Things I like about this:
- Some of the wet-into-wet passages in the background are cool
- There are parts of the petals that do look like they curve
- I really like the waterdrops (they were easy, too:))
- The drawing itself is good
- The composition is good, too
- Some of the veining
- Some of the shadows
Things I don't like:
- I screwed up the wet-into-wet in the background
- I had a beautiful wet-into-wet passage on the back upright petal that I then wrecked by accident
- I didn't get the folds right
- The background shifts abruptly which makes no sense--but was fun to do!!
- The whole thing is way overpainted
- Screwed up the shadows
- The orange detail needs to be better
Things I learned during this:
- I started to really get a feel for wet-into-wet
- I got the hang of veining using a rigger
- I learned how to do waterdrops thanks to Birgit O'Connor's great book
- I need to look at the picture upside down more
- I need to have the photograph close to the painting (so I finally moved the laptop)
- I learned how to lift out paint
- I learned how to rewet a passage and do wet-into-wet again
- I need to better reserve my whites
- I need to spend more time sketching the details before I paint
- I need to have a definite light source (this was taken on a slightly overcast day)
- I told myself to relax and have fun, so there was no pressure
So, overall, not too bad for a newbie. I'm starting to see a bit of progress.
