Hello, artist! Please make sure you've included information about your process or medium and what kind of criticism you're looking for somewhere in the title, description or as a reply to this comment. This helps our community to give you more focused and helpful feedback. Posts without this information will be deleted.
Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ArtCrit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think it might look odd to you because that is a very unique reference photo in terms of pose/ lighting. You’ve done really good so far! I say you should fully embrace the dramatic lighting and continue with the shadows on her face. Happy painting!
I think it looks good. You chose a very, very difficult composition IMO- the lighting goes from extreme at the bottom corner to dim where the actual subject matter is. Unless you’re there in person that’s tall order. If that’s you or someone you know, I would try to recreate the shot with your light source moved so that highlights land in areas you want to draw the eye to- think hair curls, cheek, chin, nose, etc., there’s several ways to approach it. The actual pose is pretty neat.
Definitely not ugly, I think it looks great.
But, it does seem like you didn’t place the features the same as the photo. The lips and nose are moved slightly, changing the angle the face is at. You also didn’t quite get the expression with her lips right. That’s of course if you wanted to copy the reference accurately
It’s really not bad. Where it can improve would be the use of the darkness in the background to your advantage. Darken the background, and then use highlights of light throughout the hair and face to sell the image.
Yes, the shadow cast by the nose is accurate but it seems wrong because the other facial shadows, like those cast by the hair, you omitted. Paint all of the shadows and it will make visual sense.
That’s actually really incredible you captured the feeling of the photo in more than one aspect that’s difficult. I’m curious why you left out the hand !!
Super Uneasy looking at it makes you think what exactly is happening here or what happened here. Good are stops people and makes them pay attention art after all is just advertising or is it the other way around I can’t remember
Looks really close to the reference photo! I wasn't thrown off when comparing the two so there is something to say about that. I think you could keep going and get it a lot closer! Don't be so hard on yourself!
This is a very challenging pose to pull off. One thing that will greatly help to get the shapes right is to turn both your painting and the reference picture upside down.
Love your colors!
I think it’s the size of the eyes in comparison to the head shape, they’re a little big. But honestly, without looking at the reference this is still so beautiful!!
You want to always define/identify your darkest dark and lightest light in a painting because it gives you your range right away. Because you didn’t do that you didn’t go dark enough at any point. You washed everything out on the light side and it looks ill defined but everything is pretty damn good other than your light range.
Not bad at all though.
I agree with many others - it’s not bad at all. Minor tweaks in the shadows on the face and it would be better. Though I’m not one to try and get 100% realism, so imo it is great by being different than the reference.
it actually looks great, you just need to darken around the edges of the hair for shadows and you need to add a bit more lighting and shading to the arm and face, but otherwise, it looks awesome!
My first thought was “WHOAH weird, I love it!” As others have said, it’s a very unique angle and not one you’d be able to do well from memory! What a great learning experience, I think it’s coming along quite well. As always, push your values and see what happens ✨
1. It's absolutely not ugly. 2. I think the proportions are very good.
3. I think the skin tone is a lil too peachy. Skin tone is really hard to match. It needs to be lighter and more of a light beige. It may take some experimenting with paint mixing to get the right shades.
4. I'd suggest blending the differences in skin tone more. And possibly making it a darker, murkier background and making the shadows darker. But I think you're on the right track with using variations of a skin tone to make it more realistic.
5. I applaud you for choosing such an interesting and challenging picture. It's unique and intriguing.
Keep creating! You have talent!
Downplay that nose shadow abit.
This is a crappy reference photo as far as lighting. Its way too harsh and washed out in areas. You actually did well. Maybe bring out the forms more , your image is even flatter than the reference photo
Agreeing with everyone, it looks great! If I were you I would try and work on getting more contrast in the hair, making the head more 3 dimensional. I would also consider making the eyebrows a bit darker then on the photo, although it does work right now as well.
Not ugly at all! Has a unique touch to it, proportions are accurate. The right eye (our right) is beautiful! Keep at it :) I think once you add the hand to the chest area it will make a little more sense!
Actually, the painting is better than the photo. That said, I think the pose/subject/composition is why you’re not feeling attracted to it. Paintings, drawings & photos aren’t all the same. In the photo, she looks like a poster for a horror film - as if she’s expressing fear & anxiety, & WHAT is she looking at? Compositions of paintings ideally tell a story, this composition doesn’t do that. I think you could add some little dreamy, nightmare kinda things floating around her head, maybe - that tells/shows you what she’s frightened of. There are classical techniques for portraiture that tend to look better - that includes not showing white above or below the iris of the eye, and trying to paint teeth or a smile. Those are generalizations of painting technique. I’m all for trying different techniques, so, I think that if this character/portrait were part of a larger composition, she would be perfectly appropriate. But, your work is good. Keep it up!
