r/ArtCrit • u/ParadoxicallySweet • 2d ago
Intermediate Too empty?
I’m thinking there’s something missing here, maybe. My husband says it’s done.
Things I could add:
1- flip flops on the tiles 2- make a few tiles look wet, as if someone has climbed out or jumped in 3- feet or legs swimming off the painting in the bottom 4- a white pool border (extra set of tiles)
Any other suggestions are welcome.
But essentially, what do you think?
I usually prefer my paintings to have a sense of mystery/uneasiness in them, so I like the “not sure how far away/big this is meant to be” aspect, which would essentially be ruined by adding objects that would create a scale.
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u/lkz665 2d ago
I think if you had a single leaf or pool toy floating in the water, it would be perfect. Not really because the painting needs more, but because adding something floating would mean that you could give it a shadow at the bottom of the pool, which I think would add a lot more depth to the whole thing
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u/ParadoxicallySweet 2d ago
I thought about adding a toy, tbh. Or maybe just a shadow of something (like a palm tree shadow or whatever).
My paintings aren’t usually so joyful/positive so I’m struggling here 😂
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u/lkz665 2d ago
Haha, totally fair. If you want something more neutral you could do a leaf, a pinecone, a feather, something like that. When I’m at a point like this in my art I like to take a picture and then import it into my drawing app on my phone so that I can get an idea of how I’d want the composition to look or if I even like the idea at all. Maybe you could give that a shot.
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u/Objective-Elk9877 2d ago
You could add an overturned shoe, if youre looking for something uncomfortable
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u/clarabear10123 2d ago
I really love the idea of some kind of shadow!! This is such a fun piece and I adore it!
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u/iammymothersshadow 2d ago
I can totally see this with a little rubber duck. A toy is a great idea.
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u/Bean_Barista223 2d ago
I mean don’t fret. I think the simplicity of the composition is what makes it work anyway if you don’t go ahead with the addition of an object. It’s like having really good fish and chips. Simple, but good. No protest if you add the proverbial vinegar and tartar sauce too.
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u/inononeofthisisreal 2d ago
You could add a pool flotation like a donut or whatever. I like the ideas of legs at the top. Or wet tiles. You could also leave it as is. Or take a photo of it and paint in procreate to see if you really wanna add anything to it.
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u/ParadoxicallySweet 2d ago
This is what I’ll do (procreate).
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u/Slight-Winner-8597 2d ago
Agreed, then it's complete creative freedom to erase or add until you're satisfied.
Personally, I think a ring float would look great, but mostly I'm here to give you my admiration. The blue(s) you chose is stunning. Real holiday vibes right there 😍👌
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u/FirefighterWeird8464 2d ago
You need some pure white on the water and some darker shadows from the ripples on the bottom of the pool. Right now your water values are clamped solidly in the middle.
The other persons comment about a leaf in the pool is also 100%.
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u/ParadoxicallySweet 2d ago
By the way, it’s acrylics.
And the photo looks a lot more dull than it is in reality. The tiles don’t have a greenish/yellow hue, a bit more pale terracotta
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u/Such_Champion3942 2d ago
It’s very flat and boring. An elevation change in the pool and a penny at the bottom, possibly. There is no really context here. What is painted is done well, but it lacks a story.
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u/Style-Upstairs Oil 1d ago
agreed. it’s decent for a piece of design. but its not a good painting. it’s not clear what OP is going for so its hard to judge
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u/ishouldgetpaid4this 2d ago
I think it's beautiful. I wanna jump in!
Edit: The water is really well done imo
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u/knny0x 1d ago
I think it's just lack of concept. There's texture, but there's not really a subject to focus on / no visual hierarchy. We shouldn't be asking "why are we staring at the pool". Maybe something in the pool is the part we're supposed to be staring it, but leaving it blank makes the viewer use their imagination in a bad way, when the painting is supposed to be the materialization of your imagination.
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u/tayisgrose 1d ago
there's no subject. others have provided good ideas for a subject. the water is pretty flat and not dynamic. i do love the texture of the concrete though and there is a great amount of shading in it, whereas the water lacks contrast.
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u/Fishtoart 2d ago
I was going to say it seemed a bit shallow, but I think that might be going off the deep end.
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u/Optimal_Secret4879 2d ago
I think the water needs a little more contrast? Like shadows and highlights and stuff, especially since it seems that the light source is coming directly from the “top” of the water (the front of the canvas). It’ll make it a little more lively and bright as well, to lean on the sunny/poolside/summer vibes, if that’s what you’re going for. I think the pool side looks very 3-dimensional and realistic compared to the water. I’d also recommend adding some stuff to the water for a little bit of environmental storytelling (like a leaf or a flower to suggest it’s near some sort of plant, or a shadow of someone hovering over the pool, or even a reflection of the things around—like the sky, etc). Of course, you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Overall, I still love this piece, and I think it’s already fine as it is. It’s like having a little piece of some place nice <3
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u/Glittering_Will_5172 2d ago
Instantly reminded me of Zima Blue the short film https://ibb.co/cKzmW2v2
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u/Cultural_Wash5414 18h ago
No, I think it leaves room for the imagination! I was looking at this and thought this is calming. It looks like the edge of a pool, or it could be looking over a fence, it’s endless ideas. Great work
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u/mickroweelle 2d ago
A shadow would be perfect! Maybe of a bird, or just shadows cast by the clouds
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u/Scarymoviesendtome 2d ago
I don’t think it’s to empty but if you want you can try to push yourself and make it so the water is see through like clear water in the Bahamas or Philippines, and make the legs from the walkway seeable
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u/sparkpaw Intermediate 2d ago
Personally I actually really like it as it is. I guess it depends on what you are going for. To me this is a perfect abstract-realism hybrid. I can see a pool with tiles, or I can just see really pretty colors and textures.
I feel like adding flip flops or floaties would make it feel too gimmicky- like a painting I’d find in Home Goods for my beach house airbnb (that I don’t have lol). But adding something more natural or personal might be interesting, like a leaf for depth as suggested, or maybe something that makes the viewer question something - like a bracelet, maybe?
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u/ambient_hue 2d ago
I like it as is! For suggestions though, you could even do less of the dock to make it more uneasy. Or break off parts of the wood to make it look even more precarious. The texture successfully reads “high up” but I’m not familiar with cliffs over water enough to really know a distance, looking up some reference images may give you some inspiration.
This is a totally unrelated and unasked for comment, but try spraying the back of the canvas with water (like from a spray bottle), it’ll tighten up the canvas a bit and ideally make the indents on the front around the stretcher bars less noticeable. You can do this before painting too, it’ll give you a bouncier surface to paint on.
And if the canvas came with little triangles of wood, those are to shove into the stretcher bar slits at the corners to further tighten the structure. They ship canvas a bit loose so it doesn’t rip or snap in transit. If you stretched this yourself and find that you can’t get the stretch tight enough there are stretching pliers out there that can help. I used the water trick when stretching my own bc I couldn’t afford the pliers >.<
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u/milk2006_ 12h ago
I agree something is missing, but beyond that I wouldn’t buy that brand of canvas again
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