DH2 WIP - the color study

[Russell Smith]

Originally Posted by cfgray

Russ,
First of all - it is beautiful...
Taking matters left to right - the grouping at the far left anchors the tail, superb.
The starboard strut holder has two issues, I think - his placement fore and aft and the color of his shirt.
Ditto Barker's observation about the aviator - he's in there - and about the fellow in the background by the port wheel - needs to move to the right.
Kneeling fellow's fine as are the two officers to the right.
Regarding the "walking" figure - his wrist and forearm may be too weak which is accentuated by the fact that his hand coincides with the roofline. Also, we want to see the right hand and a bit of the right arm, I think. He might also want to be a little bit to the left of where he's positioned.
With respect to the sky, the light line of cloud just to the right of the nacelle's nose and just above the patch of blue above the roofline bothers me. I think that area will open up and settle back if that highlight is suppressed or eliminated.
Thanks for giving me the chance to embarrass myself, Russ - what a beauty this is and will be.
Best,
cfgray

Barker & CFGray, thanks so much for both of your inputs. These are exactly the kind of things that I am looking for at this point. I know the composition is good, but its the little details, the ones that make the difference between a pretty good painting and an excellent painting, that I am trying to adjust now. Thanks so much for having the insight to know that.

CF, agreed on all points. i actually spotted that line in the clouds and thought that I might tone that down some. thanks for mentioning it.

russ

[Barker]

Does anyone want to hear my Howard Beale impression?

[AAC Cadet Leader]

Originally Posted by Barker

Does anyone want to hear my Howard Beale impression?

sure, why not. visuals and wav, please.

Originally Posted by Russell Smith

Barker & CFGray, thanks so much for both of your inputs. These are exactly the kind of things that I am looking for at this point...Thanks so much for having the insight to know that.

russ,
are you sure? because i can dish out a tough critique, too, but i'm hesitant as i know that many artists don't want them and a few are destroyed by them and stop painting - or worse - as was the case three weeks ago of a local artist i knew.

[Barker]

from behind

[Russell Smith]

Originally Posted by Barker

from behind

yikes! easy, there Barker. keep it between the lines.

russ

[Russell Smith]

Originally Posted by AAC Cadet Leader

russ,
are you sure? because i can dish out a tough critique, too, but i'm hesitant as i know that many artists don't want them and a few are destroyed by them and stop painting - or worse - as was the case three weeks ago of a local artist i knew.

To me, AAC, a critique is a critique. What I want critiqued all depends on what stage I am at. At this point I am pretty confident in the basic structure of my composition. Now it is details that I am looking for - the odd line, angle or intersection; small shapes and elements shapes that don't quite feel right; little nitpicky things that may seem inoccuous but actually slightly detratct from the subject. Not really looking for things that will naturally work themselves out when I go to a larger scale, such as the details of the face we discussed earlier. I think you know what kind of things I'm talking about.

Russ

[Barker]

Originally Posted by Russell Smith

yikes! easy, there Barker. keep it between the lines.

russ

It takes two persons to do a painting:
One, to work the brush.
Second, to grab his hand away when he's finished.

[Barker]

Originally Posted by Russell Smith

I think you know what kind of things I'm talking about.

Russ

A good Art Detector knows these things.
From any angle.

[ONEALM]

... Critiques are just opinions and we all have them. Doesn't mean they are right and it does not mean the artist always agrees, though we do always listen.

Otherwise we end up with a group painting, not one that the artist did and after all, it's the artist's vision that we are interested in seeing.

If Russ is still painting after some of the crits he got early on by some of the "big boys" - you should have no fear of saying anything about his work, pro or con. He already knows what he want to paint and does a great job sorting through the chafe that he gets from the various "crit-ters".

[Russell Smith]

Originally Posted by ONEALM

... Critiques are just opinions and we all have them. Doesn't mean they are right and it does not mean the artist always agrees, though we do always listen.

Otherwise we end up with a group painting, not one that the artist did and after all, it's the artist's vision that we are interested in seeing.

If Russ is still painting after some of the crits he got early on by some of the "big boys" - you should have no fear of saying anything about his work, pro or con. He already knows what he want to paint and does a great job sorting through the chafe that he gets from the various "crit-ters".

Thanks Mike. If any of these folks had been present when i recieved my first critique from Gil Cohen, they would know exactly what you are talking about. I probably would have stopped painting then and there if Paul Rendel hadn't been there to console me! A Gil Cohen critique is about as tough as it gets, but the great thing about his crits is that he is always dead on the money. Gil understands that in order for the student to learn, the teacher must sometimes be brutal.

I have to also add that I learned more from that class with Gil than i learned in 4 years of art school!

Russ