Comments: 26
TheBrassGlass [2011-08-05 00:47:07 +0000 UTC]
Beautiful!! Very wonderfully done. The only suggestions I would have is to encourage you to try adding more contrast, textures, and reflected colors. For instance, that field is so golden, would not the gold reflect more in the shining sides of the car and in the mirror-like surface of the chrome bumper? I see a slight amount of reflected yellowish in the door, but that's it. Just a little more would bump up the "Wow!" factor in a piece like this. It makes me wonder if this was originally two different reference pictures that you put together; nothing wrong with that, but it makes getting the realism a bit trickier.
I also suggested more texture because the car and the distant mountains have similar treatment, and the dirt ruts don't have much of a texture at all, while the grasses are wonderful by contrast. My eyes are really drawn to the grass. The car, too, has a lot of visual interest because of all the bits and bobs on it. I suggest more contrast because the car has the most weight since it is black and nothing else in the picture is. I see you cleverly tried to counteract the boldness of the black by adding some dark reds and dark greens in the grass. But there's not much contrast in the wooden fence, especially the part depicted directly behind the car, and since it's not so far back, it probably should have had as much detail and contrast as the car itself. The parts of the fence further in the background are fine because there's more implied space between them and the viewer.
One last recommendation for you---instead of the gray-brown smudges for the shadows, try using purpleish shading to counteract the visual weight of all the gold and yellow. Same with the mountains in the background, rather than the blue. It would add a lot more contrast to this piece, as I mentioned before. Yellow and purple, complimentary colors, right?
I know this is a really lengthy comment, but really, there's so little here to critique. You're a wonderful painter. XD Nicely done!
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MystiqueDeep In reply to TheBrassGlass [2011-08-05 02:58:45 +0000 UTC]
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, in fact I enjoy long comments.
You are right, those are from two completely different reference photos, most of my car photos are.
And in fact, despite this being an older painting, it is one that I still happen to have around so I could easily add some of your suggestions to it. I really like the suggestion of adding the reflections and purples to the shadows. At the time I painted this I hadn't quite gotten the idea of complimentary colors yet (and in fact I'm still working on it).
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Passacaglia28 [2010-05-25 04:29:18 +0000 UTC]
This is one of my favorite paintings by you. If I could fave it again I would. You have such warm, happy colors in this.
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emberleo [2008-06-04 05:07:10 +0000 UTC]
Oh, I love the affect that this paint created. Wonderful job.
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MystiqueDeep In reply to emberleo [2008-06-04 14:58:37 +0000 UTC]
Thank you. It was hard to switch back to gouache after so many months of acrylic so what you see here is gouache paint being treated as if it were acrylic.
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BungieValve [2008-06-04 02:13:03 +0000 UTC]
very well done shannon. I agree, good job on the coloring.
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MystiqueDeep In reply to BungieValve [2008-06-04 14:55:28 +0000 UTC]
Thank you. I decided I needed to try some different color schemes, many of my other antique car painting have all become green/blue. It's about time I work some yellow and orange in there. I'm a little short on reds now...maybe in New Mexico or on my drive down there I can get some photos in that nice red dirt!
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Cardboardgrace [2008-06-04 01:24:13 +0000 UTC]
Very nice! I like how everything flows, and the car was well done! Lovely!
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