Connor

Mary Sparrow · 08-24-2003, 07:01 PM

Hi, started this this afternoon, 9x12 on Art Spectrum paper. It seems a bit softer looking in person than on my computer. Please critique, I'm still really new to these pastels, I worry if I keep working it, it is really going to be muddy looking.

Mary Sparrow · 08-24-2003, 07:03 PM

the reference.

Michele Rushworth · 08-25-2003, 12:00 AM

Hi Mary,

The main issue I see with this portrait is that it misses the very pronounced value changes in the large masses of his head and thus looks much flatter than the reference photo.

You might want to check out this thread:

http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...&threadid=1863

Your painting misses the large shadow area between his eyes, the shadow below his nose, the lower value of all of his face that is below the mouth. Also the dark shadow to the left of the eye on our left should not be nearly so dark.

Squint at your reference and look for the large shadow and light masses of the form and you'll see what I mean. If you have an image editing program like Photoshop, changing the reference and your photo of the painting to black and white may help you to see what I mean more clearly also.

Michele Rushworth · 08-25-2003, 12:10 AM

In changing these to monochrome, putting them side by side, and reversing them (akin to the old masters' use of mirrors to check their work) you can see the difference more clearly.

Kimberly Dow · 08-25-2003, 01:48 AM

I'd like to see the eyes softened, and the outer edges. The eyelid line and the actual eyes are so dark compared to the reference photo. It could be my computer though.

Turning a photo to black & white is SO helpful. This has got to be (besides photo tips) the best tip I have picked up here.

Mary Sparrow · 08-25-2003, 07:36 AM

It is so odd to me how I see things so much clearer once they are on the monitor. Before I even posted this I asked my husband if anything looked blatant to him, he said a couple of things, I told him he was crazy then I put them side by side in the computer and he was SO RIGHT, (imagine that). I knew the shadows weren't quite right, but couldn't for the life of me "see" what the problem was. Amazing how stepping away for the night and looking at it in black in white makes the error pop right out!

Thanks, I will work on it more today.

Linda Brandon · 08-25-2003, 09:18 AM

Mary, such a cute baby! Lucky you!

The main problem for me here is that you've changed the color of his shirt and that makes a radical difference in what colors are reflecting up into the face. That orange on the left side of his shirt bounces up to his jaw, nose and earlobe. Strong sunlight has an amazing capacity to reflect colors from one surface up to other surfaces. Paying attention to this fact in a painting is one of the main charms of outdoor light.

I can guess that you just didn't want all that bright orange in your painting. Instead of making such a radical change from orange to white, I'd experiment first by reducing the chroma of the orange shirt, either by adding blue or purple or by adding some kind of grey, depending on your own theory of color. Personally, I see purple everywhere when I paint a "sunlight" painting, but I'll admit that it's maybe just a quirk of mine.

Mary Sparrow · 08-25-2003, 09:30 AM

I know what you are saying, the mother asked me to do the shirt light blue, I was thinking about that orange reflection while I was painting him and not sure how to handle it.

While the mother is paying me, it is a very nominal amount. She wanted a painting of that particular picture, I wanted a reason to practice the pastels. So, here I am. She hates orange and loves him in light blue, she isn't local, she is actually someone I met on another forum, so reshooting the photo isn't an option, I don't even know where she lives yet.

She has seen this draft and loves it as is. Im going to follow Michelles advice though and work on the shadows for my own peace of mind. Maybe if I reflect more blue where the orange is reflecting that will work?

Jeff Fuchs · 08-25-2003, 09:42 AM

Mary,

One detail I've noticed in many fine portraits is the pleasant way the corners of the mouth seem to disappear into a puddle of shadow. Look through Bouguereau's faces and you'll see it used a lot.

Notice on your reference photo that the corners of the mouth do not come to points, but disappear into shadow. It can add a nice softness to the mouth.

Of course, you can't use it willy nilly. If it's not there in real life, it might cause problems to add it. But on your subject, the shadows are there.

Mary Sparrow · 08-25-2003, 11:34 AM

Im working on it. Getting better?