Boy in Pink Pants?

[Mhayes]

I am really hoping this kid is not in pink pants, but there is nothing to point otherwise. There is the chance that the boy's pants were blue and when Santa's red pants faded into the blue, they turned pink. Santa's pants were also pink, but you could find spots that showed the original red color. Another problem I have is the huge hands of Santa's. In the original they look the size of Paul Bunyan's, so I tried to make them smaller. And of course there is Santa, where I reduced his hands I increased his butt size. Because of that, I may be looking at a lump of coal in my stocking this Christmas.

I still have quite a bit of work to do, but would appreciate any help that would keep me from making this restoration worse. The boy's pants, hand and sleeve need some work.

Thanks

[Hannie]

Hi Margie,

It's starting to look great, Santa got the right color back! 
Raspberry jeans, they were popular for a while in the late 70's and occasionally you still see them.  The jeans this boy is wearing could be blue for the reason you already stated.
Don't lose hope for the contents of your Xmas stocking this year, help is on the way:  I think Santa was slouching rather than sitting thus no need for a bum enlargement.  I think he now needs a bumectomy!  That will make his leg on the left side of the picture look more proportional.
The hands probably look so big because of the white gloves?

Hannie

[klassylady25]

Pants - How about burgundy jeans or corduroys.... it's not all about blue jeans. 

[OPRAng]

I would have guessed red or burgundy too. Nice job preserving the reflection over on the right side--do you think it is a fish tank or something where the glass is only on the top part, or do you see the glass part going all the way down?

As for Santa's butt--he's a jolly fellow, I am sure he's fine with it...

Angela

[glennab]

Hi Margie

I'll throw in my usual oddball observations.  Maybe the child is a girl with very short hair.  And the photo looks 70s-ish (is that a word?), and young guys began wearing what were considered "girls" colors at that time, so we could be looking at either.  I'd say if the area you're looking at is mostly intact and that color predominates (which it appears to), then the burgundy color is correct.

I think the glass object is a display cabinet, mostly because there's no apparatus at the top to indicate the air filters, etc. and no obvious color from inside.  I'd try to eliminate more of the orange damage on and around said cabinet. On the bottom half of the end of the cabinet are shapes that might be worth keeping.  They seem too regular to be damage (maybe reflections or the contents of the cabinet?).

As for the size of Santa's hands and behind, I doubt that size matters (don't dispute me, men!).  I'd just eliminate the little indent under the tassel where it appears that his waist goes in too far and figure out a way to "plant" him.  He almost appears to be floating right now.

Great clean up of the mess! And I agree with Angela that your work with the reflection is mighty fine.

Hugs!

Glenna

[Mhayes]

Thanks everyone. I will go back and work on changing the color of the boy's pants. Hannie, I'm sure being white helped the gloves looked bigger, but do you thing I should have left them that size instead of making them smaller? A "bumectomy" is on the way for Santa--otherwise he would have become stuck in somebody's chimney! The bad news is that his fanny took up some real estate of which I know nothing about. Angela, that's an interesting thought about whether it could be fish tank. I thought that it was a glass case that went all the way to the floor. I wish I could have made it look closer to glass like the top. I even tried to make it reflect some of Santa's colors but that didn't work out. It would be interesting to know if this was in the home or at a store, since that would give more of a hint as to whether it is a glass case.

Glenna just got your post while I was writing this. You're right about making Santa look more planted on the chair. I think some folds from his pants and more shadows should help. I see what you mean about the indent to his back, but that is partially caused by the tassel (?). I will probably leave out the bottom contents of the cabinet since I can't seem to make any sense to them. They could be reflections or actually something inside the case, unfortunately it's a little too far gone.

I know that we do not add what is not there, but some times by blurring out the damage you get a whole new look. I'm sure that the chair that Santa is sitting on does not look like this.

Thanks again,

Margie

[Hannie]

Hi Margie,

I agree that Santa's hands look just fine!
Glenna is right about the glass display cabinet, unless they make fish tanks with beveled glass panes!  ;) 
In the glass pane you can only see the reflection of the boy and Santa's hand, then there seems to be an allmost cubic yellow shape that is either a reflection or in the cabinet itself.
I tried to draw how I think Santa was seated, kind of half lying down really.  You could darken the space that is freed up from redundant bum, like a shadow.  That would also stop Santa floating above the chair.
I think this is a home and not a store.
Margie, you are so brave to tackle this one!

Hannie

[Mhayes]

Hi Hannie,

I will go back and put Santa's original hand size back in. It's funny but after looking at several of the areas you pointed out; I think I know what that tassel thing is by the glass. I'm wondering if it's a display case that it might be a light switch? That would explain the cord above. Or maybe Santa is an inflatable toy? Another thing I wasn't sure of was whether Santa is wearing a belt? I see some black but no detail.

Did anyone when they looked at the original think it odd that everything seems to be at a angle?

[Charlene5]

Oh Margie I think the weird angles overcome relatives when a camera is placed in their hands.  It reminded me of this one, taken by my great grandmother.  I have a whole series of these snapshots with very creative perspective but this is the worst.  It's around 1919 and the little boy is my dad.  The house next door appears to be falling over :)

[Hannie]

Great Picture MJ, I can't get over those angles, no matter what you try it always looks like the wrong angle...
On topic, I think the tassel is just that, maybe it is attached to a pillow in the behind Santa?  The cord I think is the bevel on the glass pane.  I would go for the inflatable Santa, would solve a lot of problems!

Hannie

[Mhayes]

Oh how tempting it is to make Santa an inflatable! Hopefully by tomorrow I will have a new and improved Santa to show. Thanks for all the help.

Charlene what a funny picture, it looks like everything is going to slide downhill, but not before the house falls to one side and the fence to the other.

[schen]

I am going to guess that the tussle thingy is the door pull for the display case.

[schen]

Assume the house is upright, the foreground is sloping down to the right and the fence is leaning.

[Mhayes]

Okay everyone, the boy is back in pink pants. I think he is getting closer to being finished. If this had been an 8 x 10 I really would need to do some more work, but it is a 3 x 3 and when you look at it on screen for print size in PS it looks complete. See what you think.

Thanks

[Tess (Tassie D)]

:up: I think thats looking pretty good Margie.