Iris Portrait

[Tresgatos]

Did a life study on an Iris from my garden. Winsor and Newton water soluble oil paint - 11 x 14 canvas board - I'm eager to try few more before they go away. Unfortunately, I chose to use a board that had previously had something on it - tape around the edges which I removed but it still shows through. Constructive critique welcome.

Barbara

[Margaretta]

It's really hard to paint on an old board as I have just found out! Getting the fine detail between bumps and lumps is very difficult indeed.

This is a lovely plein air painting with sumptuous colour. Maybe there could be some points of light on the edges of some petals nearest the viewer and a tad more detail on the lower ...sepal? on the stem. I know that it is not the focus but at the monment it could be a small hand or a leaf.

I think it is a lovely, dramatic painting and like the background colours which may convey water.

[noodle1]

Hi Barbara..recycling boards, canvas et all is actually in some cases a great idea, nothing goes to waste..haha I find that if I give them a few coats of gesso, light layers on ill.boards or even some papers then sand them with a very fine sand paper that makes it better, not always perfect but does get rid of like ridges and tape marks fairly well.

Now to say.. I really love your background and I think your Iris is very pretty.
And I too would like to see areas of very light color to set up your darks and really give that flow to the petals, but I do think you did great. How do you like working with the water soluble oils, I've used them long ago but regardless oils and I are not compatible at all..haha

Happy Painting,
Elaine

[Tresgatos]

Margaretta, Elaine,

Thank you for taking the time to give me some feedback and I do see what you mean about adding some more highlights. Also appreciate the info on saving canvas with applications of gesso - have some others I can do that to. Have used gesso on unsuccessful watercolors on the paper and sometimes it works with the wc and other times I have to use acrylic. Just got some gouache and it might work with that too.

So far I'm beginning to like working with the oil paint - I liked it a long time ago too but the chemical smells affected my asthma so I had to stop using it. Fortunately, I can now work with it again because it is water soluble. They make the linseed oil and drier specifically for the water soluble oil paint so it can be thinned if needed. I don't like the effect of using water to thin - at least I haven't really tried to do it as a very light wash. That might come later after I've gotten more paintings under my belt.

I did work with watercolor and produced some paintings that were nice and many that weren't. I suppose that is the case with any medium when learning.

[Lady Carol]

The background is very pretty and compliments the flower wonderfully. Well done. You could sand off the little ridges and paint those areas again. That would get rid of the bumps.

[pastelmimigt]

Gorgeous!

Michele

[Tresgatos]

Thank you Lady Carol - have sanded the edges and need to repaint - appreciate your advice. The sanded look is kind of interesting - won't leave it that way but will remember it for another painting.

Thank you Michele.

[Antiqueteacher]

Barbara, wow, beautiful Iris!!

Katherine

[Tresgatos]

Thank you