Baby Girl
 

I've posted the resource photo and the underpaint, so now it's time to post the finished painting. I changed the color of the dress from pink to red (which the client liked). Not all of the colors in the skin tone show up as well in the photo. Please critique for likeness, edges, composition, and overall impression.

Thanks!

Renee Price

Resource photo
 

This is the resource photo. It's also posted in the photo critique section.

Renee

I think that your strong use of the bright blue background, and the bright red dress, causes the pale soft skin tones to be completely lost.

A transparent print of the face the same size as the painting would be good to help you identify the drawing problems in the face. The mouth seems small, the cheek - nose relationship is wrong. Although these are glaring to me, perhaps not to others.
And I agree, the pastels of the reference are preferable to the tempestuous blues and reds.

Renee
 

I agree with previous comments and will add a few other observations.

The sky is rendered in such a way that it becomes more three-dimensional then the subject. I would err on the side of flatness and/or simplification.

How about a little more shadow below the elbow where it recedes? It would help break up the existing near flat shape.

It looks as though the child has white stockings but not enough of the leg shows to explain that fact. Without the photo reference on hand, I would have guessed that the leg is simply too light and weak in color. I would suggest changing it to flesh and dark enough to recede.

Good Luck!

Jim

I like the red dress but not against the dark blue background. Maybe a paler grey blue would work. The part I noticed first was the sharp exaggerated angle on her left cheek. I am doing a posthumous portrait from an old sepia photograph at the moment, and trying to create a lifelike image is a challenge. I think the better the reference, the less you have to invent, and the easier the process.

Thank you Margaret, Jim, Lon, and Linda for taking the time to critique my painting. The painting was delivered before I posted and the client is thrilled, especially with the rich colors. She has also commissioned me to do a third painting for her.

Renee Price