Mildred the Duck WIP

[Pat Isaac]

I am trying to finish up all the oil paintings I started in a class I took last year. This is on gessoed masonite and has a thin glaze of oil paint. I have decided to finish them all with OPs. This is the second one that I am finishing up. 12 x 16 using Senns and Holbeins. When I posted I notice that the background is too yellow, so will change that. Crits most certainly welcome.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/16-Apr-2007/35760-Mildred.jpg

Pat

[hopalong]

Pat, I love the composition. The backround is gently encircling the ducks...very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with your backround colors.

[wabbitt]

I love the big duck! :) The background doesn't bother me at all and makes the little guy stand out.

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Julie. They are specialty wooden ducks and all have names. My husband has a collection of them and they have an old look to them, which I hope I can acheive.

Pat

[AnnieA]

Really nice, Pat. I agree with Linday about the composition - it works very well. The ducks themselves look really interesting too. I'm looking forward to watching the progress of this piece. :)

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Annie.

Pat

[LJW]

Pat, now that we have finished mopping the basement floor, I can comment on your painting. The composition works well and the position of the ducks relative to each other creates interest by raising questions about their relationship. I must say, though, that I'm confused about the wooden-looking rectangle on the larger duck's neck. Is that something in the painting or sitting on top of it? If it's in the painting, I wonder what it represents? Jane

[Pat Isaac]

Ah, that is not finished yet and it is her name tag...:lol: It says, my name is Mildred and I will add that later. All of these ducks have a name tag like that.

Sorry you had to mop the cellar floor. We are not done with this storm yet. More tomorrow...:eek:

Pat

[artbyjune]

Hi Pat, very nice to see a WIP. I too, like the composition and the implied relationship between the 2 ducks. Looks like they are having a conversation. I wonder if you need the name-tag?

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, June. Never thought about not putting in the name tag. I'll have to see what it is like without it.

Pat

[AnnieA]

Pat: since the name tag is an issue, I'll weigh in too.

My thoughts: I'm thinking there are advantages to the tag remaining, as it casts a nice shadow on the duck that provides addiitional interest. Would the upper part of the painting appear too bare if it's removed? If it were removed, might there be a tendency for the eye to enter from the left, but then follow the strong sweep of the ducks neck right out of the painting? I almost want to suggest that it's position could be relocated, rather than removed, but I'm not certain that would work. Or maybe if the tag were made into an oval, it would flow with the curve of the duck's neck a little better, while still providing a counterpoint to the curve of the neck. It may only be that the painting is in an unfinished stage that makes the tag seem just a little too demanding to the eye right now.

All this may look different to us if you change the background color as you said earlier you might, and the lettering on the tag may make a difference too.

I hope my musings here were helpful. Just food for thought...it's a beautiful painting. :)

[Pat Isaac]

I always like your musings, Annie and it gives me more to think about. I'll see how it goes. No heat in my studio today either.....grrrr......better be some tomorrow.

Pat

[BeckyMc]

I like the name tag, especially since I know you'll fix a little cord around the neck and then it will be obvious, as well as add interest... Such a neat painting!

[starblue]

I agree with Becky about the name tag, and the yellow background is fine with me--the duck is clearly brighter than it, the duck's dark where the background's light and vice versa--I thought it was a pretty clever color and value arrangement.

[Pat Isaac]

Thank, Becky and Bob. There is a cord attached to the tag that I haven't put in yet. The background is not quite as yellow as pictured, but I hope to tone it down some more.
If there is heat at my studio today, I'll have another update.

Pat

[Pat Isaac]

There was heat in my studio!! so I did some work on Mildred. It's kind of at that in between stage where I don't like it, but I do like the direction of the background better. This is really an interesting surface to work on. The underglaze of oil paint makes blending seem transparent, so it takes many layers of OP to build it up. I remember that happened with the last piece like this. Anyway, crits much appreciated.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/18-Apr-2007/35760-Mildred1.jpg

Pat

[CM Neidhofer]

Hi Pat. I haven't done anything in OP's in ages, and it's just my opinion, but I have a nit about the placement of the red duck. The front of the red duck seems to just be touching the bottom edge of Mildred. Seems a little flat in that area to me? Again, just my opinion. :o

Christine

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Christine. I noticed that too, and I think maybe I need to carry the body of the yellow duck beyond the red one.
Thanks, Pat

[hopalong]

I think this is really lovely. The backround is shaping up and has a luminous feel! Interesting experiment.
Just my 2 cents...but the red is so vivid that it might move the eye around a bitmroe if that same red shows up as an accent some place else??? But its wonderfully composed and executed....Lovely precise forms with painterly shading!!

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Lindsay. Good sugestion.

Pat

[AnnieA]

Pat: I love it! Although I really sort of liked the yellow background, this is better. The change you made to the bg color now affects the way that name tag works, too, imho. Because the colors of the bg and tag are similar, the name tag seems to fit with the rest of the painting a lot better now. It's interesting just how much of an impact on the overall painting the background really does have. The two versions of your painting illustrate that quite well.

