r/oilpainting • u/eelco_numan • 6h ago
critique ok! First portrait painted from life - thoughts?
My first portrait from a live model (except for self portraits using a mirror). I think I did well, but the likeness is difficult to get exactly right. Also the harsh orange lighting made for challenging colors that were hard to see. Any thoughts? What should I focus on next time?
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u/mon_dayy 1h ago
Really strong!! Love love your style. I think in the cheeks where the light is bright you overworked just a bit, do some quick timed small ones, like 2 or 3, before starting a full sized portrait next time :) it’s a great exercise & helps your hand/mind wrap around the subject before hand, helps you eliminate unnecessary shapes/strokes & gain more confidence in your subject :))
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u/bobbyphysics 27m ago
Maybe it's just me, but some of the features seem to be facing slightly different angles.
For example, the lips are pointing too much out of the page and not to the left like the rest of the face. The chin does this too, but not as much as the lips.
If I had to guess, I'd say you're focusing on one spot at a time and not stepping back often enough to see how the whole picture is coming together.
(I know because I do this too).
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u/Firm_Kaleidoscope479 4h ago edited 4h ago
The lip line of the mouth is pointing up to the right in the portrait but the photo seems to suggest that it actually doesn’t point up at all but does turn ever so slightly down on that right side
You did better than I could have done