Still life in acrylics;

[drd]

Pretty boring for a still life, but I'm just learning how to paint in acrylics well.

Any advice on this piece, like the colours of the flowers in relation to the background, or how to make a nice focal point, etc?

Sorry for lousy picture quality, My digital camera takes a blurry shot if you move even the slightest bit, and Smart Sharpen is the only way to make it make sense.

EDIT: Updated, started to add in the basic leave colours and some of the foreground flowers. I'm liking where this is headed (What do I know) But I'd like to know what you guys think.

[dose]

Good start!

Pay attention to the edges- check out this thread:

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=51913

You can control edges in acrylics most easily with dry-brushing, spattering, or smudging with your finger. You can also wet an area with water or a thinned-down transparent color then paint back into it with more opaque paint.

The values in the pitcher do not indicate the form; they don't define what the pitcher is shaped like. You are probably getting distracted by lots of reflections. Try squinting when looking at the subject to simplify the values.

Strange as it may seem, the gray pitcher will not be flat gray- there will be some subtle color depending on both the actual color of the pitcher and the color of the light source. If the light source is warm, the light part of the forms will be warmer in color than the shadow area (and vice versa for a cool light source). Seeing these subtle colors & color shifts is particularly hard on white & gray objects. Look at how some other painters have handled similar problems- what colors did they use? What's the difference in color between the light & dark part.

Look for a corresponding color shift in the background colors.

The focal point will depend on how the contrasts of value, color, edges, and texture are organized. Difficult to say exactly how to do that at this point.

Hope this helps- post your progress!

Tim

p.s. Pretty much any camera every created will take a blurry shot unless you're in sunlight or serious studio lights (unless it's using a flash). If possible, set the camera on timer and place it on something steady, or invest in a cheap tripod.

[drd]

Well, the light is warm rather than cool ,that's why I have some brown areas in there, maybe it's just hard to tell from these snapshots. I'm thinking I might have chosen a simple form without so many highlights; there isn't one defined light source where I'm looking at my subject, it's just from the top and reflecting about everything around it. I'll go check out some professional still lifes and see how they handled it.

Thanks so much for the reply, I really appreciate it. I'll keep it updated as I add to it.

[drd]

Updated this; Ideas? Colour help?

[dose]

Here's a quick paintover. I'll try to come back later and explain some of the thinking behind each step in another post (gotsta get some work done first...).