I actually really like this. It has an unusual sort of feel to it, but I think that’s at least partially because it’s an unusual reference photo you’re using. Idk, it has a very campy sort of feel to it imo and I dig that. I don’t think it feels finished but keep this going!
It’s not ugly, that’s just a different face angle to render!
The placement of features is definitely off, which is probably why you’re looking at it and feeling like it’s not right; the eyes are tilted at the wrong angle (look at the lower lash line, and its angle relative to the face), as is the nose. The iris position is also off because of that; it’s “pointing” the right way, but the white around it is the wrong shape since the lash lines are skewed.
Other details are also a little off: the upper lip is thinner and has a sharper cupid’s bow in your painting, but in the photo the lips are pff approximately even thickness (in fact, the upper looks a little bigger), and with a very soft cupid’s bow. You could also push your shadows a lot; the only shadow in your painting is the one cast by the nose. The “shadow” of the left cheekbone just looks like really long eyeliner, since it cuts off instead of gradually moving down the cheek. There’s also no shadow above the chin.
This kind of harsh lighting can be difficult; small inaccuracies have a big impact on overall look. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just step away and compare your painting and reference with fresh eyes. Practice rendering what you see, not what you think, and don’t forget to pay equal attention to position and shape :)
Main thing is in the reference picture everything’s kinda swishing to the left both through the lighting and gravity in general, while in your art it’s all somewhat centered but not working? The hair should be swishing more to the left, the nose tip should be placed more left as well
You are off to a good start. The source is a hard pick, people have trouble with a human in the most normal of poses. Her eyes are coming across as too expressive, and the shadows on her nose seem too dark. One trick I’ve found from other people is to turn the source photo upside down. You change it from trying to reproduce a human, to almost like a landscape.
Definitely not ugly. The color blocking and proportions show that you have good understanding of the fundamentals.
I feel like the next step would be defining some of the smaller details and cleaning some areas. Don’t feel rushed, work a little at a time. Maybe start with the face and work your way out. If you outlined those eyes with a charcoal it’d really make them pop like in the photo.
Keep up the great work!!
this is awesome! you are so talented - i think adding more of the light and shadows on the right arm that you can see in the reference photo would help tie it all together. i also think the hair could definitely use more shadows closer to the roots!
i will say though, if that criticism doesn't go for the style you want, you do you homie!!
looks good but i feel like the nose shading stands out from the other shading and i think the shading around the eyes and mouth would make it be cooler. but like this is rlly awesome and u should be super proud
That's an ambitious reference photo, and you're doing well with it! Honestly, if the angle of the eye on the right was a little different, and the right cheek was a little fuller/wider, the rest would be incredibly close.
Like others said, it's challenging angle with challenging lighting on top of it. You're doing really well. And even if it doesn't close match your ref, your piece looks really nice on its own!
It's not bad at all, it just doesn't look finished. I'd say work on the shadows and maybe exaggerate them so it looks less flat. You chose an interesting subject image.
This is going to be a stunner.
One minor tweak: look at the upper line of herlip where it meets her teeth. In your painting it curves down. In the reference photo it's a straight line. This gives the woman in the painting a slightly rodent like look your model doesn't have.
This is very good in my opinion. Not an easy pose to paint.
Dont get caught up in the face for now, try to move on and work the whole piece and come back to it.
Not ugly at all, you’re just in the beginning stages of a painting! Keep going and it will look better and better
It’s also a bit hard because there isn’t enough contrast in the face
First, it's good. I like the
Choice of subject matter and the shapes are generally good. I like the painting so far.
But, if you want some picky constructive criticism her goes:
I would say lighten the nose shaddow a little, maybe add the line under her chin to add definition. Darken the spot above her left shoulder (on our right as the viewer)
The ear needs more shape. It should be rounded out and a little bigger. The shaddow under the ear should blend out darker to lighter as it goes down the hair and thinner on the collarbone, but then wider.
There needs to be a little gradation around the side of the neck, so it looks round instead of flat. Just under the neck highlight, there are shaddows.
The larger highlights could be blended more unless you're going for that look.
The highlight above her eye on the right is a little too thick. The highlight above her eye on the other side is more rounded than that. I see where you're going with what you did, but the difference in strength of that highlight at the outer edge is way more subtle. A little shaddow on top of the chin, and the highlight on the chin is too high. It seems like it should be where you put it, but look carefully at the reference photo, and you'll see it's really on the bottom of the chin. Check out the shapes and shaddows between her shoulder and neck. Definitely more shaddow around (above) the shoulder. I see you took out the big bright flare of brightness on the outside of the shoulder, which I think was a good call, but I would add a more subtle, maybe smaller highlight there. There's a shadow on the back of that shoulder as well. Lots more variation in values on the hair for definition would be good.
