From One End of Life to the Other - Portraits Coming Through

[eighty+]

Hi Robbie Great it looks as if you've entered a new ball game Go GAL GO

[D Akey]

Very nice work! Clearly it's all coming back to you with each painting representing a big jump.

I'm not sure about what Gary is referring to with the mouth wobble. Generally the faces look good to me. But I'm sure he sees something that's not quite right, and I would try to ferret it out because that's how the public will look at your work. They may not know what's wrong (if there is), but they will sense it.

At this point my only recommendation is to start working on stylizing hair. As you know there's all kinds and as such you probably have to come up with several ways of doing it. There's lots of different approaches. With your painterly style, I would think in terms of looking at it as larger masses and break it down using value planes. Looking at it in a linear way if your approach is painterly it sort of becomes like thick strands of yarn, which defeats the intention.

So in your mind, break it down into solid planes first with light and shadow playing on it as it would with drapery. You wouldn't make it clunky though. It can be softer with some clever transitions and then adding a few marks to indicate highlights. All depends on the hair and how you end up stylizing it.

I would look at artists and illustrators from the early/middle part of the 20th century because there are dozens of ways of applying those sensibilities in painterly ways. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the more modern, digital age wispy, fine curved lines, but you're not going for the smooth, slick style. So my suggestion is learn the painterly vocabulary for hair and just try things until you find how it plays best for you.

If one is doing portraiture, hair is essential to get right because the customers value it most highly as part of their overall appearance.

You're doing great. I love painterly because it's not something that the computer does for you. It features the humanity of the artist's vision and how they process what they see into an art.

As MacPloos says, GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!!

[eighty+]

Hi Robbie As you know I always try to copy your work
ok so I've tried the face of the young boy SEB so thank you but scuse wiggle lines as I'm not used
to drawing on a tablet even now I keep trying to paint on the Screen CIAO SLAINTE

[Chad Weatherford]

The vignetting of the bg was a good move! It does improve the image I agree. If you wanted to excentuate her face even more...I've found that softening some edges around the hair can slow the eye down a bit in that region and draw it towards the face. Of course there is nothing wrong with what you have already. Well done!

[eighty+]

Hi. Robbie just trying. Reimage to see if it get me eventually google photos Ok. Ploos. CIAO SLAINTE

[copespeak]

Fantastic and interesting input from everyone, thanks. I'll revisit each one for a retouch.

Eighty, not sure what you mean re: Google Photos. If there's something you want me to do, can you please say it again???

[copespeak]

This one was done a while back.

[eighty+]

Hi Robbie I thought you said get google photos so I could get the Pics from the
IPad to the main computer to show finger paintings??? ok CIAO SLAINTE

[copespeak]

Yes Eighty. You need to join Google Photos on your PC, then download the App onto your Ipad, then link the two together with the same username and password.

[D Akey]

Argh! I lost my reply by hitting the wrong button and couldn't get it back. So here it goes again:

I remember seeing this one before, Robyn. I really like it. It's got a terrific balance between the vibe of the sitter and the artist's hand. And often times that's what we want to see. Whether she looks like this is of no consequence to anyone who doesn't know her. She's most believable. Well done. Can't wait to see more.