Grandmother portrait

[tostra]

Portrait of my grandmother - her present for christmas. Something doesn´t seem right with this one, could you give me any advice?


40x60cm, Acrylic on canvas.

[ehoeveler]

Um, I don't see anything 'not right. Maybe a little
overworking of the cheeks and forehead...
The feeling I get from this piece is that Grandma
looks really scared. Seriously, I'm reminded of a
Jewish prisoner being herded onto a train by the
Nazis, to ride to a death camp.
Can you make her a little more happy? ehoeveler

[tostra]

Now I see what bothered me. Thank you.

[eddieblz]

I was thinking the same thing E. But to me she kind of of looked alone and abandoned. She has a look of despair and fright on her face and the large empty space around her magnifies the feeling. Still a beautiful piece thou. Love your work. Ed

[tostra]

This is the painting now. The light is a bit wrong( greeny light), I´ll try to get a better picture in the daylight, but I´m quite happy with this one. Might darken the eye-white and the shade between the eyes, or not. I need to look at it fresh.

[Amigone]

I was going to suggest using some warmer colors but it looks like you got it .

[ehoeveler]

Agree, Amigone.
Tostra, she looks better but
her lower lip looks necrotic and
what's with that bullet-riddled background?
Swear to God she looks like she's inside
an abandoned soccer stadium.
Is there something I'm missing, here?
'Best, E.

[tostra]

Agreed with the lower lip. About the background - well i had an idea how it should look, when finished, it was quite random and irrelevant (thanks to you, ehoeveler, i saw it). Now I made some corrections and covered the background with something I cant explain, I wanted some 3D effect and just made it without thinking what I was doing. I do like the bullets and splatters though and decided to leave some of them. Painted the pic from a photo done when she didn´t expect it, to capture some real emotion. You cant fake a photo when you´re not ready for it.

Still not the best pic about the painting, but it´s dark already outside, and I have some yellow light-bulbs in my room, so cant really expect a clear shot with a phone-camera. But it feels better.

[Amigone]

Happy to see you didn't completely drop the abstract grunge background you had there. The newest version looks like an old photo that is beginning to fade. Which is pretty sweet. And honestly, she kind of looks like my grandma. So that's pretty neat for me.

I would like to see a little more warmth in her face and figure however, if you change nothing at all its still great.

[tostra]

Thank you, Ill try to take a better picture tomorrow.

[eddieblz]

This is cool watching this works progress. I like the warmer colors you put in. I also see that you softened her a little. The first two looked like she was up against a wall waiting for the firing squad. Now she has the look of a happy grandma on her way to market. Nice work!!!

[ehoeveler]

Tostra, I'm sure she'll like it
no matter what! Good Luck. ehoeveler

[tostra]

click image for full size

Now it´s finished and I´m happy with it.

[Amigone]

Love it. It looks so playful and warm.

[ehoeveler]

Ok, this is a test, isn't it, Joe?
You're trying me, I know.
Amigone, please don't make me laugh.
Tostra, if you are who you say you are, why would you
put a big black schmear over your Granny's mouth?
Are we missing the bit of family history that would make
this 'loving ode' to a family matriarch little
more understandable? Just askin', thas' all...Ehoeveler

[tostra]

Well, the light is from above, as she is really standing under the lamp, but actually I wanted the eyes to say more, than everything else about the face. Eyes tell the story of life, if a person is old, and the eyes still smile, then they have lived a lovely life. She is a tough granny, 67 and still works as a mailman every weekday (actually in Estonia there was a competition of the best mailman from the whole country, and she came in second, and she is proud), actually having a PhD in chemestry. So in my mind, the mouth didn´t matter at all.

Maybe it sounds like I´m making excuses, but I find that this way is the way I see her.

[ehoeveler]

I blame myself for pushing you down the
wrong path in this portrait. This is what makes
me want to not be too specific in my crits because now,
the first portrait looks great in comparison.
OK, Tostra, if you and she like it,
that's the most important thing! E

[tostra]

Your critique helped me a lot and it´s welcome anytime.

[ehoeveler]

Thanks, my friend. ehoeveler