PTG Exercise 2 - Shadows on a Path by Painters-Online Team

Paul selected Carolyn's version of his second exercise for appraisal because 'because there is so much variety and interest in there!' Appraisal: The burnt sienna and yellow ochre under painting works well and really warms up the scene. It is also nice to see that some slivers of this colour can be seen in the finished piece. It’s not easy to achieve, especially if you have to over paint a lot, and I noticed a number of entries had started with a colour but this had become lost in the end. Try and work on your softening techniques so that you can blend some edges, and lose others here and there. You’ll find some great tips for this in part three. In terms of composition, I like the way you brought the focus closer, which makes more of the trees and in turn, they put more emphasis on the shadows and light. Just one point about the gate. This is the centre of interest so it needs to be sharp and straight. You used a credit card for the longer grasses and you could do the same for the gate, essentially bringing in a little finesse by painting it in a series of stamped lines. I hope you find this useful and that you have a go at some of the future challenges Happy Painting! Paul