Portrait of Joanna

Piety Choi · 07-15-2006, 05:13 PM

I've painted it as a gift of my friend, Joanna's wedding.

Oil on canvas, 14.5" x 17.5".

Any opinions are welcome.
Thanks, Piety.

Mischa Milosevic · 07-15-2006, 06:31 PM

Joanna looks good. I am sure your friend will be quite pleased. Again without whole image and some specific close ups it is difficult to give e good critique.

Wish you the best,
mischa

Piety Choi · 07-15-2006, 08:25 PM

Thank you Mischa. Here's close-up. I hope it will help to get critique.

Piety

Kimber Scott · 07-16-2006, 12:13 AM

The face is beautiful. You capture emotion so well. Your friend is going to love it!

My only critque would be of the flowers. I love the color, but it appears the light is hitting all the flowers in the same way. I know you don't want to make the flowers distract from the face, but I would try to make the entire shape of the bouquet more of a shape by making the light on it less ambiguous. Does that make sense? Try to treat the bouquet as a whole shape, when it comes to lighting it, instead of individual flowers.

Great job!

Kim

Kimber Scott · 07-16-2006, 12:18 AM

Actually, as I'm looking at it more, I think it's the flower in the front on the right. It may have too much light on it. Maybe, just grey that one down a little bit? I don't know...

Beautiful, anyway!

Mischa Milosevic · 07-16-2006, 03:59 AM

Piety, thank you for the better view. I think your painting here is good as is but I personally would continue. First, in general, your values over all look real good. It is within each separate value area like the shadow that you mite think to concentrate. The cheek and forehead within the shadow area need attention. If you compare the shadow on the left of the nose above the mouth, the cheek area, this looks good but the introductions of darks, the bluish purplish darks, does not luck natural. The change should be subtle and it should be introduced while it is wooed from a distance and not close up.

The shadow spike looking thing by her eye, our left, needs attention. There mite be a shadow there but the combination of lite and shadow does not look natural as it is here. Shadows in general are soft gentle, holds its form while hugging the object it falls on.

The eyes are indicated with value and color but have no form. I would question their alignment and the distance one from the other. The space between the eye and the bridge of the nose, our left, her right needs looking at for one.

I hope you would not think of these suggestions to harsh but I see in you a perfectionist and someone who prefers honest comments and positive criticism.

If you find that these suggestions are worthy I would be pleased to see your changes and your portrait again.

Wish you the best,
mischa

Alexandra Tyng · 07-16-2006, 10:55 AM

Hi Piety,

Nice to see your work again--the composition is so dynamic! The diagonal division of the picture plane between Joanna and the flowers, giving them equal space, is a very striking idea that works well because you have managed to keep the focus on Joanna's very expressive face.

To add to the good critique you have already received, there are two things that bother me. One is the lumpiness of her face. Though I am sure you have been faithful in describing the essential forms and features, I get the feeling that the "ins" and "outs" of the facial landscape have been slightly exaggerated. I think her face would read better and seem more unified and believable if you toned down the value changes on either side of the mouth and on the (our) right cheek. Mischa has mentioned other places. Once you do that, other places might pop out at you. I would also eliminate the bump on the (our) right edge of her cheek.

The second thing is the roses. The only one that is convincingly rose-like (in my opinion) is the one on the middle right. In general, I would expect to see the petals looking thin and waxy, with some crisp edges, but they look very thick and not delineated well. The top right flower has a very thick-looking outer petal. I am not suggesting you paint these roses with meticulous detail, because of course that would take away from the focal point of Joanna's face. (Her nose now has a very effective light on it that does the job.) I am suggesting that you re-paint the flowers. First spend a long time staring at and analyzing roses, then figure out how you can translate that essence into paint, suggesting detail with an economy of strokes. Looking very closely at how other artists do this right before you try it would be helpful. This might tie in with what Kimber is saying about the whole bouquet.

Piety Choi · 07-17-2006, 08:24 PM

Thank you so much, Kim, Mischa and Alex.

I think your sincere comments are really great and helpful. Sometimes I was lazy to get good observation or didn't have not enough reference of them. But I will consider of your comments seriously and try best to fix it. My problem is I have just little time to fix it, because I will meet Joanna on this Saturday and she is going to leave for Korea. That makes me little frustrate, but I'll try best with your encouragements!!!

Thank you again,
Piety