The hat, the foreground, the background, !!!@@%???

[Patricia Joyce]

I could sure use some expert eyes and a critique of this painting so far. I have included the reference photo which I did not want to use, but the customer insisted. I am barely a portrait painter and definately NOT a landscape painter so I could use your eyes. Is there a way to simplify this background and.
Also I do not know how to move forward on the hat???
I appreciate your looking.
Thanks

[Patricia Joyce]

That mouth, the expression is really eluding me, AARGH!! And I see the eyebrows are wrong...

[John Reidy]

Patricia,

It's always difficult for me to produce a portrait from a resource that I couldn't produce, but sometimes that is the only alternative.

I hesitate to venture any advice as I only have your photographs for reference but based on that I would suggest you pay particular attention to the values.

Although most all of your landmarks appear to be accurate I feel that the values fare limited and therefore don't give your darling subject the benefit of depth, the feel of the mouth existing in a 3D world, a hat sitting on a head, the fullness and depths of the overall face.

In your reference photo the lips seem fuller but when I measure they appear accurate. The missing element is the values.

Like I said, I don't like offering a critique from what I see on my screen but I hope this offers some help.

[Patricia Joyce]

Thank you John,
The values are not there, I agree. In fact, I am beginning again! And the hard work continues...but then, we would not be artists if we did not work extremely hard at figuring out this stuff...

[John Reidy]

Go get 'em, Girl!

[Allan Rahbek]

Patty,
I believe that the shadow on the forehead should be darker and more unified, you will se it if you squint.
Notice that the dark line, at the left between the forehead and the hat, almost disappear and also that the shadow under the hat is dark, while the outside of the hat is very light, and lightest on the brim, contrasting with the dark forehead.

[Debra Rexroat]

I agree that the values, all around, need to be deepened. And her eyes could be darker, not quite as clear bright blue. The nose and mouth could to be slightly widened. In my opinion her skin tone could also be warmed up a little. All the tones in the painting seem pretty cool so far. Don't be afraid of using some reds in the shadows on her face.

And if you look at the brim of the hat in relation to her left side (our right) the hat could be a little wider. It extends beyond the arm in the photo. It looks like you may have had it there at one time!

When I find myself frustrated and doing so many start-overs, sometimes I play with the image in another medium for a while. That can help in problem-solving because there are different ways to meet color and value needs in different mediums.

And once when I was having trouble with a portrait of a child about this same age and "softness" I actually practiced my colors (I was using pastels) directly on a black & white photocopy of the reference photo. I am sure you could do this with oils, especially if you could use a little clear medium to coat the paper and mount it to a support for your testing. It works similarly to grisaille, allowing you to really see the values as you are adding color. It can also help you gain a better feel for the proportions you are seeing in the reference photo.

She is a cutie, and I am sure you will get this figured out.

[Patricia Joyce]

Thank you Allan and Debra, your points are well taken. I worked on a small color study today and will attempt to resolve all color issues with the color study. I've taken some of the pressure off of myself by doing this and telling myself to slow down.

Every day is a learning experience!!