Title and Medium
This painting is acrylic on stretched canvas, 16" by 20". The color is burnt umber, with titanium white. For the background, I painted it solid burnt umber and then used a palette knife to apply pure white to try and make it look like an antique plaster wall. I have titled it, "Independence".
Artist's Statement
I'm a newbie, this is my first submission for the monthly projects. I have been trying to learn more about the importance of tone and value contrasts, so I really enjoyed this painting project. The subject is one of my daughters, and this painting is based on a video I took of her dancing on her first fourth of July after coming to the US to join our family.
What I'd Do Differently
- I think I've thought most about the placement of the figure on the canvas. I was trying really hard to not center it, but I wonder if I should have centered it enough for both of her hands to be completely visible. I also wonder about different placements in thinking if it would be a more dramatic if I cropped her more.
Marion Boddy-Evans, Painting Guide, says:
If a figure (or any element in a composition) is going to go off the edge, it's generally preferable to have a chunk of it off rather than just a little. It wants to feel deliberate, not accidental, to avoid the risk that it simply looks like you ran out of space.
In this pose, I think I would've positioned the figure so both hands were in the composition, or cropped the arm nearer the elbow. You could change the angle on her arm, so it's lower down; that would give you space to fit it all in. Also, check the size of the feet and hands; measure and compare them to the size of the face. They're often bigger than we think.
Glad you enjoyed the project, and great to have you join in the painting projects. Your painting has a lovely use of tone, and I'd say you've definitely got to grips well with it!
