Nancy Speaker, QPSA, PPSA
May 2023 - Still Life
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
I saw a similar image on a Pinterest page and set up a still life with these vegetables to create my own. Then painted using the Mixer Brush. I have attached two originals with one showing my set up. I find my lights are too bright but the beauty of the Mixer Brush is I can handle burn out spots easily. I am trying to paint looser and break the edges a bit. Still working on this.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
9 comments posted
A great rendition of this future salad! I know what you mean about having a hard time "breaking edges." But, you handled those edges perfectly. Your choices of highlights, shadows and shading made this a very three dimensional image for me and I love that.
My only suggestion is this: I know that you wanted to paint looser, and you've accomplished that. However, the tomatoes, onion and garlic are painted a bit tighter than the green pepper. To me, the looseness of the green pepper does not match with the brush strokes of the other subjects. So, I'd perhaps add a bit more definition, shading or texture to the green pepper.
Great painting and great idea for a still life. Well done. Posted: 05/15/2023 09:11:04
My only suggestion is this: I know that you wanted to paint looser, and you've accomplished that. However, the tomatoes, onion and garlic are painted a bit tighter than the green pepper. To me, the looseness of the green pepper does not match with the brush strokes of the other subjects. So, I'd perhaps add a bit more definition, shading or texture to the green pepper.
Great painting and great idea for a still life. Well done. Posted: 05/15/2023 09:11:04
Thank you Cindy. I appreciate your comment and now see the comparison. I am taking a local oil painting class and into the 2nd week. I loved the oil paint medium from MP class and wanted to know more. I have never worked in oil so this is a new adventure. Here is my second painting. I will go back over this with my instructor because it is also way too tight. Posted: 05/15/2023 11:13:41
Hi Nancy. I saw on the Beyond the Brushes site that you were delving into "real" paint. Congratulations. I am also at that stage in the course where paint on canvas would be the next step. However, for me, that is not something I might do. I really love the feeling I get when I paint in PS and watch my original photos turn painterly. At heart, I am a photographer so I might just stay with mixer brush painting. But, that said, I cant wait to see your creations. If this "salad" is the first attempt, you are on the road to greatness. Posted: 05/16/2023 08:03:57
Not sure about greatness, just novelty, but, thanks for the vote of confidence. I did a 1hr demonstration of the use of Gel with 12 Camera Club members (before our reg meeting started). So fun as I demoed and had all materials there for them to even paint 5x7 photos. They were amazed at the effect of the gel. Some had never painted anything before. Can't wait to see how oil paint fits in. Posted: 05/23/2023 17:56:46
Thanks for posting your picture with the lights in action, and congratulations for taking an oil painting course, I have tried but I haven't finished the paints, you are doing great, I will look more about the tightness of the paints, it's an interesting point to learn.
For me the light of your paint is beautiful capture, your composition and colours balance nicely, and love your background you added. Posted: 05/15/2023 22:26:08
For me the light of your paint is beautiful capture, your composition and colours balance nicely, and love your background you added. Posted: 05/15/2023 22:26:08
I forgot to mention, your lovely background have a nice movement, like a breeze. Posted: 05/21/2023 15:13:26
What an amazing-looking still-life painting you created here, Nancy! I especially appreciate seeing each step, beginning with the particular lighting set-up you used on the veggies. To me, there's enough of the color and shape of the pepper to distinguish it, so I'd see no need to rework it, but then, you're more of a perfectionist, I bet. It was fun to compare with the oil painting, so thanks for sharing that, too. Posted: 05/23/2023 12:30:36
The balance within the image is wonderful and how you set up the pitches of the items with the stems and such pointing toward the middle shows attention to detail. I'm not a still life expert by any means but I like how you lightened up the foreground in your second painting. I too liked the setup images so if I want to venture into this I now have an idea about lighting. Posted: 05/27/2023 10:58:54
You are too kind. Actually, I realized I should not have had the 2nd light on the right. I recently read one upper left is best in a somewhat lighted room. But it could be one in the upper or lower right I guess. I took the PSA class on still life but still new to it. Posted: 05/27/2023 12:35:15