Here we go...

[Patricia Joyce]

Well, I welcome all critiques and suggestions. This is my first real oil painting of figure/landscape. It is a big jump of faith so I could use all the help I can get

I enlarged a black and white of my photo reference the size of the canvas 24 x 36 (I think, can't find my tape measure). Then I gridded the photo, gridded my canvas and drew the image in pencil. I worked with raw umber and liquin trying for a composition and value range to lay further washes on top of.

Could use some help with the drawing. The horizon is not tilted, the camera was when I took the picture.

Thank you for looking.
Patty

[Patricia Joyce]

Now that I look at it, the composition is so boring. Will it be better when I add color, or do I need to insert something or move something? It's boring! What also jumps right off the screen is the value of the boy's back to our left. It should all be a darker value, and one even value. I also softened the shadow on the boy on the right and lightened the deep shadow next to his spine.

In the photograph the little boy has a blue shirt on, I was thinking of changing it to red to ad contrasting color to the blue of the ocean and sky. The boy on the left is playing with a little ball, should I made that red as well?

[Julie Deane]

Hi Patty -

Can you crop it and tweak the values to be more dramatic?

I played around with it a little in Photoshop - hope you don't mind.

[Patricia Joyce]

Thanks, Julie,
That is always fun to see, what you whip up in Photoshop! Unfortunately I cannot crop the image as it is on stretched canvas. But looking at it this morning it doesn't seem so boring. I do think that once I lay down color and create the wave and foam which is sort of twirling aroung them, it will be more interesting.

Do you have any suggestions on whether I should lay the first wash of color as a transparant wash or just start right in with more opaque colors. I plan to leave the darkest values thin and with little detail. I am hoping to be able to paint the boys faces with an almost impressionistic quality since there is practically no detail, even on the boy looking at the camera. Got any resource Ideas I can read or study? I miss your library!!

and I miss you! It is 4 degrees here in Cleveland. What's it doing in sunny Atlanta?

[Julie Deane]

I miss seeing you too, Patty! It doesn't seem that long ago that you were living in Atlanta. I almost hate to tell you that this evening it's cooling off at 60 degrees and the neighborhood's first daffodils have bloomed. But yesterday it was cold and very windy. North Georgia in February is changeable.

I am not sure what to suggest concerning an approach to your painting. I've never attempted a sea scene in oils. My gut says to go with transparents at first, but I think I'll leave specific painting suggestions to those more knowledgeable than I.

I'll look forward to seeing your progress

[Mischa Milosevic]

Pat, think about playing down the horizon line it is to sharp which can be distracting.

Just a thought