Walker Girls

[Brooke]

MY IMAGE(S):
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/upload_spool/09-11-2002/7814_Three_Girls.jpg


http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/upload_spool/09-11-2002/7814_Girl_1.jpg


http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/upload_spool/09-11-2002/7814_Girl_1_Hands.jpg


GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Walker Girls
Year Created: 2002
Medium: Colored Pencil
Surface: Paper
Dimension: 16x24
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
This was a commission I started about 4 years ago when I suddenly had a severe nervous breakdown. So severe I've had about 15 hospitalizations! Ugh. But now I'd like to finish it for the commissioner as a surprise. He has already paid for half. I certainly won't be charging him any more (the other half). The girls must be 4 years older now, although I have never seen them.I was asked to work from photos putting the girls on a wooden step in front of a window showing reflections of trees as well as seeing some furniture inside the house. This is as far as I've gone. You can see close ups of the other two girls heads on the basic critique or in colored pencil. This is important - maybe I'm over-posting.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
I am having trouble bringing the first girl and her hands up to the level of her sisters. One suggestion was to bring her dress over her hands partially which is a good, but not ideal suggestion. Where would you go with this to make it possible for me to present this to the parents and say "remember your girls from 4 years ago?" FYI, close ups of the faces of the other two girls, which are also open for Structured Critique, are in the Colored Pencil forum as well as the open critique forum. Critique and digitally alter at will. At this point I am so desperate that I will appreciate any suggestions, digital alterations and/or comments. My skin is like dragon hide!

[light]

What a wonderfully beautiful pencil drawing. Being a perfectionist is not always easy, but you can get through this.:)
First of all, I think the hands would come out just fine if you keep up with the darks first. Do you have a scanner? Scan the picture in and make an enlargement of it. Then block out everything but the hand on the right. This will give you a clearer idea of what you are dealing with. When you are content with the hand on the right cover up the scanned picture's hand on the left. Don't think of this area as a hand, think of it as lights and shadows.

If you are still not happy with it, or you are not comfortable playing with it anymore take some of those lovely flowers at the right and place them in her hands.

This is going to be superb when you are done!

[madster]

I think Light is right on!

All the problems you're experiencing are based on contrasting values around the head and hands.
The head will be fine, if you add a little shading to the outer edges to help the eye differentiate between her head and the wall. Look at the other two girls. One is in front of a darker portion of the background, and the other has the shadows from her hair to help distinguish their facial shapes.
The hands will be fine once you have the perspective of the dress finished.

You're having problems because the reflection of light off of black onto skin is not the same as off of white.

The values will be much easier to discern once you finish the dress.

IT LOOKS GREAT!

BTW, I've heard Jergen's lotion can help with rough skin..... :D

As for presenting it, I'd wrap it like a gift, which, since you're foregoing the rest of the commission, it is in a way. I'd tell the owner part of the reason for the delay was to give the work your best, which is true. Perfectionist artists have been known to take an average of a couple of years to do any work even "halfway" decent. As lovely as this is turning out, I don't think they will mind too much, especially since they will now have the completed work.
Just don't rush in order to be done with it.

I had a breakdown too, once upon a time. Like anything else you experience in Life, it's just a small part of a long symphony. So you had some sour notes, the music still plays on and that's what counts.

Best of luck to you!
Madster