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Help with figure, please...

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Jonathan Wheatley

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Hiya, looking for help, please... I'm a landscape painter, but my best friend asked me to paint this for him and I'm now struggling with the figure behind the tractor, can anyone give advice, please? I'm not sure if the scale is wrong, but something doesn't feel right, obviously I haven't done details on face yet, but want the overall figure right first... Many thanks, Jon

Jonathan Wheatley

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I've removed the head ready to start again... I think the head was too big for the body? 
IMG_6882

Paul (Dixie) Dean

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I’m not a portrait painter , but do include figures in some of my work. I agree the head was wrong it looked to long from the chin to the top of the head , the rest look ok but I’m sure a figure painter will find other thing to change. 

Alan Bickley

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The proportions of the tractor are off a bit Jon, the front wheel isn’t right! Quite a few things actually… However, let’s look at the figure in comparison to the photos… there’s not enough of his upper body showing for starters, fix this and his head will be fine. Good start, not the easiest subject you’ve taken on here.

Jonathan Wheatley

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Thanks, Alan, I'm not going for 100% photo realism, more to get a feel of the place, thus the tractor being off slightly... So you think it's the upper body and not the head? Would that still then work in comparison to the tractor? Thanks, Paul, me neither, I rarely include figures but thought I'd have a go for my mate... Now it's turning into a headache...  Thanks for both your comments, so far... 

Alan Bickley

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Yes it needs to be just a touch bigger, the tractor is a bit smaller than it should be…you’ll get there!
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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First thing I thought was what Alan said - the body of the figure isn't long enough, hence your feeling that the size of the head was wrong: it's more that it wasn't in quite the right place. On tractors, though - I did once paint a tractor: at an extremely convenient distance - other than it was red ... oh, and another one, at similarly helpful distance, was yellow - no one could have seen it clearly enough to know that it was, undoubtedly, wrong.  I leave tractors to them as knows 'em....... Mind you, closer look - either the front left wheel is too big, or the front right wheel too small: (ie, the vehicle's right, not ours looking at it).  The kid would have a rather bumpy ride if he got the thing going.

Edited
by Robert Jones, NAPA

Stephen Kelly

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My ten pennyworth is if you use the radiator as a ruler, you can take all your measurements from that. The head probably goes four times into the radiator. I was always told that the key to a good painting was a good drawing & also ellipses are often difficult. Keep at it Jonathan & I'm sure you will crack it.

Jonathan Wheatley

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Hi Robert, thanks... I think I agree that one or the other is too small... But to be honest, I'm not too fussed about the tractor at the moment, more the figure... Like I said earlier, I'm not really a photo realistic artist, prefer the feel of the place than exact sizes etc, plus it's quite an old derelict tractor, so will go with that.  I've had luck with a tractor before, but that was before I found my own style... 
IMG_6882

Paul (Dixie) Dean

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The tractor need the bonnet longer and the far wheel bigger, the two near wheels are fine for size . I do draw tractors and trucks , I did not look at the tractor that much before  as I concentrated on the figure, don’t know why I missed it I normally notice thing like that . 

Alan Bickley

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Accuracy doesn’t have to be linked to photorealism Jon, it’s important to spend some time at the drawing out stage, everything will fit into place much easier. Once you’ve got the basics right, you can proceed in whatever style you wish, in my case impressionist rather than photorealism!

Jonathan Wheatley

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Thank you all for your kind replies... I think maybe the tractor threw everything else off... I'm trying to be looser with my painting and not get bogged down in the details, however, with an up close tractor, I don't think that's totally possible... Thank you Paul (Dixie) I'll try and elongate the bonnet and the make the back wheel larger before moving onto the figures again... This is why I stick to pure landscapes, haha...  Thank you all again for the help and advice...  Jon
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