Critique Katie

[Patt Legg]

This is Katie, a large oil which is into the hands of the client already. I need critique anyway as I intend to do more children. The cat, by the way was an addition after I learned that Katie was alergic to cats and could not have one. Katie posed for a couple of hours for me and she is quite a little lady and seemed to know exactly what she was doing. Hope it came through in the portrait, that confidense and maturity more than her actual years

[Patt Legg]

By the way, the photo that I took of the painting was not nearly this red in the face. The actual painting was better skin toned than this. Believe me, I am really seeing how showing photos and slides must be true to color,etc. or it can ruin chances of being accepted into competitions.That is if your artwork is ok.

[Lon Haverly]

What a lovely subject, Patt! Working from life, eh? Tough with oils, as you have so little time. Did you also have some time without the model?

The toughest part of this subject is the way that the dress hides the skeletal structure, making it difficult to get the body perspective correct. You have to imagine the skeleton underneath all those ruffles, and check to see if the elbo bone's connectin' to the shoulder bone, and the shoulder bone's connectin' to the neck bone, etc. Do you get my drift? It looks like things are a bit disconnected. Make an imaginary paper doll of this girl and take off the gown, and see what is happening to the bones.

I would refer to a photo and perhaps make enlargements of it the size of the painting for reference to make sure you are on target. It won't make the painting any less artistic if you use an aid, and it may be very helpful. That is what I do, and I, as a sketch artist, prefer to use the eye if possible. But my eye fails me for oils this size sometimes, and when alot is at stake, like a commission, it is worth the extra reference work.