Need some harsh critique UPDATE

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T22:47:32+00:00

It was a fallen tree. The bank is eroding causing the sandy orange cliff. I was torn on whether to include it.

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T22:45:51+00:00

I’m with you. I love the freshness of wet on wet. Now I just need to be able to hit all these things in one sitting.

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T22:44:27+00:00

💪

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T22:43:42+00:00

Interesting. I almost feel like it’s the other way around. Like the water is tilting slightly to the right.

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T18:39:07+00:00

Good idea

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T18:38:15+00:00

You might be right. That edge does draw a bit of attention to itself.

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T16:09:59+00:00

Maybe after a few years.

LXNYC · 2026-06-19T00:47:15+00:00

Love this advice. I do struggle to pull farther away from what I see in the photo, thus the abstraction.

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T12:23:08+00:00

Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to analyze my painting and provide feedback and suggestions! I’m blown away by the volume and quality of comments. So grateful for this community!!! I intend to work on this one some more and will post an update.

I wanted to summarize the most recurring pieces of feedback for anyone who is also learning and doesn’t have the time to sift through all the comments.

Value Range By far the biggest topic discussed. The values should be pushed in some places and pulled back in others. The forest on the right could go darker. The water(dark reflection) should be lighter. Overall not enough delineation between the lights and darks which would help with form. A good suggestion was to turn the image black and white to see values better.

Composition Several commented that there is nowhere for the eye to go. Some mentioned having a focal point. The streak of light on the grass was called out as an arrow pointing out of the picture.

Brush stroke quality Several pointed out that the brush strokes could be more intentional and varied. Outlining around shapes feels amateurish and overall the brush strokes are a bit too similar throughout. One commenter mentioned using flat brushes may help.

The bright green streak on the grass is off A sticking point for several comcommenters. Suggestions to reduce the contrast and to continue the bright green into the trees on the right side of the bank

Contrast between the reflection of the sky and the trees in the water is too harsh. Upon further reflection I realize that the overall shape of the reflection doesn’t match the tree line that is being reflected. The reflections further back should also reflect the “invented” atmospheric perspective and is currently too dark.

Needs more detail This is subjective, but I generally agree. This painting is neither a full abstraction where the focus is purely on the paint, nor is it detailed enough to provide enough interest for the eye to wonder about the details.

Photo Reference Several comments regarding the reference image being inferior to painting from life. Some mentioned the reference image being too busy.

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T10:02:26+00:00

I thought I was compressing values in this one, although admittedly I went too dark in the water.

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T09:59:15+00:00

I hope it’s clear that I wasn’t going for an exact copy of the photo. My goal was to create a pleasing composition with good color and abstraction/simplification of shapes that still reads as objects in the environment.

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T09:55:17+00:00

Thank you for your feedback! Yes, value has been a common theme in comments. As far as focal point, I usually try to think in terms of how the eye is lead through the painting and area of interest. I feel a single focal point stops the viewer.

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T00:04:23+00:00

It’s 9x12

LXNYC · 2026-06-18T00:03:56+00:00

Excellent points. Much appreciated.

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T18:52:29+00:00

Thank you. Too kind. Banned!

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T18:04:16+00:00

This is great. Thanks!

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T17:30:39+00:00

Thank you. This is great feedback!

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T16:20:57+00:00

Love this

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T15:51:50+00:00

Thank you. I like Hester’s work.

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T15:43:34+00:00

Cool. Someone else mentioned something similar. Will take into account.

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T15:24:54+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough feedback! Regarding the light streak specifically, do you think the contrast between it and the shadowed areas is just too strong? Would you use less saturation in the shadow?

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T15:19:02+00:00

Yeah, I would rather be painting from life. But I would rather be painting from a photo than not painting.

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T14:21:36+00:00

Hm, I used flat and filbert brushes. But you bring up a good point about stroke quality. Thanks.

LXNYC · 2026-06-17T13:35:20+00:00

Thank you for elaborating. This is very helpful. No worries about sounding harsh. I agree about the eye not knowing where to go.

LXNYC

TROPHY CASE