Quick study in four colors

Julia Scott · 03-03-2008, 03:00 PM

This is my first posting in oil critiques. I did this painting from photo reference I took myself, just snaps done inside in very harsh lighting without a flash. But I liked the model and thought it would be fun for something quick.

I used four colors: titanium white, ivory black, terra rosa and yellow ochre. The canvas was deeply toned in terra rosa too. It's 18x24, I think, although I don't have it here with me.

I have been trying to work faster and more loosely. I didn't trace or project the photo or do any underdrawing at all. Total working time was under 8 hours which is very fast for me. I learned a lot just using the four colors and was amazed how many shades I could get.

Any critiques are welcome! I'm including the [very poor] photo reference too.

Best, Julia

Julia Scott · 03-04-2008, 01:00 PM

Here is another shot of the painting which I tweaked in Photoshop to more accurately show the skin tones as they are in the original work. For some reason the photo washed them out a bit. Her skin was very olive but not as dark as the photo.

I also messed around with Photoshop to correct the drawing of the shoulders a bit. I would like comments, however, on the facial likeness. I think her face isn't tilted enough in the painting? Of course, I could have projected the photo and got around that but I wanted to draw it myself.

Best, Julia

Allan Rahbek · 03-04-2008, 03:24 PM

Hi Julia,
I like your painting very much, it has a nice clarity in design and values.
As you suggest your self, I also have comments to the likeness.

It is almost a rule that if one get started with the wrong proportions and angles it is most likely that every angle and proportion will be a little off.

At the first glance it looks like her if one compare one detail with the neighbouring detail.

If you look at the forehead you will see that the models is less vertical compared to the painting, the shape of the hair is different and the neck too long. Small things that you try to compensate for by tweeking the neighbouring features.

The best way to see these proportions is to place the reference next to the painting and look forth and back, many, many times, comparing one thing / size at a time from a distance of 2 - 3 steps.

Julia Scott · 03-04-2008, 03:58 PM

Thank you, Allan, for your comments! They are very helpful and pinpointed some problems I had not noticed on my own (i.e., the slant of the forehead). That is why feedback is so needed. I don't know if I can fix these problems but I may give it a try. Thankfully this is not a commission! best, Julia

Allan Rahbek · 03-04-2008, 04:37 PM

Julia,

I believe that it would be easier to start from scratch, you will not cling to any finished details that way, trying to preserve some of your work.

If you do that I will suggest that you swap the background light so that you get the lighter background behind the woman and the middle value in front of her. Just a thought.

Julia Scott · 03-04-2008, 06:53 PM

Thank you again for your comments, Allan. Very helpful!
Best, Julia

Alexandra Tyng · 03-06-2008, 03:04 PM

Julia,

I appreciate the fact that you did this as an exercise without tracing and measuring, just using your eye.

I would say that overall it is a good likeness. I'd like to add a few points.

The most glaring problem is that you have tried to compensate for a fuzzy reference photo by over-articulating the features, hair, and other edges. Take a look at her eyes, her upper lip where it meets the skin of the muzzle, and the highlights in her hair. If you don't see these edges in your reference, then it is probably not a good idea to put them in (a reason why it is always advisable to use a good reference). Also some of the value changes are over-emphasized, as in the nearer eye. In the reference, the white of the eye is almost the same value as everything in that shadow area.

There are other modeling problems in the shape of her upper lip and the size of her nearer eye. In the reference it appears wider than the far eye because it wraps around the curve of her head. But these are just things to watch for next time. I would not overwork this one.

Julia Scott · 03-06-2008, 04:35 PM

Alexandra,

Thank you for your very thoughtful comments! Just the kind of thing I really need right now as I struggle to loosen up, stop overworking, and get the "portrait thing" right.

I often have a problem getting the eyes deeply enough into the sockets and wrapping around the head right. I realized I had made the near eye too small and shallow-set after I posted the reference the same size as the portrait. Next time I am going to try putting both up on Photoshop together to compare at the same size, perhaps at various stages.

Thank you again for your help!

Best, Julia

Debra Norton · 03-10-2008, 01:09 PM

Julia, I would suggest that in the future you blow your reference up to the same size you're going to paint, even if you have to piece it together. I've found if I try to paint from a smaller photo I tend to automatically try to shrink it down to the size of the photo because I'm so used to painting what I see. It's nice to not have to fight the size changes along with all the other challenges of painting!

Julia Scott · 03-11-2008, 10:49 AM

Debra,

Thanks for your excellent suggestion!

Would Kinko's blow a photo up that size? I've also heard of painters using blueprint copiers to enlarge preliminary drawings, but that would only work for b&w. Working bigger is another hurdle for me. Next step: read all the photo reference posts!

I'll bet some answers are there.

Thanks again, and best, Julia