Let me start by saying "I should have known better!" I do so many architectural paintings of old homes & buildings, I should have been more mindful of the perspective in my last painting. That being said, I spent much time checking & rechecking the angled lines in my painting. I wanted to make sure that the angles were all correct, in relation to one another, and that they fed to various vanishing points. And they do.
So what did I miss?
Here's the photo of the original work done, do you see what I see?
If you look closely at the two side buildings - the orange one on the right, the tan one on the left - you'll see that they appear to both be leaning backwards. Both the walls & the windows within them are not vertically straight, and that gives the illusion of them leaning backwards.
I forgot to check on the vertical lines in this! Now maybe, being these are older buildings in Puerto Rico, they do indeed lean. But for an architectural painting, that is a kiss of death!
So back to the easel I went, with t-square and other assorted design tools, I started to check where I was off. And with brush in hand, I started reworking those vertical lines. Here's the latest version on this, and you'll see a marked difference. The painting even "feels" better!
I am not sure this is ready for signature though. It appears, to my eye, that the horizontal lines are also off a bit. I'm debating whether to work those lines more, or leave the painting as it stands now. I'm not unhappy with it, and yes, I am my own worse critic (as most artists are).
But the lesson learned on this is: check & then re-check your angles. Not just the diagonal ones, but the vertical & horizontals as well!
So what did I miss?
Here's the photo of the original work done, do you see what I see?
If you look closely at the two side buildings - the orange one on the right, the tan one on the left - you'll see that they appear to both be leaning backwards. Both the walls & the windows within them are not vertically straight, and that gives the illusion of them leaning backwards.
I forgot to check on the vertical lines in this! Now maybe, being these are older buildings in Puerto Rico, they do indeed lean. But for an architectural painting, that is a kiss of death!
So back to the easel I went, with t-square and other assorted design tools, I started to check where I was off. And with brush in hand, I started reworking those vertical lines. Here's the latest version on this, and you'll see a marked difference. The painting even "feels" better!
I am not sure this is ready for signature though. It appears, to my eye, that the horizontal lines are also off a bit. I'm debating whether to work those lines more, or leave the painting as it stands now. I'm not unhappy with it, and yes, I am my own worse critic (as most artists are).
But the lesson learned on this is: check & then re-check your angles. Not just the diagonal ones, but the vertical & horizontals as well!
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