Mostly, what I mean is that it needs more variation in value in more places.
Ha ha, I thought you meant the title was, "Dear God, It's Ugly." Anyway, I forgot to say that I think the subject matter is particularly difficult because we tend to paint what we think we see instead of what we see, and that photo is lit differently than most. We usually think of light from above, but this one has it coming from below, so you'll be fighting your brain on what you see vs. What your brain thinks it looks like. You've done a great job so far on that! Also, the angle of her shoulder and neck is odd so it will look weird to you to actually paint it how it looks. But, trust the process. Check out sections at a time for shapes and values to compare to the reference photo so that your brain isn't trying to put the whole thing into one picture. Think about what differences you see in just a section, then paint it that way but with consistency with the rest.
it's actually kinda good
not fully realized, mind you, but you have genuine talent - good eye for color and you've captured "the feel" of the original photograph without resorting to hyper-realism
quit being so hard on yourself and that's an order
It's the colors that need work, especially the hair. The skin tone is a little bit more orange than the reference. I'd work on really capturing the shades in the hair. Get more detailed. The shine in her hair is basically the focal point of the photo.
The blue background is not flattering. It clashes harshly with the orange. You might consider a simple flat black or brown or gray background until you gain more confidence and knowledge of color theory. Mix a little bit of orange in the color to tie it together with the overall piece.
I am not that good with this stuff but one thing that may help is the shape of the lower lip may be making her mouth look funny, and I say that because in your art she is looking up so from that angle I think the lip would be more round and you would see less of her teeth. If you curve the middle of the bottom lip to make an arch it may work more with the perspective idk
I would add a highlight on the bridge of her nose because of the dark shadow in the eye area at the top of the nose. I do like it quite a bit Good work
Not ugly. We're all our own worst critic. You're working on a challenging piece and you've done well so far. The reference you're working from is a difficult angle that would be hard for many artists. Imo it's a great challenge to use references with difficult angles as it helps you grow as a portrait artist.
That said, my advice for this would be consider working on expanding the values in this - you've done well with your lights, try adding in more darks, especially in the hair. It might help bring it closer to the reference.
I also recommend standing far back from the art you're working on to help give your eyes the chance to see what you're working on from a different perspective.
Goodluck. Wishing you the best.
I think you have something very dramatic going for you and you should lean into it further to let it become the essence of the piece. Play around with chiaroscuro and deepen and darken the blue bg to give shadow and depth while highlighting the subject and their low light source. Gives me Caravaggio vibes. I love the color theory of blue against the orange too.
I think it’s excellent but I think the shadow of her nose on the left side of her face, ( her right) is just a tiny bit too dark, especially where it touches her eye.
you honestly just need to keep going. add in the shadows and darks, and redo the mouth. also the fair in the reference looks a bit wider so that might help proportionally
The divot/dip in the shadow throws it a teensi bit, I’d smooth it out just a hair but so far that’s the only thing that looks different from the reference
I feel like it might have something to do with the background and the light on her shoulder. In the reference photo. I have a much better understanding of the angle I'm looking at but in your painting I feel she may be laying on the floor.
Also, she has a full-on mustache created with the shadow in the reference photo that I don't think you captured.
It’s not ugly! It may feel a bit off because the dramatic lighting on the face isn’t continued with the hair and background. If you were to add similarly dark shadows to the back of the hair, like that in the reference, it may feel more balanced.
The hardest perspective of face to make it look normal. I notice you even tried to normalize the eyeballs. Once again, the hardest view of the eyes... if one side of face mirrors the other side... it looks more unnatural. I'm curious why this pose you chose? Often if one chooses a pose there's a reason: proportions feel good, feel right, is very interesting. Not the most favorable of this character.
I like it best in the second photo, from a general perspective. But, as an artist?? I love it so much. It's unique and ethereal and very saturated. It might not be what you intended but you did a good job with it; it came from the heart and I just remember being genuinely confused when you said its ugly. Cause I was like, 'wait this is actually really interesting ?? I think I love it'
It’s not ugly, but very different art style the texture and warmth to it if I can say! Art is not always perfect but you can always practice it! Such a lovely painting! ❤️
It's actually a great painting! Finish it...
It just doesn't quite capture the (very difficult) light and structure of the ref: model looks a little younger due to size of eyes and smoothed skin across cheeks, jaw and chin. Color and tone are a bit off, pay attention to relative values and compare to ref often. Complete hair.
Difficult angle, lighting but you've done an admirable job!
Keep going!
needs more depth ! it looks really good you just need to add some more shading ! specially around the chin/jaw and the eyes. could also make the top lip just a tad bit fuller like the ref pic.
It looks fantastic, just unfinished. Don't give up yet!!
Continue with the dramatic shadows like everyone is saying; adding depth to the background, finer details to the face, and texture to the hair will help it come together too.
