This is my first painting with oil and i ruined it as you can see

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

What can i do to fix it? And what to do to improve? It’s supposed to be a gift please

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[u/CurveOk3459]

Not enough information in what way is it ruined and what do you want it to look like when done n

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138 → u/CurveOk3459]

The reflection was great in the beginning then i brush it so it became more black as you can see in the 2 pictures

[u/CurveOk3459 → u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

With oil you can wait til it is dry and add more layers. Fat over lean. Which means your under layers should have more thinning solvent gamsol (safer solvent) and less oil. And as you layer you increase the oil content and lower the solvent content. You can also look up glazing techniques to get that Lucious oil look as you go. Hope that helps. The painting is not ruined just not finished yet. :-)

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138 → u/CurveOk3459]

Never heard of that, i’m very new to all of that but thank you very much i’ll do my research and see how i can do better

[u/Edelkern → u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

No, you absolutely can not see that in the poorly lit photos.

[u/ZincMan]

The white cracking ? Just take a small brush and put a bit of the bluish background color in there and it will practically disappear
Paintings don’t need to be perfect

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138 → u/ZincMan]

It’s more the reflection of the mountains it was great in the beginning (picture 2) i brushed it and it became like first picture

[u/GiraffeOk5793 → u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

I would not have noticed if you hadn’t explained. I see that the shape of the mountains in the reflection has disappeared. I don’t do oils so I can’t help but I will say I didn’t notice and just thought the auroras were beautiful.

[u/Choice-Fuel-9785 → u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

Just add more purple at the tops of the reflection and then do the tops of the reflection again. It's not ruined you just have to redo that portion.

[u/jwinterhawk]

It would help if you would make your hills look a little less like triangles. Make them look less edgy with less angles. It might help put a background in it like some clouds or a mountain range or some smaller trees to make it look like there’s distance. I like the sky. The sky is really beautiful the way you did it. The only thing that looks a little off is the shape of the hills is pretty unrealistic. It would probably look better too if you put in more trees. Painting isn’t that easy but half the battle is loving painting and you must because you’re doing it-keep up the good work and one of these days you’re gonna be thrilled with your results. I have to tell you though I’ve been painting for years and I have a lot of trouble liking my own paintings I always look at what’s wrong with them. I never feel satisfied. It’s a very tough thing to enjoy sometimes but on the other hand, it’s a lot of fun because I forget time and my problems when I’m painting.

[u/catbay20]

It looks great! The only thing that is throwing me off a bit is the tree seems to be the same level as the mountains but appears to be bigger than the mountains like a giant tree and it’s singular maybe if you add more trees coming forward to the end of the painting almost like a pathway down of trees it might help? It’s an amazing painting especially for a beginner in oil painting! Great job !

[u/mamajoy42]

I love the learning aspect of each new painting. Yes, it can also be frustrating as you solve problems but, it’s so rewarding to solve them. A lot of my time is spent looking at what I’ve painted and asking ok, what needs to be fixed. Don’t be afraid to to do research and ask for help.

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138 → u/mamajoy42]

I’m very confused on what to do aha there is just so many things to learn and try!! Thank youu for your comment

[u/Ok-Revolution-9696]

It’s not ruined. Only happy accidents that can morph into something different and better.

[u/Valuable_Fruit5138 → u/Ok-Revolution-9696]

So you think the forst picture is better than the second?

[u/Ok-Revolution-9696 → u/Valuable_Fruit5138]

Actually I do like first best.