Newborn, giving it a go... help? :D

[Sorknes]

Okies, after a bunch of silly ideas I got the image of an old lady looking at something getting out of its coocoon or eggs or whatever... The idea is to have something slimey turning pweeeeettty or something along those lines with the old woman looking at it as it happens...

So... Meet my grandma on my mothers side. She'll kill me. lol.

[madster]

Interesting concept.

What's your main focal point, though? The old woman or the thing? Your current perpsective has no dominance. The thing on the left (a lamp?) is overdominating the woman AND the thing because of your composition.

Maybe work out your comp using circles to get the flow smoother? Use size and value (Dark, mid, light) to designate your main Focal Point, your secondary Focal Point, and a tertiary Focal Point (which should be assisting the eye back over to the main FP.

Move them around your canvas until you find a good visual progression.

Right now, the woman's face is almost dead center of your canvas, definitely not the most optimum comp, unless her facial expression IS the focus of this piece (meaning the "thingy" could be anything from her dentures to a winning Lotto ticket).

Nice color palette, so far. Grams is looking nicely rendered. Good start.

~M

[Sorknes]

Yeah, grandma there is supposed to be the main eyecatcher, the lamp will get a better position as soon as I start on the arm, currently digging for refs of old lady hands, my own are a bit too small and petite and too young for me to get them right, appearantly.

Playing with comp on paper (not bothered to scan that), the canvas is by far set just yet

[hala]

Hmm hard to judge anything at this point in the process (though interesting subject )
I would just say to use a diff. color for the shadows on the skin> Right now she has this really colorful skin, with a muddy shadow color.

[Sorknes]

I'm thinking about ditching the lantern. I might end up having her pushing away some curtains. Right now everything's a bit bare. And palette needs some rethinking maybe.

Some progress at least. And if I don't end up using it, I at least am starting to get to a somewhat ok portrait of grandma, hehe.

[Baron Impossible]

I guess whatever's coming out of the cocoon is making her happy, so that's something. Don't know how she'd react to being on the cover of IFX, though

I quite like the palette, it could work as long as you remember to factor in the lantern light. You need to reposition the elements - shift the "camera" right - so that the cocoon thing isn't on the edge of the pic, getting rid of the space on the left. A lantern on the left would spoil the focus so if you're going to use one, stick it on the right.

[Sorknes]

I don't think she's in any danger of ending up there

You mean like getting the canvas longer on the right side and cutting the left, or keeping the right and cutting the left? Or reposition the thingy coming out of whatever altogether a bit more in front of her?

Not sure about the lantern altogether anymore, need some more brainstorming on paper...

Thanks a lot

[Baron Impossible]

You mean like getting the canvas longer on the right side and cutting the left

Yep, this. Of course it may depend on the elements you're going to use but at the moment I'd crop it on the left to half-way across her arm, and extend on the right as needed.

[Black Spot]

I love the texture on the skin. You could almost sneak Thumbelina in the plant.

[graphicgolem]

Nice work, the painting itself is well rendered and captures a mood of intimacy to my eye. From your comment its seems that the reason for the painting hasnt yet fully emerged (excuse the pun). At the risk of causing offence, as your ref is obviouslt quite personal, I had an idea which may be useful or may help to give the work a more definite direction. Idea: The elderly lady - is observing the hatching of a coocoon. If the interest of the observer could be made more vital rather than quite passive as it is at the moment then I think it could be quite startling. Along a more fantastic line of thought, the elderly ladies interest could be made very personal as she may be about to undergo a transformation herself. Perhaps by subtle hints of turning into a cocoon herself. I dont know if youve ever seen Silence of the Lambs but there is whole thing with the obsession of transformation of the psychotic and he has a whole plasce hatcheries of these moths which is an expression of his obsession. This obviuosly quite dark. It could be quite cool to have similar environment, but with a brighter mood. What appears to be death could be transformation - coccoon to butterfly - that could be reason for the lady's interest? Anyway great work - looking forard to seeing what you do with it next.