Critique Please!
 

Hi there,

I'm new at this, so I hope I do it correctly. I just completed this painting which will hang in the Bishop's office. I did life sketches and took photos. Let me know what you think of it.

Thanks

Comment
 

I'm just a beginning pro, but I think it's beautiful. He looks so comfortable in that chair and the painting exudes a lot of warmth.

Steven,

It is a beautiful painting with great draftsmanship and I am sure with a good likeness. The main issue that can improve this painting is composition and a second and more minor issue is color.

To produce a striking painting there normally is a predominant value about 80% and a contrasting value about 20%. Your painting has this ratio with 80% medium and dark values and with 20% light values in the shirt. In your painting the shirt becomes the focus of attention especially since it is next to the darkest value in the painting, the robe. When I do a portrait, in most cases, I try to find ways to make the face the focus of attention.

My opinion on how this very good painting could be improved is by:

1.) Darken the left white shirt area, it is further away and should not be as white as his right arm.

2.) Make the right shoulder area of his shirt the whitest to bring attention to the face.

3.) Loose the sharp edges between the white shirt and black robe, soften them, make them more out of focus. Sharp edges with the greatest contrast attract the most attention.

4.) The photo of your painting may be off in color, but the colors on the chair and face are too close. Gray the chair colors and put stronger hues in the face.

5.) Finally, if you cut off a few inches at the bottom of the painting the chair will loose importance, and the figure becomes more dominant.

I'm getting quite picky here, but I hope this helps.

Daniel

Thanks Daniel and Pam,

This is such a great forum for portrait artists! Daniel, your comments are bang on and WELL appreciated. Although the scan is not good with colors and contrast a bit off, I do understand about bringing the attention more to the face. What I am learning as I go along (which is never ending), is to have more artistic licence. "Don't paint exactly what you see", but to enhance it for the good of the overall composition.

Here is a close up of the portrait you requested Cynthia.

Best regards,
Steve

Dear Steven,

I am glad you posted the detail to your painting, as there is so much subtlety I could not see in the original image. We are all at the mercy of our computer monitors!

The detail shows your very strong drawing skills and your ability to model three dimensional forms.

I share the thoughts with regard to getting the white shirt under control; you have a very lovely analogous color scheme going on, which imparts a restful sense to the portrait. Because the skin tones and background are very close in color, and certainly in temperature, I think that adding a little temperature relief might add additional interest. Some cool notes in the shirt may work...and if your light source is cool you could place relatively cooler notes in the lit areas of skin, clothing and chair. (Opposite if your light source is warm.) Placing some reflected skin color notes in ares of the shirt facing the skin will further integrate the color overall.

I think your figure is well placed in the painting, and rather than think of cropping the bottom, you could simply soften the edges of the arm of the chair.

I am sure your subject must be pleased with his portrait.

Best wishes to you,
Chris