Embellishment

[LynnDigby]

MY IMAGE(S):



GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: Embellishment
Year Created: 2006
Medium: Oil
Surface: Canvas
Dimension: 11x14
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
Ok, i finished this finally. I pushed it with color - or tried to. All over red underpainting. The red in her shirt is the underpainting color showing through. i left it.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
The neck bugs me. So does the blue on her chin, but it's done, so to speak. I need to move on.

Tell me what bugs you. I'm interested in hearing about what isn't hitting right.

[LynnDigby]

Sorry. For some reason, the image didn't attach in the previous post.

[madster]

Interesting portrait, Lynn!

There are some issues with the skin tones, particularly beneath her lips, on the right side of her face (LH side, as viewed). It looks like she has "5 o'clock shadow. Her chin also looks a bit too wide, so that the overall impression is more of a man's face, than a woman's...

The detailing on the ring is too distracting. The eye already is drawn there by the tats. The ring setting almost locks the eye on that arm. The coloring of the tattoo is also somewhat inconsistent, with parts of it too dark. Human skin has a hard time absorbing black tat ink, and with the red underpainting showing through, it is visually disconcerting whether that tat is so fresh the flesh is still raw and bleeding, or whether it was just hurriedly rendered...

There is also what appears to be a black spot above her left eyelid, which also has the iris darker colored than her right, and the shading you've used under that left eye is too dark and smudgy looking (no, not her eyeliner, the dark mark running to the lower lid). The left lower lid looks too puffy and hard in hue, and does not match the lower right eyelid.

There is a red spot on the bottom tip of her nose, with the nostrils also showing the dark "smudgies," like on the side of her mouth.

The blonde highlights in her hair should taper off just a bit near the scalp. The brushstrokes end too bluntly, making the highlights look like separate objects on her head, rather than differently hued hairs.

It is another very interesting subject, and you do have a knack for capturing an "inner" personality, that isn't obvious upon first glance, but starts to emerge the more one looks at the work.

~M

[bruce johnson]

Wow Madeline, we got to get in quick to beat you

Lynn I think Madeline has covered almost everything that I can see as well. My only addtional comments would be the pose, .... she seems to be straining to look up rather than looking up in a relaxed pose. You may have intended this of course.

I think the neck hue could be warmer, her head is floating.

Well now that we have thoroughly pulled your painting apart...it still an excellent painting.


Cheers Bruce

[LynnDigby]

Thanks to both of you for your feedback. I appreciate and respect both of your opinions. It's good to hear what fresh eyes see.

Husband yelled at me because this wasn't assigned a profile, so colors are a little off, but I see the 5 o'clock shadow issue in the original. I also see the floating head. It's a problem i seem to have lately.

Bruce, the look was intentional. I wanted it "posey" with a not so casual hand placed right in front to be seen.

But, if the overall impression is wonky, well, I missed the mark this time.
I'm not going to fix this one. I might redo it, or try a different portrait of this girl. She has a fascinating face.

[madster]

Consider it a study. The Masters would make numerous paintings of some subjects. This young woman is certainly fascinating enough to warrant that accord...

~M

[vyala]

Hi Lynn,

I am neither a portraitist nor an oil painter (I've tried oil painting as a teenie without knowing what I was actually doing and copied only old masters) - I am just painting whatever comes into my mind leaving everything to my imagination and the urge that comes from within. Although I am currently working on a concept that is channeled into 3 alternate series.

When I started my artistic career about 8 years ago I started with wood carving not with painting - switched to silk painting 4 years ago because I had not enough space for carving any more .

Yet carving helped me enormously to "see" things (bodies) - especially 3-dimensional. While I exercised a lot in front of a mirror to pump up and re-learn my drawing skills (I never painted or drew from reference photos besides the "exercises" in my youth) I drew images plein air or painted mostly from my head - I have never painted real portraits so far.

BUT I completely understand what Madster and Bruce are saying. I am not quite sure how you could fix the problem with the edges being too sharp and the head seemingly floating.

You might check out the website of Maya Kulenovic: http://www.mayakul.com/ - whose portraits are all painted with a very dark background. Somehow all of her faces blend completely into the darkness which gives you a very sinister feeling of near death. This is probably not the effect you would like to achieve but I think a very good example how background and model can be blended.

Nevertheless I am fascinated by the kind of portraits you are trying to achieve. It's that sort of a tiny ping of morbitiy that is attached to your paintings which I find very attractive because it is disturbing. One feels a tiny bit of irritation while looking at them and so much more interesting than that sweet security. I am already very curious to see your next one...

Cheerfully,

[LynnDigby]

"You might check out the website of Maya Kulenovic: http://www.mayakul.com/ - whose portraits are all painted with a very dark background. Somehow all of her faces blend completely into the darkness which gives you a very sinister feeling of near death. This is probably not the effect you would like to achieve but I think a very good example how background and model can be blended."

