Stacy

Janel Maples · 02-08-2006, 04:44 PM

I'm interested in hearing what people think of this so far.

I am doing this just for fun and practice so you won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it.

This is a work in progress so that is why there are areas that are not as detailed as others.

Thanks for any comments, good or bad, you choose to offer.

Janel

Janel Maples · 02-08-2006, 04:47 PM

Oops..... I forgot. It is 24"x36" oil on canvas.

Kimberly Dow · 02-08-2006, 05:01 PM

I like her face, and her breast is also very well done.

There is something off with her lower body though. I think the drawing is off - we can see her backside in a way that seems as though she would be turned away from us, but her upper half is turned back. There is a twist there or else we couldnt see the side of her breast....its a twist at the waist maybe? It isnt clear. The way her hip/upper thigh area reads is off as well.

You cant post the reference of course...perhaps put the painting and the reference side by side in PS?

Janel Maples · 02-09-2006, 11:14 AM

Kim,

Thanks for taking the time to comment. You are 100% correct in everything you wrote. It is helpful to have a fresh pair of eyes to look at it that doesn't have all of the information I have with the reference.

She is twisted at the waist. I did not realize this wasn't clear, so thank you for pointing out it wasn't clear. But, now that you mention it, of course. It looks goofy.

One of the key bits of information, that you don't see because I don't have it in there yet, is her spine. There is also some reflective light on her back that will help show the twist. Also, I have the side of her thigh way too consistent chromatically so it appears to be entirely on the same plane with the viewer when in fact it is at an angle.

Assume we are standing on the 6 of a clock, her knees point to (about) the 10. So, I can help that by making the area closer to the knee less chromatic.

The back of her hip is also too bright to be a twist. I have to work on that area. Thank you for pointing all of this out to me.

This brings me to a question that may be good for another post. Why can't I see things wrong in my own paintings when I can in others? And, once my errors are pointed out to me I ask myself "Well, that was obvious, how could I have missed that?"

I can finish a painting and absolutely love it. Two weeks later I look at it and want to die.

I know I am not a great painter, but why does the way I view my paintings, while I am painting them, seem like I think I am?

Kimberly Dow · 02-09-2006, 12:12 PM

"I know I am not a great painter, but why does the way I view my paintings, while I am painting them, seem like I think I am?"

oh gosh, that made me laugh. It's the fumes! We all suffer from that. How else could we keep going?

Seriously though, I am finding that the longer I sit and stare at my paintings, the better they get. I have a chair set up across from my easel and will sit in it a lot. It's far enough back that I can see the whole, but not so close that I am right into the paint...maybe 5 feet from the easel. The longer I sit and stare, the more mistakes I find. Then I can fix them. And inevitably, I will think Im done, then post a painting...and find that Im not.

Michele Rushworth · 02-09-2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

This brings me to a question that may be good for another post. Why can't I see things wrong in my own paintings when I can in others? And, once my errors are pointed out to me I ask myself "Well, that was obvious, how could I have missed that?"

I can finish a painting and absolutely love it. Two weeks later I look at it and want to die.

I know I am not a great painter, but why does the way I view my paintings, while I am painting them, seem like I think I am?

I think every artist experiences this. Sometimes it helps to put a painting away for a while after it's "done". When you bring it out again a few days (or more) later, you can see it with a fresh eye. Even Leonardo da Vinci commented on this phenomenon, so you're not alone!

Judson Eneas · 07-25-2006, 03:32 AM

Was this painted from life or from a photograph?

Janel Maples · 07-25-2006, 11:12 AM

100% from a photograph. I hired this model through a modeling agency. She is from
Georgia and was traveling to my area so I only had her for 4 hours.