And Lindsay is quite right about how luminous the background now seems - it's really very beautiful. Well done, Pat! And thanks for sharing the steps in your progress with us. :)

[Pat Isaac]

You're welcome, Annie. More to come.

Pat

[sundiver]

Oh, I am liking this. The background colors are an excellent choice, I think, And red, yes, maybe the cord?

[ColorMyWorld]

Pat, this is great! I like how the yellow duck in particular really looks like old painted wood. And I like the way you're putting the yellow and purple into the background.
I'm interested to see how this all looks at the next stage.

[laika]

i felt that the background was overwhelmingly yellow before. this latest stage fixes that, IMH. and the highlights and shadows are really effective on the larger duck.

looking forward to the update!

[Pat Isaac]

Thanksm Wedy, Ann, and Lamar. I won't be at my studio until tomorrow, so hope to work on it then.

Pat

[Pat Isaac]

Here is another upgrade to Mildred. I am working to resove the background. What do you think so far?
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/19-Apr-2007/35760-Mildred2.jpg

Pat

[AngelaF]

I look forward to your update, too. It struck me right off, before reading your goal, how well the wooden quality was achieved. Wonderful piece. I think the tag adds interest to the composition.

[CM Neidhofer]

Ahhh....extending Mildred's underside past red duck made all the difference!! Now there's more dimension to red duck. Looks better, and good, to me!! It's a very whimsical and fun painting! :clap: :clap:

Christine:clap:

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks for that suggestion, Christine. Always good to have other eyes.

Pat

[AnnieA]

Pat: the extension of the red duck did work well, and the red tie at the name tag too. My first instinct about the background is to say I hope you don't loose the wonderful light and color on the wall, as it ties into the colors of the piece so well. On the other hand, maybe darkening things up, as it appears you're starting to do, will enhance the ducks even more, and make them stand out. Whichever way you go, this is a very charming piece. :)

[starblue]

This is turning out really nice. I like the touch of red in the string that reflects the littler duck's color--it has more impact than I would have thought when I first heard the suggestion. Now, when do we find out that the duck in question is Mildred instead of, say, Gertrude or Winifred?

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Annie and bob. Heehee:lol: her name may appear on Monday....tag too wet to print on. I have darkened the background but think I have still left the light on the wall. Still working on it and will do another update on Monday.

Pat

[hopalong]

Pat this looks wonderful! GReat swooping curves and rich colors!!

[Pat Isaac]

Here is the final. Let me know if anything needs tweaking or fixing.
Thanks, Pathttp://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/25-Apr-2007/35760-Mildred_final.jpg

[CM Neidhofer]

Just love this, Pat. Very clever, fun and whimsical. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Christine

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Christine.

Pat

[hopalong]

Pat, I'm in love with Mildred and co. This look beautiful. You have just the right amount of value in the name tag, lovely contrast in the wooden parts with the backround and the colors sing. Yea!!:clap:

[Donna T]

Pat, Mildred is adorable and so is her companion!

Donna T

[LJW]

Great finish. Mildred and friend are terrific together. Jane

[AnnieA]

What a terrific piece, Pat! :clap: :clap:

I just love Mildred and her little red friend. The background looks perfect - I like the way the pattern of light on the wall mimics the curve of the duck's neck. Very effective. The color throughout is wonderful. And you've conveyed them both with such a nice patina of age on the painted wooden surfaces. A very charming piece. Thanks for showing us the steps along the way.

You make it look so easy!

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks for your nice comments, Lindsay, Donna, Jane, and Annie.

Pat

[starblue]

Ah, we meet Mildred at last! I think the best parts of this are the wooden surfaces of the ducks and the constant movement of the eye around the painting due to all the curves. Nicely done!

[wabbitt]

Wow, super job on this. Gosh I would have stopped too early had it been my project. You've inspired me try OP's on an unfinished oil painting I attempted about a year ago this month. The paint dried so slowly that I lost interest in the painting after only 3 weeks, about the time it would finally take another layer. Just have two more weeks of school....

[Pat Isaac]

Thanks, Bob and Julie. Even the red duck has a name, but the tag was not showing. Her name is Annika. All of these ducks have their own name and I am now looking to do another in a still life. The oil paintings I did in theis painting class only had 2 layers of very thin glaze so they dried relatively fast. The class was not set up to finish a painting, but to learn glazing techniques, so I have about 7 unfinished paintings that I'm adding OPs to.

Pat

[hopalong]

Well Pat, it will be wonderful to watch you conduct your rescue missions on this project! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the flock.

[Pat Isaac]

:lol: maybe not all the flock. I know which one I want to do next, and I was out roaming stores yesterday for something to go with it. Does anyone else do that? I have a pictured in my mind and then I go look for the objects. Many times I have to punt because I can't find what I want....:(

Pat