[garyartista]

I do not see a way to search for individual posts. I posted a few days ago.   However here is the url  http://garyjkirkpatrick.com/a-bakery-in-petxina/

 

http://garyjkirkpatrick.com/a-bakery-in-petxina/

 

I am in Spain so 6 hours of eastern time.

 

 

g

 

[garyartista]

Lovely piece!   Nice skin tones and good job on the fabrics.

 

You could also try painting with the knife.  Van Gogh laid it on!  I get the feeling your style is more suited to long paint though.

 

 

gary

[garyartista]

Softening those wrinkles is a good idea. In person they are perhaps less sharp than in the photos.  Very thin lines.  A rounded kneeded eraser should help.  Have fun!!!!

 

 

gary

[garyartista]

Made some additional changes and additions.  Great challenge and kept me off the streets during the pandemic!  It looks better in person I think.

 

[garyartista]

I used a grid for a while about 8 years ago or so.  I did not find it to be that easy to do.  I have never projected.  I would imagine it would be the easiest way to get the various parts where they belong.  If you want to churn out portraits it would be the way to go.  I work on models (well not right now) often when I am in Spain.  Twice a month at my studio with other artists splitting the costs, and other nights with other groups, once a week in all.  Then there is Croquis Cafe.  Live videoed models.  Hard to find and they do get some.

You are good at critiquing.  I am not so good although I can help sometimes.

 

 

gary

[garyartista]

It’s been quite a while since I did these courses.  I mostly paint.  (I posted one painting but no one commented on it).  I do not project or grid so I need to draw so I get plenty of practice, which is why I am no longer 20% good but getting closer to 50%.

 

I follow your thoughts ( think though there would be multiple light sources, there should still be a net average of a light and shadow side. Even an object with a single light source will still receive light from any of surrounding object/s or surface/s. Think of the basic sphere on a flat surface. The flat surface will reflect onto the underside of the sphere, lighting it to create the reflected light area. That area is in the shadow. It will be lighter than the core shadow, but still darker than the darkest lights. The wall will reflect onto the sphere, and so on.)  I do try to follow this.  I made some minor adjustments to the tones.  Might help some.

I also moved the left eye down a bit, and got the left ear closer to the right dimensions.  I’d already moved the mouth up a bit.

 

thanks again for your comments.

 

gary

 

[garyartista]

Thanks for the feedback, very useful.  The reference has multiple light sources, making it very tricky in regards to light and shadow, and conte is rather unforgiving.  That’s enough for my excuses.  More angular forms = harder edge; more rounded forms = softer edge, that’s a very good way to put it.  Special thanks for that.   “Your darkest lights shouldn’t be as dark as your lightest darks”  I think the problem there might result from there being multiple light sources (you can see that most readily on the top of the head), either that or I really do not understand how to apply this principle in this situation.

As for appearance, the way I have rendered him is a bit more of a, what, benevolent? expression.  The reference communicates more of a skeptical look.  Somewhere in these forms or in the proportions is not quite a match for the reference.  I think it would be more Patrick Stewart like if I could capture that friendly skepticism he communicated.

Onward and upward!

Gary

[garyartista]

I think the top one is out of proportion top to bottom.  Eyes are about half way between chin and top of head in a straight on portrait

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