The National Gallery in Washington, DC. I uploaded the original about 5 years ago. Now I have been learning how to use Painter. Thought I would show a before and after and get some feedback from the forum.
This is where I started from…
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Nice result …
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It is a nice result, Klaidlaw, but I think you need to get your soft, small brush out and paint out at a certain opacity, some smaller details. Bring them back, Mate.
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An eloquent image that beckons to adorn somebody’s living room wall. IMHO more detail would be detrimental to the ambiance of the image. Just my opinion.
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Lovely work …
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The artist I have been following recommends being VERY judicious about bringing back details from a photograph because this is supposed to be a painting, and you can make it look like it was cloned from a photograph too easily. I tried to follow that advice in this painting, but my own reaction, as a photographer, was that I wanted to bring back more detail to the figures on the fountain. I went back and forth several times, adding and removing details. This is where I finally said enough. I might do another version with a bit more sharping, but I do worry about bringing back too much. The edges quickly become too crisp and unpainterly. This is only my third attempt at “painting” an image, and I don’t have the control of the brushes that I hope to eventually master.
I went back and spent some more time on the figures. What do you think now? It isn’t a great deal of detail, but I can see a difference between the two images.
fair comment - and I think in retrospect — perhaps you may have been right the first time around with this image
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You have a great job for your early attempts at painting. I understand your judicious attempt not to go too far. But I think you have gone too far in both directions. The first painting held no detail at all in the fountain. That is where it was needed to give it some depth.
What you have done here is pleasing to my eye and still looks like a painting, and very well done. I actually like this better, but it is a matter of personal taste. For me, I think you have taken the tree too far, as well as the background. I think those elements need to fade into the background to bring the foreground forward.
If it was me, I would make the absolute focus the fountain, as you have done, _but tone it down just a _touch__. Then tone down the foreground, but not as much as the background. Then you will achieve the focus on the fountain and depth overall.
Obviously the final decision is what is most pleasing to your eye, Klaidlaw. But I hope we have all given you some options to work with. Fabulous job - whatever direction pleases you most.
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It is difficult to get out of photographer mode. I’ve been taking photographs for close to 50 years and I have been teaching myself to paint for about 50 days. Thanks for the feedback. I don’t plan on becoming the next Matisse for at least another couple years, but we all have to have dreams.
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I like them both but the transformation to a painting is awesome!
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