Fruitless WIP

Roxy

Thought I'd try and sneak in a small painting (12x9in) before I head away on holidays, but it looks like it won't be until the new year before I get back to it (I started about 3 weeks ago but have been unable to make much progress). I raided the fruit bowl and took a quick photo as a source - maybe too quick as I think the fruit is probably too big for the plate. Oh well, its all practice. 

Any comments and suggestions welcome.

tassieguy

The plate already looks amazing, @Roxy. Knowing how good you are at flawless rendering (your boy's portrait for example) I reckon this is going to be a little gem.  

BOB73

the tray looks perfect already. the banana reflection is great. Drives me nuts trying to paint from pics with borders, I cut them off.

alsart

Looking good 

Boudicca

Looking good @Roxy, don’t forget to soften any edges if you don’t get to finish it before you head off  

Roxy

Thanks guys. @Bob73, I tend to agree but didn't bother cutting the edges off for this one. Good advice @Boudicca, my portrait where I let a hard edge dry was a valuable lesson for that! 
 

Forgiveness

Looking fantastic, nice background. Are you working on canvas?

Roxy

Back from holidays so found some time to finish this. @Forgiveness, its on a small (12 x 9) aluminium panel, coated with acrylic primer.

I still don't think the composition is great (middle mango too big; plate too small), but I'd been keen to hear anyone else's thoughts or suggestions, on any part of this painting. I'll likely not do anything else to it, but any critique would be welcome for next time.

One thing - I painted the banana and the smaller mango using the method I fell into in my first two paintings (lay in the colours, then poke and prod and monkey around with it until I was happy). For the middle mango I tried to just mix and lay in the colour, and then leave it, warts and all. Its my first baby steps towards trying to get a more painterly feel. Nothing like the wonderful brushwork of say Kingston or @Kaustav, but its a start...

Thanks for looking 

tassieguy

I'm only seeing this on my cell phone, @Roxy, but looks exquisite. Values, colour, edges all look beautiful. And I think the composition is fine - it has a calm, stillness that I find very appealing. Well done! 

PaulB

Excellent study.  The shadows are gorgeous.

To me, that banana lacks some 3d aspect in that it doesn't appear to recede far enough on the plate to fit behind the mango.  But that might be simply because it's pointing right at me, and I'm not perceiving it properly.

alsart

Very good, in fact great 

BOB73

Good enough for a million-dollar superbowl advertisement from the fruitgrowers' guild. Those are Clydesdale Mangoes, right?

Kaustav

Really juicy!

Forgiveness

I think this is a wonderful piece all around, delicious looking fruit, it's a good composition. These are attractive looking shadows but I also sense that maybe a little more contrast is needed, and little more reflected red in the banana where it meets with the mango as well, on the left side as in the photo, might help with the perspective on that. 

oilpainter1950

This is a beautiful painting.  I can't offer any criticism at all.  Every painting I've ever seen will have something not quite right, but I don't see anything to do to this one.

Roxy

Thanks for taking the time to look @tassieguy, @alsart, @Kaustav & @oilpainter1950. @BOB73, are you horsing around with me? I believe they are called 'Calypso' here in oz.

@movealonghome, @Forgiveness & @PaulB - good observations, that I think are all related to the tricks we use (or try to use) to fool the viewer into thinking they are looking at a 3d object. I agree, a bit more variety in edges and a bit of targeted contrast and colour particularly on the nana could have helped a bit more with that. Thanks again 

Datura

Wonderful light and colours. I love the way you painted the fruit in the middle.

MikeDerby

Really wonderful.  I wish I could paint a straight line that well.  The foreshortening on the banana is a masters class.

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