A new self-portrait painting.

[femmedem]

I haven't posted any art for a while, but I've been practicing. Here's a new self-portrait. I watched an instructional video by Cesar Santos and learned a new technique: painting it in roughly, letting it dry, then painting it again in small sections by first laying in a flat color, then working wet-on-wet in that section before moving on to the next.

[tblue37]

1. Very nice. K&R. BTW, you are quite pretty!

[femmedem]

5. Thanks, Tblue37.

I so enjoyed having a three-day weekend and learning a new technique. I usually work more than full time so although I can always make time to draw, I sometimes go a few weeks without painting.

[orwell]

2. Nice work...

...representational yet evocative.

I also like the greyed colors. I think it adds to the mood.

Well done!

[femmedem]

6. Thank you!

I used a fairly neutral, limited palette: Just white, ivory black (I don't know if you paint but ivory black has a blue tint to it), yellow ochre, raw umber and a tough of cadmium red in a few places.

[orwell]

47. I don't paint...

...but I worked for an art consultant in the Bay Area as a computer consultant/office manager for many years so I've seen a lot of art.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Just outstanding! You're very talented!

I’d be scared to death to do a self portrait. You have a very beautiful face and a lovely gaze Very nice!

I find that watching instructional videos is a great inspiration to try new things.

Did you work from a photo or a mirror?

[femmedem]

8. Thanks. I worked from a mirror.

Don't be scared to try a self-portrait! What's the worst that can happen? No one needs to see it but you. I keep doing self-portraits because I'm always available and I model for cheap.

I do gesture drawings most mornings from photo references but I like working from life or a mirror better because I don't always know how to adjust for a camera's distortions.

[Diamond_Dog]

15. Farsightedness ... the curse of being over 50

I have done one self portrait in my lifetime and it was for an art class in college, we had to do one in the Pointillistic style. I would probably have to be whipping my glasses off and on if I tried it now.

You’re certainly very correct about being your own model!

[femmedem]

16. Ha, yes indeed. And I did have to keep taking my glasses on and off!

It made painting the eyes pretty difficult. But if I don't wear them, I think my paintings are pretty good until I put my glasses on and see how rough they are.

[Joinfortmill]

4. Beautiful.

[femmedem]

9. Thanks so much. n/t

[Budi]

7. Beautiful self capture

The emotion is there at 1st glance.
Well done

[femmedem]

10. Thank you, budi.

I finally learned to paint myself with my facial muscles relaxed instead of squinty-eyed from concentrating and being far-sighted.

[Budi]

11. Lol. Well that is the skillset of your artistry.

That you not only recognized it but then accomplished so well, that small step you needed to take.

There's a life story behind the eyes & a reflection of peace that only comes with walking the path life points us down on day 1.

Your work is impressive.
I pretty much do one dimensional stick figures. 😐

Make more!
🍃

[Generic Other]

12. A pensive moment

Quiet reflection. Seems to capture the mood of our times. Well done.

[femmedem]

51. Thank you! And I apologize for being slow to get back to you.

I read your comment yesterday and was mulling it over when I got interrupted; didn't realize I hadn't responded yet until this morning.

It means a lot to me that you're commenting on an emotional quality to the painting rather than technique. I wasn't consciously trying to do anything other than master form, light and color, but of course I set myself in a particular light, with a particular expression, and with a particular background without being conscious of why. But I think you expressed the why perfectly, even if I hadn't articulated it to myself. Thank you!

[bif]

13. Nicely done!

I wish I could paint people!

[femmedem]

14. Thanks, bif.

You draw well and you practice a lot so I don't think it will be long before you feel confident with people.

I learned a lot about drawing figures from this site a few years ago: https://www.lovelifedrawing.com/

Edited to add: if you want to invest a little in an online art education, you might want to check out this site. It's got something for artists at all levels. https://www.nma.art/v3/

[LoisB]

17. Absolutely beautiful. The person and the painting.

nt

[femmedem]

20. Thank you, Lois! I probably made myself prettier than I am, or at least younger

because my eyesight is bad enough even with glasses that I see everything in soft focus.

[LoisB]

44. Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself in a glass door and say "who the heck is that old woman?"

but I still see myself in the mirror as 40 years old. I think your self-portrait shows a beautiful woman aging beautifully. Thank you for the keeping the gray hair.

[stage left]

18. Wow!

That's absolutely gorgeous.

[femmedem]

21. Thank you! n/t

[MLAA]

19. OMG, a beautifully done portrait.

I started painting about 5 years ago and find portraits of people impossible. I’m better at animals. But your portrait is what I strive for, loose, soft, just excellent. I’m going to save it to motivate me and learn from when I work up the energy to try again!

