Student’s Comments:
What I like:
- I am happy with it as it is my first palette knife painting. I have been painting since I was young, but only a paint or two every couple of years. As I approach retirement I am getting more time every week to practice.
- I am trying to get away from too many details and small brushes, so I thought this would be a good way to start loosening up.
- I was encouraged by the recent sunset painting you showed us on your website and that you completed in one sitting, I found this Gulf of Mexico photo, where I live and completed this in about 3 sittings.
- I like the different colors I used. I layed out all the colors ahead of time. Of course the orange blue complementary colors stand out, but I like the subtleties in the blues in the sky and the clouds.
- I feel as if there was enough definition to know what is going on but it is still very loose. The clouds draw you into the focal point.
What could be improved for next time:
- I need to practice the strokes with the knife and get better at it showing what I want it to show.
- There is a lot of color value in this painting, I want to reduce some of that on my next attempt.
- I want to use more muted colors.
- I need to learn how to critique a painting be in it’s composition, values, etc. I am looking forward to everyone’s critiques so I can learn more what to look for.
Just realized I had better sign it!
Dan’s Comments:
What I like:
- Strong painting! I like it.
- There’s a wonderful sense of movement and life in the sky and water.
- You did a great job with the palette knife, especially considering this is your first palette knife painting. It’s not an easy tool to use, but it can produce interesting and unique results.
- There’s a wonderful contrast between warm and cool colors.
What could be improved for next time:
- The painting is a bit too bold, but that is to expect as it’s your first time painting with palette knives. Experience will give you a touch more finesse with your strokes.
- The grays and the dark blues at the bottom look a bit out of place and need cleaning up.
- Careful with using the same flat gray too much. Vary it. Use the grays to connect the dots between warm and cool areas.