From the Artist: I am new to acrylics but I can see some definite benefits this medium. I am surprised by the range of colors that can be created! I wanted to use an expressive style so my colors could be more vibrant than the subject warrants. I tend to fiddle too much with a painting so the limited color palette is a blessing. The composition could be stronger. I believe I have too much foreground. I enjoyed this assignment and think I will continue to limit my colors in paintings.
From the Painting Guide: Using realistic colors is but one option available to you and there's no rule to say you can't make the colors as vibrant as you wish, regardless of the subject. You're the artist, it's your painting, and your vision for the painting!
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: I would agree that there's too much foreground. It not only distracts my eye from the pears, but also makes them feel squashed up against the top edge of the painting. That said, I like the way you've painted the table -- the visually intriguing color (rather than being one flat color), the sense of it existing in space away from me. And if I hold my hand up to crop off some of the table, I find I miss it. Maybe it wants another small element on the front of the table, such as a small fruit knife?
Background: Look at how color has been used to create a background that's interesting but doesn't compete with the focus of the painting for attention. It does what it's supposed to, which is to provide an interesting setting. Notice how the brushmarks are totally different to those in the pears and table.
Shadows: Set up three pears again and spend time observing where the shadows are. Both those thrown by the pears (cast shadows) and those caused by light not reaching the undersides of the pears (form shadows). Look where the highlight or brightest points are.
Then have another look at the shadows in your painted pears, which I feel lack the darkest shadows and the lightest highlight. I would add the former by glazing a layer or two of the "table color", and the highlight with a thin mixture of white with a touch of yellow (rather do multiple glazes than one thick layer of paint).
See also: Painting Shadows: Cast Shadows and Form Shadows
From the Painting Guide: Using realistic colors is but one option available to you and there's no rule to say you can't make the colors as vibrant as you wish, regardless of the subject. You're the artist, it's your painting, and your vision for the painting!
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: I would agree that there's too much foreground. It not only distracts my eye from the pears, but also makes them feel squashed up against the top edge of the painting. That said, I like the way you've painted the table -- the visually intriguing color (rather than being one flat color), the sense of it existing in space away from me. And if I hold my hand up to crop off some of the table, I find I miss it. Maybe it wants another small element on the front of the table, such as a small fruit knife?
Background: Look at how color has been used to create a background that's interesting but doesn't compete with the focus of the painting for attention. It does what it's supposed to, which is to provide an interesting setting. Notice how the brushmarks are totally different to those in the pears and table.
Shadows: Set up three pears again and spend time observing where the shadows are. Both those thrown by the pears (cast shadows) and those caused by light not reaching the undersides of the pears (form shadows). Look where the highlight or brightest points are.
Then have another look at the shadows in your painted pears, which I feel lack the darkest shadows and the lightest highlight. I would add the former by glazing a layer or two of the "table color", and the highlight with a thin mixture of white with a touch of yellow (rather do multiple glazes than one thick layer of paint).
See also: Painting Shadows: Cast Shadows and Form Shadows