Don't Look at Me That Way!

[AbstractJen]

MY IMAGE(S):
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/upload_spool/06-01-2002/9365_Dont_look_at_me_that_way.jpg


GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Don't Look at Me That Way!
Year Created: 2002
Medium: Acrylic
Surface: Board
Dimension: 18x24
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
This is airbrushed acrylic on illustration board. After all the painting is done I do a lot of pen and ink work over the top. I do sketches out of my head and then transfer them onto board and do the final painting so there is very little planning involved here except I might plan my color scheme for the final painting.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
Would appreciate any and all comments and criticisms. In my view this one looks like a parrot. What do you think? How is the composition? Do you think the colors work or not? BTW the original is much brighter than it looks here. I welcome any remarks.

[drquinn]

I think it is very interesting and only after you mentioned it did I see a bird or parrot (eye beak and claws). I like background but I think that the placement would have been better somewhere else (top left or slightly more centered I think)

[Corrie Scott]

Perhaps a loose 'feather' floating around the top left section to bring it together and make it even more whimsical? The colours work for me.

[kjsspot]

I agree that the composition falls short somewhere. The feather suggestion seems valid.

I love the texture in the background and find the depiction of the parrot to be fascinating.

[Keith Russell]

Greetings:

I think the solution is to crop it. You have too much background. A possible solution would be to leave about the same amount of background on the top and left sides of the bird, as there are to its right, and beneath it.

You could leave a bit more room on one of the sides, than the other three, but I still think you have way too much room above and to the left of the figure.

I really like the fact that the bird is not coherent, but is made up of disctinctly separate pieces.

But, I am slightly bothered by the preponderance of black. It makes the image appear rather flat, a quality that the airbrush is easily able to eliminate.

Have you considered doing less pen-and-ink work, and more modelling of the figure in airbrush?

(Just a thought...)

Keith.

[Jaelle]

why is she naked?
is she a ghost?
what is her relationship to the skull?
what are those face-like forms in the mists behind her?

Of course, if you want to give more definite answers to these questions, more details will be required. Check out Keith Parkinson, Michael Whelen, and Brom for possible inspiration.

end quote

Those are my favorite artists..I even got a Brom t-shirt!

I'd like answers to those questions, too...she just begs for a story. Gonna have to write one, I guess.

Thank you for the suggestion (asfa.) I'll check it out. I am finally getting serious about it, it took me a long time to start to believe it was even possible, but it's been a dream for many years.

Encouraging stuff like your reply really helps. I have added a little more modeling to the torso, and think I have the neck fixed, I'll post the result pretty soon. A friend suggested that she should be glowing on the background herself, and he thought I needed to be more definite about where the light is coming from. What do you think?

[Keith Russell]

I think the above reply is for the 'Altar' thread--

--not this one.

Glad you liked my comments, though.

Thanks,

Keith.

[Jaelle]

How the heck did I do that?

:rolleyes: