Painting I'm working on... need an opinion

[skittledoo]

This painting is driving me nuts. it's still completely in earlier stages and it's going to be a wolf following deer prints... but the wolf's muzzle looks off to me... does it look too long to you... and should I move it a little more over to the right? it just looks slightly off to me

[Zoom]

It looks like it's set too far to the left and curves to the right. For the angle, I think you need a bit of foreshortening and shifted to the right a little.

[JessLough]

Originally Posted by Zoom

It looks like it's set too far to the left and curves to the right. For the angle, I think you need a bit of foreshortening and shifted to the right a little.

This.

[AllieMackie]

Definitely needs some foreshortening! His head is pointed down and slightly forward, but his muzzle is drawn as if his head were angled much farther downward, which throws it off.

I'm seeing the curve to the right that Zoom mentioned, as well. A good rule of thumb for drawing muzzled animals is to take a straight edge like a pencil or ruler, and visually "align" the bottom of the eyes, the nose, the ear bases, etc. As a general rule, all of those "levels" should be parallel to one another. In this piece, his ears are on one level, and his eyes and nose follow a different level, and in the overall piece it's the eyes and nose that seem to mismatch.

Does that make sense? If you need a more clear description I'd be happy to illustrate it for you. Try the ruler trick for the eyes and nose, and grab some refs of wolf heads at a similar angle to yours - it will help with how far to the left/right to place the nose and muzzle, and how to foreshorten it.

I hope that helps! I'm loving it so far, please post progress pics as you go? I especially like the trees so far, and your use of colour on them.

[Laurelin]

I am useless at describing it but I would personally try something like this (going off of the ears). I think a lot would be fixed by spacing the eyes slightly further apart (move the right eye a touch). Your ears are drawn sort of to an angle but your muzzle and eyes are drawn like the wolf is looking directly at you.





It may not be as angled down as you were trying for though.

Is it acrylic or oils? It's looking great so far!

[smkie]

Think...squint your eyes..you need to make the fur go the way the planes of the face go. You woudln't see individual hairs from a distance on the level plane of the muzzle, that should be more or less one shade, around the eyes your strokes need to go in the direction the hair grows more to a slant to give shape to the face. The corrections above are spot on.

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

So beautiful! I loooove the use of color, and texture. I think if you follow Laur's instructions about the eyes, and the nose, it will be PERFECT!

[skittledoo]

thank you so much. Your advice helps so much. I absolutely knew something was off with the wolf's face but I couldn't quite put my finger on it and it really helps to have other eyes and opinions. Laur it's an acrylic.

I'm going to take a stab at correcting the wolf this week and I'll take an updated photo. This painting is for my little brother's 18th birthday in May so I'm trying to get it finished by then.

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Can't wait to see it finished!!!!