pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 12/01/2007 6:46 PM |
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3/1/08 OK, this time I really think I'm done. No more room to post another picture right here, so see my posting below dated 3/1. Thanks for your patience and comments on this! Michele
2/5/08
Hello,
I think I'm done. Here's the latest (the third picture below). Comments and critiques welcome. Thanks!
Michele
(this is my 2nd posting
1/27/08
Hi again,
I've changed this painting a lot since I posted it in December. It's still not done, while working on the values it's been muddied up. I'll be working some more on the values and getting the highlights back in. Just wanted to see if I'd made good progress in your opinions and according to your suggestions below. Thanks!
Michele
(this is my original posting):
Hi everyone,
Here's a pastel painting I did of my cat, Dallas. Please give me your comments/critiques. Thanks.
Michele |
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jason
Posts:107
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| 12/01/2007 8:23 PM |
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| Nice |
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Jason Alster MSc
http://jasonalster.googlepages.com/creativityandrelaxedconcentration |
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Jim
Posts:2268
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| 12/01/2007 8:55 PM |
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Very nice work. Good job of reflecting yellow off of the fur.
Jim
www.paintingbyjim.com |
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All the best,
Jim
www.paintingsbyjim.com |
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mikec@pols
Posts:791
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| 12/02/2007 6:16 AM |
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Hi Michele,
I like the perspective, composition and the cat...especially the fur and eyes.
My opinion; I feel that the background (out the window view) is taking away from the painting. I think that the colors need to be muted and it needs more depth/distance to it. If the window was closed (?), you might think about adding some reflection to replicate the glass...
You have done an excellent job on the reflected light through out the entire piece!!!! 
Mike |
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"You either grow or regress...nothing stays the same...." (unknown)
"A man may fall several times in life, but he is not a failure until he says that he was pushed..."
www.portraitsoflifestudio.com |
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jason
Posts:107
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| 12/02/2007 7:27 AM |
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Hi Michele,
I agree with Mike. The perspective work is handled well. Do you have the progression of the work available so that we can see how you handled the perspective. I agree the background does not have to be there - it can be abstract. |
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Jason Alster MSc
http://jasonalster.googlepages.com/creativityandrelaxedconcentration |
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klippie
Posts:1880
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| 12/02/2007 9:49 AM |
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Nice work.
Retha |
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If at first you dont succeed.........don't ever give up! |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 12/02/2007 12:49 PM |
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Hi everyone,
Thanks for your comments/critiques.
Jim,
Glad you like the yellow on the fur, I was actually wondering if it was too prominent.
Mike,
It is glass and a screen, too. I thought about muting the window area and adding glass but wasn't sure how to do this. I think I'll research this and try something (muting, glass, abstract). That's the great thing about pastels - it's so easy to try something and if you dont' like it, do something else right over it.
Jason,
I don't have any pictures of my progression, but I did do the drawing on paper first and then traced it to sanded pastel paper. The drawing was a bit challenging with the perspective and foreshortening, but definitely worth taking the time to do it on paper first with all the erasing/correcting. And still, when I was working in pastel I had to adjust the window frame to get the perspective. Again, the beauty of forgiving pastels.
Michele |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 01/27/2008 4:41 PM |
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I've updated this painting and wanted to get your opinions as I continue. See the very first post above and the 2nd picture to see the changes. I look forward to your comments. Thanks.
Michele |
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mariart
Posts:55
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| 01/27/2008 5:02 PM |
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| I like your second image alot, when I first viewed this image, it was the green background against the black and white cat that appealed to me. As to the background itself I think youve created a lovely soft textural field which gives a nice impression of an open window. I find you have to weigh up wether to change something for the sake of realism or for compostional reasons. I found early on in doing interiors that I removed surfaces that stood out in backgrounds and chose more abstracted colour fields so the subject stood out instead. I love it how it is. |
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LovetoPastel
Posts:86
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| 01/27/2008 6:03 PM |
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Hi Michelle,
I love all the reflected colors on the fur and the soft light in the bottom left hand corner. I'm anxious to see the highlights re-established. It will change the whole picture and add punch. As it is now, I'd like to see a bit more of the highlight in the eye on the shadowed side, it can be very faint. IS the window open in your reference? You maybe be able to add shadows and hightlights where the glass meets the window frame. This should help convey 'window' or 'glass' a bit more without having to rework the green outside much. Also, is the cat reflected in the glass? That might be another way to do it. It all depends on how detailed you want to make it. I, of course, tend to go overboard in details as you saw on my website. |
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Suzanne |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 01/28/2008 9:52 PM |
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Hi mariart & Suzanne,
Thanks for your comments and compliments. Somehow I just can't get past wanting the window to look like glass. I guess I'm stuck on realism for this painting at least. I don't think there's a reflection of the cat in the glass because of the angle of the photo. I'll definitely look at "adding shadows and highlights where the glass meets the window frame". I'm hoping I can figure out how to make the background look like glass instead of just greenery. I think I'm painting what I think I'm seeing instead of what I'm actuallly seeing (or just haven't seen yet). I love pastels and tend to jump right in instead of studying the subject matter. So this is definitely challenging but a lot of fun, too.
