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Alexandra Tyng · 06-26-2007, 04:16 PM

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.

.

06-26-2007, 04:16 PM	#2
Alexandra Tyng UNVEILINGS MODERATOR Juried Member Joined: May 2005 Location: Narberth, PA Posts: 2,485	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. .