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Old 10-16-2005, 11:44 AM   #26
Linda Brandon Linda Brandon is offline
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Hi Janet,

I really llike what you've been doing here and I love the way you're handling the paint and cooling the light side. Just a couple of things... does she have colored contact lenses or is that really her eye color? Either way, I feel the blue is a little startling and I would try to try to tone it down as much as possible without losing her character. Try to get some soft edges around the eye if you can. About her nostrils: is that raw umber? Try for a warm color for body openings, nostrils, corners of mouths, ears, etc.

Also, I often leave out neck folds altogether and it still looks very natural in a painting, especially in women. Go take a look at some Sargents and see what I mean. Photography accentuates line where in real life form meets form and value meets value in a much more subtle manner. The eye can be drawn to hard lines in paintings anyway and you want to manage the viewer's attention. Here, your lines come off as stripes in a Nearly Headless Nick effect. Remember that you are the aesthetic boss of your painting, not the photo!

You've really caught her character here, nice job. And really nice hair, too, soft and convincing colors.
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