[femmedem]

24. Thank you so much! I love your work so that makes my day.

Your work is gorgeous so I have no doubt you can do this. Animals are at least as complex as people--maybe more so because you have to discern the form underneath the fur.

I would try drawing portraits, or maybe painting in monochrome, at first so that you can focus on the form and values without having to figure out the color at the same time.

[MLAA]

32. Oh, I hadn't thought of trying monochrome. Will do! ❤️

[LymphocyteLover]

22. That's awesome!

[femmedem]

27. Thank you! n/t

[secondwind]

23. This is amazing! Brava!

[femmedem]

28. Thank you, secondwind!

On the computer screen, I see some areas that look rougher than I'd like, but this is so, so much better than I could have done a few years ago.

[TeamProg]

25. Wow! n/t

[femmedem]

37. Thank you! n/t

[Grumpy Old Guy]

26. Stunning!

[femmedem]

38. Thank you!

You might have to change your user name to Kind Old Guy.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

48. LOL! No!

I always joked at work, (before I retired), that I lasted long enough to be one of those grumpy old guys that nobody likes!

[multigraincracker]

29. Looks like it could hang in the

Museum in Paris. The Monafemmed.

[lunatica]

30. That's incredible!

It’s fantastic! You did a great job blending the flesh colors and the shading and the hair shades! It really dominates your attention. You have a strong face and amazing eyes! I’m assuming it looks just like you since it looks like the other self portraits do.

Great job! Very inspiring!

[femmedem]

39. Lunatica! Thank you!

Last edited Tue Feb 22, 2022, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

You inspire so many of us here so if I can inspire you at all, I'm grateful.

Also your comment means a lot to me because I know you've been watching my work progress, and you're confirming what I hoped was true: that this is a step forward for me. I can't always tell right away because I'm usually enthusiastic while I'm still on a creative high, then within a few days I start seeing what I still need to learn.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Very nice.

[femmedem]

40. Thank you!

I appreciate your taking the time to compliment it.

[PatSeg]

33. That is wonderful

[femmedem]

41. Thanks, Pat.

What a supportive community this is--including you.

[PatSeg]

53. I am intrigued by the technique

you described. It certainly was successful and very effective. I am especially drawn to the eyes. Very professional looking work of art.

[lucca18]

34. What a beautiful painting!

You are very talented and beautiful!
😍

[femmedem]

42. Thank you, Lucca.

You have generous eyes.

[Pepsidog]

35. Great job. I like the style.

[femmedem]

43. Thanks, Pepsidog.

It was a different style for me. I thought I would find it futzy but I ended up enjoying the process and the different look it gave my painting.

[Escurumbele]

36. Well done, lots of expression in the eyes. I also like the subtleness of the colors.

I have been meaning to do a self-portrait for a long time, but never get to it.

Cesar Santos is a genius. Was that on youtube?

Wonderful job, gallery worth.

[femmedem]

45. I wish it was on Youtube!

He has a lot of informative videos on Youtube but I paid for this one via Streamline Videos. It was on sale, but still pricey. Worth it for me, though--the right video at the right time. He's got some on his own website that cover the same process, and you can buy them in segments to see if they work for you instead of investing in the whole thing all at once. Or you could skip the drawing video and go right to the painting videos, saving yourself a little money. He's got previews of the videos on his Youtube channel.

I hope you do get around to that self-portrait! They're so convenient because hey, if you're available to paint you're available to model for yourself.

And thank you!

[CaptainTruth]

46. Nice!

[femmedem]

49. Thank you! n/t

[JudyM]

50. Beautiful work.

[femmedem]

52. Thank you, Judy!

It's a great joy to be learning this, made even better by having a community with which to share my progress.

[JudyM]

54. I always check out your posts

When you describe what you were going for, or techniques, etc, it’s very interesting. I had bookmarked this OP to check out the instruction vids. I’ve enjoyed a bit of line drawing and sculpting, and I plan to try painting one of these days. Yours are always so evocative.

[femmedem]

55. Thank you so much!

If you ever want some advice or affordable resources for painters, go ahead and send me a message. I likely won't get back to you until the evening because of work unless you message me on a weekend, but I'll do my best to help you.

[LiberalLoner]

56. Oh this is museum worthy! I am in awe of your abilities. Bravissima! And btw you are beautiful!

[femmedem]

57. Thank you so much!

Especially because your own work is so, so beautiful.

[LiberalLoner]

58. Blushing in response 😊😊😊