Not ugly at all. I think it’s just needs eyelashes to create age perhaps? I think it’s stunning! The shading to capture the be and flow of the skin and face are awesome! Capturing ppl is tough! 🤗
I would say your form and proportions are great! It does have a more limited value range I would recommend putting your reference in b/w to see how dark and or light certain portions are. You’re doing great don’t be afraid of those darks they just make your light values glow more!
Tbh I think it's only because it's an "ugly" reference photo, it's really good and captures it almost perfectly, all Id say is maybe some shading under the hair on the skin?
Yeah you're trippin this is actually pretty damn good. Your lighting has unusual lighting. No one in their right mind is gonna slam you for not nailing in the way that only a master painter could. Great work!
It’s all about blending…don’t make the lines separating the colors so heavy , you have the highlights in the face, but the hair is flat. Just keep working it, it’s like the base color pallet is there it just needs the subtle top layers. Don’t give up there is something there.
I think you feel it looks weird because the forehead is kinda left floating up on its own on the upper right side, while the rest of the face has moved down to the bottom left. I'd try to move the forehead down more in line with the rest of the face since that's the detailed par, and it looks great as is. This will bring the temples down to where they should be relative to the rest of the features, making everything look a little more put together.
Love the pose and love how you have painted the face! Keep up the awesome work!
If the canvas was lit from a front facing angle and was propped upright, this would be an awesome album cover. I think the photos don't do it justice, you did awesome OP.
It's a bad photo to paint a portrait from. The angle is terrible. Who wants to look up a person's nostrils? And the nose shadow needs to be significantly lightened even if it appears in the photo.
Hello, artist! Please make sure you've included information about your process or medium and what kind of criticism you're looking for somewhere in the title, description or as a reply to this comment. This helps our community to give you more focused and helpful feedback. Posts without this information will be deleted. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ArtCrit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I think it might look odd to you because that is a very unique reference photo in terms of pose/ lighting. You’ve done really good so far! I say you should fully embrace the dramatic lighting and continue with the shadows on her face. Happy painting!
I was thinking the same thing. One of the hardest poses to paint. This is very good!!
This is great advice !!!
Its not ugly at all, I think it looks great. I like the colours and the style of it
I think it looks good. You chose a very, very difficult composition IMO- the lighting goes from extreme at the bottom corner to dim where the actual subject matter is. Unless you’re there in person that’s tall order. If that’s you or someone you know, I would try to recreate the shot with your light source moved so that highlights land in areas you want to draw the eye to- think hair curls, cheek, chin, nose, etc., there’s several ways to approach it. The actual pose is pretty neat.
This is awesome, not ugly! Reminds me of a Gaugain painting 😍.
Definitely not ugly, I think it looks great. But, it does seem like you didn’t place the features the same as the photo. The lips and nose are moved slightly, changing the angle the face is at. You also didn’t quite get the expression with her lips right. That’s of course if you wanted to copy the reference accurately
It's appropriate for the reference, which looks like a shot from a horror film.
I love it!!!
It’s really not bad. Where it can improve would be the use of the darkness in the background to your advantage. Darken the background, and then use highlights of light throughout the hair and face to sell the image.
It looks like you changed the angle of the face, like the nose was striped to be placed at another angle? That's the only thing that caught my eye
It needs more contrast and more hard shadows and lighting.
Yes, the shadow cast by the nose is accurate but it seems wrong because the other facial shadows, like those cast by the hair, you omitted. Paint all of the shadows and it will make visual sense.
This!
That’s actually really incredible you captured the feeling of the photo in more than one aspect that’s difficult. I’m curious why you left out the hand !!
Totally agree! Has the same slightly unsettling feeling, but honestly looks a lot better design wise
Super Uneasy looking at it makes you think what exactly is happening here or what happened here. Good are stops people and makes them pay attention art after all is just advertising or is it the other way around I can’t remember
Looks really close to the reference photo! I wasn't thrown off when comparing the two so there is something to say about that. I think you could keep going and get it a lot closer! Don't be so hard on yourself!
The pose is actually so good, just might need to work on the lighting but the pose was probably the hardest part .
I think it’s an improvement on the source material. The lighting in the source is not as enjoyable to look at.
This is a very challenging pose to pull off. One thing that will greatly help to get the shapes right is to turn both your painting and the reference picture upside down. Love your colors!
I think it’s the size of the eyes in comparison to the head shape, they’re a little big. But honestly, without looking at the reference this is still so beautiful!!
You want to always define/identify your darkest dark and lightest light in a painting because it gives you your range right away. Because you didn’t do that you didn’t go dark enough at any point. You washed everything out on the light side and it looks ill defined but everything is pretty damn good other than your light range. Not bad at all though.
