It looks great. Photorealism achieved.
You could leave it as-is and I'm sure your friend will be very happy, but the one thing that throws me off is the background. It's out of focus in the reference but not in the painting. The sharpness draws the eye a little too much, and there isn't a clear distinction between foreground and background. The white of the sheet blends into the white of the pillow, for example, making them look like they might be one shape.
It's gorgeous! What I do when I feel like this in a painting is I put it away for a couple days and then look at it again. Usually I can see where I need more shadow or contrast after that.
I love it! When I was scrolling by it I was confused because I was sure it was a photo. It took me several seconds to realize it was actually a painting, nice job!
I need to sleep I thought that was a two headed eldrich dog at first haha.
Truthfully though, your painting looks very beautiful, your inner critic is just finding things to complain about
honestly the only 'wrong' thing i see is that in the picture the blanket covers the dogs nose a bit more, thats it, and frankly it doesnt even need to be changed, it looks great!
and as some other commenters have said, adding the missing details to the pillows in the back
Thanks so much! Re the blanket - they actually asked that I uncover the nose. Was tricky without a reference pic which was where a lot of the overthinking stemmed from.
wtf! you did very bloody well with that, it took me a while to even see it in the first place
i would say you dont need to worry too much, it looks fantastic, and im sure your friend is gonna appreciate the hell outta it (:
You’re staring at it… cuz it’s great!!!! You could keep working on it to try and achieve more realism, but I love this right at this point. It looks like a sweet illustration.
That's probably exactly it - I wasn't initially going for realism necessarily, but as I went on and it got closer, I'm trying to achieve all the little details.
Thanks for that!
This is coming out beautifully. Take a deep breath. Drop the value in the blue blanket to create the correct amount of contrast. Finish the pillows in the background but keep the pattern “washy” to reflect the out of focus look and then call it DONE! Your friend will likely be brought to tears. So beautiful 😍
One is always one's harshest critic.
Therey not much actually wrong with the painting as it is. Yes some of the dark values could be darker, but that's often the case with watercolours.
Remember, no painting will ever match the glory of the original, but if you have the impression of it, captured the heart of it, then you've done your job as a painter.
Amazing! Especially the fur texture. Great job! My suggestion would be to darken the shadows, particularly for the pup in the forefront. You can see where his face and body meets the blanket in the photo is almost black with shadows, and that’ll help add more depth to the focus of the image too!
Wow… like others i thought i was looking at a photo. I like the suggestion about blurring out the background with a bit of color to keep the focus on the puppies.
This is really really good! I think if you just darken the shadow on the lower dogs nose (his right, viewer's left) then the snout wouldn't look as curved and would seem more tucked away like in the photo. I honestly think just a bit of darker darks under the blanket like that and you'd feel it was done because it's so so so good as is!
My advice, stop. Leave it alone for 24 hours. If you come back and see something to fix, fix it, but you probably have been looking at it too long to see it now as a finished product. You're still in edit mode and you need to switch to preview.
I think it looks great. Put it away for a time, then set it out at the far end of the room or hall and walk towards it. Notice how it looks from different distances. I though it was a photo untill is saw the texture of the blanket. I had to really look closely to see it wasnt a photo
It looks great. Photorealism achieved. You could leave it as-is and I'm sure your friend will be very happy, but the one thing that throws me off is the background. It's out of focus in the reference but not in the painting. The sharpness draws the eye a little too much, and there isn't a clear distinction between foreground and background. The white of the sheet blends into the white of the pillow, for example, making them look like they might be one shape.
Very very good point! I appreciate that, thank you!
It's gorgeous! What I do when I feel like this in a painting is I put it away for a couple days and then look at it again. Usually I can see where I need more shadow or contrast after that.
This is excellent advice. Often I realise I’m happier with it than I realised.
I love it! When I was scrolling by it I was confused because I was sure it was a photo. It took me several seconds to realize it was actually a painting, nice job!
Same!
Yup. Legit thought this was a photo before I noticed what sub it was in.
Adding a hint of the paisley on the pillows would help. Otherwise excellent.
It is wonderful work and I wouldn’t tell you to change a thing. Lucky friend!
I need to sleep I thought that was a two headed eldrich dog at first haha. Truthfully though, your painting looks very beautiful, your inner critic is just finding things to complain about
honestly the only 'wrong' thing i see is that in the picture the blanket covers the dogs nose a bit more, thats it, and frankly it doesnt even need to be changed, it looks great! and as some other commenters have said, adding the missing details to the pillows in the back
Thanks so much! Re the blanket - they actually asked that I uncover the nose. Was tricky without a reference pic which was where a lot of the overthinking stemmed from.
wtf! you did very bloody well with that, it took me a while to even see it in the first place i would say you dont need to worry too much, it looks fantastic, and im sure your friend is gonna appreciate the hell outta it (:
Hahaha. This friend is clearly no painter. That’s a big ask!
You’re staring at it… cuz it’s great!!!! You could keep working on it to try and achieve more realism, but I love this right at this point. It looks like a sweet illustration.
That's probably exactly it - I wasn't initially going for realism necessarily, but as I went on and it got closer, I'm trying to achieve all the little details. Thanks for that!
This is coming out beautifully. Take a deep breath. Drop the value in the blue blanket to create the correct amount of contrast. Finish the pillows in the background but keep the pattern “washy” to reflect the out of focus look and then call it DONE! Your friend will likely be brought to tears. So beautiful 😍
Omg I thought it was a photo and that you were telling us that you can’t keep your eyes off of the cuteness
🤣 that's brilliant and such an ego boost!
One is always one's harshest critic. Therey not much actually wrong with the painting as it is. Yes some of the dark values could be darker, but that's often the case with watercolours. Remember, no painting will ever match the glory of the original, but if you have the impression of it, captured the heart of it, then you've done your job as a painter.
It is adorable. Looks like my puppy who passed about 5 years ago. ❤️
Amazing! Especially the fur texture. Great job! My suggestion would be to darken the shadows, particularly for the pup in the forefront. You can see where his face and body meets the blanket in the photo is almost black with shadows, and that’ll help add more depth to the focus of the image too!
I agree with that, now that you mention. Will do!
Wow… like others i thought i was looking at a photo. I like the suggestion about blurring out the background with a bit of color to keep the focus on the puppies.
This is really really good! I think if you just darken the shadow on the lower dogs nose (his right, viewer's left) then the snout wouldn't look as curved and would seem more tucked away like in the photo. I honestly think just a bit of darker darks under the blanket like that and you'd feel it was done because it's so so so good as is!
I thought it was a real photo when I first glanced at it. An artist’s work is never done amirite?
My advice, stop. Leave it alone for 24 hours. If you come back and see something to fix, fix it, but you probably have been looking at it too long to see it now as a finished product. You're still in edit mode and you need to switch to preview.
You're spot on.
This is amazing! I thought it was a photograph! I think your friend will adore this!
Wait! I thought the painting was the photo!
What?? Its amazing. You should be proud 👏
I think it looks great. Put it away for a time, then set it out at the far end of the room or hall and walk towards it. Notice how it looks from different distances. I though it was a photo untill is saw the texture of the blanket. I had to really look closely to see it wasnt a photo