Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Valentine image final




holding hands while driving.
done in watercolor and gouache.


19 comments:

  1. This piece reminds me of a couple heading to their anniversary trip, with a beautiful sky and they're still holding hands in a car. It's painted nicely. I would watch the way the guys head is shaped it seems a little wonky I think he just needs a little more head uptop. I am a little confused if their ages are important because they are clearly older, but are they like 30's 40's 50's? Is it important to you for the viewer to understand their age?

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  2. The light source is beautiful! I really like your angle, too. Approaching this from a back seat perspective seems so intimate. Holding hands is super hard to draw but it appears as if his hand gets really lost behind hers. Also, his fingers would probably be much bigger than hers.

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  3. This is a great composition and color palette. I can also relate to seeing this scene, as can a lot of other people which I think is great. Something about the man seems a little stiff to me. Maybe add some folds in his clothing?

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  4. The use of color is beautiful. I love the sunset and the reflection of the water. It makes me think of two married couples going on a honeymoon or something. The composition is great, except for the container thing that is in the middle of the car with their elbow or wrist resting on it. I think it was placed a little too much on the left. Other than that, it's great.

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  5. I enjoy the warmness of the illustration. The guy’s right hand should be fixed little bit. When I look at his left hand it is big and manly but I don’t really see that on the right hand. There is something awkward about flow between inside of the car and outside view, may be it is because of perspective?

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  6. Really nice colors and handling of the water color. I'm not really a fan of how the hands and the dashboard console are centered in a column in the piece. That being said, I realize why you did it, as it leads the viewer's eyes in to the piece.

    I'd watch the rendering of the figures too. They're feeling pretty stiff. Take some references next time and then take liberties with how you choose to render the anatomy to give it some more character. Also, hands are hard, but those hands holding each other feel kind of awkward.

    Keep it up and just remember to try and use some references next time to really push the piece to the next level.

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  7. Really beautiful piece and good solution to the prompt, your color palette is beautiful! One suggestion would be going in with a micron pen and pulling out details that get overpowered by the watercolor.

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  8. Great! I like the lights and colors! they are so romantic. I am thinking about the anniversary trip too. your concept is good and composition is well done! one thing left is I want to see the romantic shadows in the behind of people. that would make your work more romantic. but your work is outstanding enough!

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  9. This is a very romantic piece. and its meaning is well received. The use of the palette to create the sunset and driving off is very modern representation of the proverbial ridding off into the sunset. however i believe the figures are perhaps to small for the car or at least their heads are. I am glad you toke out the teddy bear from your sketch It feels more adult now more so then your sketch and creates a very intimate feeling between the two characters.

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  10. I love the meaning of this piece, it reads very well. I can feel the romance through their hand hold. I enjoy the warm colors and how they contrast nicely with the cool colors. I'm glad you chose to focus on them more so than what was shown in the sketch. I feel like their faces could have a little more color on them to help stand them out more.

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  11. The colors are beautifully handled and I don't really mind the more or less symmetrical composition because of the way you chose to apply the watercolor/guache.

    His left hand looks a little too big, but that being said, you nailed the anatomy of the wrists and joints in the fingers. Well done.

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  12. It looks like they're about to die... But together! They'll drive off the cliff together! Totally romantic though, I think I would have liked it better that way. Like a Romeo and Juliet thing, that would've been sweet. BUT you didn't want it that way... Soooo, I like the color and the way you illustrated the scenery. What bothered me was the mirror, if we're seeing it straight on, shouldn't it reflect the back of the car? Anyways, beautiful artwork, great concept.

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  13. I like how you squished the format into a small frame. It makes it feel much more intimate.
    I feel like the tones of this piece are a bit too similar. Maybe you could've made the area around their hands more warm and have the rest of the piece be not so saturated. Or you could've made just the hands and the sunset the warmest of the piece. Just to give some emphasis on one part.
    Since the light is so strong on the seats, I feel like the light should be stronger on the figures and the steering wheel.

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  14. I like the idea and colors used- nice control over the watercolor medium . i find the characters a bit stiff. The way it is illustrated looks like they might be driving off a cliff (intentional or not?) I would make the road go on a bit longer before it turned around the hill or angle the car a bit differently.

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  15. This is very evocative of love and doesn't feel cliche. It even seems appropriate for a more mature audience. I would just work on anatomy a bit and this piece is good to go.

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  16. This is a very realistic view of love and that's pretty refreshing. The framing of the "car" is brilliant and instantly puts us in a point of view converging with the artist. The way that the parents are holding hands, combined with the very close-by cliff, gives off a bit of a Thelma & Louise vibe, which probably isn't what you had in mind.

    If I were you, I would experiment with posing and body language — try and loosen up those arms a bit! It would give the already-lovely scene a bit more narrative strength and change some ideas about the story overall.

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  17. How serene!
    The way that you played with the colors here really paid off.
    The different hues of the sunset playing off of your darker tones in the car. That being said, I wouldn't mind a bit more a separation between the interior of the car and the exterior. It's pretty nit-picky, but a cool wash over everything in the car would help that sunset pop. I agree that the couple's hands are a bit awkward, but that might be because of hands having so many fingers.
    Either way, very soothing, great setting of the mood.

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  18. Ok, I was worried no one else was gonna say it, but then Ying came to my rescue… this is SO scary to me!! I'm worried about these poor people holding hands on this dangerous turn-y road. And yes, Bella-- totally Thelma & Louise.. although, i guess thats a love story, right?

    Amy-- i think as everyone else has pointed out-- its beautifully colored and a very sweet, warm feeling is the primary experience…. but I really am worried about this couple. I think we have another case of where just a simple switch of a detail/ decision can change the entire read of a piece. If they were driving on a straight stretch of road, toward sunset (or sunrise) hat would be one thing, but the inclusion of that "curve ahead" type sign and the rock on the left/ water on the right type situation accidentally ( i assume) makes the piece feel ominous.
    Those elements make it less successful for me, as a valentine card. Again, think about a card in a shop--- you could probably zoom in some and focus on the couple in the car more. (and agreed on the body language/ rendering addressed above too).

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  19. I really love the color you used and I think its beautifully done with watercolor and gouache.
    beautiful sky and the sea. But its a little bit scary because there is cliff right in front of the view.

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