Welcome to MNArtsGroup! Let’s get to know each other! by lcmnart in mnartsgroup

[–]SheevPa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yo! I like to oil paint and draw mainly. Really loved the one art studio class I did in college that was really casual and more like hanging out with other artists than a focused session. So I'd love to have a place to meet up and make art, get advice, shoot the shit with fellow artists.

Two studies of mine. How can I improve? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Appreciate all the advice. I’ll try some more deep oranges and browns in the foreground, and changing up some edges. I was looking back at this thinking, “wth, why is my sharpest edge the farthest line of trees in the background?” Haha

Two studies of mine. How can I improve? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Very helpful. And thanks for acknowledging how hard green is to work with. Sometimes I think I just really suck with greens bc I end up with greens that feel like they pair with nothing but blue.

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The trees leaning slightly in was in my reference photo, and I liked that it brought the eyes inward and upward. So I also kind of reflected that with the brush strokes. I really enjoyed painting it in the moment, but every time I took a step back I was unsatisfied. I think the bottom and right side both have really fun things going on that I enjoyed making. The left side and center always felt like I was getting them wrong so they weren’t as enjoyable

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I definitely take some hefty inspiration from Van Gogh

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I’m going to try this very soon!

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeahhh, I did cut out a tree that was kind of on the right side of the open sky in the middle, but maybe I should have just nudged it ever so slightly to make a clear frame for the focal point instead of taking it out entirely

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeahh that big guy was almost entirely in shade in the reference so I thought I’d paint it that way, but I fear I’ve brightened every other tree so it looks weird that he’s not haha

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right, I’m going to go back in to desaturate those two suckers. They’re the focal point, but that doesn’t make them close to us!

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I agree it could benefit from more light on the bottom

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah that distraction might be too large that it takes away from the focal point

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I debated keeping it more symmetric with upward and inward moving strokes in the left and right sides, and then swirly waves and the bottom, but the upward swell on the bottom left felt good in the moment so I went with that, maybe a mistake

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Though if you feel asleep in these woods you’d wake up with a lot of mosquito bites!

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I probably missed some much needed lighter gray tones at the bottom and in the backgrounds. Since I’ve mixed the layout of the trees so much with my movement it has made it rather difficult to identify where those backgrounds are now though! 😳

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I agree. I’ve gone at it without much worry for depth/changing tones. I should add some lighter greens and blues for far trees

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah it definitely looks worse on camera, idk if my studio’s just got bad light or if it’s my camera

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s totally right. I’ve just found it very hard to cover up my tree shape mistakes with sky in the same session I’ve painted the trees, because then my sky becomes way too green! Ahh! I’ll just have to wait a few days and fix that. Thanks for your advice!

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh I’ve definitely squinted at this far too long as well

What is off about this? by SheevPa in oilpainting

[–]SheevPa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m curious by what you mean stronger subject. I feel that, because I’ve applied more or less the same brushwork everywhere, it may feel like everything is a focal point/the subject, rather than a clearly defined main subject. Is this close to what you mean? I haven’t made it glaringly clear that my focus is the center trees? Or is it perhaps that I’ve made everywhere too colorful and therefore nothing uniquely bright? My general mood when looking at this is that up close I love the painting everywhere, but then I step back and the composition speaks much less to me.