# Opinion Please



## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Should I add some more highlights to the bear? Or maybe lighten the water behind him? I made this small painting recently but something doesn't seem right around the bear. What do you guys think? Go ahead you tell it like it is, I can take it.


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## Susan Mulno (Apr 13, 2015)

This is great! I think you did a nice job with highlights. The only thing I notice is his nose is pointy, bear noses are more blunt.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Liz it's a wonderful painting. I love the water fall and the composition of the painting. 

The bear is really good except that I too think the nose needs a little work. In addition to it being more rounded at the front you might want to put a black spot on the front of it distinguishing the actual nose from the muzzle.

Thinking about what you said about lightening the water, I'm thinking that lightening the pool of water behind him would make the bear stand out more. Values are so hard to tell in photos of paintings, so much depends on the lighting when the photo is taken and the quality of the camera and photographer. I will take a photo indoors and then outdoors and it's like it is two different paintings. Plus when we look at a photo of a painting we are looking at while it is being filtered through our computer. Some computers show colors slightly different than others. That's why I don't take everything I'm told in a critique about values and colors too seriously because the viewer of a photo of a painting can not see what I can see looking at the actual painting. 

I think the water fall is perfect and your background foliage is excellent. Oh and your rocks too, they are terrific.


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## dickhutchings (Oct 6, 2015)

The pointy nose is the only problem I see in this otherwise wonderful painting. I'm curious as to what steps an oil painter would take to fix it. Would you just paint over it or try to somehow erase before repairing, changing his nose.

I'm gathering all the painting knowledge I can before I get into this wonderful medium.


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## Butterfly88 (Nov 12, 2015)

dickhutchings said:


> The pointy nose is the only problem I see in this otherwise wonderful painting. I'm curious as to what steps an oil painter would take to fix it. Would you just paint over it or try to somehow erase before repairing, changing his nose.
> 
> I'm gathering all the painting knowledge I can before I get into this wonderful medium.


I agree, I love it otherwise.


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

dickhutchings said:


> The pointy nose is the only problem I see in this otherwise wonderful painting. I'm curious as to what steps an oil painter would take to fix it. Would you just paint over it or try to somehow erase before repairing, changing his nose.
> 
> I'm gathering all the painting knowledge I can before I get into this wonderful medium.


Dickhutchings this painting is in acrylic not oil. The best way I think to correct acrylic is to paint over it. In oil you can scrape it off if it is not already dry. If it is dry you can paint over it.


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks everyone. You guys are right, the nose is too pointy. Does this look better? Hope the nose isn't too short now.


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## Susan Mulno (Apr 13, 2015)

Much better!


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Oh Yeah...This looks great! Wonderful painting Liz, I love it.


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## dickhutchings (Oct 6, 2015)

Nailed it!


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks everybody. 
Terry you mentioned that you photographed your art both outside and inside, which gave you a better shot? Do you use a tripod? I can never get good photos of my art no matter what I try, I must have took around 15 shots of the bear painting and still couldn't get it right, the canvas texture was showing as little white specks in the photos even though there are no white specks in the actual painting. Do large paintings photgraph better?


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## Butterfly88 (Nov 12, 2015)

Nice job!!!!


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## TerryCurley (Jan 4, 2015)

Liz said:


> Thanks everybody.
> Terry you mentioned that you photographed your art both outside and inside, which gave you a better shot? Do you use a tripod? I can never get good photos of my art no matter what I try, I must have took around 15 shots of the bear painting and still couldn't get it right, the canvas texture was showing as little white specks in the photos even though there are no white specks in the actual painting. Do large paintings photgraph better?


 I just use my cell phone to photographic my paintings. It takes much better photos than my cheapy camera. I take a lot of photos of my painting moving it around to catch different light. I have the same problems you have. Reflections and color distortion and everything else. My biggest problem is the way I hold the camera a little tilt one way or the other and it looks like I have a warped canvas or my ocean is diagonal instead of horizontal. Now that I'm using the grid feature on the camera it's a little easier. I don't post my paintings on anything like American Fine Art where you have to have really high quality photos. I don't think the size of the painting effects the quality of the photo one way or the other.


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks Butterfly


TerryCurley said:


> I don't post my paintings on anything like American Fine Art where you have to have really high quality photos. I don't think the size of the painting effects the quality of the photo one way or the other.


 That's one of the reasons I really got into making digital art, I couldn't get photos of my paintings to look good enough to sell on these types of sites.


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## Lucy (Sep 25, 2015)

Hi Liz,
good work.
the only thing that it needs to be correct is the water before the cascade
In my opinion, I would add some touch of white colour to comply with the cascade.
there is a break too sharp.

bye
Lucy


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Hi Lucy, thanks very much for your observation.


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## NeilSHowe (Nov 22, 2015)

I might add some more middle tones edging the highlights. Easy the dark sienna into the white just a smidge. He looks a little sleak.


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks for that tip Neil.


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## FanKi (Apr 23, 2015)

Liz ._.

This is so good!


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## Liz (Jan 10, 2015)

Thanks Fanki


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