Silk dress composition
 

Hi!

When I saw the post about how to paint silk and viewed all images containing silkdresses I really felt like doing one as well.

This is my sister wearing a dress I made six years ago for what is pretty much like your prom. Don

Image nr 2

Image nr 3

Hi Hanna,

Personally, I prefer the 1st and the 3rd one. The posing in the second one at that angle is not balanced and the foreshortening of the legs/feet might be a problem. But I could be wrong. My 2 cents. :)

I agree with Josef in general, but if you use that last one, change your light direction so that the shadows fall across the face like in the second picture. Those shadows are nice. They help define the face.

Hi Hanna,

Think also about the emotional direction you want the piece to go. The first two images read as "girlish," the third as "womanly." What do you want to say about the woman in the portrait?

All the same, I'd avoid #2; the way the dress falls open is not flattering.

I love your work and look forward to seeing your decisions on this one.

Best of luck,

Hanna,

This just may be a personal preference but I prefer either a straight ahead or slightly up looking camera angle. I think it gives the subject a bit more presence and stature.

Just looking at the pose and dress, not the face. I like the pose for #1, but if you are trying to go for a "silk dress" pose, think you could do better with more of the dress, less of the feet showing. I like the pose idea from #3, but the dress bunches unflatteringly around the waist. It's a beautiful dress on a beautiful girl, I think you should try more shots.

Thank you for helping me with this desition.

Since this not is a comission I can really take my time and make it good. At the same time as I have no pressure to get it right. It is nice to be in total control.:)

Aren

Hi Hanna,

These are very interesting and evocative photos in themselves. They have style and soul. Can you tell us how you are manipulating the backgrounds (digitally, I assume)?

When I pose women I ask them to lead their hands by the wrist, as a ballet dancer would. This helps achieve a more graceful hand, gives the artist good angles to paint, and avoids a fist in what would otherwise be a graceful and elegant pose.

I like the last photo (red dress) very much. Keep posting these pictures.

Best wishes,
Linda

Hi Hanna,

You've got some great images here. I happen to really like #2, as the foreshortening would be fun (challenging!) and it is an original viewpoint.

I also agree with Jeff, the pose in #3 is lovely but you'd need to reshoot with the directional lighting.

I did the backgrounds in Photoshop using a brush shaped like a slightly tilted imprint from a rectangularshaped real brush. I then just covered disturbing objects, gave the photos a more painterly feel and tried out the background somewhat.

Too bad I will not get that result with my pastels later. I guess maybe I could if I removed the paper from the pastelsticks but that would hurt. I admit; I

Scrunched
 

Hanna,

Though your photos are lovely, I would not use any of them as a painting reference. There is too much forshortening, knees crunched to the chest. You have one that is shot from above. Unless you are a master I would not use any one of them. Most masters wouldn't use them either.

I always say, "think like an Egyptian". Consider the silhouette of the figure first. Shoot at the waist or slightly above so the figure won't look dumpy. Use a more graceful elongated standing figure or sitting picture. Look at the star's pictures of the 30's, like Jean Harlow. See how they posed with the lovely bias silk draped over their bodies. Look at Sargent's pictures of silk dresses.

Unfortunately, lovely as your picture are they have no body definition and are not designed well for painting. They are liable to look like puddles of silk.

Sincerely,

I think that the scrunched up poses will make lovely figure paintings. I like all of them. I see no problem with the second one. I would have her look downward a little so her eyes are not looking up so high.

I always ask people to scrunch up a bit. I think it makes the painting lyrical and interesting. Where's the gracefulness in someone standing upright, or sitting at attention? And besides, if they scrunch up, you get to paint feet and hands, which are beautiful. I like the way you have had her remove her shoes. These are so good that I would like to paint them myself.

In fact, I was planning on going to the second hand store to stock up on some long gowns for my neice to wear during some photo shoots. If you arrange the background properly you can produce a painting of your sister that strangers will be pleased to buy.

There's absolutely no reason to expect your painting to become a "puddle of silk".

For starters
 

Sargent's Madame X, Mrs. Hugh Hamersley, Mrs. Robert Harrison, Mrs. Fiske Warren and her Daughter Rachel, Winifred, Duchess of Portland, Mrs. George Swinton, Miss Elsie Palmer.

The poses as well as the drapery as a whole are considered. The figures are readable and graceful, adequately showing off the fabrics, not swamped by them. They are hardly stiff or ridgedly posed, nes't pas?

Sincerely,