching the feel of sun on skin - and those toes are just precious :thumbsup:

Thanks, Terri

Oh Julie, this is so adorable. Mom and Dad must be thrilled. It has all the magic of childhood and the sweetness of girlhood in it. I love it.

Thanks, Patty. It's just a little thing done for a lady at work. The little girl's likeness is spot on. I had to work from their photo, which was not that great for detail. Luckily I had other photos to give me more facial information.

I love how she lights up with happiness. She's ordinarily a very serious little girl.

It was also fun to work on a beach scene during the summer, but sobering considering the oil crisis in the Gulf. The thought of less happy moments in clear water and white sand is something I don't want to ever see come true.

Masterful head
 

Hi Julie,

I love the color notes in the head: the way you've observed the effects of the various light sources and how their effect on the skin tones. A lot of people just indiscriminately slosh color around to try to simulate this effect, but your result is a function of mindfulness and purposefulness. Bravo!

Hi Julie,

I agree with Marvin. The color is there for a reason. I also admire the light/shadow patterns, They are bold and confident, and I love how the outstretched arms and the bucket create the shadow on her lower body. So many beach paintings are all color and light, but no (or minimal) shadow, but this one has the solidity that is often missing in other paintings.

Thanks, Marvin and Alex. This one was definitely a matter of thinking things through - light/shadow/colors, plus what to change to make it all read correctly. There were a few spots that gave me fits until I treated them wholistically as large shapes rather than dealing with the little incidental variations of the original photo.

All I can say is ditto to what has been said!

Julie, as it has been said great job with the lights and shadows. The head has been rendered with so much maestry and sensibility! In my opinion you have given a big step forward with this piece (may be because you have been forced to think more to fill the gaps of the image of reference?)

I wonder what final work we would have seen if you could have made the photo yourself.

Thanks for posting it!

Thanks Natalie and Sara! You are very kind.

It would have been nice to have taken the photo myself, but
I live nowhere near the beach. I really wanted to work on something with bright outdoor coloring, and this was a fairly workable photo, so the end result was a portrait that made both me and the little girl's family happy.

I agree, Sara - I think the improvements have mainly been a matter of thinking things through (and taking loads of time to look and then look again). Marvin Mattleson's influence via his workshop has been a huge help, and Chris Saper's excellent book on skin tones helped me understand light better when I first started trying to paint portraits.

Slowly but surely for the past 8-9 years, working full-time but painting when I can, there's improvement.

Great job again! I loved the lights.

thanks, Claudemir

Julie

This is superb. I especially love the way you treated the hair swirling around the forehead. It's as good as it gets. Bravo!

David

thanks, David. The hair wasn't totally clear in the photo, but I did the best I could with it.

Congrats, Julie!
 

I've never paint a bucket, only a cup, so yours is oversize ( and marvelous). : )

Thanks, SB