One-year-old girl

[Sharon Knettell]

Chuck,

There is more than a wealth of infomation on this site adressing every problem you have encountered.

If you notice the heading of this Forum you will realize that it stipulates that it is a "Forum for Professional Portrait Painters and Serious Students.
It disturbs me that you have ignored time consuming advice from well meaning professional and continue to consitently repeat the same errors.

If you ARE serious about this field and not simply a Sunday painter I would suggest you take the time to enter a course of study of form in monochrome before you even consider tackling something as difficult as a head. I would spend several years of study before you attempt color. Also I would suggest you take as much figure drawing as you can.

There is also a wealth of information on taking good pictures which you also have ignored.

If you aren't willing to put in the hard work, there is little the Forum can do for you.

[Marcus Lim]

We have learnt much through history, and from other people's lives that people learn at a different pace. Our most memorable character is Einstein himself, whom we've come to know that he was deemed "an idiot" when he was in school as a child.

But that has never stopped him. And certainly we can believe at some point in his life, there are people who continued to inspire him to try, and try again. Perhaps even to critique his thoughts. And since then, the rest is history.

When i first came to Portrait Forum, i felt like i was "an idiot" myself, among the great artists that i never dreamt i'll be "rubbing words" (read: rubbing shoulders) with. But with everyone's grace and patience, i started to grow beyond what i have imagined. And that encouraged me to put up my best works under the "Unveilings" section a couple of times - most of the time under the "Critiques" section.

While Sharon has highlighted this forum as one "for professionals and serious students", i see Chuck has taken his efforts little by little to become who he is. In fact, everyone is committed to contributing to this forum here, are "serious students".

So if Portrait Artist Forum is a place where people seek inspiration, encouragement and learning, isn't it more the case for Chuck and others who are slower in learning? That we become each other's "rays of hope" and pushing to excel in our work?

I certainly would like us to ponder on our purpose here in the Critique Section, as well as what we're doing here in the Forum itself. Or have we forgotten why we're here in the first place?

[Chuck Yokota]

I've brought some of the background color into the shadows.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Chuck,

I'm so glad you are trying this--but you are too timid!

Do you have Photoshop? If so, try darkening the entire photograph. It looks a little bleached out. Darkening it might bring out the color and value of the skin in the light. You might also have an easier time seeing where the highlights are. I think that you will also see how the shadow areas relate to the background.

The hair is another area where the color in shadow still doesn't relate to the background. You could go much deeper with the reddish color--burnt sienna, raw sienna--and add the background color.

Or here's another suggestion: leave this portrait as is, then try taking a reference photo of the girl, or of someone else, using the suggestions on the forum. Post your reference to get the opinion of other artists, and if it seems workable, then go ahead with the painting, and post it step by step in the WIP section. If you seriously want to improve your use of color, light and shadow, there are people here who will help you.

Leaving your present portrait the way it is means you will not overwork it, and you can compare the two when you finish the second one.

You could also go to open studios and paint from life. You would be on your own, but trying to replicate the colors you see in life is also an excellent way to learn.