[Diane Cameron]

Hi Josseline, I was trying to find your painting but I’m getting lost in the threads.  I just wanted to say that I really liked your painting that Charles critiqued.  You have a beautiful soft palette and nice brushwork in that piece.  I agreed that turning that rutabaga (if that’s what it was) around to point toward the centre would help. I’ll try to find the other ones you posted.

I saw your post about a drawing schedule.  I’ve been drawing almost every day for around 2 years and it’s amazing how your drawing can improve if you practice a lot. Even if you don’t have a lot of time you can do a quick sketch of your hand or something on your desk, and that keeps your eye practiced.  I sometimes feel scattered because there’s so much I want to do too.  I’m trying to think of it as “so much wants to come out” to be more positive.  If I were you I’d decide what appeals to you most and try to draw that most of the time, whether it’s portraits, still life, landscape, etc.  Or if you think you need to work on volume, for example, you could choose subjects that help with that.  Personally, I find I draw a lot of portraits since I’m interested in faces and what they say about a person so that tends to be what I do most, but not exclusively.  Be creative.  As long as you’re drawing regularly I wouldn’t be too concerned about finding the right subject.  That will come with time.

[Diane Cameron]

Thanks, Max.  I do the head and face first and then tend to leave it the way it is for fear of messing things up so I appreciate your suggestion to go back and darken the darks and fix the value problems.  I’d put this painting aside but will go back to it and do just that.

[Diane Cameron]

Hi John, nice portrait! Since our eye is drawn to the hair because it’s so bright, I think that if you put more contrast in her hair by showing the change in value such as at the level of her neck, you’d create more volume in the hair and it would harmonize with the face and be a more pleasing overall image. I’d also give more attention to at least the top half of her neck to act as a base for the image, otherwise it looks a bit cut off.  It’s nice that you used coloured paper–good choice!  Keep at it, your rendering of the face shows that you have a very good eye.

[Diane Cameron]

Hi, I really like your long study. The only thing I notice is that the ear looks a bit short but other than that it’s a beautiful portrait. Your shorter drawings answer the question What’s the person doing? and show movement, which is great. Keep practicing, you’re doing really well!

[Diane Cameron]

Sandra, this is a beautiful painting. I love the soft colours you’ve used in the background and the brushwork that makes it look like pastel. Since the ear is closer to us than the eye, I think it needs as much definition as the eye.  Ears aren’t hard to draw once you get the hang of it.

[Diane Cameron]

Alejandra, these are really nice drawings. You have a good eye. Once you start putting shadows under the objects you’ll be amazed at how it creates depth. Keep drawing, every day if you can. It’s the best way to improve—practice, practice, practice.

[Diane Cameron]

Hi Josseline, I responded the other day but I just realized it didn’t work so here’s my response again. I’m using a set of Permalba oil paint made by Weber and you’re right, some of them seem to have too much oil although others are quite stiff. It’s supposed to be professional quality but I’ll buy another brand next time.  For now I’m using linseed oil to thin out the ones that are stiff.  Have you ever tried using the Zorn palette? Cad. red medium, yellow ochre, black and white.  That’s what I’m using until I feel more at ease painting portraits.  It gives you one less thing to think about and really makes beautiful skin tones.  I’ve worked on the painting Joshua critiqued and still need to do some adjusting to the background.  I started a self-portrait yesterday so that’s what I’m working on now.  I didn’t see what you submitted on the website but I’ll check again.  I saw that you were having trouble posting. Best, Diane

[Diane Cameron]

Hi Josseline, so nice of you to reach out! My goal when I do art is to express what I feel when I look at a subject so I really appreciate your feedback that you felt what I was trying to convey.  I do a lot of live model drawing but the community centres are closed so my husband has been posing for me.   I did a sketch with paint diluted with thinner before I started painting and then I used paint straight out of the tube, no medium.  I find that medium makes it hard to cover the canvas because the paint gets too thin, maybe because I don’t tend to use a lot of paint to begin with.

[Diane Cameron]

This was so helpful! I’ve been following the lessons on NMA for a few years now and all I was missing was feedback from an experienced artist. It really gave me a boost. Thanks so much, Joshua.

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