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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
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