On the beach
 

Advice needed. Where to crop? Leave the trees in or take them out? Add sailboat in the water? Right now the canvas size is 24" x 36". I plan on using Genesis oil paints. This painting is going into my portfolio. This is a local beach and I would like to do commissions at the same location. The trees are cypress trees (south Louisiana) on Lake Pontchartrain.

Thanks,
Rebecca

Rebecca,
I want to paint this picture. I would leave the sailboat in but have it coming into the frame from the left. It is hard to see the boat in the post, I would enlarge it a bit. Is this the beach you were talking about at Fountainbleu? Very beautiful spot, but not much beach left. Great picture. Leave in the trees as it helps to identify the landscape as LA and I like them. Love the pointed toe!

This is the beach at Fountainbleau! Isn't it great! I was looking at the thread of yours about the four children at the state capital and looked up the artist that Cynthia mentioned, Isabelle Dayton. I was thinking of this style. Of course knowing me, I would end up getting much much tighter with the details. Oh well, I guess that is just my style. I always want it to look like you could just step into the scene.

Rebecca

I don't like the way the horizon line in even with the head. I would use Chris' suggestion from the other beach picture with the four children. This will be a great addition to your portfolio. Maybe I can borrow your beautiful girls and dress them up so they can pose for me. I bet they are little professionals by now.

Beautiful setting, beautiful pose and beautiful children!

I have a couple of suggestions. I would crop it just as you've shown it here. It's less of a portrait and more of a painting, though. Depends on what you're aiming for, I suppose.

I would agree with the suggestion to move the horizon line so it's not in line with the head.

I would not add a sailboat unless you have a photo of one taken in these exact same lighting conditions from this exact angle. I have learned (by making many of my own mistakes) that adding something which is not there is just about the most difficult part of painting!