girl with horse

[Jane Bradley]

Recent portrait - oil on panel 24 X 24. There is a little reflection in the photo on the hair.

[Cynthia Feustel]

Hi Jane,

I am new to the forum so I feel a little hesitant to critique but here is my two cents worth. I just completed a commissioned painting of four horses in their pasture so this looked like a familiar subject to me along with some of the same concerns. I am actually getting ready to deliver the painting this morning in about an hour. What I noticed is that the depth of field seemed shallow. I did a quick change in Photoshop (of which I am really a novice at using) but thought it would illustrate my point th best.
Here are some changes.

I darken the shadow areas in the back ground trees on the left. I also darkened the small green area between the horses cheek and her arm , added a hint of green shadow under the fence and a little to the right of her back between the fence boards on top. I also added some shadow to the back arm to separate the two arms and give a sense of depth.

After saying all this, I must also add that you did a really nice job overall on this painting.

I must run now so as not to be late for my delivery.

Cynthia

[Jane Bradley]

Thanks Cynthia. I appreciate the input.. Most of the suggestions I think are good - I am not sure about the arms or the grass in between, I will have to think about that.
I hope your commission was received well.

[Linda Brandon]

Jane, I really love these squares that you're painting in! I also love the way you've handled the blonde hair. Very nice drawing and paint handling, too.

My quick reaction to this painting is that I'm confused about this girl's arms: where, exactly, is the one that is folded? Where is her hand? I guess what I'm saying is that as a viewer I don't like to be confused unless I feel for certain that the artist wants me to be that way. It just looks like a photo accident to me.

[Michele Rushworth]

I agree with Linda about the arms being in a confusing position. It looks like the two half-arms are somehow connected.

Also, this seems to be a very nice portrait of a horse with, oh by the way, a girl standing next to it. The horse is very much the focal point of the portrait. Not sure if that was the intention, but I suspect most clients would want the person to be the center of attention in a portrait commission.

It's nicely painted, though. Quite often what we choose to paint -- the pose, the composition, the lighting, etc -- has more to do with the success of a painting than how we paint it, however.

[Lon Haverly]

You have excellent skills! The girl, the horse are painted very well.

My only thought concerns the very tidy background. Perhaps a little messy nature would liven it up. Some weeds, or some textures. It is like a neat little fantasy storybook illustration in the background, and a realistic portrait in the foreground.