If I had any decent art training, or any at all, I would have been able to figure out how to draw the face.
But I am happy with my first face. A close face at that. Carrie does not have the boobs this one has. And I realized that I put the large eyebrow on upside down and backwards. And the nose needs to be defined in a different way. That is where the art training comes in.
And except for the nose and maybe the mouth being a bit misplaced, (and that jaw that looks like she has the mumps) it isn't too bad.
Next one will be better. Meanwhile, maybe I should do Picasso.
You did good! You will get better with practice. From what I read faces are the hardest.
ReplyDeleteSo much better than you are giving yourself credit for. Reading your blog is making some of the encouragement my husband gives me seem almost logical. If this isn't what you want try another one. It wil be different and you can test your concepts. Like my husband says - Practice makes better.
ReplyDeleteFaces are hard - drawn or painted or stitched. Perhaps if you think about it in terms of "inspired by" rather than "supposed to look just like" it would make the next one less stressful . . .
ReplyDeleteYou get an a for effort 👏👏 most of us would not even try such a feat. ( or should I say face ) The shading is right on the quilting is perfect. Just your proportions are off. I usually print out the photo in black-and-white and then Trace it with heavy black sharpie getting the shadows and etc. The sharpie bleeds through the paper so you get a reverse pattern on the back and you can either use that for the fusible or retrace and he will have the front . I'm probably not describing this very well though. Will you show Carrie? She will probably like the boobs
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with your first portrait! It does have that hint of Picasso to it.
ReplyDeletePicasso was brilliant! And (I think) rich! I have an artist friend who teaches art. She tells me that faces are especially difficult, but there's a way to get proportions right...google proportions of the face and check out the images. Her students don't even touch faces till their second year, and then they do several before they begin to feel comfortable. I've quilted only one face (my grandmother's) but I traced. It's the only way I could figure it out--until I talked to my friend. Not that I'm an artist (obviously) but I think this is a great first portrait. At least you have a beautiful subject and one that you enjoy working with, so you can practice lots of Carrie faces.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late comment ... I am playing catch-up on blog-reading this morning. Like others, I think your portrait has a Picasso-esque quality and that's a good thing. I also think it is so much better than you realize (and know that you will agree after you put some time and distance between you and the project. It's really OK that it is inspired by a portrait of Carrie, even if it didn't necessarily become a portrait of Carrie. It is a great little quilt.
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