[Jim Fitzgerald]

I asked  this under the main streaming section, but I’m still not sure if this is the right place for my questions (materials for the course in/from week 1), but here goes.

In the first week, it was suggested he initial layout should be done on a sheet of watercolor paper, but I’m wondering if it should be hot press or cold press. I’m assuming hot press because it has a smoother surface, but a little clarification would be great. Also, I think 16″ x 20″ is a common size (as opposed to 22×30) for some brands such as Arches, perhaps there are more.

I’m also wondering if there’s a recommendation where to get a similar porte-crayon to what Joshua is using. Also, could you provide more information on the leads (diameter and source)?

Thanks for the help.

Jim

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I’m not sure if this is the right place for my questions (materials for the course in/from week 1), but here goes.

It’s suggested to do the initial layout on a sheet of watercolor paper, but it doesn’t specify whether it should be hot press or cold press (in the UK, this is NOT). I’m assuming hot press because it has a smoother surface, but a little clarification would be great. Also, I believe 16″x20″ is a standard size for some brands such as Arches, perhaps there are more.

I’m also wondering if there’s a recommendation where to get a similar porte-crayon to what Joshua is using. Also, could you provide more information on the leads (diameter and source)?

Thanks for the help.

 

Jim

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Jim Fitzgerald.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Any chance of getting the text for this module and this course? It seems to have fallen off before the end of module 3, but they certainly help a lot for/when making notes. Thanks for any updates and feedback!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I think the grouping will help, but there was a noticeable omission…. Where is the still life painting track?

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Week 2 – 11. The Hour of the Muse

Hmmmm.   Does the muse sound like a duck at 00:28?   😉

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Jim Fitzgerald.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Been waiting for a long time for more landscape courses (the design course announced in 2019, etc…). I was hoping they would start showing up in 2020, but….. Sigh… We all know how that went…

Anyway, all new landscape courses are great IMO.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Thank you!!!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I love classical music, piano, etc.  and I know you can’t please everyone, but the selections in the timed life drawing sessions are not relaxing for me. At all….

I find them disturbing enough that I have to mute them…. Immediately… Oh well…

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Wow… Beautiful!!!    🙂

 

 

Where does one get a “waterdrop blender”?

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Both versions (regular and high speed views) are great IMO. The (time lapse) high speed views give you a different perspective on how pieces come together, and speaking for myself, increases my understanding. I’ve found them particularly interesting in Ben Fenske’s landscape course too!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Why not just watch the Linear Perspective Master Course? It already has everything you need, you just need to invest the time.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

That’s great! I’ve wanted more images too, so I’m looking forward to it.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Your light is actually behind the subjects (back lighting), but your shadows make the light appear to be coming straight down.

You need to pick one; overhead vs back/rim lighting and show them in that context. I think James Gurney has a book (Color and Light) that might help.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

You definitely captured her likeness, but the image looks a little flat and appears as if the portrait itself was pasted on a background; the sitter should be “in” the same atmosphere as the background, which is exactly how she appears in the photo. A painting – or a portrait in this case – is a “whole”, comprising the subject(s) and the background; they are not separate things, just different parts of the whole.

Adjust the background or try adjusting the skin and hair so it’s “in the same light”, adjust the hair and shoulder edges (neutralize and soften the edges) so they roll off into the background (her left shoulder works better than her right). As another poster mentioned, you may also want to soften the nasal labial folds (lines from the nose down toward the mouth), and the marionette (or “puppet”) lines from the corners of the mouth down to the jaw; they may appear dark, but should have a small, softer, rolling plane into them.

Search for and study some other portraits. There are obviously many to choose from, but look at “the best”. Study Sargent for some nonpareil examples, or even Cesar Santos for a wonderful contemporary perspective, or your personal favorites.

Good luck and sorry to hear about her passing.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Jim Fitzgerald.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

Great job! I like it!

Since it is a critique, the only thing I’d suggest is to possibly make a minor value adjustment. I realize that it might also just be how jpgs look on different different monitors, but to me it appears that your lightest value “masses” are on the right and left edges; they definitely pull my eye.

It’s not a whole value step (ref: a 9-value scale following Munsell with black = 1 to white = 9) , and may just be a quarter to a half value, but it’s definitely there. I know they’re (the masses) not white in the original but they’re large enough to notice, and with the dark-light roof line contrast on the right and the brighter spot on the left, I can’t stop looking.

I might knock them down a little (again, 1/4 -1/2 value or whatever it is in reality). I used your image to slightly darken the values on the edges in photoshop – without changing anything else but you could increase the value elsewhere if you wanted (and I might), but it’s all up to you. Thanks for posting the original.

 

• This reply was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by Jim Fitzgerald.

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