Portrait of three siblings

Virginia Branch · 04-25-2002, 10:00 AM

Well, I am close to being finished on this portrait of the three siblings. It was/is a challenge.

I would appreciate any comments...what do you think of the background? Should I soften the highlights even though it was a very sunny and bright backlight? I took the photos and wanted the painting to be about light but because it is coming from behind it was hard to see any shapes on their faces.

I am still fiddling with it and thank you ahead of time for your thoughts on it.

Mari DeRuntz · 04-26-2002, 12:12 PM

I'd love to see a closeup scan of this portrait; the faces are beautifully lit/rendered, and the hair looks beautifully textured.

There are only two areas that confuse me. 1. The older girl's arm/leg area flattens out in value, but then the hand is rendered at the edge. Again, it may be that a closer scan would clarify this area. 2. I can't anatomically connect the boy's shoulder and forearm. I don't know what to suggest, so I don't know if these comments are useful

I viewed your website and you don't need me to tell you how accomplished you are! "Red Ribbon" is especially striking in its simplicity. Certainly a portrait of three children is challenging in the "pictoral drama" department... Good luck!

Virginia Branch · 04-26-2002, 08:47 PM

Thanks, Mari for your reply and comments. The boys arm doesn't bother me but I think I need to work on the girl's dress some more. Need to darken the area closest to the boy.

I'll try and post some close-ups of the faces.

Thanks again.

Timothy C. Tyler · 04-27-2002, 12:52 PM

I think you did the toughest parts best. If you spent the effort on the clothes as you did on the skin tones you'd have improved the work. It really all does matter. Three is always a tricky number to paint. Sargents design skills were always tested (when painting groups of 3 or 4) and he painted well for the challenge. Challenges are good for us! Be happy with the well done passages!

Virginia Branch · 04-27-2002, 06:01 PM

Thanks, Tim. I am going to continue working on the clothes, especially the girl on the left.

Appreciate your comments!

Lon Haverly · 04-29-2002, 02:49 AM

I like it just as it is. Sometimes it is possible to overwork clothing. Here, the background is dreamy, and the clothing could be, as well. Your choice, though. Great job, Virginia!

Virginia Branch · 04-29-2002, 09:50 AM

Thank you Lon! I am not going to spend tons of time on the clothing but need to work on the girl's arm in the blue dress and work on the green dress a little more. I find that I get bored with a painting after a certain point and really don't want to work on it anymore. The excitement is gone for me if I spend too much time on something. However, as this is a painting someone is paying for, I will persevere and hopefully, not ruin the painting.

I was reading an article at the library yesterday written by Steve Childs in the June issue of American Artist's magazine (I think that was it). Anyway, in so many words, he stated that he was always pleased with a painting when he stopped early enough but never pleased with the painting when he over-worked it. I guess it is getting good enough to know WHEN to stop!

Thanks again for your nice comment.

Mike McCarty · 04-29-2002, 12:16 PM

I find that if I paint the least interesting portion of the painting first, when I am fresh and excited, I do a better job overall.

Lon Haverly · 04-29-2002, 01:55 PM

You and Kinkaid really have this light thing down. This painting really glows!

Virginia Branch · 04-29-2002, 03:32 PM

Wow, thanks Lon. I really appreciate your kind comments. My ego ALWAYS needs them.

Mike, I did paint the clothing first for that exact reason. However, I got bored with it and decided I would come back to finish it up. That is where I am now. We'll see what the final product looks like which I suppose is all that matters. Thanks for responding.