I'm trying to paint an old fiddle case up against an old radiator in an old derelict house .....does it give that impression at all?
Here is an updated photograph.....as it is not finished you C&C is most welcome....
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It certainly looks dingy, almost drab over all. Add some darker darks and lighter lights to give it more appeal. Because it's old doesn't mean it has to be dull. I like the composition and the idea a lot.
ReplyDeleteOh I like this one Anne!
ReplyDeleteI would lighten the floor tiles (that are in shadow) a bit with the grayish blue colour you have on the case, to give some reflective light there. You could add some cobwebs coming from the radiator to the case or maybe some rubbish on the floor i.e. pieces of old newspaper or a picture on the wall.
Just a little tip...to make a composition work you need at least three elements and also check out the rule of thirds http://painting.about.com/library/blpaint/blcompositionclass2.htm
I love the idea. I honestly did not know it was a fiddle case at first glance/
ReplyDeleteI have posted an enhanced picture of your painting with the "Rule of Thirds" grid over it. Ree what is wrong with this composition, can you please explain it to me, thanks.
Anne I love the idea, I love the composition.
I do think it is a great idea to buy a piece of acetate and mark it into thirds and use it as a guide for our pai9ntings. Doesn't hurt to make sure we are on the right track. I rely on my eye, but at times I could do with this tool. I have one here too, with the red dots in the corners, one of my past students made a heap of them for class oneday.
I think you did pretty good withthe perspective of the tiles, but something is not quite right here. I hope you post this in the OC forum for Corby to look at. I agree about darkening the darks and lightening the lights. Don't use straight white gesso, use white gesso with a little blue in it for the black case and white gesso with a little raw sienna in it for the floor and other lighter area's. Pure white is too harsh, and I need to remind myself not to use it too, especially when I am in a hurry.
I know you love using black, and black gesso, ;-) but just for once do me a favour, and mix your blacks with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna, and use that in your next painting. Promise!!! Mix up a batch of it and put it in an old 35 mil film container or a pull bottle that is airtight. Ask your Chemist if he has anything if you don't. I have even used baby food jars, that I collected from Roslyn when she was here a couple of years ago. I also bought a whole heap of possum palette container on sale once too, and I have used them for my premixed colours.
Thanks for your very helpful comments folks ....just what I need.
ReplyDeleteThis rule of thirds .....as the fiddle case is going through 2 of the red dots does that make it ok?
Anne I love your updated post. The lights are really good.
ReplyDeleteI really love this painting, anything to do with musical instruments excites me..;-)
Great work on the update, Anne!;)
ReplyDeleteYou have some good reflective light in the shadow of the floor.
The case is great, looks solid, rounded, weathered and old!
COI (subject) going through two dots is OK Anne but it's much better if more as the painting tends to look cut in half.
Tip... don't put the COI dead smack in the middle though, as it stops the viewer's eye from travelling around the painting...it needs to be off centre!
Well done Anne! You are getting to be an expert on painting fiddle cases!;)
Hope you soon get the fiddle out and start painting it too!! LOL
Now Anne, don't pull a machine gun out of that case, But, I would say you are on the right track, but you lightened the whole painting, which is too much. You need light and dark highlights to give it contrast and interest.
ReplyDeleteAn item doesn't look nearly as interesting in a well lit room as it does when you see it in a dimly lit room or if it's lit from one side. That kind of lighting adds drama to the work.
The rule of thirds is important, but not written in stone either. The case is close enough to the first third line. You don't want the composition to be lopsided either, especially when there is only one focus of interest (the case) in the pic. So the composition is ok, but the light is off.
Go back to the still life pics I sent you to see what I mean aobut dramatic ligting. (Or Click meeee #8 in the WC Open Forum Archives)
I would like to add my piece here Bruce. Firstly those still life photo's of yours, the ones I have seen, are wanting. They are not good examples to go by, unless you sent Anne something that we didn't see.
ReplyDeleteThis painting is not dingy! One has to Acrylics do not always photograph well. I know that the photo's I took of the puffins have none of the vibrancy of the paintings.
Rules were made to be broken yes, but one must absolutely know the rules before they can break them.
I agree that intense lights against intense darks are most dramatic, but that is not the only way to add interest to a painting. Look at the elements in the picture. How many are there? An uneven number make the picture more interesting, and differences in sizes do too. Think of big - medium - small. Have those three sizes in every picture and you are ahead.
This painting has two of those elements. The radiator and the fiddle case. Two elements, two sizes. It really does need one more.
What would I add? I was thinking an upturned hat on the floor in the shadows.
Chipped paint on the wall.
A hole in the wall.
A rag through the handle of the fiddle case or dropped on the floor.
Who can think of something else. Get your thinking caps on.
This is a learning blog, come on guys.
AS for photographing acrylics, any suggestions on how to get sharp true to life pictures would be greatly appreciated.