Sambarilov - Composition 1.1

[sambarilov]

First painting.

Went searching from the list of suggested painters and came across the painting of some Cornelis van der Geest from Van Dyke.

I liked how the fluffy thing in the neck has some beautiful rhythm, repetition and variation at the same time. Also some economy there in the way that he paints it that I wasn't able to replicate (would like tips on which kind of brush/method should I use). The background also has some economy as Van Dyke doesn't bother drawing a form for the figure which makes it look like a funny floating head once you get to pay attention to these details.




This is it.

[natepeyton]

Hi Sambarilov,

Great exercise. I think you nailed the values of the piece and really hit the lights and darks. I would add a bit more of pure white on the forehead and neckpiece. For proportion, I think you did a great job on the mouth and nose, however the bridge is a bit long which extends the face up a bit too much. If you brought that down I think the eyes, forehead, and ears would fit into place a bit more. I'm also impressed how you replicated the texture of the paint from the original. Awesome job!

[akky111]

Hi Sambarilov,

I think you may have misplaced your proportions a bit. The face is a bit bigger than the ref pic. A good thing to do is to double your canvas size, duplicate the image itself and place it alongside the original, then fill it with a value for a start. Then work your way through the painting. This way you will be sure that the canvas is of the right size to base your proportions on.

For values I guess your darks are a bit too darker than the original. Good effort. Keep going.

[Black Spot]

Moved your thread to the LU area. You really need to get your shapes correct. If you're having problems, use a grid and flip often. Note the dark area that should come from behind his ear and around his chin. Keep it up.

[Viatrix]

Hello. Good start but I agree with what Black Spot and akky said. The shapes are really off and the likeness of the subject is lost. It's not an easy feat to achieve and is something that I struggle with. However, the advice of using grid had helped me a lot. Another thing I try to do is start with the canvas zoomed out to get the big shapes first then zoom in from there.

The textures and values are really good, on the other hand. I like how you did the collar. The only critique I would have with the values is that you're missing the whites on the collar and highlight of the skin. Using a harder brush will also help establishing the edges a bit better.

Keep it up!