Glance Portrait

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Marcus Lim

In fact, i find that a good painting does have the effect of passing on energy to viewers, like what you've done here.
marcus

Nicely put, Marcus, I agree with you.

Rick, I think you might be going for suggestion of your subject's movement in your background for this painting. You might take another look at Sargent's work; he sometimes lays in just the suggestion of a parallel line along the body, almost a tremor, to get his subjects to vibrate. It's never very obvious and it keeps his subjects from looking frozen or cut-and-pasted. It also adds another weapon in your arsenal of hard/soft edge variation.

Welcome to the Forum, and I'm enjoying your painting!

[Michele Rushworth]

You might take another look at Sargent's work; he sometimes lays in just the suggestion of a parallel line along the body, almost a tremor, to get his subjects to vibrate.

Linda, can you post an example of this? It sounds very interesting and I'd like to see what it looks like.

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Hi Richard!
Welcome to the forum.
Since you posted in the Critique, i will try to find some flaws in the otherwise lovely work.
I share perplexity about the background, I think you might want to do something about it.
Also i am concerned ny the arm. It is in the foreground but has a different standard of finishing. Observe your reference. Is there any evidence of muscles' bulks. Is there any change in colour and tone as the eye travels along it toward the hand?
Maybe you could darken it as if it was just at the edge of a spotlight.
Very nice portrait !
Ilaria

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth

Linda, can you post an example of this? It sounds very interesting and I'd like to see what it looks like.

I can't find a better closeup of this at the moment, I'll have to scan my Sargent book, I guess... but if you have a Sargent book at home, take a look at the arm (our left).

This is an example of dark vibrating against a light background, but I think Sargent also "trembles" light flesh against dark in some of his other paintings. Maybe this is what you're also doing on our right shoulder of your subject, Richard?

Lord Ribblesdale

[Linda Brandon]

You can take this "vibration" concept as far as you like.

[Michele Rushworth]

Can you tell me the name of this portrait subject (not Calvin, the other one!) so I can look it up in my Sargent book?

[Richard Barnett]

Thank you all for the input. I appreciate it and it really helps me alot.

Afterall, the lifeline of an artist is a good critique.

Richard