I goofed up the skin tones and the contouring, but I added jowls for more realism and a slight smile, as my friends and family aren't used to seeing me so serious...I have to come back to this to fix what I digressed on. The nice thing is, since this project is so experimental for me, I am learning a lot from it. And I have no fear of painting over areas to improve (or NOT) because, after all, it is only PAINT!

I felt like before I proceed, I need to figure out what is going on with my mix for the skin tones, so I did a quick color study. Warm white, aliz crimson, and burnt sienna adds more warmth than burnt umber I think. I need more warmth.

I had only 15 minutes today, but did a bit of oiling in and a bit of hair detail. Gotta go! Have a great day!

Moving right along...more than my 20 minutes a day, but I am trying to make up for my funk the last few months. My 20 minutes a day experiment lasted a full 3 months, and I found my drawing skills were greatly improved by it. Lots yet to do on this portrait, but it is coming along. I decided to leave my face alone today and work on my hat and the background. I've sure got a death grip on my paintbrush, huh? I like how I have given myself a facelift here and taken of a few pounds, too!

Here I am about three hours into my painting. I only get about 30 minutes at a time to paint, and then other things call me away. I am trying to work out the skin tones...each time it gets better, so I won't stop until I am satisfied. The lit areas are getting better, but the shadows are muddy and so I need to warm them up.

Day 1 Oil Self Portrait

I decided to doing something more serious, so I did the under painting of a new portrait. I will keep you posted!

I'm Still Here!

I have a lot of catching up to do! I was a bit down in the dumps during January...I am starting to pull out of it and with the help and encouragement of my friend Amanda, I will begin producing art again soon!  Well, I did a pretty solid 3 months of 20 minutes a day from October through December. That was a huge accomplishment for me! I have been baking and cooking for the last month, and perfecting my merengue recipe...YUMMY!