{end of the day in gallery 55}
Hello,
This Monday was my second day working on Young Girl Reading by Fragonard. I started the day laying in layers of burnt umber and wiping away to vary the values. Later as the day went along I started to lay in the yellow of the dress and the lighter tones of the pillow and collar. After lunch I started blocking in the head, re-working it several times and by the end of the day knowing that something was off.
When working on a copy I do not trace or scale using a grid because each time I paint I want to further hone my skills at adjusting for scale and proportion, and my canvas is smaller (28" x 20") than the original painting (approx 32" x 25") so the opportunity to use a direct "sight-size" method when blocking in the painting is not possible. This is okay, because I have ways to learn and figure out where I have gone wrong...
I use photoshop to analyze what is going on...
{my copy and the original painting overlayed in photoshop}
From this image it is easy to identify where proportionally things have gone astray. The young girl in my copy is more narrow and tall than the original, in fact with further analysis I realize that her head has become much more elongated, making her look older and more mature.
So next week will probably be all about correcting these issues before moving on and getting more of the painting completed.
4 comments:
What a great way to analyze your drawing. I'll enjoy seeing how you progress on this one.
I have always loved this painting by Fragonard. We lived in Woodbridge VA for about five years, and I loved seeing this at the museum. I even bought a little copy to put in my daughter's room. I thought it was so appropriate for a little girl. I loved all the Mary Cassatt paintings, too.
I'm so excited to see the progression of this beautiful painting, awesome work! Have you seen Gamblin Colors video on color? I think it is called Color Space, in addition to appreciating the info on color, the color information about the great masters is excellent, too.
Hi Virginia :) I think this painting may be one of the most popular in the museum! I am amazed by how many come by and visit it during the day.
Thanks Angela for telling me about the Gamblin video! It looks very informative :) I am glad you stopped by.
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