Self Portrait

Self Portrait

This was made for a self portrait art challenge. I've never been keen on the idea of painting a self portrait but thought i'd push myself and give it a go. Was actually very helpful in making me realize how much better it is to paint from a live model than photos, pick up on subtleties much easier and sense the forms more. It's so much easier to just get caught up in shapes when painting from a photo.

As you can probably see from the portrait I'm a somewhat anxious person haha, but I'm happy I managed to capture the expression , I think its quite accurate to me and represents an aspect of my personality at least. So in that sense I feel it was a success in terms of a self portrait. Also was an experiment in using Rebelle software instead of photoshop, I really enjoy using their acrylic brushes, makes the process feel alot more similar to traditional painting. Looking forward to trying their oil brushes soon.

I may revisit it a later date and try a more finished version, but this was one of those paintings where I didn't think more work would necessarily help, I quite liked how it looked in its simplicity and more graphic look.