Are you finished yet? Are you satisfied with the piece? Do you think it needs more pop or zing? Well there is help.
A rather dark beach scene. Is it too dark? Too grey? Perhaps the sunset right at the horizon and reflected in the water would perk this rather dark scene up a little. For a pink this bright in watercolor or oil, use Holbein Opera.
JL's Original piece has used grey for the shadows which tend to make the wall look dirty. Shadows are inconsistent and confuse the direction of light.
Here we changed the shadows to shades of blue and turquoise to give a cleaner fresher look. Also corrected the area of shadow.
Several modifications have happened here. The horizon line was very close to the middle of this painting. This made it somewhat stagnant. Cropping has helped alleviate this. Be sure when painting water that you do not arc the strokes. It looks like a really large swell or the water is running off the page. Because of so little blue in the sky, I eliminated the blue at the bottom of the painting, created a lighter reflection of the yellow light in the sky. Alizarin Crimson is not a good color these days for the reds in the sky. It tends to have too much brown it in. Try Quin. Fuchsia or Holbein Opera (great color for sunsets. Nice detail and basically a good piece.)
Here we have an issue with the fence running down a hill. This causes the eye to run off the page and away from the horses. Now the fence turns and comes toward the viewer and leads the eye into the page. I am not sure if you can see it, but I added a nimbus of light in the manes, across the back of the foal and along the front of the larger horse. Also added a little pink to the sky. Notice the clouds dry brushed in white across the top. These are interesting and I like them, maybe light pink or yellow would have been good too.
As you can see, I have cropped this painting. In the original the horizon line as well as the fruit bowl are in dead center. Basically the left and right side of the piece are just reversed from one another. It makes for a very passive piece. You look once and turn away, dismissing it. I have given in a more offset balance which creates some tension and involves the viewer in a more active way. In addition I have added an apple on the very edge, in fact over the edge, which also creates tension and more visual involvement. The horizon line has moved upwards, there is a lot more contrast in the piece and I have added highlights to the apples.
Are you stuck? Is the new painting on your easel ho-hum? Can't find a way to make it a more dynamic work of art? Well help is on the way.
Deon Matzen, award winning painter and instructor, will help you improve the work and make it something dazzling. How? It is pretty simple, follow the instructions below:
1. Contact Deon via email with a photo of your painting (in .jpg format). Try to have the colors as accurate as your studio will allow. Hint: sometimes it is best to shoot the photo outdoors. Be sure the lighting matches the lighting setting on your camera, i.e., incandescent, fluorescent, sunshine, clouds, etc.
2. Describe the piece to me. Size, medium, what color paint you used (tube names and brands are helpful) and substrate.
3. Tell me what you feel about the piece you created. Why doesn't it read the way you would like it to read, too dull, too dark, too busy, to simple. I may or may not agree with your diagnosis, but it helps point me in the right direction.
4. Pay the fee. I do charge for the service and I will send you a new photo of your painting with comments and dialog as to how to improve its overall appearance. Use the PayPal button at the bottom of the page to pay. When I receive notice of the payment and your photo, I will begin critiquing your piece into something that has pizazz!
Kudos:
"Deon helped me become a better artist, one that can now see the painting's flaws and foibles and correct them. If I really get stuck, I know she is there for me." CO
"She keeps me on the straight and narrow...I tend to forget important issues when painting and she sees the errors of my way right away." DB
Deon's critiques are always gentle, easily understood, and have helped improve my work." UM
RECEIVE YOUR CRITIQUE WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR ONLY
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