Michele |
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gene
Posts:1236
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| 01/29/2008 9:09 AM |
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| Michele, this is quite nice as it is. I wouldn't worry about trying to make it look like glass, if I were you. I think your background on the updated painting is just fine. Nice painting...............Gene |
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mikec@pols
Posts:791
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| 01/31/2008 4:08 AM |
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Looks great, Michele!! The added colr and the darker values really look good. I think your ideas about where the glass meets the frame are gonna work out fine...nice job!
Mike |
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"You either grow or regress...nothing stays the same...." (unknown)
"A man may fall several times in life, but he is not a failure until he says that he was pushed..."
www.portraitsoflifestudio.com |
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dianecaudle
Posts:9
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| 02/05/2008 9:42 AM |
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hi, I'm new to this board and was surfing around and I saw that you were looking for some critiques of your cat painting. It looks like you've gotten a good likeness of your cat from what I can see. The first thing that struck me was that the reflections on the right leg of the cat were a bit overwhelming. I've been reading Harley Brown's Eternal Truths for Every Artist and he says (and I"m definitely guilty of this) that many artists overdo the reflected areas of their paintings. I would suggest also that you might try darkening the interior walls and the yellow strip under the window sill and see how that works out. The flowers outside seem to frame the outline of the cat and look too perfect. I would suggest that since the flowers are outside that you might just give a suggestion of colors and flowers and let the cat have most of the attention in the painting.
I haven't read any of the other remarks from other artists here so I don't know if anyone else has made any of these suggestions or not. Have fun with your painting and best of luck!
PS I just attached a painting I did of my daughter's cats in her greenhouse window that I did last year. I left the background colors of the window in abstract shapes to suggest the outside but this is just the way I painted it (pastel) and other artists would have their own way of handling it. |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 02/05/2008 3:54 PM |
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I've updated it again and think I'm finished, but I'd like your comments and critiques. It's the third picture in the first posting in this thread. Thanks!
Michele |
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dianecaudle
Posts:9
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| 02/05/2008 6:32 PM |
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| The face looks better...I really think that the values of the interior and exterior are too bright...try greying down the windowsill that the cat is on, it's competing with the whiteness of the cat's fur...I think that if it was my painting I'd try a little darker blue or green that has some grey in it that isn't bright. Even if there really is that much yellow in the shoulder and arm of the cat it still seems to be too much (try just putting it in the arm), also even if there isn't any shadow under the cat's head, in the neck area I'd grey the white in that area in order to give it some depth. It's hard to give a black area much depth and the only color that I've found to put into black fur on an animal is slight touches of blue. Good luck, I think if you play around with the colors and tone them down some you'll be happy with the end result! |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 02/07/2008 10:56 PM |
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Hi Diane,
Thanks for your critique. I was thinking about a few things you mentioned (greying the lower windowsill to get the correct value (probably with a light blue/grey) and "blueing" the gold on the cat's side a bit to tone it down.) When you say a darker blue or green, do you mean the background (window)? I didn't see any highlights in the black or shadows under the chin in the photo but I'll take a closer look and use my imagination to see what I can do about that. Thanks again.
Michele |
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dianecaudle
Posts:9
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| 02/08/2008 10:29 AM |
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Sorry, I looked back later at the post i'd written and realized that I didn't specify that I meant a darker blue or green in the background...I didn't want to post again right away because I'm new here and didn't want to appear as a 'know it all" which I'im definitely not, I'm still learning as I go along. You might not even have to darken it, perhaps just try toning down some of the brightness in the background. I think if you darken the inside of the window under the cat's body it'll give the painting more depth. I had also noticed that you'd framed the painting on the left with the side of the window and left out the room which really helped a lot. One last suggestion, the window sill on the right widens too much by the time it meets the right side of the painting. If you look at your photograph you'll see that it doesn't become that large in the photo. It's a good thing that we artists enjoy our craft because we sure do put a lot of work into it...I have no idea how many hours I've spent just working on a face or even just a nose!
Diane |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 02/09/2008 3:53 PM |
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Hi Diane,
Thanks for your answer. Don't worry about appearing as a "know it all". I definitely appreciate your taking the time to critique my work and give me pointers. I do a lot of critiquing myself and often hope that I'm not being too bold. But if people don't want my opinion, I guess they'll either tell me directly or indirectly or not answer my posts. In any case, I'm truly trying to help and not put anyone down (which I'm sure you are doing also). OK. I've made some changes you've suggested but I can't take a good photo because it's too nice outside - no clouds to keep the bright light from casting shadows on my painting. Maybe tomorrow. And who knows, as I'm playing with my cats tonight and looking at my art work while they prey I'll probably decide to make some more changes. But not too much, as I feel confident I'm very close to being done.
Michele |
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pastelmimigt
Posts:359
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| 03/02/2008 12:07 AM |
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Hi again!
OK. This time I REALLY think I'm done. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.
Michele |
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