Paula, another portrait at last!

[caterina]

Hello!
It has been quite a long time since my last portrait, I had so much other stuff coming in the way of getting a new one done. (by the way, my son's birthday party went very well, and the kids instantly bonded with their soft needle-felted toys, a huge success!)

Anyway, yesterday I managed to finish one that I had started in September!
It's about an acquaintance, Paula, and I really wanted to make it.
I am open to suggestions as to how to improve it, as always, but I do not think that I want to add to Paula herself, I want to keep her straightforward, essential, neat...maybe something on her right, there is a bit of an empty space there, not sure if I will leave it like that: what do you think?

Here is the link:
www.dropbox.com/s/d2zas63dthv9mg3/img_20211119_104255.jpg?dl=0

[caterina]

I should add, I have used my new pet-brus..ahem,cheap hand carders for this portrait: thank you to all who suggested them for blending colours: they worked very well for the amounts that I needed, and it was so much quicker!

Doing it by hand with no carders is not to discard as the final effect can be different and you may want a little less blending, but for a quicker and more uniform blend the hand carders work perfectly for me.

[lyn]

What good news about the success of your lovely soft toys!

Yes, there is a gap next to Paula but is that a problem? If you're not sure, try laying on a paper image of what you'd like to try in the gap then lift it on and off to help you decide.

[caterina]

Nov 19, 2021 12:27:29 GMT lyn said:

What good news about the success of your lovely soft toys!

Yes, there is a gap next to Paula but is that a problem? If you're not sure, try laying on a paper image of what you'd like to try in the gap then lift it on and off to help you decide.

Thank you, Lyn: this is a very good way to see if something will work. I will try it.

[MTRuth]

Paula looks good the way she is. You have quite a bit going on in the rest of the background and your eye needs somewhere to rest sometimes. It's OK not to have something in every square inch of a piece. Lyn's idea of trying out with a paper image is a good one though.

Glad the party favors were appreciated!

[caterina]

Nov 19, 2021 17:29:48 GMT MTRuth said:

Paula looks good the way she is. You have quite a bit going on in the rest of the background and your eye needs somewhere to rest sometimes. It's OK not to have something in every square inch of a piece. Lyn's idea of trying out with a paper image is a good one though.

Glad the party favors were appreciated!

Thank you for your thoughts, Ruth.

Yes, her background feels overcharged by that London bus behind her: I wanted her to be dark, plain, grey, contained, and in opposition to a colourful, full, crowded urban background.
She suffered a sudden loss a few years back, and, although she is a very strong and resilient person, this sorrow is there all the time, while she goes about the business of living her busy life (2 kids, a job) in busy London. I wanted it to show.

[Ann @ frabjous fabrica]

My immediate thought on seeing Paula, was "where is she?", but having looked a bit longer I could see what you were trying to achieve. I wonder if a little more needleing of the background, immediately behind her head especially, might help to show that she is not subsumed by the London around her; might make her look stronger and more resilient as you say she is and not overcome by her surroundings, only by her inner feelings?
Getting very deep here!

[caterina]

Nov 20, 2021 10:30:35 GMT Ann @ frabjous fabrica said:

My immediate thought on seeing Paula, was "where is she?", but having looked a bit longer I could see what you were trying to achieve. I wonder if a little more needleing of the background, immediately behind her head especially, might help to show that she is not subsumed by the London around her; might make her look stronger and more resilient as you say she is and not overcome by her surroundings, only by her inner feelings?
Getting very deep here!

I really enjoyed your comments, Ann. I will think about adding a bit of depth, through needling the background a bit, I can almost see where and how,but I need to have a bit of time to plan it. Thanks.