Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: SirFrancis on January 08, 2010, 03:47:42 AM

Title: need advice regarding painting
Post by: SirFrancis on January 08, 2010, 03:47:42 AM
I need a advice regarding the background. The two birds are male/female grouse. I am not very happy with the background. Right now it looks more like a desert setting. Should I get rid of the blue sky and the mountains? Should I put more gras in the front?

What do you think?

Regards
SF

(http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2815/ssl26525.th.jpg) (http://img340.imageshack.us/i/ssl26525.jpg/)
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: Ghosth on January 08, 2010, 06:54:09 AM
Put a Yucca or something in the background for contrast/scale.

Little patch of grass, leaves, something up front yes, maybe even a rock.
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: Dragon on January 08, 2010, 07:25:51 AM
If you were trying to make it look like snow, then maybe a few distant pine trees with a touch of snow on them?


A rock in front  :aok  or a snow drift.


The sky looks good, I'd leave it alone.
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: 68ZooM on January 08, 2010, 06:27:37 PM
Some sage plants would go good with that background sense sage is some what common in western type landscapes.
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: texasmom on January 08, 2010, 07:15:13 PM
Is it is prize for a shooting contest?

On the space under the birds, perhaps putting the name of the location, or name of the organization sponsoring the contest. :)

Looks nice. :)
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: ink on January 08, 2010, 08:06:13 PM
my first impression was it is supposed to be snow, if this is the case then do not add any thing else, just bring some very soft washes of light blue through out the ground work, otherwise it looks great :aok


do a image search on "snowy fields" give ya an idea of what it should look like.
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: mtnman on January 08, 2010, 10:34:50 PM

What species are they?  What is their natural habitat?  Grasslands?  They don't appear to be any of the North American varieties that I'm familiar with, so I don't really know what type of background would be appropriate.  Some of ours live in grasslands, some in forests, and some rely heavily on sage.  Actually, some need sage of specific density and height...

It looks like you're approaching things the same way I did when I was getting started in art.  I concentrated on the subject, and then had trouble with the foreground and background because I added it as an afterthought almost.  I did great on the subject matter (as you are too!), but struggled with the habitat.  I did better when I learned to compose the subject, foreground, and background so they all tied together.  I was stubborn though, and it took me a long time to figure it out, hehe!



They're neat looking birds though.
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: SirFrancis on January 09, 2010, 06:58:34 AM
Put a Yucca or something in the background for contrast/scale.

Little patch of grass, leaves, something up front yes, maybe even a rock.

Ghost, I can´t put a Yucca there, ´cause the scenery is in Bavaria...we don´t have Yuccas here... :)

A rock seems a good idea. I altered the sky and already put some grass in the front.


If you were trying to make it look like snow, then maybe a few distant pine trees with a touch of snow on them?
A rock in front  :aok  or a snow drift.
The sky looks good, I'd leave it alone.

Snow... :headscratch: I am afraid it would be too "white". Right now the background color is ivory. Yes, maybe a rock. But not too big. The sky was to blue. I reduced it. I want that the birds come out in color but not the landscape.

Some sage plants would go good with that background sense sage is some what common in western type landscapes.

I put some there now. see pic at end of the post. What is sage?  :)

Is it is prize for a shooting contest?
On the space under the birds, perhaps putting the name of the location, or name of the organization sponsoring the contest. :)
Looks nice. :)

Thank you! Yes its the price for a air rifle shooting contest at our gun club. Above you can read "Schützenkönig 2010" which translated 1:1 would mean "riflemanking 2010". But its a little difficult for me to explain this, since my English is not that good. But its all about tradition.

Maybe I put the the target from the new king in there. I mean this little piece of paper with the hole, that should be right in the middle.

my first impression was it is supposed to be snow, if this is the case then do not add any thing else, just bring some very soft washes of light blue through out the ground work, otherwise it looks great :aok
do a image search on "snowy fields" give ya an idea of what it should look like.

Thank you ink! Well, its not snow. But the color is actually ivory. So, yes it might also be considered as a snow scenery.

What species are they? 

It looks like you're approaching things the same way I did when I was getting started in art.  I concentrated on the subject, and then had trouble with the foreground and background because I added it as an afterthought almost.  I did great on the subject matter (as you are too!), but struggled with the habitat.  I did better when I learned to compose the subject, foreground, and background so they all tied together.  I was stubborn though, and it took me a long time to figure it out, hehe!

They are black grouse -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Grouse   / you can find them in different places.

Yep, thats the point. I concentrate on the object and then...I am messing up with the back- and forground. I even bought a book from the strange artist Bob Ross  :D but wasn´t much help.

Ok, thank you all for your advices! :aok

Since the plate has to be finished this evening I am going to stop now before messing it up.
Its not final version, because I have to put the name in of that guy who will win it tonight.

Regards
SF

(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/6621/ssl26530.th.jpg) (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/ssl26530.jpg/)
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: Ghosth on January 09, 2010, 09:03:41 AM
My bad SirFrancis, first glance of the plate it just "Looked" like the great american South west, high plains, desert type terrain.

Looks good though!
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: texasmom on January 09, 2010, 11:59:47 AM
Your final picture looks awesome :) Nice job!


(*edit* I also meant to say that the Bayern blue & white on the edges was a nice touch, and one of my favorite parts of you having personalized it)
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: ink on January 09, 2010, 12:55:30 PM
yup nice job on final :aok


Take it from me who makes a living off of his artwork, you did good :salute

the birds POP as they say around here.


INK
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: 68ZooM on January 09, 2010, 12:57:21 PM
SirFrancis that looks great.. as to your question about Sage its a plant in high desert areas of the Western US, around here (Central Oregon) it thrives and so do the grouse in it, it has a very unique smell ( you burn it like insense) and the Indians use it in ceremonies, heres a few pics the last pic will have a western Sage Grouse which i might add are big and tasty.  :devil

(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s35/68zoom/private.jpg) (http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s35/68zoom/Artemisia_pycnocephala.jpg)

(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s35/68zoom/grouse.jpg)
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: E25280 on January 09, 2010, 08:00:18 PM
The first plate was good, but you definitely improved it with the changes.  Nice work!
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: SirFrancis on January 10, 2010, 06:22:00 AM
Thank you all very much!  :aok :aok

I will send a picture of the final version, before the plate is handed over to the one who won the competition (with his name on it)

Regards
SF
Title: Re: need advice regarding painting
Post by: mtnman on January 10, 2010, 09:07:04 PM

Awesome job SF!  It rocks!  I think the background is perfect.  Any more would detract from the subject.

Thanks for the species name and link.  I've never heard of those.