Swimming girl WIP

[sideshow_bob]

Hi, after trying acrylics a few months ago and hating them, I thought I should give them another go, and I think I'm just about starting to enjoy painting

So, here is the painting I've been working on. There are still a few tweaks to make - the mouth is not quite right, the (our left) ear needs pinkining, the shoulder needs more work, and finally the water needs doing.

So, what I was wondering was, has anyone got any advice on painting water? Is there a cheats way to do it?

And are there any other cheats I should know about for acrylics, i.e. the advice always given for pencil drawings is 'push the darks' - is there something I should know about for painting? Should I be contrasting warm and cool etc?



And if there's anything else you can see that needs work, please feel free to let me know. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[idylbrush]

I find this very appealing, the look is right.

[sideshow_bob]

Thank you very much idylbrush.

My attempt at doing the water went wrong and I've painted over it - any tips on getting the illusion of movement in the water?

[idylbrush]

the only hope I can give you is shadow and light. Need both to show movement. Take a look at some of the pool paintings by David Hockney. He is a master at rippled pool water.

[rednova]

Dear Friend: I totally love your picture.She looks so fine !!!

[sideshow_bob]

Thank you so much

[Ms Nan]

Just wonderful! The only thing I can say about water is just practice. Idylbrush is right about the shadow and light. You are doing so well, just keep on keeping on.

[moepar]

One thing you can try is to go to youtube & do a search on how to paint water. Some videos aren't so good, but many are, & they may give you a couple of ideas to achieve the look you want.

[paznbaz]

Great work Maggie, I think your flesh colours are superb. The entire painting looks a little blurry to me but I suspect that just means your photography is as bad as mine, I have posted one called "boardwalk" in this section which will show how I cheat the water. Just experiment with it, your work already is a very high standard.

Paul
www.paulbennettfineart.com

[WaltWally]

Originally Posted by sideshow_bob

Hi, after trying acrylics a few months ago and hating them, I thought I should give them another go, and I think I'm just about starting to enjoy painting

So, here is the painting I've been working on. There are still a few tweaks to make - the mouth is not quite right, the (our left) ear needs pinkining, the shoulder needs more work, and finally the water needs doing.

So, what I was wondering was, has anyone got any advice on painting water? Is there a cheats way to do it?

And are there any other cheats I should know about for acrylics, i.e. the advice always given for pencil drawings is 'push the darks' - is there something I should know about for painting? Should I be contrasting warm and cool etc?

I love what you have done here!

John Singer Sargent is quoted as saying, "A portrait is a picture in which there is something not quite right about the mouth."
The mouth being the most mobile part of the face, a certain suggestion of 'not quite right'ness about it seems...right to me!

When I have to paint water, I work especially hard at forgetting that it's water. It helps to have a reference that you can manipulate: boost the contrast, 'posterize' it in Photoshop or Gimp-- try to see it as patterns.

Water is a lot like a silver teapot-- you don't 'paint the pot'- you paint the reflections on the pot!

You have quite successfully demonstrated the ability to show blending effects with acrylics that can be a challenge to those used to the way oils lend themselves to graduated areas. But you don't want to apply that to water; there should be a certain 'hard edge' between the contrasting zones in it.

Or, you could just take Paul's advice - the man knows water! - , and forget what I said!!

[sideshow_bob]

Originally Posted by WaltWally

I love what you have done here!

John Singer Sargent is quoted as saying, "A portrait is a picture in which there is something not quite right about the mouth."
The mouth being the most mobile part of the face, a certain suggestion of 'not quite right'ness about it seems...right to me!

Haha, nice to know I'm doing something right without meaning to!

Thanks to all for your helpful comments and advice, I am going to try out some of those ideas, and I'll post an update when I've worked some more on the water.

[purplepansey]

Beautiful smile and you've captured the look of sun kissed skin beautifully.

[keith.a]

fantastic portrait, the only advice i can give is with a person in water and presuming the person isnt sitting completly still, then there would naturaly have to be some slight ripples or movment in the water around the shoulder and neck , and yes the advice for sketching is push the darks , but in this case id be inclined to push some lights !

[ranunkel]

How to cheat with plastic wrap to paint swirling water.

1. Make a sketch, determine where you want the water to be placed.
2. Paint the area with a middle tone/value
3. Cut a piece of plastic wrap and lay it flat on a table. Apply acrylic paint in a darker value than the one you previously applied .
4. Lift the plastic wrap to the canvas and lightly touch the surface of the painting. It's ok that it wrinkles, that will just add to the water patterns!
5. Drag the plastic wrap in the direction you want the water to flow. You might have to do a few attempt with this to get the right effect.
6. Finish the water by painting in the high lights.

[sideshow_bob]

Originally Posted by ranunkel

How to cheat with plastic wrap to paint swirling water.

1. Make a sketch, determine where you want the water to be placed.
2. Paint the area with a middle tone/value
3. Cut a piece of plastic wrap and lay it flat on a table. Apply acrylic paint in a darker value than the one you previously applied .
4. Lift the plastic wrap to the canvas and lightly touch the surface of the painting. It's ok that it wrinkles, that will just add to the water patterns!
5. Drag the plastic wrap in the direction you want the water to flow. You might have to do a few attempt with this to get the right effect.
6. Finish the water by painting in the high lights.

Thanks a lot ranunkel, I will definitely give this a go!