Latest efforts using oils

James Garrison · 06-21-2009, 05:01 PM

This is a reworking of a previously posted painting. I have been painting dog and horse commissions, and have not had much extra time to work on my portrait portfolio. Oil is still a new medium for me but, I think my value relationships have improved, as well as some of the sloppy brushwork. This will be the first in a portfolio of works I hope to show to reps in a year or so. The worst that can happen is they will say no, right?

Julie Deane · 06-21-2009, 08:59 PM

I like it, James. The values are looking good.

As for critique, my screen shows quite a bit of "optical red" around face and hands - perhaps more than is needed - to me, the glow is so pronounced that it becomes somewhat distracting.

It has this in its favor or not in its favor, depending upon one's viewpoint for what one wants in a commission : it is quite casual and uses a profile, which is not the usual type of portrait someone would buy. But that sets it apart, too....

James Garrison · 06-21-2009, 10:52 PM

Thank you Julie. I do think the red halation is a little too conspicuous towards the upper part of the nose. I probably should cut into it with some background color. Your input means a lot to me. Sometimes I get so close to the work that I miss some of these little things. For some reason, maybe I'm just crazy, taking photographs of the work in progress helps. Some of the problem areas seem to pop out and slap me in the face when I see them on a computer screen.

Thomasin Dewhurst · 06-22-2009, 02:15 PM

I like it a lot. I like the slight 3D angle of the composition, and I think the red around the nose would become more invisible if it didn't look so much as though it were in front of the face and the hands - perhaps just redo the edge of the face and hands so the that the flesh paint is physically on top of the red background paint..

Terri Ficenec · 06-23-2009, 02:47 AM

James -- Yeah, that optical red could be made a touch more subtle, but never-the-less, this is a unique pose and well-done -- and a wonderful start for your portfolio!

Cindy Procious · 06-23-2009, 09:54 AM

James - nicely done!
I agree about the red halation - it's a tad overdone - but perhaps not so IRL?
I would add that you have one unfortunate tangent - the bottom edge of the green jacket lines up perfectly with her left leg - continuing the back edge of her leg up through her thigh - effectively cutting the leg so that it doesn't appear to bend at the knee.
If you were to move that jacket edge back even an inch or so, and include a portion of the pants over the thigh so we can see clearly just how she's sitting, I believe it would completely eliminate that awkwardness.

Oh - by the way - taking a photo of your work in progress and posting it on the web is a great way to see its flaws, similar to looking at it in the mirror or upside down. So, you're not crazy.

Julie Deane · 06-23-2009, 12:24 PM

Putting a photo of the work in progress into Photoshop helps me see similarly on the monitor without the need to post it .... I think a bunch of us have experienced this phenomenon, James.

James Garrison · 07-03-2009, 11:37 AM

Thanks to everyone for helping me to improve my work. I do not know any other artists locally, so this forum has been helpful.