Photo Critique Request - Page 2

Denise Hall · 10-03-2002, 09:05 PM

Sharon,

I've already gotten into this painting too much to start over. I have already changed the curtain to a dark maroonish shade to blend with the dark wall. I did leave some of the window with a hazy yard below, much like the photo.

I am going to use the Portra film with a reflector on the shadow side from now on when I shoot for a portrait.

Thank you again for your advice!

Alicia Kornick · 10-03-2002, 10:20 PM

Denise,

Beautiful girl. I especially like her long and elegant neck. I agree with Mike on this one. I would omit the window frame altogether. I think I would reshoot this with her standing further away from the window so that you get the light, but she is not so close to the window. It would also help if she didn't wear the fashionable light lipstick in future pictures. I think it will be easier to see the color of her mouth without the light lipstick and a more natural lip color will better stand the test of time.

Alicia Kornick · 10-03-2002, 11:33 PM

Denise,

Sorry I didn't read your last post before I answered. As for the blond hair:
Mass in the hair shape with a mixture of white, yellow ochre, raw sienna and burnt umber. This is not the lightest color of the hair but a medium tone.

Make a mixture of alizarin crimson, a little thalo blue and a touch of burnt umber (a grayed violet) and paint in all the shadows.

Mix yelow ochre and white and paint in the lighter areas.

Mix alizarin crimson and white and a little cad yellow light in a very light value and stroke this highlight color on the already lightened areas.

Use some burnt umber for the dark accents.

For greenish yellow in the dark areas use cad yellow medium and burnt umber. For lighter gray areas with a greenish cast: ivory black and white and a little cad yellow light.

Remember that your background color is reflected in the hair. When dry, you may want to glaze a little of this color in a few places.

Hope this helps.

Denise Hall · 10-04-2002, 12:03 AM

I have the most muted Sony Mavica digital pic of this painting in progress from last weekend. I have painted on it since - it's further along now but, I feel like I should show it in that stage. The hair is barely started along with many other sketchy parts, even the curtain and wall wiped down from the original deep alizarin look.

I am having such a time getting a good jpeg, changing the size without losing sharpness. I don't own a better quality digital and am going to start taking more print film of my paintings to develop on disc for easier posting from now on. I really hate to post this painting as my first posted painting but feel like I would like to show it from start to finish.

I don't know whether to post it here or in the oil critique section...hmmmm??

I will definitely take a print film pic of it this weekend and have the film developed on disc to post.

I think it would help to show you how I have left the window partially in the painting with the dark curtain behind it. Also, Sharon, the curtain is not frilly at all, it is tailored very straightly - a muslin drape. (FYI only)

Cynthia Daniel · 10-04-2002, 06:56 AM

Denise,

When you save a file as jpg, there is an option to choose level of compression. If you save your file with less compression (higher quality), you should get better results. Also, you can run unsharp mask on the image after resizing it to bring back some of the crispness. Play with the unsharp mask to see what level gives you the best image.

Sharon Knettell · 10-04-2002, 07:44 AM

Denise,

Just remember to get the right Portra, I believe I said NC.There is NR which is higher contrast and brighter. The first is better at skintones. Some tips:

A. Shoot and paint in natural day light.

B. Make sure if you are inside, (if at all possible) that green foliage is about 50' away. Outside use an IB filter it removes the greens.

C. Get the biggest color photo of the subject you can afford.

D. Place photo next to subject so you can grab the skin tones from the model. This helps because the photo is always in the same position. I find this technique especially useful on children.

An example of this is on my website www.portraitartist.com/knettell. It is the painting of a girl in a ballet skirt. The girl had a wonderful exuberant personality, she would sit still only very fleetingly. Working basicly from life with her I think I got an expression of barely contained glee. That would have been impossible using only a photo.

My caveat about 50' distance from foliage is well known among professionals. I had to learn it painfully. One of my first commissions was from life. The lady was beautiful, the portrait elegantly composed,the skintones tree color.

Steven Sweeney · 10-04-2002, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Make sure if you are inside, (if at all possible) that green foliage is about 50' away.

I'm always trying to learn, and I confess puzzlement over why you'd have an indoor set-up with foliage more than 50 feet away from you, and why, in any event, it would matter. You mentioned in your last sentence that you had a lot of green skin tones. But what's the connection?

Sharon Knettell · 10-04-2002, 02:22 PM

Ah Steven, where do I begin? Living in New England I am fortunate to have taken courses with, belong to a society with and sometimes schmooze with adherents of the Boston School. There are some wonderful books on the school on this very site. (Thank you Cynthia!)

They were a group of artists from Boston who studied classical painting techniques in Europe in the 19th century and brought them here. These techniques almost died out in America in the mid 20th century. A few stalwarts kept this small flame burning. So much knowledge was almost lost. One of them is the foliage thing. Simply put, skintones reflect any color that is near to them, adjacent walls, trees outside a window etc. Try this yourself, take a juicy blob of white paint place it next to window that is close to foliage and note the color change. That is why you have to have the clearest window possible. That is why north light is best, it is the steadiest and the most neutral. I paint a lot from life and I am always amazed how cameleon-like flesh is. I hope this is clear.

Sharon Knettell · 10-04-2002, 02:27 PM

Steven, I forgot to add that I was painting the woman's portrait from life, next to a window with trees 6' away and she turned green at that distance.

Steven Sweeney · 10-04-2002, 05:35 PM

Thanks, Sharon. I was mostly just trying to visualize the interior set-up you suggested. I wasn't sure why foliage 50 feet away was going to have much effect at all on flesh tones -- which I guess was precisely your point. I trained with one of Richard Lack's students, very much in the Boston School tradition, and I do recall the difficulty I had at first, accepting the possibility of greens in flesh tones, and then successfully seeing them in their subtle cool presence.