Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PM
There are great! I love "drag me down" the most because it shows so much rawness and vulnerability behind the raging- it seems much more complex than the simply "angst." You also used the medium to your advantage- I see a lot of mineral spirit/thinner dripping, and it really contributes to the piece!
Overall, it wins because it utilizes more of the painting variables- thoughtful color, thoughtful form, and thoughtful material. If you think a piece is not successful, ask yourself if you've used color and shadow well. Ask yourself if you've used the space creatively (how do the forms interact with the edges of the canvas?) Ask yourself if you've used the materials purposefully.
[/quote] *beams* I try, well kind of. With these, I don't put any thought to it really, the overly aggressive paintings are all things I did to let out something that was eating at me, so in a way it's just luck that they aren't total
>-bleeped-<.
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PM
I like "can I use your phone" mostly because of the creative title (not to diminish the actual artwork, of course!), it implies a dark humour that offsets the depressiveness the figure displays.
What'd you think it was based on? It's actually a personal interpretation of a Black Eyed Kid, hence the name (google it sometime, it's kind of an urban legend type thing)
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PMOil is a wonderful medium because it is so maleable. Really great for expressive painting, like you do. (If you have any technical questions about the medium, feel free to send me a message!) Make sure your workspace is properly ventilated! Hydrocarbons can be a killer! Pay attention to "fat over lean"- more diluted paint goes in the undercoats and less on top, or the paint will crack over time!
God, yes it is. I absolutely love it, hate acrylic with a passion. I'll definitely PM you, I've got a couple questions about oil actually.
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PMThe only critique I have is the use of black and white. This is a very academic perception- if you have an opportunity to take a beginner's painting or color theory course, you'll learn the evils of black and white. Try to make a painting without out-of-the-tube black or white and you'll see how rich your colors can become! My standard "black" is a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt umber, but another popular one is a dark, non-translucent green and dark red. (You may be gawking at me right now. Maybe thinking that black and white are one of the three colors you use. I understand. But if you're ready, try a few without them. If you hate it, go back!)
Never heard of green and red, but I used the blue and umber a lot when I was doing paintings of Eastern State Penitentiary. I use the black and white in these because I like that garish, over-contrasted look for em'. When I'm doing something with thought or a bit of planning in it, I love the umber/ultramarine mix though, I'm guilty of sticking a little sap green in it too though for 'murky' looking shadows.
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PMI think "son of the mourning" is my least favorite as well. This is because it comes off as flat because of the black outlines on the figure. In comparison to "Wearing the Inside out", in which you've built form with shadow, it looks much less rich.
Yeah, I honestly hate that one. What happened with it was I was painting with awful lighting, tried to make a greyish crimson and it turned pink. And it was all downhill from there.
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PM
I'd encourage you to study a little extra anatomy- grab a book from the library (Or, if you have the means to buy, purchase Sarah Simblet's "Anatomy for the Artist"). I think that, along with a little color theory, can really amplify the skill and impact of your work. The anatomy will give you opportunity to use form and shadow at a more advanced level.
Oh, yeah. Without a doubt, anatomy is my absolute biggest flaw. Again, on stuff like "Wearing the Inside Out", I want it to look angular and malformed, I want it to look like a defect. I've never even tried for any kind of realism, at least not in my paintings, so I don't stress about it a lot, but with my drawings I always feel like I'm funking up the anatomy to hell and back. When I've got the money, I plan on buying a couple more anatomy/medical books for that.
Quote from: Fuji on January 18, 2011, 10:12:01 PM
I hope my critique was respectful and acceptable. I hope you continue to paint and share the paintings with us.
How big do you work? These would be really powerful at a large scale, but also powerful at a tiny one! Changing scale would be a fun challenge as well! What stage are you at? Are you going to/planning to go to art school or study painting?
Oh yeah, I absolutely love when someone's willing to actually delve into my stuff and tell me what's good and what I could be doing better.
Honestly, I work as big as possible. Most of those are 11X16 because that's all I had, I did one recently that's 22X28, and one of my favorites is 40X40 on a huge industrial ceiling tile. I was in college for studio arts for three years until I graduated, took art courses throughout all of highschool.
