Self portrait
 

This is self portrait which I completed today. I have done a couple of SP's before - one of those can be seen on my website - but this one is with short hair (I recently cut it, after having had long hair for rather long time).
The painting measures 14x11 inches.

Wonderful self portrait Valentino! It has a feeling of immediacy and a very strong presence. I like it very much.
Do you have a skylight in your studio or some very high cathedral window? Or was this done outdoors?
Thanks for posting this.

Valentino, I always like to see how artists describe themselves, and this is no exception. The sideways glance toward the light (and the equally sideways glance of the light) gives it an enigmatic expression. It looks like you've stopped to ponder a big question. Maybe it's just a mood, maybe it's more of a personality trait. You have done such a good job with the planes of the face and the value changes. Seeing that shadow against the pure white background is startling. I think it increases the effect I described above.

By the way I like your haircut! :sunnysmil

What a Powerful Self-Portrait!
 

Valentino, this is a very powerful self-portrait. I am really drawn to it as strong contrast has always attracted me. Placing nearly the whole face in shadow was masterfully done and has inspired me to try some things that I had wanted to do that are primarily in shadow. Thanks so much for posting this. :thumbsup:

This is beautiful, Valentino. Congratulations.

Thank you. The challenge here was to keep the value range within the shadow very narrow, yet at the same time broad enough, in order to describe the form(s) and avoid dull, flat look. The same goes for the flesh hues, as well.
As for the chroma, all paints I used were heavily desaturated.
(It is difficult to see the nuances I am speaking about here, since they are lost in reproduction).

Btw, this close up is larger than that area in the original painting.

(Besides, it seems that SOG software stretches pictures. The image attached in my post is larger than 398x543 pixel jpg I uploaded.)

Palette, Please?
 

Valentino, would you share your palette with us? I can see what I THINK you used to achieve those tones, but I'd really like to know for sure. Colors also change so radically on a computer screen that it would be very interesting to read how you achieved the shadow colors.

Beautifully done Valentino!

Here's my palette:
flake, ochre, raw sienna, cyprus orange, red ochre, vermillion, alizarin, raw umber, warm sepia extra, payne's gray, davy's gray, transparent pink gray, prussian blue

Well done Valentino! I like the radiant warmth in the darks. Your palette is interesting, and you are introducing me to a couple of new color names. Is the Cyprus Orange a type of half-burnt ochre? I see Williamsburg makes it. Also I am unfamiliar with Transparent Pink Gray. It sounds interesting.

Garth

Yes, Cyprus Orange is kind of half-burnt ochre, but a bit darker than Old Holland's. Transparent Pink Gray produces only Doak (to my knowledge), and it is very useful when it comes to lowering the chroma of red family of colors while at the same time cooling them down (unlike the burnt umber, which keeps the color temperature).
It is also great gray in its own right.

Valentino--

Very powerful! The close-value modeling within the shadow is just enough...very hard to paint detail in the shadows and still maintain the integrity of the overall shadow shape without over modeling. It's very sophisticated and restrained.

Great portrait!

I keep coming back to look at this -- unique and beautifully done! The starkness of that pale blue sky and the face in shadow conveys a strong sense of being at the beach -- or at least somewhere outdoors and open. Really nice.