Eve's Alternative

Kimberly Dow · 10-15-2004, 12:59 PM

oil, on ABS, 18x24"

I think I am done and am fairly happy with it. There is one area I would like to change, but I can't seem to get it right. I wont say where and see if you all notice or maybe it isnt noticable and I can relax.

Again - since getting my new camera the photo is not what it should be. The cheapie camera seemed better for photographing my art for some reason. I'd say the real thing is clearer than this - especially the closeups. The contrast may be a bit high on screen as well. Some subtle value changes are lost.

Thank you for all the help/suggestions in WIP. Julie I meant to thank you for telling me I had the eye-path right.

This is the most planned and thought-out image design-wise I have done. I tried to think of everything - color, eye-path, placement on the ground, etc. I am hoping it makes a difference for me - all this anal planning. I cant tell yet - I like the painting, but I always like a painting when I am finished. When it isnt any good it takes me awhile to decide I hate it.

Kimberly Dow · 10-15-2004, 01:01 PM

The apples and oranges and much more vivid than shown here, but the intensity of the wrap on her head is right on on my screen. Weird. Also - there is a bit more room on each side of the painting that I had to crop because it wasnt exactly straight.

Julie Deane · 10-15-2004, 02:14 PM

Kim,

This has turned out lovely. I would be happy with it as is.

Do we get to guess what the "bad" part is? Does the winner get a prize?

About the only think I see that could bother me might be that shoulder on our right (her left) that has become a dark isolated shape because the drapery has cut it off from the rest of the body.

Terri Ficenec · 10-15-2004, 03:04 PM

Hi Kim--
This is really beautiful already!
This wouldn't have jumped out at me except for your comments, so I was looking for something 'off'. . . The one thing that struck me is the small bit of green apple showing between the 2 red in front of her left wrist. The top edge of that apple is relatively flat and parallel with the top edge of her wrist.... it made the wrist read a little funny to me in the full image shot,.. almost as if that green apple was part of her arm. Although it was clearer in the closeup what was going on, perhaps a little more curve to the edge of the apple would help to distinguish it from the arm?

p.s. love how you handled the hand with the orange!

Allan Rahbek · 10-15-2004, 03:32 PM

Though I know that this is the critique section I will start with saying that your color harmony is fine

About what could possibly be wrong, I would suggest that the lower background shows (at least on my pc) a little dark, so we don

Alicia Kornick · 10-15-2004, 04:25 PM

Kim,

There is something about her left hand that bothers me. I don't like the way the apple cuts off the view of the hand. Other than that, I like it very much. My monitor may be off color wise, but it looks very dark on my screen.
Alicia

Sharon Knettell · 10-15-2004, 06:01 PM

Kimberly,

When one is skillful and filled with ideas, we are tempted to GET ON WITH IT and show the world just how wonderful WE ARE! Heavens!

Here comes the dreaded lecture. Color, composition and drawing skills are equally important considerations. Every artist seems to have a dominant ability, yours and mine are probably skillfulness. I had to really struggle with composition. Color forget about it, I was clueless. There are still some highly regarded artists out there today who have absolutely no sense of color. I doubt if their popularity will last beyond their lives, if that.

I had to really work at both color and design. After a while, and a great deal of effort, things came together more spontaneously and I feel that I can try subjects, designs and ideas that were once beyond my reach.

One of the things I do before any large work is to do a quick 2 hour color study. It saves hours of time and revisions.

That said, on to your picture. I feel the figure and face is beautifully handled, toning down the lower part really helped with establishing a focal point. I do agree with Allan that a little more light on the right hand side would re-emphasize the lovely swing of her hips. The line on the arm on the right hand side is too strong, my eye goes to that, it needs to be softened. I do feel that the turban and the bright apples are competing too strongly for your attention. Both are the same value or brightness and are forcing my eyes back and forth. I think Chris Saper mentioned desaturating it, but then again it is a lovely color against the background, but in my opinion it is still a problem.

I covered up the turban, I covered up the apples.
The problem is the orange is screaming for it's complement which is dull blue, but the green background is very happy and needs it's bright red apples complement. So you have TWO competing complemetary color arrangements in conflict. You need a bright red to complement the dull green background, and you need the orange very bright for your theme which would dictate it's blue complement to be duller. However, a dull blue turban would probably not work well against a dull green background.

Kimberly Dow · 10-15-2004, 06:36 PM

OK - there are several comments on the hand/arm there behind the apples. I agree and wish I had this girl to try again, but I dont - so I wont - this will just have to be a learning lesson. Although I will try to make it look better/clearer like has been suggested.

I will soften that line on the back shoulder (our right) - that is bothering me as well now that it has been mentioned.

Sharon - what a great suggestion...Eve's Other Choice...I like it. I will seriously consider changing them thar apples.

Sharon - Now wait just a second. I am not trying to show anyone how wonderful I am. I am trying to learn. But hey - if you say so...ok....Im wonderful.
I dont want to argue about it - your absolutely right - I am terrific!!
No - no - really...you know best and I have to defer to your opinion - I am wonderful! I am SO glad we got that settled!

Thank you Julie, Terri, Allen, Alicia and Sharon - I appreciate it!

Kimberly Dow · 10-15-2004, 06:45 PM

Sharon - now you are jsut trying to confuse me by adding more about the color! The background is actually a neutral gray. I noticed on another critique you gave me that you mentioned a certain color and it wasnt really there. I dont know if it is my computer - or yours. What say the rest of you? Does the background look gray or green? It's in reality a cool gray, blue-ish - with a couple of areas (by the orange and to the right of her head as we look at it ) that has a little orange blended in.

Terri Ficenec · 10-15-2004, 06:59 PM

Well...
I'd actually thought of it as a blue-gray, maybe a little less saturated and lighter than the bottom of her outfit. Until Sharon called it green, then I went back and looked and it does almost look a little green too.

If I pull it up in Paint Shop Pro and use the color selector to get a sense of the RGB's, it looks like maybe it's more of a very neutral dark blue towards the bottom and less blue towards the top, where R is generally higher than G which is higher than B levels putting most of the top half of the painting (surprisingly!) in a very neutral 'orange' shade, according to the Paint Shop Pro color selector!! The colors are so neutral though that I'd guess the tiniest variation in white balance of your photo could change how they appear?