Breaking the rules

[Mai Ly]

Hi Beth,

I like the overall colour pattern of the painting. I have a couple of comments though:

1. What does her daughter or family think of the likeness of the older woman? Because I think it does not look quite like her. Her cheeks in the photo come out a bit more, and a bit rounder, especially on the shadow/farther side. Her nose is also not as 'thick' in the photograph. However, you are doing a good job altering the lips and expresssion on her face. She looks more pleasant now.

2. The cheek levels on the girl are not at the same level. From what I see, the left cheek is a much more prominent and higher than the one on our right. Also, her neck on our left is 'puffed' out a bit, instead of a nice jaw line that you have indicated from the first painting that you posted. It is hard because I don't have a reference to compare.

I know what it is like to paint from a poor photo reference, and have made a promise to myself that I won't do that again. I try paint from photographs that I took myself only, and that helps a lot so far, at least for me!

Hope my input helps. Good luck with the painting!

Mai

[Elizabeth Schott]

Mai, I went to post these before I saw your comments, so I will double check those. Her family has not seen this.

This is where, with lack of a better saying, this emotional train wreck, has ended up:

[Elizabeth Schott]

Close up, the likeness is actually pretty good. I am sure there are some technical problems, but the photo above is just before she died and not the best, but it is all I have, and my daughter wanted to surprise her. If they are not happy, I will be happy to work from something they would provide.

[Mai Ly]

Beth,

The painting looks very nice!

The girl's cheeks look better now. However, I am not sure if I am being picky, but I still think the shadow under her right eye and her right jaw are a bit too dark. The value shift from shadow to light is a bit too much. This is the problem when you paint from a photograph.

However, it is still a very nice painting and gesture (of you to do this painting for them), and I am sure the family will be very happy to have it!

Mai

[Margaret Port]

Hi Beth,

I like the scarf, It softens the mother and cuts out the large area of black. She also has lost her fierce look and now looks proud and maternal. Well done. I reckon she is finished except I think I would put a sleeve on her left arm.

The other area I think you should revisit is the symmetry of the girl's face and also her face is a bit too light. Nit, nit, nit, pick, pick, pick.

[Margaret Port]

I take back the bit about the girl's face being too light. It was my monitor

BUT I think the girl's mouth is a little off centre.

[Valerie Gudorf]

Elizabeth,

There are several things that I quite like about this painting. Your use of edges in particular are wonderful and give the composition a sense of energy and movement. I think that you have undertaken a difficult work due to the use of less-than-best reference photos. I think that I would have been far too intimidated to undertake this project.

The thing that bothers me somewhat in the portrait is the distortion in the face of the teenaged girl. The cheek/jaw area on the right (the girl's left) looks like she just returned from the dentist with her lower cheek packed with cotton. Try holding the painting up to the mirror and the discrepancy will probably jump out at you.

I think it's coming along nicely, however. You always seem to figure it out in the end. Just keep plugging away -- that's the encouragement I keep having to give myself.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Thanks for your continued input ladies.

Here is where the hopefully "final" has ended up:

[Elizabeth Schott]

Unfortunately I didn't look at the color of the post before I pulled up the reply box, I hope it isn't too yellow.

Here is the close up: