Rookie seeking critique (new painting Nov 20)

[Mordred]

Inspired by the thread named "Newcomer", I will post various paintings here looking for critique, ideas, input or comments. Even though I joined several years ago, I have basically not been painting other than a couple of weeks every year or so. I always give up in the end.

To put it bluntly, I have no idea what I am doing.

I have absolutely no problem with honest feedback, even if it would seem harsh. I just want to improve.

So, without further ado, fire away:

[jmac]

For someone who "has no idea" there are a lot of nice things going on here. Nice sense of distance and atmosphere and your water and reflections are well done and I like the lighting as well. The only thing that jumps out is your landscape seems to tilt slightly to the left. You might want to straighten the distant horizon a little. If you used a photo as a reference for this painting remember to look for things like the horizon being tilted or the vertical sides of buildings not being vertical. Photographs can distort these things and if you're not careful you'll copy those distortions into your painting. Good luck. You off to a very nice start.

[Mordred]

For someone who "has no idea" there are a lot of nice things going on here. Nice sense of distance and atmosphere and your water and reflections are well done and I like the lighting as well. The only thing that jumps out is your landscape seems to tilt slightly to the left. You might want to straighten the distant horizon a little. If you used a photo as a reference for this painting remember to look for things like the horizon being tilted or the vertical sides of buildings not being vertical. Photographs can distort these things and if you're not careful you'll copy those distortions into your painting. Good luck. You off to a very nice start.

Thank you for the feedback!

No I have not been using a reference. I think the tilting horizon may be caused by a bad habit I have of slightly "tilting" the tablet (something I've always done when writing by hand as well). Now that you point it out it's fairly obvious, and I will make sure to avoid it next time.

[D Akey]

I agree with jmac. I hardly think you know as little as you say. You may mean that you are new to this program. Anyway, it rocks.

I can only make suggestions that would make it different. . . not necessarily better. Things I would have done.

1) I would break up the straight line you have for the land meeting the water on the right. . . just for interest. It looks a bit chopped and vertical. What you can't do with lighting to give the feeling of depth you have to do with showing dimension through shape. See the farther shore stuff and compare it with the bit on the right. The stuff on the left feels much more dimensional.

2) I personally would put something in the foreground to extend the depth a bit.

Having said all that, this has a whole lot of great stuff happening. Composition is pretty nice. I love the deep depth as well. Has a nice sense of scene. Palette is pretty good and earthy -- sort of limited like an animation background where characters could move around on top of it and be clear to the viewer as they tell their story through action.

And the other thing is that there is no one painting ever painted that cannot be shredded through comments, any masterpiece, whatever. They are subject to people's tastes at the very least. So while we can critique your painting, you have to realize that these are our opinions only. And it is your instinct that you are working to enhance.

So keep up the great work. And if you're in fact new to all this, then Bravo! And don't let any one success go to your head. Have fun and keep having it!

[Mordred]

I agree with jmac. I hardly think you know as little as you say. You may mean that you are new to this program. Anyway, it rocks.

I can only make suggestions that would make it different. . . not necessarily better. Things I would have done.

1) I would break up the straight line you have for the land meeting the water on the right. . . just for interest. It looks a bit chopped and vertical. What you can't do with lighting to give the feeling of depth you have to do with showing dimension through shape. See the farther shore stuff and compare it with the bit on the right. The stuff on the left feels much more dimensional.

2) I personally would put something in the foreground to extend the depth a bit.

Having said all that, this has a whole lot of great stuff happening. Composition is pretty nice. I love the deep depth as well. Has a nice sense of scene. Palette is pretty good and earthy -- sort of limited like an animation background where characters could move around on top of it and be clear to the viewer as they tell their story through action.

And the other thing is that there is no one painting ever painted that cannot be shredded through comments, any masterpiece, whatever. They are subject to people's tastes at the very least. So while we can critique your painting, you have to realize that these are our opinions only. And it is your instinct that you are working to enhance.

So keep up the great work. And if you're in fact new to all this, then Bravo! And don't let any one success go to your head. Have fun and keep having it!

Thank you! I am actually new, in the sense that I know a bit of the theory (from reading/watching tutorials) but I have basically no experience applying the technique. I've never painting in real life (besides a couple of time in school a long time ago), but always liked to just sketch/draw with a pencil.

That was great, and very useful feedback. I actually thought of breaking up the right side. I wanted to add some big rocks/stones in and close to the water. I just have no idea how to make them actually look like rocks, so I decided against it.

Also, yes, a couple of things in the foreground would probably improve the painting. I'll keep both of these things in mind for the next one.

[Caesar]

First I must say You're among the most endowed rookies I saw in this Artrage Forum (and I've been here quite a long time).
Second I would always subscribe any comment by our dean DAkey who knows more than most here when it comes at painting, illustrating, drawing etc.
Personally I may say that composition, tones (light/ dark), aerial perspective seem quite correct so that You may stroll around without being pushed out of the frame, have all the necessary depth to travel in the distance and enjoy a vibrant enough scene, were leaves aren't static, nor fakely defined and perfect.
What can be progressively experimented and improved then?
This painting is essentially a tonal one, the opposite would be to play with hues to show lights and shadows and different moods, feelings, daytimes etc.
Nonetheless I would consider a slightly more varied palette, I mean a varied and less generally toned-down gamut (or colors scheme) if you wish.
I would suggest not to try to get and stick to the colors You realistically see, least if on a picture in a gray day.
Put some complementary tones touches here and there to make the painting look more vivid, for istance some reddish burnt sienna in the green or some purple and viceversa. Trunks and branches in deep green tend to turn to more reddish tones in our eyes. Don't leave a secondary or tertiary color only in a limited part of the painting. This would create harmony and see the painting as a whole, like a refrain or some recurring notes group in a song.
Put highlight spots here and there in case and try to have light against dark and viceversa to better outline any important subject if You want to make it pops out. Don't put light tnes in Your deep shadows and darks, but don't make them become uniform or colorless black and gray.
The color of the light comes from the sky and a possible light source (i.e. the sun) and the sky colors, in a darker version should go also in the shadows.
Well, now I hope these advices (not invented by me of course, after centuries of fine art masters) may be useful and profitable to You even more then they were to me (I'm too unpatient and undisciplined I'm afraid) and look forward to see what comes out from Your next annual 10 days painting session!

[Bobbi]

I can only imagine what you would accomplish if you were painting every week instead of once in a while.

[Mordred]

@Caesar

Brilliant stuff, thank you.

I'll make sure to try to do every single thing that has been suggested in this thread so far for the next painting.

Picking colors that are both vibrant and realistic is a bit of a challenge for me, but would probably improve the final product a lot.

Also I intend this to be more than a 10 day annual run. Hence this thread

[Mordred]

I can only imagine what you would accomplish if you were painting every week instead of once in a while.

That's very flattering of you, but you should know that what you see in that painting is basically all I can do. I can't paint a rock/stone that actually looks like a rock/stone even if my life depended on it. I can't paint stuff in the foreground that looks satisfyingly detailed and realistic. I have a very difficult time making backgrounds I like. That painting makes me look much better than I am.

[eighty+]

Mordred if I had done it I would B double Chuffed ok lets see some more CIAO IVAYA CON DIOS