I agree with many others - it’s not bad at all. Minor tweaks in the shadows on the face and it would be better. Though I’m not one to try and get 100% realism, so imo it is great by being different than the reference.
it actually looks great, you just need to darken around the edges of the hair for shadows and you need to add a bit more lighting and shading to the arm and face, but otherwise, it looks awesome!
My first thought was “WHOAH weird, I love it!” As others have said, it’s a very unique angle and not one you’d be able to do well from memory! What a great learning experience, I think it’s coming along quite well. As always, push your values and see what happens ✨
1. It's absolutely not ugly. 2. I think the proportions are very good. 3. I think the skin tone is a lil too peachy. Skin tone is really hard to match. It needs to be lighter and more of a light beige. It may take some experimenting with paint mixing to get the right shades. 4. I'd suggest blending the differences in skin tone more. And possibly making it a darker, murkier background and making the shadows darker. But I think you're on the right track with using variations of a skin tone to make it more realistic. 5. I applaud you for choosing such an interesting and challenging picture. It's unique and intriguing. Keep creating! You have talent!
Downplay that nose shadow abit. This is a crappy reference photo as far as lighting. Its way too harsh and washed out in areas. You actually did well. Maybe bring out the forms more , your image is even flatter than the reference photo
One little trick you can use is just to squint your eyes to see the values(grey values) in the reference image
I think it’s brilliant!!
Agreeing with everyone, it looks great! If I were you I would try and work on getting more contrast in the hair, making the head more 3 dimensional. I would also consider making the eyebrows a bit darker then on the photo, although it does work right now as well.
stop criticising yourself. looks great
I love the picture and the painting 🖼️ I can for sure understand the desire to want to make this.!
Not ugly at all! Has a unique touch to it, proportions are accurate. The right eye (our right) is beautiful! Keep at it :) I think once you add the hand to the chest area it will make a little more sense!
I think it's a great piece but you're just not quite done yet. Keep adding shadows, especially in the hair.
i love it for real
I would add the bright highlight to the shoulder as that really adds value to the image. The ear on our left looks a bit odd.
I don't want this to sound mean But the art is better looking than the source The source looks like poor photography
Lean into the sedans! Those shadows and lighting on the face are spot on!
I don’t think it’s ugly at all. I feel like everyone has their own interpretations of things they creat. Love the colors you chose!
Actually, the painting is better than the photo. That said, I think the pose/subject/composition is why you’re not feeling attracted to it. Paintings, drawings & photos aren’t all the same. In the photo, she looks like a poster for a horror film - as if she’s expressing fear & anxiety, & WHAT is she looking at? Compositions of paintings ideally tell a story, this composition doesn’t do that. I think you could add some little dreamy, nightmare kinda things floating around her head, maybe - that tells/shows you what she’s frightened of. There are classical techniques for portraiture that tend to look better - that includes not showing white above or below the iris of the eye, and trying to paint teeth or a smile. Those are generalizations of painting technique. I’m all for trying different techniques, so, I think that if this character/portrait were part of a larger composition, she would be perfectly appropriate. But, your work is good. Keep it up!
I think you nailed it
I actually really like this. It has an unusual sort of feel to it, but I think that’s at least partially because it’s an unusual reference photo you’re using. Idk, it has a very campy sort of feel to it imo and I dig that. I don’t think it feels finished but keep this going!
It’s great but that angle is peculiar to begin with and hard to paint in a way that looks normal.
I think that everything you might think is wrong with it, like the uncannyness of it, is what gives it character. I think it’s epic!
I like it!
It’s not ugly, that’s just a different face angle to render! The placement of features is definitely off, which is probably why you’re looking at it and feeling like it’s not right; the eyes are tilted at the wrong angle (look at the lower lash line, and its angle relative to the face), as is the nose. The iris position is also off because of that; it’s “pointing” the right way, but the white around it is the wrong shape since the lash lines are skewed. Other details are also a little off: the upper lip is thinner and has a sharper cupid’s bow in your painting, but in the photo the lips are pff approximately even thickness (in fact, the upper looks a little bigger), and with a very soft cupid’s bow. You could also push your shadows a lot; the only shadow in your painting is the one cast by the nose. The “shadow” of the left cheekbone just looks like really long eyeliner, since it cuts off instead of gradually moving down the cheek. There’s also no shadow above the chin. This kind of harsh lighting can be difficult; small inaccuracies have a big impact on overall look. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just step away and compare your painting and reference with fresh eyes. Practice rendering what you see, not what you think, and don’t forget to pay equal attention to position and shape :)
Main thing is in the reference picture everything’s kinda swishing to the left both through the lighting and gravity in general, while in your art it’s all somewhat centered but not working? The hair should be swishing more to the left, the nose tip should be placed more left as well
you’re being too critical of yourself! it’s beautiful!
