# The Netherfield Ball



## Desdichado

This was an attempt at impressionism using a scene from _Pride and Prejudic_e. I wanted to capture an air of noise, light from a multitude of lamps, bustle, anticipation, excitement even, people/coaches arriving for a Regency ball in the evening. I tried to do it by suggestion of it all rather than any real detail of anything.


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## zahira

This is really cool! I think you did capture the noise like you were aiming for, well done 


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## Susan Mulno

I can feel the hustle and bustle! Well done!


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## abt2k15

hey your work is pretty good. i cannot do with watercolor and i will not bother hehe but one thing i notice with all your paintings is that i always feel lost. everything is too saturated hence the lightsources have little to no effect at all. i attached a paintover with a piece made by milford-zornes called "beach party" to further illustrate how you can make your next pictures even better ( it has quite a good appeal to it regardless the "mistakes" ).

i stripped away all the color which leaves the images with values ( light/ dark/ saturation ) so you can better see how the artist created a focal point and why yours is missing or has to many of them. the first thing to notice is that your absolute darks are concentraded on two points - the far left side and the balcony part. so this is most likely the first point the eye goes to. because its not guided in any way you will likely get lost or maybe rather it will take you some time to realise what exactly is going on. at the beach party you notice kind of gradient like how it goes from light to dark tones leading the eye to the party no matter where you start. it is most likely that the eye will start at the top right directly going down to the beach party. 

to the number 1 on the picture : the pillar with the light source on top is one of the darkest objects but its also the most prominent lightsource.
regarding number 2 : you see the persons back which will tell the viewer to look where the person is looking or going : the beach party. on your picture to the bottom right there is a person standing where we see his back. if you would have placed him further out of the image so you could only see the back of the head maybe and the back you could have "told" the viewer to look past him to create a focal point for example.

the other thing to notice is that you have alot pure white but i guess that cannot be helped much until you get more practise with water colors  i hope you dont take it discouraging - i really just want to help you advance with your art and it doesnt mean that its not great as it is.

cheers


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## Desdichado

Ah well, back to the drawing board then. :unhappy:

I suppose I could use the excuse that the year is 1815 in the English Regency period and electricity hadn't yet been invented. High society (of the sort who had balls etc) sort of objected to the smells of kerosene or fat-oil and insisted on wax candles. The only light outside came from the moon ( assemblies and balls were arranged at full moon periods wherever possible and drapes left open to utilise such light as was there) and rush lights (no street lamps in pravate houses/mansions etc, just servants carrying oil lamps and inside they had to have an awful lot of candles and many mirrors to reflect light. On my scene there are servants everywhere, helping people out of carriages etc, lots of noise and bustle. That's what I went for, not a masterpiece really. 

Unlike Milford Zorn I'm not a professional artist, just somebody painting for fun and enjoying the hell out of it, but thanks for you good intent and advice on my, er, mistakes. (-:


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## TerryCurley

I disagree with ABT I think your handling of the light is excellent. I love this picture and would not change a thing.


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## Desdichado

Not excuses, but something for consideration: My camera (a simple Sony Cybershot) is not really up to totally accurate reproduction having to use flash in the evenings when I take most pics of paintings. I took these in the daylight and they are much nearer the original._ My Pictures_ editing is also prone to deepening colour drastically. I'm not too unhappy with the result although the Tate Modern haven't made an offer yet. :wink:


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## Susan Mulno

A big difference in picture quality. 

I am with Terry, it's great as is.


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## Liz

Good stuff, do you do it from memory? Because if you do, that is amazing


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## Desdichado

Liz said:


> Good stuff, do you do it from memory? Because if you do, that is amazing


I think I used a reference pic from the BBC mini-series production of Pride and Prejudice Liz to get the general building and scene etc, because I did the painting some time back and touched it up lately. The figures are easy because they aren't drawn in detail. I know Jane Austen's story inside out (probably one of my all time favourite books, indeed I've read them all) and thus, what the Netherfield ball and the period was all about. I've actually painted all the characters from the story and put them in an album. I do it because I enjoy it.


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## Desdichado

Here are a couple of the scenes from Pride and Prejudice I did for fun and enjoyment. I take bits of scenes and mix them up, add or take away things and change perspectives. They're more illustration than serious painting and I didn't spend too much time on them. Both were done in a couple of hours on seperate evenings. This is the loose impressionist style I prefer to paint in.


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