Dancer 2: "Carefree" by Amanda Bates

Well, you like honest opinions .... um. I don't think it does work; I saw your comment in the forum, but I'm not sure the knee is the problem so much as that what you've got here looks to me like somebody doing an exercise, and a fairly strenuous one at that: the upper body is being wrenched away from the figure's right hip (left as we look at it). If you were wanting to depict someone doing an exercise, that would be one thing,but of course you wanted the effect of spinning... altogether looser, and less stretched. I'm not a figure painter, at least not often, and think maybe Dennis Spicer could be requisitioned here to offer a suggestion or two - and/or Alan Knights (hope I've got that name right) if he still visits the Gallery. (And remember - other opinions are available: others may see this quite differently from me.)

I do like honest opinions, Robert, and thank you for yours. Despite a friend teling me it is wonderful, I know it isn't right, and I want to get to the bottom of it - and how I can fix it (hopefully).

Honest opinion coming up....The upper half of her body looks good to me, it's her left leg that's the problem as I see it. It seems to be the back of her leg looking at her foot which I'm not sure you intended it to be as there's a lump where her knee would be if it's the front.. It has to be the back as she couldn't twist herself round that much so I'd get rid of that bump in the knee area which looks wrong. Some shadow under the left foot to make her stand on tip toes as well. Hope that helps. Leave the whole of her top half from the knee up as it is, just paint the left leg as it's the back, no knee bump!

I've had a fresh look..lt's definitely her left leg. Her left foot possibly as well. It's as if you have the front of her knee and the back of her foot. I do hope I'm helping here and not confusing matters!