Jessica Knitting

[Jeanine Jackson]

My first submission to this forum is this 18" x 20" oil on canvas in its unfinished stage. I am deciding on the degree of finish to add to hands and knitting, as well as the addition of a shadow to lower right side of canvas?? Any comments on compostition would be most helpful!

Note: Reducing size to below 400 pixels high to meet forum requirements resulted in decreased resolution of image which actually has softer edges. Any tips on how to avoid this in future?

[Steven Sweeney]

You have a very lovely and evocative painting style, creating a muted, contemplative effect. Though working within a fairly narrow value range, you've handled it deftly, appropriately separating lights and shadows, most notably in the face and hair. And you've made an attractive selection of colors.

You've specifically asked about the hands and the knitting. Though you're working in relatively loose, impressionistic style, some attention probably needs to be brought to bear on the gesture of the hands, to indicate a bit more accurately the manner in which the knitting needle might be held -- for example, I would expect too see the index finger lying more alongside the needle, for control, and the other fingers somewhat curled underneath. Right now it appears that the needle on the viewer's right lies instead in the palm of the hand.

And yes, I think I would go to some trouble to define the knitting needles, and my instinct would be to use the edge of an appropriate-size painting knife, for two reasons: you'll have a shot at getting an extremely thin and straight line, and you will in the same stroke lay down the slightest ridge of paint, which will have a reflective quality that might in turn help create a light effect suggesting the smooth, shiny surface of the needles. By the way, on the far left end of the needle on the viewer's left, use a relatively darker color to paint the needle against that yellow background, even if the "real" needle is silver or white.

And yes, too, I think you should experiment with the lower right corner. Right now it's kind of a no-color, empty space into which the young woman appears in danger of falling. Perhaps a very small table, even with a skein of wool, another needle stuck into it, to enhance the suggestion of the knitting activity; a darker cast shadow beneath the table would then be "explainable".

There appears to be a little bit of sinking in of some of the colors, especially the red garment that she's working on. You may need to bring it back up a bit with retouch varnish, and go back in and restate some of the shadow shapes that define folds and creases in that material.

As I said, very lovely.

Steven

[Jeanine Jackson]

Thank you, Cynthia, for help in formatting this progress pic!

Thank you, Steven, for your wonderful critique!

I think a little more work to the sitter's right fingers (which look flat to me at the moment) and attention to your final comments will make this one ready to sign.

[Steven Sweeney]

I'm not privy to the work that you and Cynthia have done in the interim, Jeanine, but congratulations on your insight and your determination in pursuing this. I really like where this piece has gone. Everything that struck me as interesting in the earlier post has now been enhanced and reinforced. The young woman has taken on a new presence that almost requires that, before I say anything else in regard to the work, I feel the need to ask the indulgence of the subject by saying "Excuse me," because I sense that I'm interrupting someone at work.

The basket works very nicely, probably better than my first impulse to go with a low table.

A "technical" point: the line of the needle, the line of the index finger on the viewer's left, and the line of the shadow falling very sharply from the breast all converge, perhaps too strongly, at a single focal point. You might let that shadow shape drift away from the vertical drop (perhaps to our right, to follow the expected natural drape of the fabric), so that it doesn't intersect with the other two features with accidental emphasis.

You might also paint a round of yarn around that needle, to show that it's doing some work. Use just a tiny dot or line of bright color. Last "detail": the distal joints in the fingers are perhaps a bit long, but I happen to like that here; however, it would perhaps add interest if no two adjoining fingers were in similar articulation or posture. Consider posing each in its own unique anatomical tension.

My last two observations: First, the upper quadrants of the piece are lovely but seem perhaps slightly without a complementary dynamic; they are essentially negative space, so I wonder if they'd be enhanced by even the suggestion of, say, a cane-back chair frame's corners, slightly higher than her shoulders, which might help "fill" or define some of that space. And second, the color in the lower right background seems, at least on my monitor, a rather lifeless gray, in contrast to the muted richness of the rest of the piece. Shadow areas needn't be dulled; they are often steeped in color, and occasionally luminous even in low light. You will of course have to take into account appropriate hues, values, and temperatures. That's your call so I'll leave it to you. You're very obviously up to making the right choices.

Best,
Steven

[Cynthia Daniel]

Steven,

All I did was resize the image and appropriately sharpen it afterwards.

[Jeanine Jackson]

I have been away (~~~~_/)~~~~~ cruising the Caribbean) and popped in to update this post...

Magically, the final version has taken the place of post prior to Steven's comments. I wonder if you see the suggestions respected? In addition, my teacher, Master George Passantino, recommended darkening the yellow background to bring the figure forward on viewer's left side, and loose some edges around hair on right.

Additional comments always welcome.

I look forward to following this forum more faithfully in future. Thank you!

[Jeanine Jackson]

OK, here's a funny story.

Last night, eight Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists (CSOPA) gathered at my house for our monthly "Meet 'n Critique" session. They had made comments last month which I encorporated into latest post (above) together with your kind suggestions and Passantino's. I proudly unveiled the framed painting which met with much approval. One of our newest members, Enid Hatton, has a background in medical illustration. She said most gently, "Um... If I may comment? You might want to check the anatomy." "What? Where?" I was puzzled... Turns out, that somewhere after the first stage, I did in fact loose one digit from sitter's left hand! We all laughed heartily at my blunder which escaped so many eyes... especially mine!

CSOPA.org

[Steven Sweeney]

Is it in the area of the little finger and ring finger on her left hand? I thought there was enough "room" there for the fingers, but because I couldn't see the demarcation between those two, I earlier suggested that they be put in slightly different "pose". It still looks to me like a very easy suggestion of shadow between the "finger areas" would magically regenerate the missing digit, faster than a salamander's tail.

[Jeanine Jackson]

lol... Of course, Steven, you are right... and it was especially hard for forum members to see... I hope to achieve a surgical fix. Thank you so much for commenting!