One of the most useful aspects of painting workshops
is the personalized critiques offered by knowledgeable instructors. Now
you can get this advantage anytime through the American Artist Critique Blog. Through this blog, you can get
commentary and suggestions on your work by simply e-mailing a
high-resolution scan to critique@myamericanartist.com. We'll select the most instructional from the received
submissions and send it to an expert artist for advice. Each week,
we'll post another critiqued painting or drawing right here.
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American Grenadier
oil on board, 8 x 10.
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For our first post, artist Dawn Whitelaw comments on American Grenadier, an oil painting submitted by an American Artist reader.
The attention to detail and the stance of the soldier in this painting are very appealing to me. This is work of an artist who is comfortable with the medium and the brushwork is expressive and confident. I would, however, like to see some more roundness in the figure. One simple to way to help accomplish this is to link shadows by softening the edge where two shadows meet. This technique adds volume to the figure. If the shadow on the back of the coat linked more with the shadow on the fence, the bag over the shoulder would come forward. If the shadow of the gun linked more with its cast shadow on the coat, the gun would have more definition.
About the Critic
Dawn Whitelaw has studied painting with Scott Christensen, Cedric Egeli, Jim Pollard, and
Everett Raymond Kinstler. In 2002, she received the Award of Excellence
and the Best of Show award in an international art competition
sponsored by the Portrait Society of America, and she has exhibited her
portrait, landscape, and still life paintings in juried shows
organized by the Cumberland Society of Painters, the American Academy
of Women Artists, and the Phoenix Historical Museum.
Have your artwork critiqued!
Send scanned images as JPEGs no larger than
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Limit: 3 submissions per person every 90 days. We will not notify
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Tap into the experience and knowledge of our featured artists today. Submit your artwork to: critique@myamericanartist.com.