Painting #116: Hoblitzelle Park in Plano, Texas

Please see below. The painting is slightly exaggerated, because the creek is tiny… . All feedback are welcome.

The water and tops of rocks are really good! I especially like the mid-ground, where the waves are splashing, nice drama!

Thanks Alan..

I'm really drawn to water and I particularly like this. My only crit is the water on the rocks - it seems too bright or maybe the wrong color or temperature or something.

When you paint, especially your portraits, how thin is your paint? Do you use much medium and if so, what kind?

I having a problem with the perspective of the water. The upper part feels like a sloped wall of water leading into a flow between the rocks that may be flowing down to a lower level or maybe not. I don't know if that explains if right. I guess my question is: Is this a level stream flowing between rocks in the foreground or is it water running down hill? The tilt of the rocks toward the back make me think that it is water at multiple levels. I cropped the top portion of water partially and darkened the remaining part like you did in the original and that felt somewhat better.

Jan,

Can you please point out which rock and the color that you feel is bothersome…

Regarding the portrait, I use the meglip. It is wonderful and I just dip the corner tip (teeny tiny) of my brush to just get the paint flowing. I am beginning to use lot of paint relative to what I used to. I paint thicker now. I put in the average value very thinly in the beginning then I start putting thicker and thicker layer.

Judy,

The water is running from the bottom left corner of the picture (mini-waterfuall) and flowing to the top right of the picture. I think you are saying some very valuable things but I am having a hard time picturing it. i wish you were available in person to elaborate.

Thanks Jan and Judy.

Faisal

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Hi Faisal,

I didn't realize that the water was running from bottom to top. I can see how it could be now that you mention it. I tried cropping a part of the top of the painting off, because that seemed to be what was making it feel like all the water was at the same level, but it didn't really help much.

It is almost like you have to make the steps down more evident. How to accomplish that is hard since the steps are going away from you. It is like trying to paint a flight of stairs while you are standing at the top. The only way you could show the stairs going down would be to make each one narrower both from front to back and side to side as they get further away. I don't know how you would accomplish that with the waterfalls, but maybe the comparison will give you some ideas.

I just had another thought. Put bigger rocks in the foreground and have partial smaller rocks leading away from the foreground. I'll try moving things around a bit in Painter and show it to you if it helps.

LOL… that would be fun Judy. Would love to see what you come up with.

Faisal,
I played with one side of the painting in Corel Painter and this is the results to help give you an idea. I brought the larger rock forward and enlarged and put lighter highlights on it. The rocks you had forward, I shrunk by 25% and darkened the value to help them recede and moved them behind the big rock. I blurred the water and original big rock toward the top to make it feel like a semi-submerged rock. I also cropped the top to reduce the amount of water behind the falls and put a medium blue-gray wash over it to make it also recede more. I put a light gray-blue wash over the most distant white froth of the falls also to help it feel slightly more distant. I also have a version that I did not crop so you can see how it feels. I didn't do anything with the right ide of the painting, but it would benefit from similar treatment.
   

Absolutely Gorgeous!!!!!!. What a wonderful lesson and for FREE!!!! Ha. I have learnt so much from you all. I have absorbed everything for my next painting…

Thanks Judy

Faisal

You're welcome. Do you think you will try to make modifications to the painting or would that be too much work?

Ah!… Judy… I would have if it was just fresh and new. Now I have moved on to other art projects. But your feedback is appreciated

Look forward to seeing your next one.

I like what Judy has done & it solves the blue color on the rocks too.

I think part of my crit about the blue on the rocks was viewing in my laptop monitor but even when I took it into my paint program, it looked a bit off. I think it's both the color and that they look like afterthoughts just stuck on.

I circled the areas that seemed to stand out the most but didn't repaint it as Judy did.

Thanks Judy, much appreciated. Yes! they do look odd and out of place. Really appreciate you taking the time to do this..