Painters Online Logo

Login/register

01778 395174

Blythburgh Church. Suffolk

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Author
Message

JOHN TURNER

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 54
Posted
Would very much welcome comments and constructive criticism!  Many thanks.

Heather Rogers

  • New Member
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 7
Posted
Beautifully painted! 

Alan Bickley

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 9041
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 3417
Posted
If you are after constructive critique, let us have a few details such as size and medium. Plein air or a studio painting from a photo? All these details can be helpful.

JOHN TURNER

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 54
Posted
Picture size 18 X 14 in, Loxley canvas, Windsor&Newton Griffin alkyd oils, painted in studio from photo I took.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 20331
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 7130
Posted
Alan is better at the constructive critique than I am - I just like the painting, and the composition.  Colour and tone could be stronger, perhaps - but that's as much a matter of taste as of anything else; technically, my only advice to you would be to carry on doing what you're doing.

JOHN TURNER

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 54
Posted
Very kind -thank you for the encouragement!

Alan Bickley

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 9041
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 3417
Posted
Robert has summed up my initial thoughts, colour and tone.  But it’s the tonal values that concern me the most! You’ve gone someway to establishing your tones, and it’s a good start, but they could be much stronger and used to create aerial perspective, ie lighter in the distance, darker in the foreground. It all looks a bit flat! The colours are all a touch on the dull side, this could be due in part to the paints you’ve used, which I believe are fast drying and have less oil in them compared to say more expensive artists quality oils. Robert and I have differing views here, but I like to use a touch of say linseed oil or similar during my final layers. It also appears that you’ve used them very thinly on stretched canvas, nothing wrong with that approach, I tend to thicken up my layers as I proceed, remembering the important fat over lean rule of course! It can help if you direct some strong highlights in a position that helps lead the eye to the main area of focus, obviously the building in this instance, but don’t dot them all over the place which would be distracting. On a technical issue, the reflection of the church tower looks exceptionally long on the water, but you’ve got the photo to check that point! Come back to us here on the forum if you need any clarification or help on any points, you’ve made a good attempt here at a tricky subject.

Edited
by Alan Bickley

JOHN TURNER

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 54
Posted
Many thanks, I've got a lot to think about ! Hopefully future efforts will incorporate your advise --we shall see ! John Turner

Tessa Gwynne

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 6658
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 2616
Posted
Alan has given excellent advice. I would agree to check the reflections of the church in your photo. I would expect there to be a few ripple lines distorting the reflections to differentiate between the look of the building on land and in the water. Personally I would put some in even if you don’t see them in your photo, but not too many!  I like the way you’ve handled the greens, and generally it’s a pleasing composition and painting. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 20331
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 7130
Posted
Just to clarify a small point - the difference between Alan's views and mine isn't about the oil: I always use Linseed.  What I don't use is solvent, i.e. turps/white spirit or whatever (or Zinc White, but that's another matter).  I've never used alkyds - there are other brands than Griffin (Winsor and Newton) but I don't know that they're under-pigmented: I shouldn't be surprised if they were, by comparison to artists' oils, but I remember Stephen Higton (which isn't to say I haven't got his name wrong) who used to show here and paints in alkyds - he seemed to get good results. 

JOHN TURNER

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 54
Posted
to Tessa Gwynne, Thanks for comments. I'm thinking of painting it again and using all the comments, hopefully with improved results!

Sara Bernardic

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 51
Posted
Share this on https://artdesign.social/news-feed/ !