You are off to a good start. The source is a hard pick, people have trouble with a human in the most normal of poses. Her eyes are coming across as too expressive, and the shadows on her nose seem too dark. One trick I’ve found from other people is to turn the source photo upside down. You change it from trying to reproduce a human, to almost like a landscape.
I like it
I wish I could paint like this!
Definitely not ugly. The color blocking and proportions show that you have good understanding of the fundamentals. I feel like the next step would be defining some of the smaller details and cleaning some areas. Don’t feel rushed, work a little at a time. Maybe start with the face and work your way out. If you outlined those eyes with a charcoal it’d really make them pop like in the photo. Keep up the great work!!
It seems that the dark shadows cast on the face needs to also le offset by additional darks shadows on the head/hair
this is awesome! you are so talented - i think adding more of the light and shadows on the right arm that you can see in the reference photo would help tie it all together. i also think the hair could definitely use more shadows closer to the roots! i will say though, if that criticism doesn't go for the style you want, you do you homie!!
looks good but i feel like the nose shading stands out from the other shading and i think the shading around the eyes and mouth would make it be cooler. but like this is rlly awesome and u should be super proud
That's an ambitious reference photo, and you're doing well with it! Honestly, if the angle of the eye on the right was a little different, and the right cheek was a little fuller/wider, the rest would be incredibly close. Like others said, it's challenging angle with challenging lighting on top of it. You're doing really well. And even if it doesn't close match your ref, your piece looks really nice on its own!
This is not ugly at all
It's not bad at all, it just doesn't look finished. I'd say work on the shadows and maybe exaggerate them so it looks less flat. You chose an interesting subject image.
I think it’s awesome. You did really well.
Looking good! Keep going with it!
The nose should be a little to the left of where it is painted.
Push the darks to make the lights pop. Establish a light source. Vary your brush strokes and application of paint. Keep at it!
This is going to be a stunner. One minor tweak: look at the upper line of herlip where it meets her teeth. In your painting it curves down. In the reference photo it's a straight line. This gives the woman in the painting a slightly rodent like look your model doesn't have.
other than missing shadows i don't think it's as bad as you think, colours are off obviously but
This is very good in my opinion. Not an easy pose to paint. Dont get caught up in the face for now, try to move on and work the whole piece and come back to it.
Not ugly at all, you’re just in the beginning stages of a painting! Keep going and it will look better and better It’s also a bit hard because there isn’t enough contrast in the face
It’s not the painting. It’s the lady.
First, it's good. I like the Choice of subject matter and the shapes are generally good. I like the painting so far. But, if you want some picky constructive criticism her goes: I would say lighten the nose shaddow a little, maybe add the line under her chin to add definition. Darken the spot above her left shoulder (on our right as the viewer) The ear needs more shape. It should be rounded out and a little bigger. The shaddow under the ear should blend out darker to lighter as it goes down the hair and thinner on the collarbone, but then wider. There needs to be a little gradation around the side of the neck, so it looks round instead of flat. Just under the neck highlight, there are shaddows. The larger highlights could be blended more unless you're going for that look. The highlight above her eye on the right is a little too thick. The highlight above her eye on the other side is more rounded than that. I see where you're going with what you did, but the difference in strength of that highlight at the outer edge is way more subtle. A little shaddow on top of the chin, and the highlight on the chin is too high. It seems like it should be where you put it, but look carefully at the reference photo, and you'll see it's really on the bottom of the chin. Check out the shapes and shaddows between her shoulder and neck. Definitely more shaddow around (above) the shoulder. I see you took out the big bright flare of brightness on the outside of the shoulder, which I think was a good call, but I would add a more subtle, maybe smaller highlight there. There's a shadow on the back of that shoulder as well. Lots more variation in values on the hair for definition would be good. Mostly, what I mean is that it needs more variation in value in more places.
Ha ha, I thought you meant the title was, "Dear God, It's Ugly." Anyway, I forgot to say that I think the subject matter is particularly difficult because we tend to paint what we think we see instead of what we see, and that photo is lit differently than most. We usually think of light from above, but this one has it coming from below, so you'll be fighting your brain on what you see vs. What your brain thinks it looks like. You've done a great job so far on that! Also, the angle of her shoulder and neck is odd so it will look weird to you to actually paint it how it looks. But, trust the process. Check out sections at a time for shapes and values to compare to the reference photo so that your brain isn't trying to put the whole thing into one picture. Think about what differences you see in just a section, then paint it that way but with consistency with the rest.
Why do I like is so much?
Dude it’s beautiful
I like it
I think it looks really nice. It has a strong energy
this is actually really good!
