Home › Forums › Explore Subjects › Still Life › Still life WIP. Help needed.
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December 13, 2018 at 6:45 am #466084
This is a recent work done in oil. Hard Masonite with Gesso, 12×16, still fresh and not finished yet. I need lots of critiques since I am getting into oil recently.
Is the composition good enough? The idea is the red ceramic bottle to be the center piece and the other artifacts are the subordinates. A silver metal pitcher almost finished, a large green oil brush as the complement of the red ceramic, an oil, tube, and a cobalt blue bottle with a palette knife.
Is the background good and dark enough? BTW, the light source is coming from our left side.
Is the cloth value too bright?
All the C&C are welcomed!
Thanks
December 13, 2018 at 9:49 am #745630I like the composition and the light. The red vase does not seem to command enough attention, but I can’t figure out why. Maybe it needs to be a brighter red. But, then, you don’t want it to become too bright and unnatural. I’m sorry I can’t be of much help. But, it really is a beautiful job, so far.
Ginny
www.virginiacmccoy.com
C & C WelcomeDecember 14, 2018 at 6:02 am #745619Thank you Humburger.
December 14, 2018 at 9:37 am #745631Maybe it is the fact that the brush is so big and thick. That brush certainly commands some attention. 😊. Take the brush completely out? Or, perhaps, make it much thinner? Just some thoughts…
Ginny
www.virginiacmccoy.com
C & C WelcomeDecember 14, 2018 at 10:01 am #745617I would like to see the cloth white or cream as opposed to light blue. How about reflecting an edge of the silver pitcher onto the edge of the paint tube. It took me a few minutes to realize that was a paint tube – how about putting some printing on it. Finally, to me it’s too clean – how about tinting the brush fibers with paint and making some smudges on the cloth and paint tube and knife. I like the background, but that horizontal stroke above the brush is annoying to me – can you straighten it out.
Now, none of these things may work or all/some may work. So take it for all as its worth and think hard about your changes before you mess up your very good works so far.
[FONT="Tahoma"]CxC always welcome :thumbsup:
December 14, 2018 at 2:20 pm #745615Good job.
Keep going with oils. They’re a struggle at first, but the effort will pay off.In your set up, the body of the bottle is darket and cooler than the upper area.
I think that darkening the bottom might bring the focus to the top area.I only regret not drinking more champagne -
Winston Churchill.
http://billfitzgerald.blogspot.com/December 14, 2018 at 3:14 pm #745620I would like to see the cloth white or cream as opposed to light blue. How about reflecting an edge of the silver pitcher onto the edge of the paint tube. It took me a few minutes to realize that was a paint tube – how about putting some printing on it. Finally, to me it’s too clean – how about tinting the brush fibers with paint and making some smudges on the cloth and paint tube and knife. I like the background, but that horizontal stroke above the brush is annoying to me – can you straighten it out.
Now, none of these things may work or all/some may work. So take it for all as its worth and think hard about your changes before you mess up your very good works so far.
Thank you Loretta. This is a WIP and I have not finished any of the objects yet. Yes, the idea of the composition is MADE IN USA, since the objects were made in USA. The oil tube is Gamblin which needs to be finished.
December 14, 2018 at 3:16 pm #745621Thank you Bill. That is a good idea.
December 18, 2018 at 9:01 am #745616the composition and arrangement are fine.
The red is not the focal point, because it competes with the even more saturated blue vase, and to a lesser degree with the green of the brush. Additionally the cool light blue cloth is in sharp contrast with the warm brown table, making that area compete as focal point as well. Also the values on the metal are correct – very dark or very light, which makes it successfully look like metal – but at the same time this extreme is causing it to want to be main focal point. Everything in your painting you give contrast, strength of color… so nothing is the main thing.
I’d make the blue cloth warm grey, to get it to recede with the brown table and warm background. I’d then either desaturate the red, making the blue jar the main focal point, or desaturate the blue jar in order for the red to become main focal point.
Also the palette knife disappears behind the translucent blue jar. There is one super tiny bit shown in the blue, but not enough to count. Either make the blue vase opaque, so you don’t see the palette knife is in the jar, or increase the amount of knife that we do see in the jar. It may be that in reality the blue jar is angled in exactly one way and the knife inside in exactly another way that the overlap produces a very small hint of the knife. But it does not work. This is one of those instances that you do not paint exactly what you see just because you see it, but you make your own decisions as an artist as to what will work the best.
Being born places you at a greater risk of dying later in life.
http://www.artallison.com/December 18, 2018 at 2:49 pm #745622the composition and arrangement are fine.
The red is not the focal point, because it competes with the even more saturated blue vase, and to a lesser degree with the green of the brush. Additionally the cool light blue cloth is in sharp contrast with the warm brown table, making that area compete as focal point as well. Also the values on the metal are correct – very dark or very light, which makes it successfully look like metal – but at the same time this extreme is causing it to want to be main focal point. Everything in your painting you give contrast, strength of color… so nothing is the main thing.
I’d make the blue cloth warm grey, to get it to recede with the brown table and warm background. I’d then either desaturate the red, making the blue jar the main focal point, or desaturate the blue jar in order for the red to become main focal point.
Also the palette knife disappears behind the translucent blue jar. There is one super tiny bit shown in the blue, but not enough to count. Either make the blue vase opaque, so you don’t see the palette knife is in the jar, or increase the amount of knife that we do see in the jar. It may be that in reality the blue jar is angled in exactly one way and the knife inside in exactly another way that the overlap produces a very small hint of the knife. But it does not work. This is one of those instances that you do not paint exactly what you see just because you see it, but you make your own decisions as an artist as to what will work the best.
Allison,
Thank you very much for your great input.
Merry Christmas!!December 21, 2018 at 5:21 pm #745629Painting is good. Why worry about a focal point before you start? My suggestion is when painting from life, look hard for all the in-between colors and values, then mix them from the complements. Let the focal point emerge.
December 24, 2018 at 11:38 am #745623Thank you Booglechile.
January 12, 2019 at 12:15 pm #745625Hi,
After struggling with this composition I decided to finish it and start another piece. I am still learning and thank you for your support! Please more C&C
January 12, 2019 at 12:15 pm #745624Sorry for the double message.
January 12, 2019 at 1:18 pm #745633I like it bro.
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