I always find self portraits, and people, hard to do. So if I was gonna do a self portrait, I wanted it to be something fun. I usually take photos from strange angles and I thought that brilliantly described me so I decided to use one of those. I decided to use oil paint because I thought I could be more loose with my strokes and blending of the colors.
I started with the lips. I wanted to make them a natural color. My first attempt made them purple and red. I thought by using purple to create a shadow, it would look realistic. But after giving it a few days, I tried painting them again, this time using browns and peach colors. I think I ended up with a more natural and soft look and I am happy with the way they turned out.
Next, the skin color. It took me about 5 hours to mix a skin color that I was happy with. I think I got a good color that mostly looks like my skin tone. Painting was easy. The eye was easy to paint too. However the eye lashes were hard to do. They turned out a little too thick, but still I think they look good.
Next, the skin color. It took me about 5 hours to mix a skin color that I was happy with. I think I got a good color that mostly looks like my skin tone. Painting was easy. The eye was easy to paint too. However the eye lashes were hard to do. They turned out a little too thick, but still I think they look good.
When painting the small amount of background, I decided to do blue. It turned out brighter than I expected it to be, so I think later on I will go back and make it more subdued. Another thing I would change is making darker shadows and adding more darker tones to create more dimension in the face. After looking at it for a little, I realize now that its a little flat, especially around the cheek and up to the eye, and the upper lip, so I plan on making improvements (even though it means I have to go through the process of making more skin color...) I would also make the nostrils more dark. When I was painting it, I was afraid of making them too dark and that they would stand out. But looking at it now I think making it dark would be the perfect touch.
Overall, I am happy with the way the painting turned out.
Overall, I am happy with the way the painting turned out.