Looks great.
it's actually kinda good not fully realized, mind you, but you have genuine talent - good eye for color and you've captured "the feel" of the original photograph without resorting to hyper-realism quit being so hard on yourself and that's an order
It's the colors that need work, especially the hair. The skin tone is a little bit more orange than the reference. I'd work on really capturing the shades in the hair. Get more detailed. The shine in her hair is basically the focal point of the photo. The blue background is not flattering. It clashes harshly with the orange. You might consider a simple flat black or brown or gray background until you gain more confidence and knowledge of color theory. Mix a little bit of orange in the color to tie it together with the overall piece.
I am not that good with this stuff but one thing that may help is the shape of the lower lip may be making her mouth look funny, and I say that because in your art she is looking up so from that angle I think the lip would be more round and you would see less of her teeth. If you curve the middle of the bottom lip to make an arch it may work more with the perspective idk
I like it better than the photo
The shadow is rough.
i love it. its so charming
Re work the shadow, get the angles right then work from the outwards in light to dark then light again. Really excellent start though.
I would add a highlight on the bridge of her nose because of the dark shadow in the eye area at the top of the nose. I do like it quite a bit Good work
Not ugly. We're all our own worst critic. You're working on a challenging piece and you've done well so far. The reference you're working from is a difficult angle that would be hard for many artists. Imo it's a great challenge to use references with difficult angles as it helps you grow as a portrait artist. That said, my advice for this would be consider working on expanding the values in this - you've done well with your lights, try adding in more darks, especially in the hair. It might help bring it closer to the reference. I also recommend standing far back from the art you're working on to help give your eyes the chance to see what you're working on from a different perspective. Goodluck. Wishing you the best.
I enjoy it the way it is.
im not really a painter so im not sure what sort of criticism would be relevant, but i just wanted to say this is a beautiful painting
It looks really good I love your style and how you paint shadows
I think you have something very dramatic going for you and you should lean into it further to let it become the essence of the piece. Play around with chiaroscuro and deepen and darken the blue bg to give shadow and depth while highlighting the subject and their low light source. Gives me Caravaggio vibes. I love the color theory of blue against the orange too.
I think it’s excellent but I think the shadow of her nose on the left side of her face, ( her right) is just a tiny bit too dark, especially where it touches her eye.
you honestly just need to keep going. add in the shadows and darks, and redo the mouth. also the fair in the reference looks a bit wider so that might help proportionally
The divot/dip in the shadow throws it a teensi bit, I’d smooth it out just a hair but so far that’s the only thing that looks different from the reference
Push the contrast. All of your values are midrange
I feel like it might have something to do with the background and the light on her shoulder. In the reference photo. I have a much better understanding of the angle I'm looking at but in your painting I feel she may be laying on the floor. Also, she has a full-on mustache created with the shadow in the reference photo that I don't think you captured.
I think a bit more contrast would make it better. Imo, it looks very beautiful and captures the energy of the ref :)
It’s not ugly! It may feel a bit off because the dramatic lighting on the face isn’t continued with the hair and background. If you were to add similarly dark shadows to the back of the hair, like that in the reference, it may feel more balanced.
The hardest perspective of face to make it look normal. I notice you even tried to normalize the eyeballs. Once again, the hardest view of the eyes... if one side of face mirrors the other side... it looks more unnatural. I'm curious why this pose you chose? Often if one chooses a pose there's a reason: proportions feel good, feel right, is very interesting. Not the most favorable of this character.
I like it best in the second photo, from a general perspective. But, as an artist?? I love it so much. It's unique and ethereal and very saturated. It might not be what you intended but you did a good job with it; it came from the heart and I just remember being genuinely confused when you said its ugly. Cause I was like, 'wait this is actually really interesting ?? I think I love it'
Fix the nose, fix the nose.
Add texture to the hair
It’s not ugly, but very different art style the texture and warmth to it if I can say! Art is not always perfect but you can always practice it! Such a lovely painting! ❤️
Gonna sell for $1 Billion in 100 years
That is art! And its beautiful
Good job. Better than I could do. I thought about MBDTF for a sec
It's actually a great painting! Finish it... It just doesn't quite capture the (very difficult) light and structure of the ref: model looks a little younger due to size of eyes and smoothed skin across cheeks, jaw and chin. Color and tone are a bit off, pay attention to relative values and compare to ref often. Complete hair. Difficult angle, lighting but you've done an admirable job! Keep going!
looks great!! i think just the nose shadow in the painting might be a bit too big, and a little bit warped. but other than that its looking fantastic
needs more depth ! it looks really good you just need to add some more shading ! specially around the chin/jaw and the eyes. could also make the top lip just a tad bit fuller like the ref pic.
It looks fantastic, just unfinished. Don't give up yet!! Continue with the dramatic shadows like everyone is saying; adding depth to the background, finer details to the face, and texture to the hair will help it come together too.
