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Mhhhhhmmmm, help please :/
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Message
Posted
Ok, so I have posted a painting in the gallery but i am just not 100% happy with it (in fact i am considering painting over it). It's with acrylics. i really enjoyed painting it, and felt it was going well, but now it's finished I just feel a bit flat about it. After looking at it with a (hopefully) critical eye, I think I have one eye lower than the other, and i also think the mid section of the face is a little too thin, and i also think there is maybe a bit too much white (although hardly any of it is actually pure white). It would be a shame to paint over it, as I really like some of the detail/textures/colours I've got in there, i'm just a bit less than in love with it. It's 18x24 by the way. If any one has any thoughts or suggestions you feel like sharing, and I'm normally pretty robust, but I'm feeling a bit sad about this one, so....be gentle with me please - but truthful. Thank you.
Posted
Don't paint over it.
As artists, we produce a product - a "something" which we hope people will like. And somebody will; the problem is that they might look at that "something" and not like it very much, but they might look at "I wish I hadn't put that one on the wall" and it will speak to them in very different ways - and we have no idea, or control over, what that way might be. So, a painting over which you slaved for days and were really proud of the challenges you had to overcome to complete it might be passed over in favour of the quick plein-air sketch you had to finish before it started raining and is that a raindrop stain in the bottom right hand corner? Or vice versa; who knows?
Somebody will like your donkey enough to think about wall space. Maybe it'll take a while. Until then, put it in front of people.
Posted
Wise words from Alang23.
Your self-criticism is pretty accurate - the head is rather thin (remember there are bones in there - the effect is very slightly tubular), the eyes are slightly off, and the body could have done with a bit more heft, as it were: mind you, you chose a difficult pose. But you've obviously learned from it, and no, I wouldn't paint over it either. It's your statement, it may not be perfect but the day I hit perfection is the day I'll stop painting because there's nowhere to go after that (not that I'm even within reach....).
In your place - I'd move on to something else, and paint another donkey another day, benefiting from what you've learned painting this one. Work from life if you can - photographs just don't give you the information you need to paint a living, breathing animal (even if sometimes you've no choice about it).
I've painted three donkeys, until my brother told me he'd seen quite enough of them, thanks..... but I'll have another go at one, one of these days: I might even get round to painting the legs next time....
Posted
Thanks for all your comments and advice, having slept on it and looked at her again this morning, she's not as bad as i had felt she was yesterday and I won't paint over her. Sorry if my original post was slightly dramatic!
I agree that the pose, with only a hint of body doesn't help.
And Robert, well I guess it's good that I can spot my own mistakes! thank you for the reminder about bones, and the face looking a little tubular, I agree, I think I maybe got caught up in looking a the shading and tone and lost sight a little of the form. I'd like to see your donkey paintings btw if you'd be happy sharing them! And there is a donkey sanctuary fairly near me where at the very least I could go and do some quick sketches / take my own photos to use for paintings in the future.
Alan - thank you for your wise advice, and it's very true. I think maybe just sometimes we have an vision of how we think something's going to look when it is finished, and I was just a little disappointed when the reality didn't match up to it. I'll learn from it for next time though.
Thanks again.
Lucy
Edited
by Lucy22
Posted
Lucy, I spotted your donkey immediately, and viewed it. I loved her gentle expression but yes, reading your self-criticism later I saw you were not happy and asking for advice. Robert's advice is excellent and I would say spot on. Some years ago I painted a donkey from a Refuge in India (from a photograph) I exhibited it and was asked to sell, but wanted to hang onto it. (Not that I could really afford to, but I was in love with it!!) I'll try to upload it here for you....it's from a slightly different angle...You chose an extremely difficult head-on position,( which brings Fore-shortening into play etc
.) and you made a very good job of it. However I hope this helps you on your next attempt, because they are such lovely subjects to paint.
.) and you made a very good job of it. However I hope this helps you on your next attempt, because they are such lovely subjects to paint.