Gouache portraits

**haribubba** · January 8th, 2006, 07:10 PM

wow i really like this. my only crit would be to lose the line that runs from the womans jaw to her chin, and also the lighting on the right side of her face seems brighter for some reason, even though the light is coming from the left...oh and zoobooks are awesome!

**BMunchausen** · January 10th, 2006, 06:46 PM

They're well done but they have that hard edged "paint by numbers" look to them. Not necessarily a bad thing, but that's what they make me think of.

**jkior** · January 10th, 2006, 08:13 PM

mmm. . .somthing comes to mind - overall very good though. . .you might want to push the value of the guys shirt, especially where it goes behind hers, to a darker value. . .just so it creates some depth instead of two flat shapes

**Steph Laberis** · January 10th, 2006, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by BMunchausen

They're well done but they have that hard edged "paint by numbers" look to them.

Beat me to the comment! Aside from what's been said, you might want to consider adding more colors into the tonalities of the faces. It looks like you used black in your shadows, which is making it appear muddy and dead. Adding a very faint touch of a dark, dark, almost black-purple can do wonders when shading skin.

**dogfood** · January 12th, 2006, 09:36 AM

I think it's cute that they're wearing the same color shirt.

I was actually hoping to see a little effect from the light hitting the glasses.

**MCMA** · January 14th, 2006, 10:10 AM

Very nice. A little more life into the eyes would be sweet.

**EccoXile** · January 14th, 2006, 11:28 AM

bring some more colors into the flesh would help a lot, like willow said with the purple. some more warm tones into the lighting.

**Tully** · January 14th, 2006, 12:52 PM

I'd say the man's face is considerably more successful than the woman's. I'd chalk that up to the anglar directionality of the brushstrokes that follow the form on his head, but she for the most part lacks. It does a great job of creating volume for his head.. why not carry it through to the woman as well? Or did you paint her first?

The brushstrokes on her face is a lot more fussy than those on his. His are thick, definite and confidently placed. Hers seem to feather out a lot in what appears maybe to be an attempt at getting wrinkles, maybe? In any case, it doesn't work all that well.

Colour wise, I'll definitely go with Willow-Whisp on this one. You've used too much black and pink in the skin tones and they're just appearing pallid and dead. Purpley shadows are great for skin, but don't forget oranges, reds and yellows in mid-tones and highlights. Skin tones look much more interesting when they shift intensity between pale and vibrant. Thisis a good little thing to follow. I found it helpful.

**Mike Thompson** · January 14th, 2006, 06:42 PM

Thanks for the honest critiques and words of encouragement, folks! I agree on all points. They do look a little lifeless. I was aiming for a more wrinkled appearance on the woman. All of your suggestions have been noted, and I will certainly try to apply them to future paintings (which will be many, to be sure, because this one was quite fun!). I hope to post more in the near future.

**Railey** · January 19th, 2006, 03:17 PM

Great painting. But I agree with Tully, the man's face is much better than the woman. It needs a little work on the face of the woman. Perhaps, adding more colors or play with some colors to the woman skin tones. She looks too pale...

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