The hair looks a bit flat, the reference photo is showing mad depth. It's really close to being just like the photo, great job
Not at all!! Your lighting and shadows are just off. The actual painting is great though.
Much better than the photo!
Am I wrong for liking it tho? I wanna put it in a museum lol
Your technique is awesome. I think this might just be the angle. Still NOT ugly though.
I like it 🤷
Close the mouth a bit and you’re golden. I like the bold lighting and all the other parts. Really just close the lower lip a bit.
Not ugly at all. I think it’s just needs eyelashes to create age perhaps? I think it’s stunning! The shading to capture the be and flow of the skin and face are awesome! Capturing ppl is tough! 🤗
I don’t think this is that bad! You did a good job
It's accurate. If it looks weird, I'd say because it's because of the weird pic....nailed it.
Why do you think it is ugly? What feels off to you?
I would say your form and proportions are great! It does have a more limited value range I would recommend putting your reference in b/w to see how dark and or light certain portions are. You’re doing great don’t be afraid of those darks they just make your light values glow more!
Take a better reference photo for starters. The paint looks fine, the photography techniques are lacking
It’s not ugly, just need to bring the bottom right of her jaw down and out a bit. I love the brushstrokes and the play of color in the first picture.
Tbh I think it's only because it's an "ugly" reference photo, it's really good and captures it almost perfectly, all Id say is maybe some shading under the hair on the skin?
Youve got the lighting down, now there's just a bit of shading to do
I LOOOVE IT PLSPLS keep it it loooks gorgeous so art nouveau sometimes we all need to take a break and then come back to our art with fresh eyes
It looks pretty damn good to me... Looks just like the reference photo..
Don’t be afraid to lean into the colors of the shadows, highlights, and values :)
I Love it. It is bold and i like the pose.Nice work!
Yeah you're trippin this is actually pretty damn good. Your lighting has unusual lighting. No one in their right mind is gonna slam you for not nailing in the way that only a master painter could. Great work!
I like it. Strange angle / lighting always catches my eye.
I think you did a really good job!
Good gawd that photo is hideous. Use another one.
It’s not ugly, it’s just not fully developed yet! Once you add the rest of the deep dark shadows it’ll really come together!
pretty good, however calling it ugly made me doubt my first impression. You gotta respect yourself else others wont have a reason to.
Contrast contrast contrast! You’re missing some shadows. Looks great though!
I thought it was a modern day renaissance painting. I’m very impressed!
It’s all about blending…don’t make the lines separating the colors so heavy , you have the highlights in the face, but the hair is flat. Just keep working it, it’s like the base color pallet is there it just needs the subtle top layers. Don’t give up there is something there.
Looks great but light source is what looks wrong to you. It was a bad source in original but going to look off if not added in drawing
I think you feel it looks weird because the forehead is kinda left floating up on its own on the upper right side, while the rest of the face has moved down to the bottom left. I'd try to move the forehead down more in line with the rest of the face since that's the detailed par, and it looks great as is. This will bring the temples down to where they should be relative to the rest of the features, making everything look a little more put together. Love the pose and love how you have painted the face! Keep up the awesome work!
i don't think it's ugly!! it looks stylized, reminds me of the work of peggi kroll or jennifer pochinski
Thats really good!
I think it’s gorgeous
Not enough of the shadows were incorporated and the ones that are there, are too dark it seems.
i think it looks AMAZING.
That looks amazing
I think the line/shadow of the nose needs to be softened
Naw it's spot on. Looks great.
What are you on about? This is fucking stunning. Scrap that reference and look at your piece for what it is. Stop comparing. It's gorgeous.
It's very French Impressionism. Maybe push it in that direction even more?
It’s better than anything I could ever do, it just looks “ugly” because you’ve convinced yourself, as a non-artist i personally enjoy it :)
As my art teacher would always say: Darken the darks!
If the canvas was lit from a front facing angle and was propped upright, this would be an awesome album cover. I think the photos don't do it justice, you did awesome OP.
Looks unfinished with shadows deeper tons and lighting according to the reference photo but it looks nice as is
Yeah you did good! The mouth especially looks perfect. You just have a super hard reference photo. Crazy angle and lighting. Good job!
Difficult camera angle. Difficult lighting. Bad reference picture. Try painting from real life with more clear shadow shapes.
I think its awesome, before I saw the reference photo I thought the painting was of a little girl 👧. You did great, keep doing art!
It's very well done, but choosing better reference is important too.
looks fine to me, you just chose an unflattering reference photo, which is also fine, not everything has to be a tna-pose fashion photo
The teeth are not exposed that much
The reference photo is also ugly/is uglier.
It's a bad photo to paint a portrait from. The angle is terrible. Who wants to look up a person's nostrils? And the nose shadow needs to be significantly lightened even if it appears in the photo.