Acrylic greens by artsygang

Acrylic greens

Thank you Jean for allowing us to paint from your photograph. (Which is so gorgeous.) https://365project.org/jernst1779/365/2021-03-07
So, my attempt is in acrylics, because that is a medium I can control (unlike watercolour).
I struggled with the glass, of course. I am not completely happy with it, but it is all I could come up with.
I re-painted the bottom of the lamp and gave up the ornaments because i had no clue how to do them properly. So, let's assume that mine is made of something opaque, not of glass. You can still see that the foot of the bottom of the lamp is different than the bulging part. So be it because I am the artist. :D And I really liked how that foot turned out. So I did not paint over it.
Thank you Sally for the apple tutorial. I did not do a piece by itself. I used the information from that tutorial in painting these two apples.
The folds in the cloth lack volume (they look like folds in paper, rather than cloth). Again, that's all i could come up with.
After I did the lamp and the apples, I stepped back and I realised that my composition defied the laws of physics (physically, the lamp and the apples could not fill in the space as they did in my painting). So I covered a bit of the foot of the lamp (the very bottom) so that the entire thing would look a bit further off in the back.
It was a difficult photograph to reproduce. I spent about 10 hours on it. It is my first project on which I worked for two days.
I really like the result, without assuming that there isn't room for improvement. I did a lot of fixes on this one. But at some point, I had to call it a painting and stop fixing it.
@monikozi
If you have the feeling that the 'canvas' is curved, it is.
March 10th, 2021  
Is this you @monikozi ?? Love it to bits, Yes they apples are a bit large- but they're Bramley cooking apples aren't they? And the colour grading on them is lovely. There isn't anything in this lovely painting that I think 'What IS that?' Thaat hint of engraving on the base is tantalising and the sheen on the glass is lovely.
March 10th, 2021  
Wow. I don’t care what the cloth looks like or how big the apples are, that glass lamp looks so real and gives the impression of catching the light.
@monikozi
March 10th, 2021  
brilliant.
March 10th, 2021  
This is so lovely. Glad you found the apple tutorial useful. If you fancy spending a little more time on the picture, you could try taking the light colour on the edge of the fabric folds, widen it and blend it further into the darker shadows. @monikozi
March 10th, 2021  
@monikozi - this is supercalifragelisticexpialidocious! all the best superlatives should be attached to this image. look at that glass chimney, it looks so real, in fact the whole lamp looks so real i like this more than i like the original photograph (no offence, jean). the shading, especially on the lamp body, made for a perfect dimension and perspective, the whole thing looks "live". big ACES for you, friend.

p.s. you set the bar too high and at just 5 feet, i need a ladder to reach that bar. but if there's ice cream i just might make it!😂
March 10th, 2021  
Thank you very much!
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Yes, they're that kind of apples, for sure. While painting, the lamp was too 'in front' for it and the apples to be realistically laid. So I had to adjust the lamp, as the foot was long enough. So I painted over the bottom so the foot is shorter and it looks a bit 'behind' the line of the apples.
@wakelys you are very kind.
@kali66 thank you!
@salza yes, acrylics would allow some adjustments, but I will not work on it. it has sucked the energy out of me. :D and if i perfect the cloth, then the Louvre might come and claim it :D :D :D
@summerfield you are very kind. As for any bar, there is none. That would mean comparing to the others and we don't do that around here. I'd rather you bought some ice cream and give it a go if it inspires you (either photo or ice cream).
March 10th, 2021  
@monikozi Wow, another great painting Monika! Of course You’re your worst critic. But you did it!
March 10th, 2021  
@monikozi I was immediately struck with how perfect the glass chimney looks. You have achieved the look of transparency perfectly which cannot be easy to do on a two dimensional subject. The apples look awesome and I agree with whoever recommended widening the light colors on the fabric to give it a little bit more volume. Overall this is an amazing painting and one you should definitely be proud to claim as your own
March 10th, 2021  
Thank you very much, @jacqbb and @grammyn
Well, the funny thing is that i worked so much on it, that it no longer looks realistic to me. I showed it to some friends and they also said it is realistic.
I worked my butt off on this one. I am sure I'm not going for a second.
And, without comparing, i widh i were able to loosen up and paint more freely, like some of you.
This painting represents me, as one who is striving for realism and detail. And for detail and realism we have photography. The spirit of painting should be representation of reality through a filter, with a different medium.
March 11th, 2021  
I'm rambling again
March 11th, 2021  
Very, very good. That glass looks real!
March 11th, 2021  
Thank you very much, @kjarn
March 11th, 2021  
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