AndreaMG's Gallery ✟ Joan of Arc ✟

[SCP]

Nice painting Andrea,really draws the viewer in.

[pai]

Jennifer Lawrence so beautiful the way you painted her. I only watched her one movie that was very long time ago. That's X-men: First Class. I heard she's a great actor in recent new movies. Well, haha, besides I don't watch TV , I haven't watched movies for so long ! Feel like I am out of dated now.

[D Akey]

Haunting! Great hair, and head/face. For my tastes, not that my tastes matter since you're so adept, but since the head is so volumetric and detailed, while the surrounding detail is somewhat less differentiated, I don't know if the garment shouldn't have a little more information. I think if it's a focal length kind of effect that it shares the distance with the body which you have sort of clear, so the lack of dimension is a little puzzling and I find myself having to think about it more than that area is worth.

I think the slight dilemma comes from the really blatant sharp & contrasting marks peppering the soft focus marks. That's hard to create a rule of thumb for something that either works or it doesn't (that works sometimes but it's unknown precisely why). But my guess would be that you can hint more at a change of planes in the garment around her sleeve and maybe as it crosses her torso below the breasts. It doesn't have to be strong.

But some more differentiation there would keep it from feeling like you didn't care about that area. And if I, as viewer, get that sense, it cheapens the effect to one of doing the minimum amount of work to satisfy the client or make the sale or whatever criteria one goes by to sell their product -- something emblematic of modern times in general. For me, I want to view things through the eyes of an artist who cares as much or more than me. Otherwise what need is an artist. It all becomes more of an open casting call for goddesses like on a talent show -- like week 2 or 3.

If these girls don't know yet how to inspire an artist, you have to show them how to be goddesses. They need you maybe even more than you need them, at least at the beginning. . .

[AndreaMG]

Thank you Dear Caesar, how did you know that? Ciau ne

Thank you Dear SCP, she must be some sort of siren

Thank you Dear Pai, I first saw her on "Hunger Games", which was such a brilliant movie (similar is some aspects to "Battle Royale") and fell in love with her since

Thank you Dear D, actually I just now compared the reference picture to my painting with that funny morphing effect while transitioning from one to the other and I noticed that the structure of her head is completely different next week-end with the help of the transformation tool I will get her right; I sometimes find still difficult to get things work even with pictures side by side, maybe it's because her skull is not as familiar to me as Av's is ... but I refuse to use grids, rulers, etc., I want to use my brain only . As for the background I went flat on purpose following the original, maybe adding only a little light on the top right portion of the painting, she seems engulfed in mist, I think in this case it gives a classic look, but maybe you're right, I will add a bit more contrast to see what happens. Thanks for the precious tips my friend. Since you live in California if you do happen to meet one of these fab girls give her my number and you'll be my agent . Anyway here's the original:

[eighty+]

Hi Andy The way her hair falls make her look as A long necked Bird Modigliani would have liked her Ciao STATTE BBUONO Si Si

[Caesar]

Also in the picture she looks like a wild, wet kitty ...

[coops]

Wow what a beauty she is, nice painting too

[D Akey]

Oh, that's a fantastic sweater! She looks like she stepped right out of a glamor or fashion magazine. The photo is that good.

Anyway, I think her garment adds a lot to the photo, both for color and texture and pattern weave. It would add a lot to the painting, just because it's such a cool element. In a fanciful, surrealistic way, from association, it's like she's emerging from a soft, delicious, artistic castle parapet, like a fairy tale princess. But that's my personal associations.

I know it's kind of crossing over the line to use someone else's photo that closely, and it's one of the big challenges for artists who use professional photos, to not have it look like the same shot people have seen in the magazine. So it's hard to say what to do (what I would do were I painting it) in this instance. But hopefully we get well beyond trying to disguise other people's work when we borrow, owing to it often being the only place where we can get reference images of famous people's likenesses. And it's easy to get inspired to want to paint something we see in print. It was often everything I could do to keep from painting something I saw in National Geographic. Most of those paintings were awe inspiring. The down side of that is they were clearly from National Geographic, so I didn't. Broke my heart more than once to let a great image drift down stream.

Anyway, you still are super skillful at painting in general, but painting women in particular. And you are bringing a personal voice to your work. And I certainly look forward to all your paint offerings here. It's great to see them, which for me is like watching a really good chess match or dance or concert. Go man go!!!!!!!

[kenmo]

Exquisite painting.....

[AndreaMG]

Haha, you're right Dear Eighty, in this photo her neck looks REALLY long, maybe longer than Audrey's, a perfect subject for Modigliani

Yes she looks gorgeous in this picture Dear Caesar, actually she looks gorgeous in every picture

Thank you Dear Katie for the kind comment

Thank you Dear D, I know the sweater looks so good in this photo, it adds a tender touch , but it's VERY difficult to render (given my limited skills) too As far as reference photos I surely do respect photographers (paparazzi included ) and their work, etc, but I also think that the level of art which can be achieved by photography is not comparable by any means with the art of painting, photography is just a frame of reality to me, maybe beautifully catched but nothing more (and nothing less), while paining is abstraction and reinterpratation in various ways and degrees and thus more exiting. That said I wish I could paint them live Thank you Dear D for your support, I love reading your comments as well

Thank you Dear Kenmo for the lovely comment