my next subject. Samantha WIP

Ezra

Ezra

Forgiveness

She's beautiful. I like the first photo for the pose, the light and  the contrast, and her portrait is a beautiful face, but prefer if her ears were fully included. Thanks much for sharing.

Ezra

Well she doesn't have most of hers ears, so it is a little difficult to know what to do.

Forgiveness

I like the photo as is, she has a very beautiful face and eyes, the lighting and the composition really do work well.

Ezra

Yes. She is the real art.

Ezra

I'm looking again. Based on what you said. The first one does have better lighting but I think the other one is cuter. Decisions are hard

Boudicca

Beautiful girl 
what happened to her ears? If you don’t mind me asking.

Ezra

She's a rescue dog. I dont knowbher history, but,  Bedoins do that to dogs. She was barely alive when the police found her.

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

mikenwales

Great brushwork I like impressionism   

Ezra

It's impressionism now because I'm not finished

Julianna

Very nice!

BOB73

This is doggone good. I like the warmth of the colors and hope it will remain in the finished painting.

Ezra

It won't.

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

I'm going to leave it for a few days and then finish. Time should provide insights.

Ezra

Although it's Linda tempting to leave it like it is

Ezra

Kinda

Ezra

I might be turning into van Gogh. Totally accidental. A little unnerving.

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

Boy it really is starting to look like can gogh

Ezra

Van

BOB73

I see some areas where the paint is so thin, canvas is showing through then other spots where the paint is piled on thickly. the subject, colors and brush work are all very interesting and painterly but also a feeling of being incomplete.

tassieguy

@Ezra, it's coming along nicely but (assuming you are aiming for a high degree of realism) your job would have been made so much easier if you had first painted the canvas a dark tone like that in the inside of her ear. This unifies everything and prevents the problem of white patches pointed to by @BOB73. And painting the canvas first with oil paint in a neutral dark provides a lovely toothy surface on which to apply further paint. As it is now, you are going to have to somehow fill those white areas.

Ezra

BOB73 said:

I see some areas where the paint is so thin, canvas is showing through then other spots where the paint is piled on thickly. the subject, colors and brush work are all very interesting and painterly but also a feeling of being incomplete.

Maybe I shouldn't do this anymore. Of course it feels incomplete. It's not finished. Duh.

Ezra

tassieguy said:

@Ezra, it's coming along nicely but (assuming you are aiming for a high degree of realism) your job would have been made so much easier if you had first painted the canvas a dark tone like that in the inside of her ear. This unifies everything and prevents the problem of white patches pointed to by @BOB73. And painting the canvas first with oil paint in a neutral dark provides a lovely toothy surface on which to apply further paint. As it is now, you are going to have to somehow fill those white areas.

You assumed too much. And it's not canvas, it's panel. This is how I do it. I don't like the dark undercoat. Its gets in the way. The old timers on the list all have heard my rant in this already.

Ezra

I did two studies which were very similar. One was on white and the other stained and the white background was 2x better. I'm not going to do dark undercoats again except in very specific circumstances.

Ezra

Ezra

Ezra

The second one is so much happier and better.

tassieguy

Ok, @Ezra. Just trying to be helpful. 

Bobitaly

Well @Ezra the misunderstanding with @tassieguy is that in a realism forum we aim for realism..in nature there are not random white spot of white on a coloured surface. On a side note..the painting you said is more happier..u can obtain that also painting on toned canvas using lighter values for the paint..Because if I am not wrong is not that the white is showing through but only lighter than the first, plus if u use opaque pigment the background is not visible..u see only the spot where there is no paint. Hope.it helps.

BOB73

Happy painting, happy painter! Bill Alexander 

Ezra

Sorry. I was just a bit cranky guys. I have teenagers.

Summer

I'd love to see what you can do or have done with crayons because your paintings seem to have the same multiple color quality and energy (vitality and drive).  Just a thought.    

Ezra

Summer said:

I'd love to see what you can do or have done with crayons because your paintings seem to have the same multiple color quality and energy (vitality and drive).  Just a thought.    

Thanks. Well interestingly maybe I did some work with chalk pastel where I did color blending and layering. Thanks. I dunno about crayons though.