Modifying a Chickadee Painting

I have decided that there were several changes I want to make to a painting I did with acrylics several years ago. Some of the changes have been based on the course I took this past winter on painting landscapes.

Here is a copy of the painting as it was first finished:

Some of the problems bothering me with this painting included:

1. the fact that there were too many large areas that were dark. When checked them using a grayscale finder, I found these areas to be level 8 and 9. The darkest the areas should be is 6 or 7 with 8 being reserved for areas where there is no light such as under the edge of the rock.

2. There was no complementary color. Everything was green, blue, brown or gray and white.

3. There was a non-descript horizon so that there was nothing to draw you into the painting.

I've started making changes and will share them here as I progress.

I just finished writing a complete summary with pictures of the changes I made in a Squidoo lens. If you would like to see the changes so far, go to

http://www.squidoo.com/water-soluble-oil-paints-over-an-acrylic-landscape-painting

I will post a completed picture here when I finish with all the changes.

Wow! What nice changes you made. Love your work.
Dayle

Thanks Dayle,

I'm happy with it after looking at it for 5 years.

I figured I should also post the comparison here for people who don't go to the link.

Before
After

Wow, you've made a huge change in this painting! First, I applaud the bravery for changing a finished painting:)

The new version is much more warm, and the changes you made to the sky, water and horizon really brighten it up and help us "see" the scene.

Fantastic, Judy!

Thanks Alan,

I guess five years more experience and lots of reading and taking that landscape course this Winter made me brave enough to finally re-do areas that bothered me.

On thing different in this revision is that I did not refer back to the original photo of the rock and trees and background. It gave me more freedom to do what felt right rather than what the photo showed. I am trying to get to a point where photos are just for reference rather than duplication. The detail of the birds will still come from photos but everything else does not really need to be.

Wow, Judy, looking at the original by itself, I didn't really see much in the way of problem areas. But WOW! The "after" picture is so ALIVE and BRIGHT and WARM! Now I can see what you were talking about with regards to the complementary colors! It is SO much better now and really pops! Great job and so educational for me as well!

Thanks Cindy,

I have a few others I wan to tackle once I get back to Arizona. Hope I can accomplish as much with them.