It is a mixed media painting done with water colours, acrylics and pastels on 36×48 cm/ 14×19″ Aquarelle paper and took around 2 or 3 hours, I didn’t count exactly. I didn’t use any reference photos.
1. First impression
When I first saw this, I was impressed by the vivid colours and the white glisters that represented the space. When I looked closer, I was surprised to see a face of a lion staring at me with his clear blue eyes. This work gives me a cheerful feeling, and it is fun to look at because of the good mixture of different hues.
2. What do you like about this image?
I really like the colours used in this work. The mixture of different hues are well selected. The use of black colour gives a really nice contrast to the other colours. The white glitters are great complementation; the repetition gives the unity to the overall shape.
The lion’s face, though no reference is used, is also well-done. The elements of the face were painted in fine details which makes them looks so realistic. I love how the white lines were used to form the whiskers and fur with careful details. The eyes are the most captivating feature of them all. They are realistic with the great use of colours and lines.
The lion’s face is success in capture the viewer’s attention with its details, making it the focal point of the work. The splash of colours that formed around the face’s elements helped accentuate the details more clearly.
3. Is there something you donÂft like?
There are two things that I don’t like about this work.
The first one is the composition of the work. The painting is positioned near the edge of the canvas, so that the top part is cut off. Moreover, the focal point (the lion’s face) is situated too high in my opinion, which gives 2/3 of the canvas too much negative space.
The second one is the colour dripping to the bottom of the canvas. When I look at this painting, my attention is drawn to the lion’s face first, and then it followed the dripping to the bottom of the canvas. It takes away the attention of the viewer from the focal point to the edge of the canvas unintentionally in my opinion.
4. What do you think the artist can improve upon? Suggestions?
Apart from a few things that I don’t like, I think this work is already well-done. The artist already possessed good painting skill and good control of colour scheme.
My suggestion to the possible improvement for this work is about the composition. As I said that the position of the painting is too high, and the top part is cut off at the edge. It would look better if it can be moved down a bit so that the top part can be painted to form a complete shape. (The overall shape looks like the lion’s mane in my opinion.)
Another thing is the dripping. I think it’s an interesting technique, and if done properly, it can complement the overall image. For this work, I think it can be more interesting if the dripping stopped before reaching the edge of the canvas, in different length and size.
Please rate from 1-3 or N/A
Originality/creativity:
Overall Composition:
Color scheme:
Sam’s 2 cents
I really like the idea and the colours. Overall a very interesting piece and I think that the lions face is very well done and it have a lovely soft feel. I do agree that the composition (placement of the lion) could be improved by lowering him so that it doesn’t feel like the canvas is cutting off his head/mane.