Portrait of Melissa and Isabelle

[Gene Snyder]

Hello All,

It's been quite some time since I've written here. The Forum has really taken off and has a life of it's own! Why I am writing is I wanted a critque on a protrait that I did a while ago but never really got any feedback on. It was not a commissioned piece and was a "freebie" for a friend. The friend loved it, however I never really bounced ideas off of other artists and got "artistic" feedback on it.

I find this portrait to be a milestone as it is the first portrait that I've created from several different sources to include photos, life sketches, jewelry and dress studies, and even a hairstyle from a magazine! It was quite an experience and challenge to pull all of these elements together and make it work. Normally I'd work straight from a photo or from life and what you see is what you get. However, this was a new challenge that required more planning on my part and forced me to pay attention to the whole picture, in all stages, rather than just following the photo and have all the answers there before me.

What I found to be a success was moving the sitter to a new place within the piece. The sitter wanted a Victorian look while she normally wears jeans and a sweatshirt! I've never seen her in a dress, let alone with makeup on, so that was a challenge. She did put on a gown and model for an hour so I could get a few drawings of her hands, shoulders, and arms (while holding a teddy bear - her daughter wouldn't sit still).

Rather than post all of the source photos and sketches here, they can be viewed on my website.

Any and all comments are welcome. Thank you.

[Susan Ballinger]

It's quite a challenge to incorporate so many aspects that aren't in one reference isn't it? Although, I must admit there is some fun in a challenge sometimes, too.

I thought I'd take a stab at a critique since no one else has stepped up just yet. The jawline seems too straight from under the chin back to the ear. If you'll look at your reference, you'll see that it curves more than what the drawing shows. Also, the jawline appears to go too close to the ear. It has a smoother drop-off point, if you can understand what I'm trying to say.

The line showing the curvature of the cheek seems too severe. We should be seeing a more gradual transition of planes than what a single line allows.

I do like the Victorian look, and the lace on the little girl's dress is interesting. I'm a little confused about the material towards the bottom of the picture. Is this supposed to be part of the girl's or the mother's dress?

I'll stop nitpicking now. I think the oval design adds to the Victorian feel, and I like the hairdo.

Susan