Practice Portrait (work in progress)

Mike McCarty · 01-21-2003, 07:49 PM

Linda,

This is a beautiful portrait.

I hope you will tolerate one suggestion which would be simple to execute.

Look in the area of the girl's right shoulder. In particular, the way the vest comes up and away from the top of the shoulder. In my opinion this is giving the illusion of a little girl who is a bit too thick. If you look at it back and forth to the photo it's obvious what has happened.

I think if you would flatten down the vest (take some of the air out of it) to just slightly off the shoulder, and keep the darker value at its edge, the little girl will not look quite so bulky. As I see the modification in my photo editor it seems to read better.

Nice painting, Linda.

Lon Haverly · 01-20-2003, 05:31 PM

Linda, this is really quite good. The color is appealing and the drawing is good. It is not overworked even though you said to have had some trouble. Hair? No need to go into alot of detail. It works. The colors do the job.

Peter Jochems · 01-20-2003, 06:59 PM

I like the structures in the composition. One suggestion from me would be to not make the face too light. The white clothing (in relation to the face which is somewhat darker) under her face could give a beautiful tonal structure to the painting.

Peter

Linda Ciallelo · 01-21-2003, 09:44 PM

Thank you very much Jean, Sharon, Beth, and Mike for the kind words. They are greatly appreciated.

Mike, the jumper that she is wearing is way to big for her. It's actually one of mine. You are right that I should just take some of it away. It will be better if I do.

My dad died today. He has been declining and had been in a nursing home for three weeks, but it's still a shock. I will probably not be doing much painting for the next few days. But I'll be back when things get back to normal and I finish this.

Thanks again.

Linda Ciallelo · 01-20-2003, 03:43 PM

I have been working on this and finally got the face so that I can stand it. You know the feeling. I added some colors that are new for me. That would be Ultramarine and permanent crimson. The hair is the next big challenge. The photo wasn't all that good, because I took it a couple of years ago and still had much to learn about the process.

Comments are welcomed.

Linda Ciallelo · 01-20-2003, 03:47 PM

This is the reference photo.

Linda Ciallelo · 01-20-2003, 08:21 PM

Thank you Lon and Peter very much. I am so glad that you like it. After I posted this, I took a clean soft brush and softened all the edges on the face, especially around the eyes. It's the first time I have tried that, and I am pleased to say that for such a little thing, it makes a big difference.After every swipe of the brush, I cleaned it, before doing it again.

I will probably leave the face alone now and adjust everything else around it. The hair has the basic color and values, but I think it needs some work up at the top of her forehead. In the background I will just copy from the photo, just try to clean it up a little. I will try to keep the edges soft and fuzzy in the background and for the hair.

I have been struggling with colors for portraits. Previously I used only reds, yellows, browns, and black. On this face I was able to use ultramarine blue and permanent crimson in addition to naples yellow, pompeii red, red umber, raw sienna, and turkey umber. I also used unbleached titanium, permanent yellow extra pale (warm white), and lead/titanium for mixing. All Williamsburg. I hope I will be able to do it a second time now.

I'll post this again when I have it finished.

Linda Ciallelo · 01-20-2003, 09:07 PM

Thanks Leslie. I go for many days without getting anything done that seems worthwhile. Then I finally manage to get something, and all is right with the world again. I keep trying to eliminate that element of the unknown but it never seems to leave. I pay close attention to what works and doesn't work, but then "they" change the rules. Everytime it's different. You never know if you will be able to successfully complete the painting that you start.

Leslie Ficcaglia · 01-20-2003, 08:36 PM

Linda, I love your work. You have such a soft, subtle palette and you carve out the shapes of faces and features in such an interesting way. This is another really nice work; can't wait to see it when you think it's "finished"!

Jean Kelly · 01-20-2003, 09:48 PM

Hi, Linda,

It's good to see your work again. Your colors are always so soft and wonderful. It's difficult to believe there are that many colors in her face. As a beginner mixer I'm always amazed by how colors play together to create these beautiful hues.

Jean