Elijah's Big Day
 

Elijah on his birthday is a 16x20

Jerome, I like this one an awful lot. The handling of his hat- the differences between the shiny cone and the fringe - is very nicely done. My main problem with the skin tones here is the uniformity of the lit side - it needs both more fresh warms and greys to look natural. The subtle nuances of skin are impossible to learn from studying photos, you have to stare at live skin for hours and hours.

Also, eyes, even dark brown eyes, will show a lightness in the area of the iris opposite from the direction of the light. If you add this and also add more moisture in the eyes it will bring them more to life.

This is my favorite Jerome Parker!

Hi--I like this one, too! It's full of life and joy. You really know how to capture the emotion of a moment and make it seem timeless.

To continue and add to Linda's comments, the shadows on the side of his face and in his shirt seem too dark, cool, and solid.

Alex

Hi Linda and Alex.

Thank you for taking the time to compliment and critique this piece. Linda, I

HI Jerome,

I broke into a grin when I first opened this image!

In addition to the already excellent advice you've received, I have a few comments. First, I love the way you have handled the edges of the white stuff (technical term) at the base of the hat. I think though, that the highlight of white along the red cone on our left is hard to explain, and that the sharp edges of the highlight as well as of the hat itself invite the viewer to follow the pointer up and out of the canvas. These edges would be cinch to change if you decide to do so.

Second, I think you might check your drawing. The side of the face on our right appears to sinking - if I look at the right and left sides separately, it almost appears that the face on our left is at the viewer's eye level, but the face on our right looks as if the viewer is below the child's eye level.

How nice to see your work!

I softened this little guy up a bit and made a couple of changes to the skin hue and eyes. Thanks again Linda, Alex and Chris for looking and commenting. I always appreciate your critiques.
Jerome