Jack

Linda Brandon · 08-26-2003, 04:12 PM

20" x 16"
Oil on Panel (ABS Plastic)

I'm shamed by the very talented and productive Michele Rushworth, who frequently posts in this section. I'm supposed to be a Moderator for Critiques and I've never posted here, preferring instead to reap the "Great work!", "Nice job!" or Dreaded Silence that happens over in Unveilings.

Frankly, it's much more fun to sit back and pontificate rather than have one's own work pulled apart, so it's about time I took some heat.

Mike Dodson · 08-26-2003, 04:46 PM

Linda,

This is a beautiful painting no matter where it's posted. I like the flesh tones and also the placement of cool/warm colors within them. The brush work is very nice, particularly the "loose" brush strokes used on his shirt.

If I were to throw out a critique here (which is a stretch) it would be that "lit" area surrounding his hair to our right. Does it appear a little "muddy" or is it the way it is photographed? It seems to stand out away from the rest of the background.

It's a very nice piece!

Linda Brandon · 08-26-2003, 05:29 PM

Mike, nice to hear from you, and you're right about that area. I think it's a value problem rather than a color problem. Photos pull values apart, and this applies not only to reference photos but also to photos of finished paintings. (In other words, if something jumps out as too light or too dark in the photo of the painting, you have to go back in there and adjust or blend those value changes, even if the painting seems fine in "real life".)

Kimberly Dow · 08-26-2003, 06:14 PM

I love the hair, and his eyes jump right out at you.

"Great job!"
"Nice work!"

John Zeissig · 08-26-2003, 07:09 PM

Hi Linda,

I have to agree with Mike that this is a beautiful painting. To add to what he's already said about it, I think the color and brushwork in the tousled hair plays wonderfully against the russet background. I'm going to remember that combination.

It's really hard to to find fault with this captivating work, but after looking for a long time, I started to notice that the almost pyramidal area at the top of the cushion behind the subject, at the very left of the painting, seemed to be drawing my eye. The blue here is a higher value than the cushion in front of his shoulder. That and the fact that this area of the cushion continues a curve formed by the front of the shirt and the collar line may be what's pulling my gaze over there. It's a subtle thing, and I'm hesitant to mention it because of the artifacts introduced by photographing and digitization that you just brought up. I wish I had Photoshop so I could manipulate the area to see if it would make a difference.

Jim Riley · 08-26-2003, 08:51 PM

Linda,

Please don't think of the Forum as a competition. The critiques are meant to be helpful to any of us whatever our level of experience and ability.

I made a few changes for your consideration and hope they will be of some help.

I don't like hard and fast "rules" but generally it is more favorable to place the subject with more room in front than in the back of the figure. I did the opposite one time when my subject was turned to the right but her head/eyes were turned and looking back to the left which justified more background space on the left side of the canvas.

I thought the light area surrounding the hair on our right becomes a problem because it appears without explanation. To make it better relate to the background I have carried this same color to the other side of the head. This reduces the feeling that something is emerging from the head and only occurs in the background to our right. For the same reason I dabbed a small amount of the red to our left also.

You're doing a great job and have no need to apologize.

Steven Sweeney · 08-26-2003, 10:22 PM

Super job, of course. Above comments seconded, adding that I like the inclusion of the

Michele Rushworth · 08-26-2003, 11:38 PM

You are too kind! Thanks, Linda.

Ready "to bear the slings and arrows" yourself, are you? Well, this is a beautiful and sensitive portrait so you don't have anything to worry about!

Somebody once said that the chief function of a background is to go "back". (Who was that? John de la Vega?) With that in mind I have darkened some areas and unified some others. I really like the transparent sienna wash effect you have in the background on the left so I replicated that elsewhere. I think it's okay to have the hair on the right side of his forehead get lost somewhat so I don't think you need to lighten that area of background in order to make that edge visible.

I also softened a lot of other edges that are some distance away from the center of interest. I found the sharp edged, high contrast folds of the sleeve to be a bit of an "eye trap", as well as the checks on the couch behind him. I darkened the upper part of the couch, too, to make it go back.

Like Steven, I also wondered about the complexity of the nose shapes.

Overall though, it's gorgeous!

Timothy Mensching · 08-27-2003, 01:31 AM

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Timothy Mensching · 08-27-2003, 01:51 AM

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