Study for Mom #2 with photo

Here is what I am working on now. I like the drawing but I can't get the left shoulder right. On the painting I just finished I couldn't capture the youth and innocence I wanted. Mom was only about 22 then. In this one she was perhaps 24 or 25. The scarf covers the scars from a thyroid operation which was the root cause of her death at age 87. It's a long sad story. She suffered terribly the last twenty years of her life due to a mistake the surgeon made during the thyroid operation at age 23.


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I'm very sorry to hear about what your mom went through and as a result you as well. It's a wonderful tribute to your mother to be painting a series of paintings of her. She was a very beautiful woman. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

This is the drawing for the photo above.

Your sketch puts much more life into the eyes and smile than in the photo. I notice when I do portraits of people I love, there is always that secret expression that comes through that only those who know the person can see beyond the photograph. A photo is only a static representation of a person. The painter captures the real person behind the photo of a loved one. Nice work.

The left shoulder in the sketch is lower and wider than the right. Maybe that is where you are having the problem.

Judy

Your mother is beautiful - love your drawing, keep up the good work!

Thank you all. If I could do the left shoulder as well as the right I would be satisfied. Guess I didn't take time enouh. Well, I will probably do it again one of these days. I wasn't quite satisfied with the whole. I see that the left eye isn't quite right either. And I didn't capture the youth and innocence which so characterized Mom at that age.

Beautiful sketch! Very good likeness!

I've made some small changes to the drawing and I think it is a little better and comes closer to a likeness.

I hope you don't mind me saying, but your Mum reminds me of Judy Garland.
You have definitely caught a likeness, but I do hope you will complete the hair, it's important.
Best wishes
Jack

Thanks Jack. Don't know how to do hair!! But I will try. I noticed that the technicalities involved in saving the images and transferring them, they got a little fatter. I think that is why she now resembles Judy Garland. I think we just dated ourselves Jack. Take care.

Wonderful - you are catching the like ness. Try comparing the height of her ear on the left of the photo (her right ear) to where is lines up with her nose. It may be a bit high.

Boy if that aint getting picky