This was my son’s teddy bear (he’s now 40). I purchased some vintage building blocks at an estate sale, and shot this composition at home, on reflective glass. I had originally intended to ⬓only⬠change out the background but opted for a painted version instead. I extracted the subjects and placed them on a new background. The teddy bear and blocks were painted using various mixer brushes in Photoshop. In the intermediate version, I added a line to define the wall/floor interface as well as adding a texture to the background. In the final version, I eliminated the background texture and the suggestion of the floor; but made the drop shadows and saturation of the painting more pronounced. My personal opinion is that I like the final version best as it's more artistic.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 4 comments posted
Nancy Speaker
This is just darling and what a lovely family image to keep forever. I am really liking what you did with the cloth fabric. I tend to paint these details with a more heavy brush strokes appearance but feel by you keeping the texture more realistic, as you did, gives this work of art a much more charming affect. In terms of the floor, I think I like the line for the floor as it gives a more weighted feeling for the bear but I would suggest it be softened to blend in more. Just my opinion. This is superb work as always.
Posted: 11/17/2023 23:14:40
Martha Aguero
(Group 17)
So lovely this Teddy Bear, in your final version somehow it looks like "it has life".
Also, love your background and the chosen colours. Excellent paint. Posted: 11/19/2023 04:39:49
Trey Foerster
(Group 76)
Cindy, I love the contrast between the fabric and the fur! I take it you used the GOAT block because your son is the Greatest Of All Time! Your background brings in another layer of contrast and the light contrast from top to bottom is well done. The only detraction to my eye is the light grey in the left top corner, perhaps a tad too bright? Another wonderful painting, thank you for sharing it. Posted: 11/19/2023 17:51:04
Pat Centeno
(Group 86)
This sure seems like a challenging subject, Cindy. Especially to make all that plaid look right. The background you added certainly added to the look of your painting, especially the greyish teal shade you chose. The brush strokes give the fur some life after 40 years of loving by your once little boy. Make sure he gets to see this. Posted: 11/30/2023 18:53:10
