Hello all - Just finished this piece before I get busy with work again (seasonal). I wanted to try my hand again at a conversion, but I really like this scene just the way it was, so I changed the surrondings a little bit and added to the base. It was long and at times difficult for me but I still enjoyed every minute of it. Just when I think that I'm getting better, I see the closeup photos and think it looks like junk, but then again, I might have been looking at this too long.

The trees are scratchbuilt, wolf from Andrea. Scenery items include woodland scenic material, pea gravel in driveway, gutter residue, magic sculpt.

Paints include Andrea, Vallejo, Ceramcoat, watercolors, Golden, Clayboard Ink, Jo sonja. The majority being Vallejo.

Hope you enjoy the pics.

Brad Spelts

Very nice Brad,
base is also great!

good work!!!love the base !!!take care

Very beautiful !

Brad,
Great work, the figures and the base are great

Marc

Excellent work Brad. I think your best to date. I have seen many variations of this scene and like yours the best.

Thanks Guys for your replies.

Guy - I'm undecided as of yet if it is my best work. Will need to not look at it for a while. Then come back and decide.

Everyone - By the way, feel free to critique and rip it to shreds if you want. I know I had some problem with the red color which i thought I had solved after a few successful attempts, and the back of the white sleeve doen't look quite right either besides a few other things.

Hola Brad,

I think you are a littler harsh on your self! Its a great scene, the tree's and the groundwork in good stuff.

The figures are well done as well.

Keep it up!

"Brad-Wich", I think you're too close to this one bud! It looks lovely to me. Some of those minor points you speak of are not even noticable in the pictures. Good composition, and great simple conversion of this nice piece! Keep it up!

Jay H.
OKC

Oke Brad,
You asked for it. I went back and stuydied the picture's again. So now it is critism (positive). You had a hard time with the redcolor. As you are a oilpainter just like me, i think you are going wrong with the highlight. I find it to pink.
I cannot see any small changes to the orange, so i think you highlight with white. So, i hope i'm wrong but you gotta highlight with yellow.
For shading red, use green.

Sorry for this, but i hope you can do your effort with it.

Marc

Anders - Thanks for the reply. Glad you like it. I always enjoy the groundwork. Sometimes it looks better than my figures.

Jay - Thanks for the reply also. Man, I wish I could be seeing you guys in Alanta. I only know a few of you and would really love hangin with you and also meet new faces.

Marc - No problem with critiques. Even if they are not justified I can still handle it. But, I'm strickly an acrylic painter. Didn't use any white. What I had success in the past was with a MC Dark Red as a base, then highlight with MC basic red, then adding some flesh and scarlet alittle at a time. I did use green for my only level of shadows and that is what I didn't like. But I can't recall which green I used. Maybe someone can steer me the right direction with acrylic red.

Anway I do appreciate it Marc. As I have said a while back, you are one of the most consistent repliers to everyones posts on this forum. And the ones that make that effort should be applauded and thanked.

Thanks Marc

Brad Spelts

I like the fact that you decided and performed a different scenery setup than i have usually seen with this specific vigniette (that is also qeued on my bench for painting ).

Your painting is ok , but i would ask for some more outlining , and definition on the borders of different clothing or otherfigure parts meet. That would definately enhance your volumes and give more the picture of a clean painting .

As for the red i usually make an initial base with 4-8 different reds and shadow withthe darkest of them plus Dark prussian blue (or violet) plus black for the deeper shadows

I highlight with the lighter of the base reds plus orange red plus intense orange plus golden ochre (Andrea )

Brad, and i always thought you are a turpenoid junk like me (LOLOL)
Anyway i think you can also work with the colorwheel in acrylic.
I've seen that Costas is given you the right advice.
I learned alot from the posts on PF, and i hope that with every positive critism i made the TS can do his advantage with it. I own that to the others who where helping me in the past, and in the future....

Marc

Costas - Thank you or the information. I have a bottle of dark prussian blue sitting right here. I dont know why I did not try it. I agree totally with the outlining. I think I tend to dilute the color too much when outlining and therefore have to outline several times to get the seperation and by then it tends to look sloppy. What guidelines do you suggest?

Thanks

Brad Spelts

Marc - I tried oils when I first started figures but did a horrible job. Then I didn't paint figures for a while. When I got back into it I tried acrylics and had some success. I wouln't mind trying oils again, but I have too much invested in the other. I think I could do a better job with oils than I did origially, knowing what I have read in books and on these forums.

BY the way, I don't mind the smell either. Kind of miss it actually.

Brad Spelts

You can always put a bottle of turpentine open on the desk...LOLLL
Marc

I usually outline with a mix of black - black red and burnt umber not much dilluted , but also not botthle thick, with a 000 new brush i keep only for this work with a perfect shaped tip. Steady hand and patience !!!

Thank you Costas - I will keep an extra brush just for the outlining. I think that is a great idea.

Brad Spelts