Self portrait
 

With appreciation and gratitude, critiques welcome.

Hi Carol,
I am not qualified to critique, but I like your fresh approach The colors are a little hot for me, but that is just me. Nice to see you posting your work! I will look forward to some of the professionals responses and what they offer as suggestions...

Thanks for looking...
 

Thanks for looking, Pat. Actually, it is not quite as hot as it appears, especially on the shadow side. I need to learn better how to manipulate Photoshop Elements for a more accurate reading.

Dear Carol,

You have undertaken a fresh painterly approach which I love. Your color harmony is very successful and I think you have done a great job with the edges of the hair - they are extremely well-integrated with the background.

I have just a couple of drawing comments and a couple of value comments. Regarding drawing, in the photo your head is turned slightly to our left, In the painting, the features are placed as if your head was turning slightly to our right. Although the eyes are larger in the painting, I have to say that, because I know you, the eyes in the portrait really don't bother me, and if were me I probably wouldn't change their size. In person your eyes are so bright and the iris color is really saturated, so when people talk to you, they have the impression of VERY BIG EYES. In that way, I think you have really conveyed a lot about your appearance and personality. Still, I'd put them in a slightly different place, slightly west...This is a compelling image, so I'd probably redirect the gaze right at the viewer, but that's certainly a personal choice.

You might want to look again at the juncture of the collar, neck and jaw on our right, and give a suggestion of your neck.

Regarding value, I think you have a lot of room to work with the planes of the hair, as well as some of its color. To give it a greater depth and sheen. I think that by leaving the warmer red tones to the shadowed areas of hair, you can pull out the cool areas of the hair in light. There are areas on both inner corners of the eyes that, if darkened in value, will add form to the bridge of the nose, and eye sockets. They don't need to go as dark as the photo.

On the side of your face on our right, there is plane break where the front of your face turns and becomes the side of your face. The values are nearly identical, so I think you can easily accomplish this with a very slight temperature change, desaturating the side of the face without altering its value. I love the color of your skin tones in light.

I can't see what is going on with the lips in shadow, but it may be that they need a little adjustment in value and saturation.

GREAT JOB!

PS Painting a self portrait from a photo gives you a wonderful opportunity to also work from life. To be able to use a mirror, though, it's necessary to horizontally flip the image in Photoshop, before you start:)

More gratitude
 

Dear Chris,
What a lot of wonderfully helpful direction! I actually did move the eye on the right closer to the bridge of the nose earlier today, as I knew that part of the drawing was off. I will follow all of your very valuable help tomorrow to the best of my current ability hoping that with your next class, my painting will show further improvements. AND ... for the millionth time, I accept your advice with gratitude.

Even before I read Chris' response I somehow could tell from this painting that you are one of her students. You have learned from the master well! This painting shows that you have successfully incorporated Chris' fresh and energetic use of color and texture. Nice job!

Under the Influence
 

Michelle, your praise was heartening. Chris' instructions have been a priceless gift to me. Her classes are so well organized - structured for maximum learning - that it is impossible to leave them without marked improvement. To think that you can actually recognize her influence is intoxicating praise. (I'd better stay off the highway!!!) I will post the painting again, after I have put all of her suggestions into effect.

Great tip, Chris! I find men have a simpler time of doing self-portraits as they often "just get a mirror." Yet, which female painter wants to paint herself in grunge mode? This is a lovely comprimise and a successful painting!