Kreusi

Mary Sparrow · 05-26-2002, 11:23 AM

I am VERY pleased with the likeness, but would appreciate any other advice before the mom comes in a few days to see it. Thank you in advance. (Sorry about the grass, I was shooting with digital in different light and battery went dead..so I am working with what I have got

).

John Bruso · 05-27-2002, 04:11 PM

Hi Mary, can you post the original photo so we have something to compare your portrait to?

It looks like you've done a good job with the drawing. Although, her forehead looks to be a little stretched? It's hard to tell without comparing it to the original.

Mary Sparrow · 05-27-2002, 04:37 PM

I actually painted from several photos, and some from life with her..this is the pose.

Mary Sparrow · 05-27-2002, 04:44 PM

I must comment on the fact that when doing this portrait, the mother loved the pose, but didn't think the photo "looked" like Kreusi. Therefore we drew from several close ups, and in the end she spent an afternoon with me. Her mother just left about an hour ago and was completely happy with the likeness of the painting. So I don't want to change any physical aspects of this, since as the mother put it "OH MY GOD it looks just like her!"...I just need to take it to the next level and not sure how.

Jeanine Jackson · 05-27-2002, 10:33 PM

Great job from tough source. Stating planes of the head more clearly with darker values moving back might help the form without altering character. It seems you have suceeded in placing all her features in the right places. I would not be afraid of losing them and finding them again as I work to create a finished painting.

Also, one of the critiques at the Contemporary Portrait Festival in New York a few weeks ago adressed the "floating bow syndrome" in a similar composition. They advised against disconnected white areas between bow and dress and recommended some highlights in the hair, or strand of ribbon coming down to connect them. If I recall correctly, that painting did not have such a lovely background as yours and I think that helps here.

John Bruso · 05-28-2002, 02:04 AM

Hi Mary,

I overlapped your painting with the original photo and turned the photo channel red so that you could see the outline of the photo to the outline of the painting. If you were going for an exact match, this is some help.

John

Lon Haverly · 05-28-2002, 03:39 AM

Dear Mary,

Nice job so far! Great subject, but tough light, which on this cloudy day tends to diminish the color spectrum.

I cannot comment on the likeness, as you have used other reference photos. However, I might comment on the color palette. I have moved away from "burnt" colors - burnt Umber, burnt sienna, etc. The umber seems to drag down this painting a bit, and dirty up the skin tone. I prefer to use a mix of other colors, such as alizarin crimson, Naples yellow and black, Van Duyk Brown, or something. Anything that does not flat out the color like umber and sienna does.

The highlights around the mouth seem a bit too severe, creating a halo of highlight around the perimeter of the mouth - not a natural occuring highlight. The shadows under the eyebrows could extend farther out away from the nose beyond the eyes.

The outline of the face at the cheeks perhaps needs a little more balance. The cheek on the right seems a bit more flat than that on the left. Not much left to do on this one!

Keep up the good work!

Mary Sparrow · 05-28-2002, 07:53 AM

Jon..How did you do that with the overlay, that is a handy tool?

Jeanine,

Thank you and I will take your advice about the "finding and losing edges" in the face.( or at least try

)

Lon,

Your comment is the most interesting to me because I didn't Use ANY burnt colors. I don't think I even own any. I used Raw Umber and Raw Sienna some. But I did experiment this time and started out with the base being tinted a terre verte green. Maybe I shouldn't have done this?