A sunny afternoon, revised

Worked on the colour & values of the shadows on the pavement & a few other areas, incorporating Michael Severin's suggestions

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Comment by Jessica Futerman on July 6, 2014 at 6:49: Thank you Ningning - you are right; lots of help on this one made a big difference to the result!

Comment by Ningning Li on July 6, 2014 at 3:47: Jessica, you are a lucky girl to get so many suggestions and encouragement . This is a very attractive painting,especially the light effect. I love it. Michael's teaching like a nagget of wisdom to me.

Comment by Jessica Futerman on June 1, 2014 at 20:24: Agree 100% Ian! Hopefully with practise & trial & error & helpful critiques some of this information will gradually sink in :-)

Comment by Jessica Futerman on June 1, 2014 at 8:24: Thanks, Silvana. And good information, Michael, thank you! Next time I paint a similar scene, I'll refer back to all these suggestions.

Comment by Michael J. Severin on June 1, 2014 at 0:52: BTW, when you compare the value of darks such as shadows ...always compare them to other darks or dark mid tones ..do not compare them by looking at the light. It is too big of a jump, and you will paint the shadow or dark ....too dark......or the light too light.

Comment by Michael J. Severin on June 1, 2014 at 0:49: Hi Jessica. Interesting discussion: Usually, the shadow edge will be sharpest at the beginning and soften as it goes out.....also, darker and warmer at the beginning and lighter and cooler as it goes out. The brighter the day, the higher the contrast between shadow and sunlight and the sharper the edge. It is good to put a transition color and value between the edge of the shadow and the light. Don't forget GRADATION ..it is a very important compositional element ....in your shadow above, you could begin a LITTLE darker and warmer ..and gradate to lighter and cooler ...this applies both vertically AND horizontally ..gradation both ways ...so on your shadow, it should be darker and warmer near the wall ..and lighter and cooler as it goes away. When this painting is completely dry, you might try glazing the gradation with maybe permanent rose??? ...very soft, gradual glaze ..if you overdo it, you can always wipe it off.

Comment by Jessica Futerman on May 31, 2014 at 19:50: Thanks Cristina; glad you like it. Thanks Ian - any & all critiques & suggestions are very welcome - can't help but learn with such a friendly group of artists here! Good point that the edges of the shadows should be softer. Not sure if I'll change that on this painting, as I think it's mostly dry, but will keep that in mind for the next one.... I was noticing yesterday the sharp shadows on the street from things like garbage receptacles & the soft shadows from shrubs & trees. Interesting! I also wonder in this case if it is better to keep the shadow with a more defined edge like this in order to keep the shape, even though it's not realistic? Maybe I should paint this scene again & incorporate all these excellent suggestions!

Comment by Cristina Mihailescu on May 31, 2014 at 10:23: Beautiful play of light and shadow!

Comment by Jessica Futerman on May 31, 2014 at 8:47: Thanks Michael, Hyun & Laura for your encouragement - good ideas, Hyun! About sun holes, I decided not to include them, as they broke up the dark shadow shape & I wanted to keep it simple; but maybe it would add more interest to that large area. Thanks for taking the time to comment!