Never do this to yourself.

[mala-muha]

So I took a commission for a lady who wanted to have a picture of him holding this salmon he caught in Alaska. I looked forward to it since I always wanted to paint that kind of fish. The picture I am using though for reference he is wearing a camoflage (sp?) jacket. I never realized how hard it would be to paint camoflage, but it is! Bad part is that I have to deliver it by the 20th of this month and I am having a hard time staying in front of the easel because it is so aggrevating :lol: . I am gettign all of that done before I finish it up with the fun parts like the riffles and the grasses. I'll finish it but I'll never do this to myself again for sure.

[Paintbrush74]

Yes, I've been there a few times. It has taught me to be much bolder in charging what I am worth! :lol:

[RPut]

You can do--keep at it! It's looking great!

[Bizkit]

................reinforces my reasons for NOT doing commissions.

[objectivistartist]

Agree......... :thumbsup:

[OkeeKat]

Coming along great, you can do it.. just put your mind to it. one section at a time. dont let the overall scare ya!!

[keenart]

I love the challenge of commission work. I dislike dealing with the poor taste people have in clothes and the lack of understanding of what looks “artistically” good in a portrait.

[Anthony Dunphy]

Been there:) hahahaha keep at it though.You'll feel better for the experience!

[mala-muha]

Well I appreciate all of the feedback and encouragement. I realized late last night that if I painted the camo as it is, it would be a distraction from the guy and his fish not to mention everything else, and if his wife wanted a painting of the camo jacket, they would have sent me a pic of it. I think I will paint the jacket mainly as one color that would go well with everything and maybe here and there give hints of the camo. Thanks again.

[NM Painter]

I was just about to suggest that!!! The man and his precious fish are much more important to her than his jacket, and a subtle suggestion of the 'camo' is all you need! I think it will be a fine portrait. Please post the finished work.

[Bright Eyes]

Camo is tuff. If you check out the classroom thread on rocks and sticks there is a really good technique Sharon is teaching. The jellybean technique. It would get you through the camo in no time flat.

[Bringer]

Hi,

Well, this seems to be travelling on the right direction.
The depiction of distance is really good and those greens on the background are trully convincing.

Kind regards,

José

[mala-muha]

Last night I looked at the jelly bean technique. It seems I was already in the process of figuring out that with another painting I'm working on, and I'm glad to save myself the time of figuring the rest of it out. Whether or not it will work on camo I'll leave for another braver soul to discover, hehehe. I posted an update with annotations. The blue square bit I know how I am going to do it, just have not been pleased so far with my attempts. Any other C & C is welcome.

[TxAggieDarlin]

LOOKS great....

[jmckelvin]

It's looking good, and even though I haven't really gotten any commissions yet, I sympathize with the trouble you are having with the pattern. I'm taking on a pattern in my latest drawing, and I think any pattern it tough. It must be even more difficult in painting. I agree though with what was said before, the man and the fish are the main focus so you could probably just have a suggestion of camo and be perfectly fine.

[mala-muha]

Giving an update now. Not too terribly much to do until the painting is done. Have to deliver it on the 20th, so shouldn't be a problem as long as I don't come down with the stomach flu my son seems to have gotten over night, yuck!

I know he only has one eye by the way, I have put 20 other eyes on the other side and each one makes him look inbred, I guess I'll do that last.

[Malvasia]

It looks very good :)

[Use Her Name]

I know that you would probably not appreciate an "art lesson" at this point in this painting, but why, I wonder, are you painting it without any underpainting? Excuse me for saying, but it would have been easier if you had blocked in the major solid shapes at their tonal ranges first. The jacket would be half finished in the first swipe if you had. I thought it was a common painting technique to do an underpainting first instead of this "transparent" thing you are doing. I also wonder why you did the background and put the man on top of it? Oh well. It dosen't seem logical to me.

First, in painting, you build the framework. Things like the design on the upper layer of cloth are "cosmetic." The framework is solids, shadows, lighting and so on that you do in an underpainting. Then you mess with details like eyeballs and fish scales (and cammo).

To get the jacket, if you had done an underpainting, you would have painted the jacket in a solid color-- for instance, a dusty brown color or whatever the dominent color is. You would have painted all the folds in various correct shadings. Once the jacket was correctly filled out, you would have made the design (I like chalk pencils for this on top of acrylics). Then simply fill the design in with the arious tones, once more paying attention to the change in color where the light hits and where the material tone changes as it goes into shadow.

Not sure where you learned your technique from, but there are some wonderful step by step tutorials found on this site that will show you how to layer your painting in a logical way. Good luck!

[AMuse]

Use_Her_Name - To be fair what is logical to some people doesn't work for others, and considering how this work is coming along I think that (as with most things) we do what works best for us.

mala-muha I think that you will have this done in plenty of time - and I think your choice of eliminating most of the "camo" pattern is an excellent one. Good luck with the last eye! LOL

[mala-muha]

It probably is a common technique to do the underpainting first and I understand what you are saying. I only took one intro to drawing course in college and one art history class so I have had to teach myself how to paint. As far as painting the background first and the guy over it, yeah it would have been easier the other way but just didn't do it that way this time. Thanks for the input, will try it out with my next piece for sure.

[Bizkit]

I think its coming along exceptionally well myself. As far as that other eye goes you may want to paint it in then glaze it with a heavy reflection on the glass lense...might distract from it for you!!!

[barb8j]

Mala~mala, I guess it doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get the right results and you are definitely getting the right results...so I guess you can do it however you feel like it as there is NO right or wrong way!

[RPut]

This is coming along wonderfully. Your style is similar to mine. I paint back to front and often put my main subject on top of my background, last. I don't think there's any right or wrong, just whatever works best for you. Waiting for the finish!

[Linee]

Coming along great. It's already getting a 3D effect with the method you're using, of laying the background first.

[Malvasia]

For what it may count...
I've tried the underpainting tecnique (a very rough version of it ;) ) in some of my works. In the most recent ones i did what you do: background first and then the main subject painted over it. In this way i manage to give continuity to the background, which i cant if i have to interrrupt the brush stroke to give room to the main subject... hehe, i remember my art teacher in 6th grade telling us to do so, and getting angry at children that insisted in painting the background around the subject... I guess it is just a different approach, maybe depending on which medium you are using (in school we did gouache and colored pencils). I'm a self-learned artist too, so i guess academy students may shiver at my words...
In any case you can see for yourself: in my AW gallery (link in signature): pebbles, chestnuts, fruits, are done with an underpainting while bees, bird, tryptic, autumn leaves, frozen berries are just painted over a background.

[mala-muha]

Well, I got it done and will deliver it in about 45 minutes. My wife will be happy to "get me back" with the family more for a bit. Just reaffirmed I'd rather paint fish any day then people, they don't critique you near as much.:lol:

[barb8j]

Turned out great!!

[LavenderFrost]

Nice work.

[RPut]

I think it turned out very well! Great Job!