David and Robert
 

Please review David and Robert. Any comments or critiques are welcome. This is a commission that I will be delivering soon. Again, my reference material was a candid snapshot

I'm going to try critiquing myself based on what I have learned here so far. First, Robert's face (little boy) definately shows that the source material was taken with a flash. This could have been done better.

Second, the figures look as though they are pasted on to the background. This is a combination of three different photos and my imagination. There is too much tree and activity. I also managed to split the portrait in half by adding a strong vertical element. Also the background needed to be toned down. In trying to create energy and excitement, I've taken away from the most important figures, Dad and his son.

Okay, now TEETH. Robert has a big smile and looks like this most of the time. The client saw this recently and got all teary eyed so they will be pleased. But, Robert and David also read together daily. This could have been an outstanding portrait . I will keep all of these points in mind in the future.

My point is---reference material! I will strive for better material especially as I venture into oils. Thank you, Jean.

Face detail
 

David and Robert close-up.

A picture of the picture
 

My scanner is not working right now, so here's a photo of my rotten reference!! ;) Dimensions of the painting are 20"w x 30"h. Acrylic on canvas.

Jean,

You have put your finger on a problem which shows up quite a bit. The good news is that it can be remedied without a whole lot of effort. It's all about the edges. Almost without exception you have left your edges sharp. A sharp edge strategically placed, to draw attention to the subject, can be a good thing. You can't however, effectively draw attention to everything. And the result, as you have pointed out, will show your subjects to be "pasted onto" and very one-dimensional.

If you will integrate subject to background, subject to subject, tree to leaf, sky to tree, your painting will show roundness and form. For some, when we spend such effort creating fine detail, it is difficult to blur and create distortion when we get to the edge.

A search in this Forum on "edges" may give a more complete study on the subject.

I'll leave some of your other concerns to others.

Edges
 

Thank you Mike, I'll do that. The more I look around here, the more I learn. It's like being back in school; my husband thinks I'm obsessed, and he's right! Your comments are appreciated.

Here's a couple of threads on Edges. You can always use "search messages" at the top to find posts on a particular topic.

http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...=&threadid=302
http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...=&threadid=948

Edges
 

Thanks Cynthia,

I've read these threads, and plan to consider edges in my next painting. I have three commisions coming in and will use the advice in this Forum to improve my work.

Atmospheric perspective
 

Hi Jean,

In addition to previous comments about edges, it helps to review some of the portraits on this site with the following in mind: to help push the background to the background, artists employ atmospheric perspective.

Observe your reference photo to clarify what I mean. Items in the background are:

1. not in as sharp focus (as Mike mentioned, these edges should not be sharp);

2. cooler (more uniformly bluish); and

3. more uniform in value. (Peggy Baumgaertner's instructional videos on painting the head in oil really helped me look at the pictorial space as three distinct value areas: the lit, the shadow, and the middle values.)

I struggle with the same issues you do

David and Robert
 

Hi Mari,

I've been a painting fool since February of this year, have to make up for all the lost time (30 years). You are right in assuming that I want to take my art to the highest level possible. I intend to push myself to the max.

In this painting I was to hoping to create a feeling of total happiness, so I used brighter colors and sharper lines. Blah, blah, blah. Used flowers on the tree because Robert likes flowers. When I look at this in real life it actually hurts my eyes! An experiment that didn't work as planned. I painted this in July of this year (before Angel), just haven't delivered it yet. And I'm determined enough to chalk this up to experience, customer is happy and I learned a great deal on this.

I will also take your advice on drawing from life, I need to brush up on those skills. Thank you for your comments and encouragement!