USF Constellation defeats La Vengeance - WetCanvas: Online Living for Artists

USF Constellation defeats La Vengeance

This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 9 months ago by hoylander.

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July 14, 2019 at 4:22 pm #475683
tmwilliams
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Between 1798 and 1800 the US fought a very successful undeclared naval war against Napoleon’s France. This is a watercolor copy of a Montague Dawson painting that depicts the 44-gun USF Constellation taking on and defeating the larger 50-gun frigate La Vengeance.

This is a 10×14 watercolor – a copy of a Montague Dawson painting.

As I am prone to do, I overworked it. It’s inexperience. I didn’t like my background, so I tried to darken it. Mistake. I kept working the sails to get them perfect. Mistake. Never got the water the way I wanted…and finally just conceded defeat. In the Army I always said, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” I need to remember this in painting.

Overall – it’s not terrible. But it had a lot of unrealized potential. C&C welcome.

Thomas
July 16, 2019 at 5:49 pm #854989
sea dangler
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Good work Thomas.
Dave
July 17, 2019 at 5:30 pm #854988
Jon
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I think you are being too hard on yourself. The darkened background and water could be fog all that gunpowder smoke.
I like it.
My one suggestion would be to have more intense yellow/orange between the ships as that is the center of interest and the read flags rather tend to pull the eye away from it.
Keep at it.
July 18, 2019 at 6:36 am #854990
tmwilliams
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Jon

Thanks. Good advice, particularly about the oranges/yellows.

Thomas
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