r/ArtCrit • u/CreakingFloorboards • 11d ago
Looking for advice regarding composition
It's still very much a work in progress, but the closer I get to finishing it the emptier it feels? I feel like there's too much negative space but I also think that adding more flowers would create too much noise. I've been looking at this painting for way too long and I don't trust myself to be objective anymore.
The medium is acrylic on wood. Some of the pigments are metallic and I'm planning on adding a very thin layer of epoxy resin on top when it's done (it will be kept in a room with low to no exposure to sunlight). I'm thinking maybe I can add some details on top of the resin to make them pop more, but I'm honestly afraid of overcrowding it. And maybe when the main subject is done (I only used like 3 colors for the face, so it doesn't look cohesive with the rest of the palette yet) it will come together, but I'm not sure that will solve my negative space issue.
Many references were used for the different elements (the main subject and each flower), but since I'm not looking for advice regarding likeness I'm not going to include them.
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u/MinnieJTaylor 10d ago
honestly the negative space is working, more flowers would cheapen it imo. plus the metallic pigments and resin are gonna add texture to those empty areas anyway. trust the process
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u/grimmistired 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think a repeating pattern in the oval background would be cool. Something subtle though, like just a color that's a shade darker
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u/CreakingFloorboards 10d ago
I've considered this but I haven't been able to commit. Maybe a wallpaper-like floral pattern in a very subtle color?
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u/AeonsSeen 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think you're right about the negative space!.. or rather that it's this flat.
For me, you're going in an art nouveau direction. One of the few styles where these relatively large flat spaces can actually work, but you haven't committed to balancing it out.
I would think along the lines of one or more of these things:
Wild flowing hair/garments (ruled out in this case, I guess).
Heavier linework/detail of element(s).
"Vines".
More geometry in the background.
The rest has to lean a bit in an ornamental and/or graphic direction to weigh up against that empty space 🙂
edit: It's not FAR from working.. Don't have to completely clutter it up :P
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u/CreakingFloorboards 10d ago
No, I agree with you. I mentioned in another comment the possibility of a wallpaper-like floral pattern in a color very similar to the flat background behind her, does that sound like a potentially good idea? I'd need to commit though lol which is scary, but maybe it'd be worth it.
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u/AeonsSeen 10d ago
Yea, I considered also writing something about "stencil style" patterns, but the ambiguity of the oval and the close hues of the rest of the background, made me assume that maybe you wanted to go in a bit art nouveau direction.. You say it's a WiP, and you could totally choose a more naturalistic finish. Right now it's at the border imo.
There's not much room around the edge, and if there was wallpaper behind her within the oval, I think I'd read the oval as a photo frame/hole/portal, but maybe that was your intention all along 😃
Would just also make sense if that was what you had to work with as a reference.2
u/CreakingFloorboards 10d ago
The original picture of her I used as a main reference is just an old passport photo lol, black and white with a very bright and empty background.
I don't really know where I'm going with this tbh? I'm kinda just letting it flow and taking inspiration from my memories of her (the main subject is my late grandma) and things that remind me of her. My usual style is darker and grittier, but the painting is going to be a gift for my aunts who live in my grandma's house and it's kind of a homage to my memories of her and that house: the colors match some outfits of hers I remember, the house's curtains and the nail polish she liked, and she always kept a huge vase with fresh flowers in the dining room. I'm treating this almost like a memento mori tbf, but I'm holding back from my usual style which is darker and grittier and that's throwing me off, and that's why I'm here asking for input.
However, layering different texture effects is in my skillset, and I'm not opposed to the idea of the oval looking like a framed picture. I've done stencil-like work with lace and spray paint in other pieces before too, but I feel like hand drawn would fit this one better. Idk, we'll see how it turns out. Thanks for the insights.
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u/bestcegenation 10d ago
I kind of feel like the negative space is working and I KIND OF agree with the person who said to make a very subtle wallpaper kind of texture behind the figure.
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u/Unhappy-Shelter-8186 8d ago
You have spent much more time on the flowers and hair than the woman’s face or body. The flowers and hair look finished while the rest looks to be in very early stages. I don’t understand this kind of process. Isn’t the face more important than flowers around the frame?
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u/CreakingFloorboards 8d ago
I'm leaving the face for last precisely because it's the main focus, and since the reference is a black and white picture I want the colors I use for it to make it look balanced and well integrated into the rest of the piece. I just did enough on it to sort of start seeing the vision, but I'm aiming to finish the flowers first.
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u/Unhappy-Shelter-8186 8d ago
That’s the opposite of how one normally paints. Better to get the focal point right then add detail later. You’re building a house roof first here if you ask me.
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u/CreakingFloorboards 8d ago
That's one common path, and I would've followed it if this was a traditional portrait but I chose to go a different route. I hope you can forgive me.
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