Red Riding Hood

[BlackTigr]

MY IMAGE(S):
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/upload_spool/04-01-2002/6503_redridinghood1_color6.1_mirror_work.jpg


GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Red Riding Hood
Year Created: 2001
Medium: Digital
Surface: Computer
Dimension: 494x600 pixels
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
This is a computer piece that started as me playing with a texture to see if I wanted to get a new computer graphics program. That became the cape, and it seemed a shame to waste such a good looking set of folds. The character started out as a scanned charcoal, but this work has lain in the depths of my files, ignored, for quite some time while I work on other things. I thought that I should at least open it up and ask for help.

I am attempting to use the medium of computer graphics in a painterly fashion, but I am not really looking for realism.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
I'd like input on the palette, contrast, composition, and background. This really needs help, but after working with it for more than 200 hours, I can't see how anymore.

[LarrySeiler]

since you have no posts here at all, with plenty looking...I'll jump in and say a few words.

When someone in essence asks, "what do you think?" ...there is a presumption that comments are possible, and they are because a sense of collective "good" has become understood in design and composition now and historically.

My comments are totally unrelated to a judgment of a work to being realistic, abstract or anything for that matter.

A common principle in design construction attempts to integrate or correlate the parts to be weaved into a unit or a working "whole"....

Like music, this would be similar to a percussion and rhythm that makes it possible for all the individual nuances and sounds to yet be an intricate part of a basic melody or song.

In painting...digitalization, whatever...color rhythm, or shapes, values...etc., repeat themselves or are found placed throughout a work to tie it together. Your use of your flesh tones have an incredible shocking and stark result. That no such similar values or color exists elsewhere is similar to a heavy metal grundge guitar lead in a quiet alluring celtic hypnotic balad.

The greens, the browns, and even the red of her shawl have a common thread of a particular value which hold them together.

As a result, the flesh appears foreign to the work, or out of place.

Now....all artists have artistic license to state what they wish to state, and perhaps discomfort for the viewer is a legitimate intention. Tension in the visual arts is a device used to have an intended affect on viewership. If such tension was part of your artistic intent....you then have succeeded as such. On the other hand, it is a striking image that is hard to look at because of such unrelated elements. That may or may not be what you have intended, so I might be "preaching to the choir" so to speak.

If so, congrats on that! Otherwise, you might consider how to orchestrate some continuity, some color rhythm, etc;

Larry

[BlackTigr]

Wow, Larry. You really hit the nail on the head with that one. I'm not sure how to make the skin tone "better" other than to make it ruddy, to match the cape (which was expressly against my collaborator's wishes)...but the concept you just brought up has echoed my own feelings on it. There is something discordant, and I can't quite put my finger on what...

Is the color too light, too yellow, etc...

I suppose, since it is a digital work, and I have things saved in every stage, that I should go back to when I *liked* the skintone and re-work it from there. The learning curve on this has been enormous, and the mouse has *not* been my favorite tool, so I had been reluctant to in essence scrap what I had and work it over. But I guess that's what I need to do. Re-gesso this baby and start from there. That is, if I ever want to be happy with this "painting". :cat:

Thanks for your time. I know how valuable it is, and this being my first attempt at conscious composition...I've been taking the no comments thing to mean that no one was willing to help something this far gone.

You truly are a great teacher. I should go print this comment out.

--BT

[henrik]

If you take down vaue and saturation (i.e make the face grayer) then it could look like the attached illustration. I also added some shadows to place the head inside the hood. I also placed reflected red light on the face.

[Geoart]

I added a little light to the right hand corner using corel draw
then stretched it a little without altering her face. I think it adds a little focus and takes away from the overall darkness . I tried different things, then stretched it. posting the finished small pic. for you. :)

[plumpfairy]

:) Hello! Black Tiger,
I really like the elegant way lseiler critiqued this piece. To me, it looks unfinished. I like the mood. I like the cat face in up-left corner (leaf). Working with a MOUSE is ohhhhh sooooo frustrating.....I highly recommend a WACOM TABLET & PEN......you'll never use a mouse again! (well, for art anyway).
jana:)