Hello I made another fanart,would like some critism.
2yr
@paper
Hello I made this painting,it was inspired by this painting the late great James Bama did of a cowboy in the snow.I love the snowy setting of it and wanted to try to mix it with my own interest.So I thought of making it a touhou fanart and adding Reimu (Girl in the painting) to it.
I already painted her several times before so this time I tried to reel of her ussual design and make my own version of it.Though I did looked up several other Touhou artist to get ideas.I got the shirt idea from this fanart from fixro2n.For the small dots on her bow and shirt i took it from this Nikorashi-ka fanart.For the bag of miko stick she's holding I got it from this amazing Harano Kaguyama fanart.For the belt and little bag on her hips. I took it from this Ideolo painting.Alongside those I also took use my older sketch of Reimu and wanted to capture that normal tired teenager look.
But anyway,going back to the painting,I would some critism on what's not working with the painting.Unlike the Bama painting I made the edge of her silloutte more soft to simulate the feeling of being in a blizzard.I don't know if this works or not so feedback would be appreciated.Alongside that I would also love to know if any part of the painting isn't clear and how to improve it
Well that's all I hope I didn't bable too much,thanks again for the feedback :D(Also as always @Christopher Beaven and @Liandro any thoughts?)
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2yr
Hey, @paper! Sorry for the late reply, I appreciate your patience!
I like you painting! I think the different versions you made kind of bring slightly different feelings and styles. Personally, I prefer the one to attached in the original post because it feels like watercolor, mild and more pleasant to look at (at least to my personal taste) - and I really like how the girl’s face pops against the light faded background. The updated version, with stronger constrasts and digital iterations, feels much busier and intense, which I kind of like too, although not as much as the earlier one - and in the update, I feel the girl’s face kind of got a bit lost with the darker shadows and amidst the busy background.
However, I do think the blizzard efffect looks clearer in the updated version - there’s are visible hints of snow flakes and a sense of movement and wind which doesn’t appear in the original version.If you’re still taking any suggestions on this piece, one that I’d give would be to maybe try adding the blizzard digitally as you did, but keep the softer contrasts and more “watercolory” brushwork you had earlier. That’s what I think I’d do anyway.
Hope this helps!
Oh my god you actually answear.
Hey @Liandro,thanks for the reply!No problem on the lateness,I'm just glad you finally answear :D
Thanks for the compliment!I do really likethe second version as it is the busiest version and it remind me of the chaoticness of Marco Bucci's and Fechin's work.
I did actually do a third version,but I'm not sure if you saw it as it was below Yiming_Wu's comment.I used a chalk to simulate the blizzard, so if I were to ever sell the painting the original would stand on it's own.But anyway I did take up your advice and tried keeping the softer contrast by using the gouache blender brush in clip studio paint.
This is probably my last rendetion on this painting as I have started the thumbnail and color comp for my next painting and I'm losing excitement for this.But anyway,thanks for critiquing anyway,I'm glad I could hear your thoughts before moving on :D
Oh hi hi! This is a interesting combination/remix! I think you captured the feature nicely, people should be able to tell that's the elements if they know what you are up to.
I don't actually know much about the style choice of yours, I think I do see this kind of more or less free-form look from time to time, but I don't really know what's the incentive behind such stylistic choice? Is it something you learned from someone?
Oh hey you're back,@Yiming Wu thanks for replying!
On the topic of my style,at first the reason that I picked such a style was just because I enjoyed the more free form looking painting and wanted to emulate their texture and wanted to make my painting more unique to make myself stand out more.For this painting specifically,I was not looking for any chaos,in fact I was just trying to emulate James Bama style.But as I got further into the painting I found I couldn't resist doing the more free form style of painting and found it's in my nature to do it.(Also I found the chaos fit to the feeling of this painting specifically-that of being in a blizzard and getting overwhelmed by the snow)
On the topic if I learned it from anyone,I don't particulary think so,I learned it more from doing master copies of artist who's texture and chaos I enjoyed.Then realizing that I enjoyed doing it as much as I enjoyed looking at it.(I found that the unpredictableness of the painting make me want to revisit it,since it feels like I was looking at the work of another artist.)
Anyway,I hope that answears your question,thanks for asking by the way,it makes me think about why I'm doing the thing I'm doing,it was interesting :D.(Also I forgot to post it here,but here's the traditional version of the painting,tried to use white chalk to emulate the turpentine brush from procreate)
anywa,thanks again for replying -and also the compliemnts!-it's good to see you back,hopefully you have a nice stay in the proko community :D
Update,I wasn't too satisfied with the composition so I went back and add darker value in the background to contrast more to the girl's shirt.I also added snow and rougher brushmanship,I think it payes off just because the brush stroke make it feels like you're in a blizzard.I also went back and simplify the lips,because I realized the original painting she looked like a blonde bombshell trying to be angry than a normal teenager.
Alongside I also did this James Bama study to get better at my layering technique (and also how he uses very thin paint to make a translucent effect),though in the end I think I failed and have to do it all over again.(also the original was in oil but I tried translating it to acrylic and gouache.)
Anyway would love some critism on what's not working,and also thanks for replying :D(Also I did the brushmanship of the blizzard in procreate using the turpentine brush,I would like to know if this brush can be replicated in traditional medium using water based paint,Thank you in advance for replying >_<)
Hey paper!
Cool concept! But a couple of things I would suggest you do first before attempting a painting like this.
First, I don't like the composition very much, even in the photo reference. I think that the top of the hat is too close to the top of the picture, and in your piece this proximity ended cutting part of her hair tie for no apparent reason.
I belive you should try and find a reference that has a more interesting composition and use the one you picked just for the cowboy itself.
Second, I would strongly suggest you do a couple of studies before attempting a painting like this. Especially a study of the cowboy. For example, look in the reference how his face, even in the snow, retains a warm tone and in your piece the girl looks very pale.
I like the idea, but I think you should break down the process a bit it will look much better overall.
Hopefully it was helpful, cheers!
Oh also I forgot to wrote this,but here are the underdrawing and thumbnail of the picture if you're interested.(Also p.s. I was also looking at Adam Hughes and Andrew Wyeth While doing this painting.Adam hughes formixing lines and rendering and Andrew wyeth for mood-specifically his winter and snow piece.)
