I may have misled you there a bit and I don't want you to work away and just hear another oops.

Most definitely, the shadow values need to be taken care of underneath the bill of the hat. But the most problematic detail right now is the fact that the top of the skull is thrusting itself up and outward, which is why the hat (and the bill especially) is made to look so very large, in order to cap such a large head. You need to temporarily forget the hat, just forget that it's there. Get the head where it belongs, in the proportion that it needs, and then sit a hat around it, not above it. ONLY THEN should you be interested in fashioning the shadow effects. Effects are frosting. You need a well-baked cake underneath them.

OK, Steven.

I went back to the painting and after careful study I begin to see what you were talking about.

Fearful to start making a correction of that magnitude on the painting, I decided to take it into Painter first and play with the correction.

This way I can see if it looks right, then go to the painting itself. So, that being said, here is the correction, tell me if I am on target.

I am putting the old pic and the revised pic here together for easier comparision.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/i...02/Branch1.jpg

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/i...2/Branch1a.JPG

This seems to be in the right direction!
It looks better to me than the previous!

Mark

Yes, better with the shadow under the brim, Mark, but to my eye the hat and brim are still misshapen and misplaced. I can't see the reference photo to establish this through comparison, but just as one note, I've never seen a seed cap with a brim that was even as wide as the head, much less wider. Cut about 20% off the size of the brim, mostly on our far right. Let the brim come back to the head, instead of ending in that dropped "v" in the hair on our right. Look at other areas again, too, to make sure your angles and curves and "landmark" points are all where they should be in relation to each other.

Thanx, Steven.

We got it now, I think! I am making the changes now to the painting and will show an update soon.

It looks a lot better, even the Wife commented on the changes as an improvement. Her words were "It looks awesome, Mark." That's good enough for me, huh?

Oh well, thanx for the help!

Mark

Great painting for your first!

I too am in Warner Robins; I wish I had seen this in October. I took a workshop in Macon with John De la Vega. What a treat and major knowledge! I know they are going to try and get him to come back this year; you should try to get in on the workshop if he does. Look him up on this website.

Watch all the videos and read everything you can get your hands on, and remember that painting is the most frustrating form of relaxation you'll ever enjoy:)

Happy painting!!

Stay a while
 

Awesome first! Draftsmanship and passion are evident.

My teacher once said, "You can't learn to paint while double-parked." It often takes a while to get any feedback. Sorry for the delay in my reply. I know that anxious feeling of checking the boards for pearls of wisdom from the enormously talented professionals here who take valuable time to comment. Remember to exhale!

Comments above are right on! Values are so important. It is a lesson I need to re-learn every day. Is your painting interesting from across the room? Try patterns in thumbnail sketches.

Remember, your first job is to design the painting well within 3 values. If that is strong, then pencil, watercolor, pastel, or oil will have a better chance of succeeding.

Welcome to the wonderful world of portraiture! No bowl of apples or landscape compares to the satisfaction of capturing a human being.

Mark, I also drove up to the workshop Diana is referring to, and I was very impressed with the local portrait-painting talents living and working in or near Macon. It would be worth your while to try to hook up with some of those local artists. You can probably find a local group that meets regularly to paint from a live model. I can't tell you how much potential you will find in such a group!