Girl in wicker chair

[Virginia Branch]

Thanks, Mike, for your input. I do have Photoshop and will try to rotate etc. My knowledge of that program is fairly limited.

Right now, it all scares me especially since I am tired and ready to go to bed.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Sharon Knettell]

Virginia,

From my point of view this picture, though charming, is not really suitable for a portrait. Often pictures that work as photos often don't work as portraits. This is an example.

A: The skin tones are all the same value, very difficult to paint even by the most experienced painter. I have one on my site, but I back-lit her so there would be some contrast and sparkle. The photo is a bit flat.

B: The angle IS a problem because of the foreshortening. If you are to shoot a figure straight on like this, it is best to shoot at a higher angle so there is some lap showing, and the knees do not look like they are coming out of her waist.

C: Lack of color, the chair and the dress are all one color. A pink chair would be a better choice and would be a complementary to the green. A pink or red dress would set her off better too against the white wicker. I have both an example of a white dress against a pink chair and a pink floral against a white chair in my site. I think they may help you.

[Virginia Branch]

Thanks, Sharon, for your input. I think I've gone about this backwards (live and learn). I should have posted my possible portrait photos before I let the client decide. They pondered for quite awhile on which one so if I were to go back at this point and tell them find another, I wouldn't look very professional.

I am going to take what you and Mike have suggested and go from there. I think it will be paintable but I will have to make some adjustments. Wish me luck as I will need it!!

[Monique McFarland]

I took the liberty to play with your ref. photo in Photoshop...I love tinkering with the program....truly hope you don't mind this...Here is your original and a lightened/straightened and cropped version of it also. What do you think?

Monique

[Sharon Knettell]

Monique,

It is better. The composition is still akward if she is shifted so far to the left. Can't you rephoto the chair at that angle so you can get the arm and push the whole thing more to the right?

Cropping the chair like that does not, in my opinion, look very good.

[Monique McFarland]

Originally Posted by Sharon Knettell

Monique,

It is better. The composition is still akward if she is shifted so far to the left. Can't you rephoto the chair at that angle so you can get the arm and push the whole thing more to the right?

Cropping the chair like that does not, in my opinion, look very good.

You're right, ideally, the whole chair needs to be included....and would it even look better if it is a fraction of a smaller scale? where there is not so much empty space on the seat? I don't know if this will make her look too large in comparison, or if it will make the scale/composition look more pleasant? Yes, re-photographing the chair alone will help tremendously! You're right. Using, of course, the current version for shadows on the wicker from the child sitting on it.

Monique

[Alexandra Tyng]

Virginia, you may have finished this painting by now for all I know, but I just saw this so I'll put in my 2 cents. Is the client wedded to a white wicker chair? I think there is too much white, and a natural wicker would make the dress stand out more. If you have to re-photograph the chair, you could also replace it! Just a thought.

[Michele Rushworth]

I agree with the previous comments that the biggest problem is the flat lighting, especially on the face. I highly recommend reading through the photography sections of this website. Also there are some terrific, non technical books by a guy named Douglas Allen Box about photographing people by natural light.

[Alexandra Tyng]

The lack of light-shadow contrast is definitely the most obvious problem. I'm assuming that, by now, this commission is completed. But I wanted to talk in general about a situation in which the artist takes reference photos, the client chooses the best one, and then later the artist has second thoughts about using the reference.

Originally Posted by Virginia Branch

if I were to go back at this point and tell them find another, I wouldn't look very professional.

I'm not so sure. Of course it is embarrassing to go back and say you've changed your mind, or you had second thoughts. But if the portrait isn't as good as it might have been because of the poor lighting, then that also could be seen as "unprofessional." I'm speaking in general here, not about you in particular, Virginia, or about your clients. I've been in a couple of situations where the client started out wanting a certain thing, and I even painted the entire portrait, then I felt dissatisfied with it. I told the clients, who then decided they had been too intrusive in the process (they hadn't been, really, and I assured them they hadn't) and gave me absolute freedom to compose a new portrait, which I did. I didn't charge any more, just took a whole new set of reference photos. The second portrait made us all happy.

Many clients are fine if you explain that you strive for excellence and, you would like to re-take the reference photos. I think most people would respect a solid work ethic and in most cases would not see this as "unprofessional" if you explained it this way.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Whoops, I didn't see this last page. I guess, philosophically speaking, many of us are on the same page!