Sarah in Progress

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

Terri, I think the mouth is perfect now. Nice job! The skin tones are a lot warmer now, too, and look more natural. You can see that she's in the shade but she still looks fresh and lively rather than blue-ish. I still think, comparing your painting to the reference photo, that there need to be more darker pinks on her forehead between her eyes, in the folds under her eyes, and in the darker areas of her cheeks. Some of the value range is missing in those places so she doesn't have the roundness and three-dimensionality that she should.

Also, look at the darkest darks and lightest lights in the hair in your reference photo. There's more of a range there than you have; for instance, the hair on our right (her left) as it comes into the light by her cheek is much lighter than you have it, and there are also more highlights on our left side. Basically it's a value range thing. Adding that contrast will also help to bring her alive and it avoids a flat look.

When I paint, I first block the picture in very loosely, although you can still begin to see the likeness, and I do try to establish my darkest darks and lightest lights but sketchily. You can see how that happens on my process page. I don't know whether that would work for you; personally I would get bored if I had to do a complete monochromatic painting first, but everyone's different. Your struggles with the values and hues in this painting may just be growing pains with oils. The end result is going to be beautiful as usual; I can see that already. I love your subjects and the way you handle them.

[Kimberly Dow]

The mouth looks good Terri - just perhaps some value issues - darker in parts of the hair, lighten the lashes around eyes. I did a black & white - maybe this will help.

[Linda Brandon]

Hi Terri,

I think my views are a little radical, but since you paint so many outdoor portraits I just have to put my two cents in here.

Outdoor portraiture is not "about" finding volume in the form. There's so much reflected color in the diffuse outdoor light that you're getting a different kind of value change in the shadow side of the face than you would if you painted an indoor portrait. (Also, sunlight blows out most, if not all, the subtle value changes in the light side.) It's about color change and atmosphere and lost edges - in short, those qualities that add to the freshness and excitement of being outside. If you don't do this your painting looks like a "painted photo" and you don't want that - you want your painting to look alive. Take a look at Frank Benson or Edmund Tarbell for the way they've handled color in outdoor portraiture.

Just for the record, I use a different skin color palette for outdoor work than I do for indoor work. I'm not interested in "temperature" issues as much as I am with opacity and intensity.

I do think you are a fine painter and I'm enjoying your change to oils. I really like all the outdoor painting that you do, you have an affinity for it.

[Terri Ficenec]

Leslie, Kim, and Linda - Thanks for all of your feedback. I can't tell you how helpful it is! I've tried to incorporate it into the final version. . . at least I think this is the final version

Linda - I'm not familiar with Frank Benson or Edmund Tarbell - but I'm going to look them up now. I'm interested to see their work. Also, I'd be curious to know which colors you use on your indoor vs. outdoor palettes?

Thanks again!

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

It's just gorgeous, Terri. I love the feel of it. Her parents will be thrilled!

[Terri Ficenec]

And the close-up.

(So, while I love that the oils stay wet so you can blend them so much easier than the acrylics - I'm having to fight a tendency to keep blending all the darks on the face away, just on the face. Not sure why that is. There could/should probably be darker darks in this face, but I keep trying to put them in there and they just keep, ah, disappearing -so am calling this done)

[Steven Sweeney]

And I applaud your instinct, in saying "done!"

It is, and it is very beautiful. I would be pleased and proud to have this in my portfolio.

Well done, and Congratulations.

[Terri Ficenec]

Leslie - Thank you so much and for all the encouragement and help along the way!

Steven - I'm so flattered you would say that! It's really nice to hear after being so frustrated for the past 10 days. And it's nice to know that someone else thinks it's 'done'... My usual criteria for 'doneness' is when I start to be afraid that anything more I do would do more harm than good

[Kimberly Dow]

Terri,


Looks good!

I cant always get the darks I want either when its wet. When that happens I save some of the skin color if I have it mixed and wait til the painting drys to the touch. I put some linseed oil on the painting and wipe off most of it (for blending purposes) - then begin again - starting with the darks. If you blend well enough (even using a finger to really push it in so as to not leave an edge) it looks great. I used to do this without the linseed and it was much harder to get it blended smoothly. That's one thing I learned from the T Tyler workshop.

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

Kimberly, I have a different method of adding overlays to correct colors or values. I usually let my paintings dry for a day before returning to them, and then if I have a subtle or not so subtle change I want to make I use a bristle brush with a little of the color, usually enhanced in hue or value, and lightly brush it across the area I want to work on, so that the texture of the canvas picks up the paint very slightly. I can go over it repeatedly to deepen the color and the effect, and I have a lot of control over how much and where. There's no edge effect because it's brushed on so lightly; it's easy to feather it into the surrounding area so there's a good transition.