-
-
What could be done differently?
Think about it before you see what I think!
-
Before
-
What could be done differently?
Think about it before you see what I think!
-
Before
-
-
-
Too Many Warm Colors
Again there are mostly warm colors. The Lavender is cool, but it is a warm cool, because Lavender has some red in it-
Let's add a Greater Sense of Depth
-
Original acrylic Painting of fall trees
12x24 on canvas
-
-
What did I do?
-
-
I added Depth
-
I changed the shapes.
-
-
On the left side behind the red trees you see some light from the distant field.
On the right side you are not really getting the feeling that the field is receding all that much.
On the right side you are not really getting the feeling that the field is receding all that much.
-
Change the shapes
-
Change the shapes
-
Notice the overall shape of the red trees and the yellow in the sky. They both form a circular shape. The painting will be more interesting if we can break these shapes up into a more uneven, interesting line.
_
_
AFTER
_
AFTER
Original acrylic Painting of fall trees12x24 on canvas
-
-
What did I do?
-
-
I added Depth
-
I layered the painting in Values to give a sense of depth. Light, then dark,light then dark! I lightened the distant Lavender trees, then I put a dark row of trees in the distance. Then I defined a distant field and made it a very light value. From back to front,Light,Dark, Light!
I added some darks to the red trees, to give them more dimension.
-I added some darks to the red trees, to give them more dimension.
I changed the shapes.
-
I made the distant Lavender trees much smaller. I made the yellow tree a little taller and skinner. This also helps to give a sense of depth. I changed the shape of the red trees and actually defined a single small red tree.
-
-
I Added a Cool Blue
-
That is really all it took to balance the warm and cool colors
-
-
-
I Added a Cool Blue
-
That is really all it took to balance the warm and cool colors
-
-
Having done all of this, I have to say there are no perfect paintings. There is always something that could have been done differently. You could paint for years on a painting and never actually finish it.
-Try painting a painting with your only focus being on warm and cool colors or maybe layering your painting with light and dark values. If you focus on one specific thing for a while it will then become part of you. You will then begin doing it as a gut reaction, without thought.
I vastly prefer the original. I think the newer one is just... quite boring? The top one isn't without faults, it could be better, but the new one seems to very much be conforming to too many rules of art. I'm very skeptical of said rules. But what do I know?
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer the original, too. It is fresher and more exciting. I wonder if it would have been fine if the lavender tree line had merely been darkened. The corrected painting does look more correct, but....
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if some of you like the original more merely based on taste. The original is more abstract and the redo has a more traditional feel. Looking back on this painting, I think the real issue is that the painting is painted in one tone. There is no contrast to make the painting pop. There are no dark or light values.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger question is "What do you do with a painting that doesn't sell. There has been more interest in this painting on this blog than there was in the two years I was trying to sell the painting. If a painting doesn't sell, eventually I have to correct it,totally paint over it, or as a last resort, throw it away. Because I am always painting,and I have other paintings that I think will sell better.
As a side note, after I corrected the painting it sold.
Thanks for all your comments.