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Self Portraits


Studying 

"Are you so in love with yourself that you paint self-portraits?"
"I won't paint myself; people might think I am too proud."
Have you ever heard comments like those? Well, I certainly have. 

Practising is what really important to develop your painting skills. As I now begin exploring portraiture, I need to practice painting heads, figures, and faces as much as I can. 

Making master copies of the works by painters you admire is a great way to learn. However, at a certain point, you need to create your own work, preferably painting a model with whom you have a personal or emotional connection. While we all have family and friends, there is little chance they would spend hours sitting for you in the light and setting you would want to capture. Sometimes, you are lucky enough to take or find a photograph of them that fits your portrait plans. 

That's if you are lucky. What if not? Fortunately, there is a brilliant and simple solution: a self-portrait. It's easy; you are always available, you know yourself inside and out, and you decide when and how to paint. Moreover, you are the only one to complain; you are the only judge. Ideal for practice. Ideal for learning. 

That's why many painters choose to paint self-portraits. Whether it reflects self-love or comes off as too prideful doesn't really matter. 

I will share the stories of my self-portraits here.



Self-portrait. Oil on canvas 40 x 30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery. 



Self-portrait. Alla prima, oil on panel 40 x 30 cm. View the finished painting in my gallery. 

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