On one hand I have to re-familiarize myself with where I was with the painting when I left, but on the other I can easily spot problem areas. The fabric had to go! That funky inverted triangle was such a block it overwhelmed the entire composition, now I feel the fabric has taken it's place and is lying down. Also I feel now it may play a more interesting role, I think the white crow will be picking at some threads. It changes the dynamic of the story.
Along with altering the shape of the cloth, I've worked quite a bit on the background, detailing leaf patterns, locating branches and defining the horizon-line, such as it is. In this instance I'd say it's the division between the far off bushes and the dirt, about 2/3 of the way up (can anyone say Golden Section?). NOTE: Horizon-line is a term used in very basic descriptions of perspective. P.S. NOTE: The Golden Section (AKA: Golden Mean, Golden Ratio, or Divine Proportion) is a mathematical measurement determined to represent the classical point of perfect balance. Centuries of art and architecture are founded on it's principles. A technical definition would describe a given line, A, bisected by lines B and C, in such a way that the proportion of C to B is the same as that of B to A...
yeah right! In a nutshell think 2/3 to 1/3.
I don't have a classic situation here, where perspective comes into play, the space is pretty shallow, you might even say flat. What I am using is more a form of atmospheric perspective, where far away objects are faint or bluish in appearance. Color value (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) can play into this conversation too; in a simple explanation - warm colors come forward and cool colors recede. This can get complicated though (...an exception to every rule), try putting a neon blue or green next to a deep purple or maroon and see which looks closer... I'll wait.
Joseph Albers and Johannes Itten are wonderful sources for any color theory studies.
My approach with MOC is to have low value, dark (dull) color in the far background - the upper section of the canvas, and use intense, highly saturated (bright, pure) color in the foreground. Also I am blurring detail in the distance, and focusing detail up front. As I said the space in this scene is very shallow so I can't fall back on easy perspective tricks like a distant hill or a sunset. I have to play with a tightly choreographed color palette, some fuzzy pine needles and feathers... sounds like a date!
Paint well...
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