Need some color advice.

[Brand]

I'm doing this painting, and i just stoped in the middle of it because something just didn't feel right. I'm thinking it's the color scheme. I like the tan / pinkish background, but i'm starting to think maybe i should have used cooler colors for the background, or maybe even a grey. Altough orange really makes the purplish flowers pop. Or maybe it's just i stylized the flowers too much (Altough i intended the painting to be stylized). I don't know what it is, but something is throwing me off.


Bear in mind that as i said, the painting isn't done. I just started on the floral work, and i plan on putting some foreground stuff in the picture so the vase isn't floating in mid air. lol.


The picture might be blurry because of my shabby camera.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I'm doing this painting, and i just stoped in the middle of it because something just didn't feel right. I'm thinking it's the color scheme. I like the tan / pinkish background, but i'm starting to think maybe i should have used cooler colors for the background, or maybe even a grey. Altough orange really makes the purplish flowers pop. Or maybe it's just i stylized the flowers too much (Altough i intended the painting to be stylized). I don't know what it is, but something is throwing me off.


Bear in mind that as i said, the painting isn't done. I just started on the floral work, and i plan on putting some foreground stuff in the picture so the vase isn't floating in mid air. lol.


The picture might be blurry because of my shabby camera.

Hm.. How much do you know about color theory? (Just so I know how to tailor my advice.)

Also, do you have a reference picture of the subject you're trying to paint?

[Brand]

I know complimentary colors make eachother look brighter. That's about the extent of my color theory knowledge.

- - - Updated - - -

Double post, but also bear in mind i'm using student grade paint, so i won't be able to achieve a rich / pigmented brushstroke. Also i don't have any yellow. lol.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I know complimentary colors make eachother look brighter. That's about the extent of my color theory knowledge.

Ok --

So, blue and orange are opposites on the color wheel, which makes them complimentary. Purple is close to blue, so that's why you're getting that 'pop' affect you mentioned. Now, the reason everything is feeling weird at the moment is because the orange is jarring -- It's not affecting the objects you're painting against it at all, which is making everything stick out oddly and feel pasted in, instead of them feeling like they're existing in the same environment. You have to know how to warm your colors up a bit to compensate for that warm background, so that they feel like they're all existing in the same space. (All cool colors have warmer tints that will look warm when compared to the colors around them and vice versa to warm colors looking cooler. It's something you have to study/observe before you can really learn to paint it accurately and get a nice balance.) You also have to think about the color of your light source because that will adjust your colors, too. (Is the main light source sunlight? Then that would make everything feel more warm. Is it cloudy daylight? Cool everything down. Is it incandescent indoor light? Etc.)

Which leads into my next point --

I think your lighting is an issue. You've currently got a gradient-style light coming down from the upper-right, but your objects aren't matching that lighting. (The lighting on the objects is a bit ill-defined, but it appears to be a general one from the front?) You have an opportunity to make your objects pop if you can decided on a focal point / lighting scenario. Make some definite decisions, use your values to your advantage! Take a look at some of the older artists who've done still life work and see what techniques they've used, then try to apply it to your own work. (Master studies are really helpful ways to learn!)

Composition is currently an issue because you've got the vase sitting right against the bottom of the canvas. (That's a bit of a no-no because it tends to kill a sense of depth when you have tangents like that. Always try to overlap your edges, because very few things ever line up perfectly in real life. It always looks odd to the eye when it happens because it's used to seeing things overlap.) Now, I know that can't be fixed at this stage, but keep it in mind for next time. ^^

An excellent book that discusses all of the things mentioned above is this one. Get it. Immediately. (It's inexpensive and worth every penny.) It covers color theory, lighting scenarios, rendering form, etc. (Seriously, it's like a Bible for painters. It's so helpful and written in a way that it's easy to understand.)

Also, are you working from life, photo reference, or imagination?

[Brand]

i felt kinda good about it till now. Oh well. We can't all be artists.

[Sherlock Holmes]

i felt kinda good about it till now. Oh well. We can't all be artists.

You shouldn't feel bad about it -- I'm just telling you how you can improve upon what you've already done. ^^

[Brand]

yeah, i know. thanks for the advice. Still pretty damn discouraging though, haha.

[♠Ace♠]

Sherlock, all about painting and stuff.

[Sherlock Holmes]

yeah, i know. thanks for the advice. Still pretty damn discouraging though, haha.

Hey, believe me, I know those feels. I get them allllll the time. XD