"Charlie" - a self-portrait - Page 2

John Palmer Fine Art · #16 02-02-2011, 05:49 PM

This is terrific Charlie, I am in awe that you can do this from life, let alone in such a short time, wonderful.
John

mollerman · #17 02-02-2011, 06:52 PM

I think this is great and great use of your colorful palette. One thing I noticed is one eye appears to be looking somewhat forward and the other eye appears to be looking downward. I am really glad to see another self portrait.

Donna T · #18 02-02-2011, 07:11 PM

What an expressive use of color! Beautiful portrait, Charlie!

RainySea · #19 02-02-2011, 08:04 PM

that is VERY nice. . . I love all the colors you've used. Great work!!

***Deirdre*** · #20 02-02-2011, 08:06 PM

You're certainly a colourist Charlie, and it good that it's reflected in your SP....you did a great job!

mfapastel · #21 02-02-2011, 09:12 PM

Very nice Charlie! A wonderful patchwork of color up-close, but viewed from a distance everything falls together into beautiful modeling and volume of form. I think it's marvelous you can translate your love of color in landscapes and yet still be consistent with your palette in portraiture. Dan

**allydoodle** · #22 02-02-2011, 09:19 PM

This is beautiful. I just love your pallet, it's like a patchwork quilt carefully put together, with all the colors in just the right places.

Punky2 · #23 02-02-2011, 09:30 PM

Wonderful portrait! I know it's not easy to paint glasses on faces (not for me anyway). I like how your hair is falling down. Beautiful colors.

Terri

patsbeads · #24 02-02-2011, 10:35 PM

Just fabulous. I truly love this painting. You should be very proud of this one.
Pat

Turpintine45 · #25 02-03-2011, 12:00 AM

Lovely Sp Charlie. I like the way you used the colours for the skin tones. You should add it to the Bethany's self portrait thread on the Portraiture forum. It's a thread of just self portraits and very interesting. Jen

Jancee · #26 02-03-2011, 12:47 AM

Oops....I think my first comment is floating somewhere in the atmosphere! But what I said was that I agree that the portrait is awesome and the colors amazing.

KarenB · #27 02-03-2011, 01:12 AM

Love the bit of sparkle and translucence on your left eye. :-) Please add my cheers to the chorus.

Colorix · #28 02-03-2011, 05:58 AM

Aw, to all of you, thank you so very much! Your lovely words have lifted my spirits, and they needed lifting.

Oh, I know things are 'off' in the SP, there's something wrong with the ______ (insert feature of choice). What I'm starting to wonder is if it really matters? I have to do a few more portraits to test my theory, but I have a strong feeling that the likeness might not be in the exact placement and measurements. I have to try this out, but it just may be so that eyes/nose/mouth are details added to the gestalt. Does anyone know if it is so? Or the other way around? Do tell!

bnoonan · #29 02-03-2011, 11:06 AM

Charlie - you are one talented artist. Without sitting on your shoulder I don't have a clue of the likeness exactly but I know how challenging self portraits from life can be. Congratulations and I love seeing all the colors in your work in portraiture as well.

I have often wondered too about the likeness. When you think of cartoonists and artists who are hired to painted political figures, they exaggerate the features and even stretch a chin (like with Jay Leno) and we know they aren't situated properly.

Time for some more painting. I see a Picasso coming....

Barb

BetsyPriesing · #30 02-03-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colorix

Sort of... it somehow turned out a bit idealized and 'youngified'...

I've not painted a self-portrait in some 8 years or so, might even be longer. "In the spirit of", I tossed this together for the Get Dusty Dec/Jan challenge of the Pastel Guild of Europe. Few participants, so why not add one more? It took three hours, and I tested some principles I learned in Don Ketchek's class here in the pastel forum (the excellent class starts here).

Following the advice in the class, I started with the general 'egg'-shape of the head, marked the halfway point (eyes), then the halfway down (end of nose), and again halfway down (opening line of mouth). I put in the general shapes of the lights and darks, and the only drawing I did was the line of the chin plus an indication of glasses (but later I covered those lines, changed glasses, too, so the upper line became indication of eyebrows). I'm very nearsighted, so glasses shrink my eye considerably (which is why they look too small). I was looking in a mirror, so it is painted entirely from life.

Start of painting:

Location of nose and mouth and eyes is just indicated.

I had a bright warm halogen light, and then on the other side of the face there is some cool daylight, which is why it is lighter in value than one might expect (that light didn't reach the front of the scarf and shoulder).

Finished Self-Portrait, below, on Fisher 400, approx size 10 x 16".

Actually, I was surprised, I didn't know I could get this much likeness in only 3 hours. It is good to step out of the comfort zone now and then. Three years of landscape painting seems to have sneaked behind my back and improved my portrature too, without letting me know.

Have to say it is not this 'blotchy' IRL, the strokes tend to blend together visually to a higher degree than what the camera shows.

C&C welcome!

Just keep in mind glasses do make eyes smaller (we all know the 'rule' of the face at eye-level being 5 eyes wide).

Charlie this is really lovely! I like the turq. and purples on the shadow side, makes a nice vibration in the portrait.

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