Dear Susan,
You have a very nice, fresh approach
to watercolor, and have chosen a delightful subject.
I have a few suggestions for your consideration:
1. Having the bird centered in a square
format makes the composition static. I elongated the bottom of the branch to make a vertical composition and moved the image
to the right so that the bird has more space in front of him than behind.
2. The bird’s head, specifically
its eye, is the focal point of your painting. To draw the viewer’s eye directly to this area I’ve made the eye
stand out by enlarging it and adding contrast in the form of a bright white highlight.
3. Softening the hard edge that separates
the bird’s head, back and tail from the background so that it varies from dark to light gray makes the bird appear more
round, as can be seen in the final example.
4. Adding a green shade behind the bird
gives a hint of natural surroundings, and also helps fill the white background area. The green also plays nicely off its complimentary
color used in the reddish tones on the bird’s side.
5. The detail you have done in the feathers
and the branch is very nice. I would like to see more detail in the lower part of the branch.
I hope that this critique proves helpful.
Laura