You know, I am aware of her work, and while i can't get my head around her subjects, I am drawn to her imagery. I like the darkness, am repelled by the message. But she's dealing with very disturbing ideas. She has almost made this a crusade.

Thanks for your comments. It helps me to focus my approach when I hear how people veiw my work.

[jannek]

Well I love it, she is what we call an "emo" in aus, an over emotional young goth... I love the pose the eyes the hair, the hair looks like and over peroxided dry goths do. I would love to see some close ups especially of the eyes and hand.
maybe the ring could have some warm blacks added to it to take the blockiness off it make it look a little more like shiney black stone... my fav warm blacks are made by mixing .. alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue or dioxane purple ultramarine blue and aliz crimson, and combos there of, you can vary the depth by the amount of blue etc added.
Just lighten the shadoe under the neck a smidge and warm it slightly,and maybe take it back under the ear more or even just some small hint lit of flesh towrds the ear, this will help with the floatiness. I like the red under the nose noses often reflect a red shadow and are usually warmer than the rest of the face, just like parts of the ears.
I think the hand is just as interesting as the face, maybe green up the tat a little try veridian and ultramarine blue, you could even try lighten this off with some of your flesh color but just a smidge,emos over here use fineliner not necessarily tats.
I love your work and your subjects, take what I say as you wish this is a great piece as is these changes are very minor. Don't let it go fix your bugs it will be a truly great painting... it needs very little really... it great!
jk

[LynnDigby]

Thanks for the comments. I have changed the title to "Sharpie Chic" because the tats were supposed to look like marker. She does this kind of stuff to herself, but it's not permanent.

I've never heard the term "emo", but it fits. this was supposed to be a posey, overly dramatic vampy pose, not natural at all, really.

I see the problems with it, and I really do think another go might be the thing. I'm tempted....yeah, why not? I'll give it another shot.

Here's the closeup of the hand and one of the eyes. Kinda gruesome at this range, but you asked.

[jannek]

Not gruesome fantastic! I thought the hands were marker cos thats what they do here too and thats what you made it look like. I love the pose thats just how these kids are, i am a mother of a 21yo i know these kids, gothic drama queens...! just rework the ring a little make it reflect a little as is it looks like a hole... anything painted black tends to do that.

i love the finger pressing on the cheek it really looks squishy. I love the warmth under the nose. Excellent a couple of minor changes will make it a truely great painting... don't give up on it!
jk

[nikkico]

Hi Lynn, 'Embellishment' has stayed in my mind all week because it's such an unusual and striking portrait, as many of yours are. (the 'good' kind of unusual!). I've been trying to think of something to say that might be helpful in the way of a critique, but you are such a good painter I could only come up with a few thoughts to share that have come up since viewing it. ...and it turns out to be lengthy (surprise surprise, lucky you! )
The hand with red has been likened to blood as if she just received the tattoo. After reading, i could see that point of view, but my first impression was to accept the appearance of the red everywhere and skip over it. It registered, just wasn't a concern; even though literally or logically it doesn't add up, (like under the nose too and on the ear), there's an understanding that it was the undercoat of paint, and that sort of thing is used as a technique in painting to add a zing of life and in some cases an illusion of more light (like the orange and gold in Tom Thompson's paintings). It's also one of the characteristics of your style that I take to be a kind of trademark. Maybe you don't always use it, I don't know, but I always like seeing it.
In these critiques I often pass over the improper values or other technical shortcomings in leu of the overall appeal, then after reading someone else' critique will question why I didn't notice those important things. I think that each individual painting or work of Art has its own set of rules, and every single piece of Art needs "new eyes". For me, if the impression is working then the "accuracy" gets thrown out the window. Only a few basic crumbs of the usual rules are necessary to make it work. (for me anyway)
The colors in this painting are very effective: the red and black reinforce each other. . The extremes plus the limits you put on the colors say "punk" or "alternative" (or whatever you young kids are calling it nowadays!) so it works. Even the black smudge on her left eye says "I don't care what my makeup looks like to you" (or something like that) about her rebelliousness
The ring painted as flat black and no dimensions is the only thing that stands out as needing technical work, which Jannek has already mentioned. It's another awesome painting by you, Lynn. Is there an update?

[vyala]

Hi Lynn,
while I am looking at this portrait again - especially the details - I just have a question - did you ever try to paint on a finer linen with a much smoother surface? I think that a finer surface would complement your very detailed brushstroke a lot. Just a thought because I do not know whether the current "roughness" is not intented by you to give it a more modern touch.

Happy painting,

[LynnDigby]

My husband has suggested the same thing. But i rather like the texture.
A friend of mine suggested I use board instead of canvas, too.

Maybe I should listen.

[jannek]

no stick with the texture... it adds another dimension and point of ineterest.
jk