help me with oils

[|NTeRN]

well i wanted to learn to paint and got an renbrant oil kit so i whipped this little self portrait out.. i decently happy with being that its my first painting ever but i want to get better so i wanted to get some crits.

all crits and comments are welcome :dance:

[Dan.v.D.]

check your avatar - compare the values of that drawing with those in the painting. it seem like you kinda forgot about what you know about value while painting. i´d suggest to do b/w studies for a while. it´ll be much easier than to struggle with value and color at the same time. if you got your values up to the level of your drawings, and only then, try to use one more color (prefferably some brownish hue) and experiment with temperature (greys = cold) (brown = warm).

hmm i´m somewhat confused atm if something is not clear just ask

[dogfood]

WARNING: NON-ART ADVICE- a) I would make certain that there was better light so that if I was unable to keep absolutly still during the shutter action, that it wouldn't be blurry. b) Irfanview (free) has an easy-to-use cropper so that you don't have to show how untidy you are. c) Clean your room.

We now return to our art advice, already in progress... and that's the secret to making great art. Simple.

But seriously? Look at Harley Brown's Essential Truths for Every Artist . I think you'll like it and it will say everything that I would, but I must highlight one thing: go easy on the nostrils (if yours are actually that prominent, I apologize).

And what Dan said.

[emily g]

Wow, your first painting and you picked the hardest subject to paint (human flesh tones)!
It's impressive that you tackled such a hard subject, but I suggest that you back up a bit. You could do as Dan.v.D suggested and just paint your portrait in b&w. This will help you because you can just focus on your values without trying to worry about color yet.
Another idea is to try some simple still lifes. You can paint these in color if you like, if the colors aren't complicated.
I want you to get used to handling and feeling comfortable with the paint, first. Then you can move on to the more complicated subjects.

good luck,
emily

[|NTeRN]

hey tahnks for all the comments. ya i know it was a dumb idea to do a self portrait but oh well. also it pic is in my garage (where my "studio" is) and we're still moving some boxes out.

anyways heres a simple still life. i think its a big improvement over the SP but it still has its issues.

[artkitty]

For figure painting I suggest starting with a monochrome acrylic study. You can lay out the basic composition and values, then add oil over that. This also keeps you from going too thin with the oils.
Also, don't forget about the rules of design and composition when planning out your still-life studies.