Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Third Session with portrait- Ava Dawn...12"x 9" oil on linen

Difficult being satisfied with just the right adjustments on photoshop to get every color and value right here.  Might have to retake photo of work outside, but it is fairly close...

I tweaked anatomy...pushed values and color, worked on hair, added a barrette, worked on garment...and believe I'm very near finishing...at least in concept and aim where I wanted enough sense of realism in an abstract environment...which I think I have accomplished.  This is a gift for my wife...as we add to a wall of her painting that of her grandchildren.  We will add more paintings of course as the vision of our own son's expand.  Hee heee..  Three or four years, and it will be Addison's turn... 8^)

This is Jason and Kat's younger daughter...just a beautiful spirited little girl, who loves to dance!!!


6 comments:

KEH said...

I was looking through all the blogs i follow via blogger and I saw this post/ the picture of the painting. It immediately stood out (in a good way :)! It has that perfect amount of looseness to make the subject really come to life and not look overly stiff or academic. Just wanted to say how impressed I was at the technique.

PS- for photoshop if you go to "image" in the menubar (top row during all apps - next to file, then edit) and select - auto-color (let it process), then autocontrast, finally auto-tone this combination usually produces a fairly good result. OH and I recommend creating a new layer when you do this (if you only have one it's going to be the "back-round" and ps won't let you do much). Hope this helps and if you already knew this trick sorry to restate it!

Katie
http://www.art-aid.net/

Larry Seiler said...

thanks Katie..

Always a positive thing when one wishes to help another, and I appreciate it thank you...

I actually teach a computer graphic arts course at our local high school, (there regular visual arts program as well), and online..

I don't like trusting the adjustments to auto, preferring the manual options to closer satisfy my eye. Sometimes...it begins with the object taking the photo with enhancement software only capable of doing so much. In this case, if I take the photo outdoors, adjusting one aspect of the image with photoshop won't arbitrarily affect something else negatively. Well, perhaps not as much..

thanks much...it was a fun project, and I signed this painting this morning now seeing the morning after. Think it is finished...and, funny how that sudden empty "now what?" hits an artist. hahaa..

Helder FC Vieira said...

Hi Larry,
I've been in Spain for a while, so didn't post anything in my blog and didn't comment as I usually do.

After decades of painting You're still growing in every painting.
Amazing.

"Now what?" you ask.

From an artist to another, let me tease you in a very positive way.

May I humbly suggest... well... what about a gouache?
Something with strong values on the shade side, because I find it admirable the way you deal with that kind of values and the relationship with lit areas, as in your "Bear Tooth Creek" gouache.

Helder

Larry Seiler said...

Thanks Helder...as dark encroaches the day and painting outdoors isn't much an option til weekends, I turn to studio works...larger instudio landscapes, portraits...and my near nitely habit painting gouache pictures hunkered down in the living space. I have an assignment of sorts, also a challenge...to broaden out and take on some illustration jobs. More than likely much of which would be gouache.

Better for me actually...since my oils use of copal medium indoors isn't perhaps best for my breathing...having a 30% respiratory disability. We'll see how things go for awhile.

My approaches to gouache are similar to oil in some aspects.

Dean H. said...

Great portrait, Larry! Thanks for the progress shots and commentary.

luscious said...

HI Larry, I just wanted to say that your paintings and your tutorials have been a source of inspiration to me! Thank you,
Amanda