Butterfly/ eye design and puppy.

I have been painting a lot lately and painted this butterfly on me, I didn't want to post it because I messed up when I painted the details on the black area and covered with black some of the area turned gray . Just wanted to show the design and get advice. If I want to get better I have to put it out there. Please ignore the gray/black part.


Eye design I painted last night.


Painted this puppy on my daughter but I see so many problems. She moves way too much and never lets me finish UGH!

I'm loving your style Maggie. That eye design especially appeals to me. Your use of color and accents are beautiful. I love the four pointed starbursts and the shape of the butterfly, as well as the complimentary accent on the other eye. No way to critique that design, it's perfect!

I love the top butterfly too, again great use of color. The dots are a little too uniform (the same size, spaced the same amount apart, etc) for my personal taste - I like fewer accent dots, different sizes, more random, but this works too. I preferred the swirly antennae from your one-eye butterfly to the bolder ones you used in the upper one. Love the dots on the lip!

The puppy is cute! I love the "fur"! The nose and muzzle look perfect. On puppies I really like to include ears if possible, because ears help to establish the caninishness of the design. So my one and only suggestion would be to try ending the design a little lower on the forehead, and adding some perky ears on top. But it definitely looks like a puppy to me - adorable!

On the puppy, if you moved just the white part of the forehead down to above the eyebrows, and added some fangs and "growl lines"-- you would totally have a pit bull! (Not that I agree with promoting that negative stereotype for the breed-- poor dogs have it rough..) But that's what it would look like with the cropped ears. That wouldn't be a puppy design though, more like a junkyard dog. To remain a puppy, I think it could use a little zing around the eye area? Maybe a tearduct or eyelash? And really, the ONLY reason I say that is because the muzzle part is so nicely shaded and dimentional. It seems unbalanced at the top because of the awsomeness of the bottom.
I also agree with Angie that you could do with a few less dots on your designs. Your designs are really fabulous, and simplifying the dots wouldn't make it any less so. It would also probably save you loads of time-- I can't imagine what it takes to get the dots as perfect as you do!

Where did my post go> Here I go again...

Thank you Anita!

Angie and Geek, thank you so much for your suggestions!

The 1st butterfly was a disaster, it was like a train wreck, I kept trying to fix it and got worse and worse LOL

The second one started out like one eye design and then I added the other. There are also dots around the wings, I do this with me because i have all the time but if I paint them at a party I would do the dots, the wings already have a black outline.
Not sure why the pics are so small, I am going to try to post them again, lets see

One eye


Second eye later


Totally agree with you guys on the puppy, I have to learn to add ears to things LOL Geek, I was going to add eye lashes and darker hair around the eye but my daughter would not let me finish Ugh!

I love the one eye butterfly and I like the way you did the dots. very diffrent but it looks great!

I think the first butterfly had character! Perhaps not a large audience, but I bet if you put this out on the table at an event, someone would pick it! As an artist, sometimes going outside the box (then off the table, out the door, smelling some flowers, wandering back, etc) can sometimes lead to a not great piece or something wonderful! I think you took a chance and your experiment paid of in the second piece as I can see the elements you liked get transferred and the rest left behind! Love the second one! (I did a half butterfly and then cheek art on the other side before a client showed up but it wasn't near as detailed!)
The pup is cute too!
Great job!

Very pretty Maggie. I envy anyone who can paint that well on themselves. Great job.

I find your butterfly and eye design just lovely! I like the dots (but for speed I would eliminate them...only for speed at events, they look time consuming...but I like them very much).

btw: where in CT are you located?

I love these! wish I was an nth that good. I know-practice,practice,practice! I really like the dots on the butterflys. make it sorta-mm-I dono-beady? I haven't been a fan of dots, and wondered what the deal was, and realize the whol conectivity thing, but just wasn't a fan ( this from some one who LOVE polka-dots, go figure!) But on these, I like very much! I know-I'm just a little wierd!lol

I loved what you did the first time around. Use as many dots as you want. We are different painters and have a different spin or signature to our designs if you will. Yes, enhance your skills but keep your own personal style and flair.

great job maggie. i love the butterflies

Gorgeous! The eye design is my favorite! We are always our hardest critics!

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate your kind comments.

Kim, my daughter said she looked like a baboon LOL

fluttersby, I think it's a lot easier to paint on myself than a child just because I know when to move LOL The only problem I have is painting on the left side, oh! and painting roses on my face, I fail every time.

ablissfulstar, I am in Trumbull

lol Col, I am a little weird like that too

changingfaces, love your comment, as much as I try to go easy on the dots I just can't LOL I love them too much.

i really like all ur little dots they remind me alot of the aboriginal art we get here in Australia plus along with the colour choice(aboriginal flag colours). this would be a great piece to enter the snazaroo Australian designs contest! keep up the great work!

Synny! OMGosh you are so right, i didn't even think about that until you said it. Is that the type of artwork they have at Outback restaurant? I love it and enjoy it so much.
Thank you!
PS: How do I sign up for the contest?

Great Job! The eye design is awesome! I love the colors! And the dots!! I am a DOT fan!! LOL

go into snazaroo and the photo section and at the top is an email and info on how to enter! good luck

Thanks Audrey!

synni, which photo do you think I should submit? the second one?

Maggie - I really REALLY like the dots, too - I am in agreement with makin faces - it IS different from the accent dots often used to highlight a design with differenet sizes, but to me it has a very native and unique feel to it. I am finding myself really drawn to face painting designs that have a more - what they call primitive - feel to it. Shamanistic? Aboriginal? I don't know - but there is another painter here that mimics what in fine art is called primitive or folk art. There is a symbolic primitiveness to it that sings. And your dots bring that to mind.

One thing - that honestly seems to be a personal preference so take it or leave it - I like the upper wings to be bigger than the lower wings. I know the cheek face area screams for a larger design there, but I'm partial to the technically correct larger upper wing. I'm too left-brained I'm sure!!!

Thank you Pixieface I try, and try but somehow my lower wings always end up being larger, it's like my forehead is too narrow or something LOL

Synni, I am looking at the pictures on the contest and I don't think I can compete with them, but i am going to go for it I hope Gary Cole doesn't laugh when he receives my e-mail LOL

Ahhhhh! I just hit SENT

Argh - I have to find it - there was a painter here who posted some face butterflies that made me go "ah ha".

It's not common, and again, I don't think there is any right or wrong here, but if you are interested she actually brought the line of the upper wing below the eye rather than to the corner and it worked really well.

I can't promise I'll find the thread - if anyone else here knows what I am referring to...

I love your style! The dots are cute, and if you are happy to spend the time doing them then go for it!

Gosh you really are your own harshes't critic aren't you! There isn't too much I could think to say about your paintings... they are beautiful!
The only thing I could think of is your dog needs eyebrows.

yay go you! which 1 did you choose???? and i think that ur butterfly is unique enough that you have a good chance to place so don't put ur self down 2 much!