Please critique "Wistful Thoughts"
 

Please critique for value, composition, color and drawing. Thanks.

Full view.

Closeup view.

I love the mood and lighting in this, Daniel. Is it an oil?

Daniel,

Greetings to you in my home town of San Antonio. As I sit in my office in Tulsa I can look up at my copy of the menu from Mi Tierra restaurant, my favorite restaurant in the world.

I like your painting. My only criticism would be in the wrist area of the lady's right arm. There seems to be a bit of an unnatural bend in the arm, and the hand looks a little disjointed. Overall, a very pleasing composition. What is the size of this painting?

This painting is an oil on linen and is 24" X 30". I have made some minor modifications since I first posted it in March. One of the modifications was in the wrist, other areas were the eyes and arm - and I cannot remember where else.

Daniel

Mike,

I do not know when was the last time you were in San Antonio. But, next time you come, go to Mi Tierra Restaurant to satisfy your desires, and also call me and I will take you to another one of the many great Mexican Restaurants in SA. There are over 800 Mexican Restaurants in SA and I can think of at least six great ones, Mi Tierra included.

Daniel

:thumbsup: Daniel, great work. The thing that hit me immediately (other than the wonderful drawing and love the mood) was a wonderful glow. I have been in the process of a painting in which the only light source is a candle near the subject matter and you have captured that glow that I have been trying to accomplish. Do you mind saying some of your colors used in this piece?

Again, great going and I looked at your online gallery and it has the same glowing qualities. I love that.

Patt

Patt,

It is hard to say the colors I used but I can give you the basic colors for the flesh tones I use.

Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Light, Cerulean Blue, and White. Do not use student grade colors.

Sometimes I will add a touch of Cadmium Orange, Permanent Rose, Alizarin or Ultramarine Blue even Cadmium Yellow.

The main thing is that you try to paint from life and learn to see the subtle colors present in the shadows, middle values, and in the lightest areas of the face. I know this answer if very vague and nonspecific, but there really is no formula other than observe the color and try to reproduce it.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Daniel, and amazingly, the colors you mention are exactly the ones I use on my palette with the exception of the Cerulean Blue and I just recently added the Ultramarine Blue. Instead I had used Thalo Blue but have learned to love the Ultramarine, plus others which I add somewhat.

I realize that there is no formula at all. Life study is always best whether it is for portrait or still life. My still life is nearly always set up in my studio but many of my portraits are done with combination of photos and setting.

Thanks for taking the time. The painting I was referring to unfortunately is from memory of seeing this young man kneeling, hands clasped, eyes closed, a candle burning in the floor in front of him. I have had a young man the same age (as my memory serves me) pose for me but not with the same lighting and tried to improvise the color. I think you are so right and I need to pose him with similar light and then maybe.

With much appreciation,
Patt