Portrait critique please

[H]

First of all I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Also I want to complement everyone on this site with their beautiful portrait paintings! Wow!

I'm just started painting portraits for a year now and I would like to have some critiques please. This was my first assignment for a portrait.

Best wishes,
H

[Stanka Kordic]

Very nice first portrait! Great use of a single light source. Your bold use of color is also very well done.

I would suggest you soften the edges, and pay closer attention to the color of the light. For example, I think the brightest area should be near the forehead and filter down, not under the brow bone as you've indicated. Although I know the baby has pretty flushed cheeks, you can ease up on that intensity where the light is falling. Check out Karin's work for good examples of that color adjustment

[Maxine Gilder]

I think you did a great job for a first portrait. I like the fact that this looks like a baby and not an older child. Some people have trouble showing youth. I noticed some hard edges in addition to what Stanka mentioned. One other thing that I noticed is the closed in compostition. I feel that you need some feeling of space in the background. This closed in compostition gives the portrait a tight feeling.

[H]

Dear Stanka and Maxine,

Thank you for your honest critiques! You are both right about the hard edges. And I see now that the light just above the left eye shouldn't be as bright as I have made it. If you hadn't pointed this out, I might have never thought of that. Your advise will be very helpful for my next paintings.

Stanka, I suppose by mentioning Karen, you mean Karin Wells? Am I right? I will surely take some good looks at her paintings.

Also I will take a closer look at the background and composition.