I love the colors in your portrait, Piety - sort of warm and moody - and the pose and composition are very pleasing. The only 2 things I would do are: 1.) half way down the shirt sleeve to the bottom of the canvas blur the edges together more and more as you go down so that the eye isn't drawn out the bottom of your painting. 2.) Place your signature on the bottom left to give the painting better balance. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing, it's lovely as it is.

Pat

Hi, Pat! Thank you for your time and nice comments.

Piety

Piety,

What a wonderful strong portrait! I second everything that Alexandra so nicely wrote. Don't be apologetic for using a photo as reference. You just proved that a skilled artist can render a beautiful portrait even from a photo reference. I don't see how this could have any more volume and great skin tones! ;)

Hi, Enzie!

Thank you so much for your time and warm encouragement!

I've attended lecture of Odd Nerdrum, one of living masters, last year. We had critique time with him. I brought "An Artist and his puppet" that was posted here before. He knew it was painted from a photo, then he said, "Throw it away!". Only reason he said like that was it was from the photo. Of course, we should better study from life as possible as we can, but good works are made by trained skill, talent, inspiration and full of committed loving heart for art whether we are using photo or life.

Piety

I agree.

Piety, please do not misunderstand my comment in regard to using photos to paint from. Your self portrait is wonderfully done. The drawing and your eye for detail is good. Good color choice and and value and composition.

I totaly agree with you here that "good works are made by trained skill, talent, inspiration and full of committed loving heart for art whether we are using photo or life."

I too use photos for some paintings. When copying a old master painting or drawing or for some commissions all I have to work with is the photo reference.

The traditional classical training teaches one the rules and then as one earns the experience he/she learns how to bend these rules. For example look at the painting of Hunt, by the well painted by Sargent (its in the Vanderbilt art collection posted by Elizabeth). What do you notice when you look at this painting? A beautiful painting? excellent execution etc.? Now, look at the light source. Where is it coming from? Look at the wall behind Hunt beautiful value and color choice. Now, look at the rain coat again masterfully done. Now, look at the face. Here too mastery but where is the light coming from and where is the shadow located on his face. Do you see it? Do you see what I'm saying? The light sorce is from the front while in the other objects the light sorce is comming from his left our right. This is if I am not mistaking bending the rules a tad.

Best wishes,
mischa

Mischa, I am sorry if my expression showed I've misunderstood what you want to say. May be my expression in English is not enough to show full of my thought. I absoutely understood and agreed with you how much important that practice of painting from the life. I just tried to explain the reason why painters need to use photos sometimes.

I really thank you for your sincere comments.

Piety

Beautiful painted :thumbsup: