Dean in the barn
 

I have been able to complete a bit more work on this piece and am ready for a critique. It is still in progress but it has promise to be one of my better pieces so I could use advice. It is 40 x 30 on canvas. I have not really addressed the left hand much yet, and I know his nose is a bit longer, but I corrected for the photography. I enjoyed the brushstrokes so I am consciously leaving them I think. Thanks
Amy

Amy,

This is a nice painting and likeness. The one thing that jumps out at me is that his t-shirt looks almost evenly illuminated, which flattens out the 3-D form of the torso. Compare this to the value change in the Levis between light and shadow. The face and arms could also benefit from more distinct light and shadow regions.

Amy I really like this. I don't know the man but it seems you really captured his likeness and his personality.

The only thing that really jumped out at me on the closeup of his face was that the contour of the upper edge of his lower lip is different than in the reference.

To echo what Chuck said, I was wondering when you originally posted your reference photos, what you would do with the light source. On his head and shirt, you nicely show the two light sources. On his jeans, though, it looks like you selected the barn shot for reference? Not sure. Because you are using the interior lighting reference, his face is very warm, when we would probably expect him to be lit from our right in a cooler temperature. But there could be a barn light casting that yellow glow and creating the highlight on the top of his forehead; it's totally believeable that way too. I don't know. What do you think?

Thanks you two for the feedback, it is helpful.

I love color and love to use it. I get into trouble when I get carried away and then lose the values. My favorite paintings are the ones where the artist uses both very effectively. I'm working on keeping values accurate - so I have created a dilemma for myself with these lighting issues, and I will need to keep myself in check.

The reference photo I posted actually was window light only, one on the right and a smaller window out in front of Dean. When I moved to doing the barn background the lighting became more dramatic from the right. There is still some light from small upper windows out in front but the barn interior is very dark for the most part. You are both right, I need to make a decision. Do I create less contrast in the pants or do I go with more contrast and use a darker value on the left of his body? I'm leaning that way -- to emphasize the shadow area on the left of his body, especially in his shirt and arm.

Lisa you are right about the lip - I will address that. I have created this little dilemma because of poor planning. But I hope I can make it work. What do you think of this idea, darker value on the left side and using more contrast instead of less, as Chuck suggested. I know I need to learn about taking good reference photos to make my life easier.

Thank you!
Amy