Hi Marina

I kept thinking about this yesterday and realised it was a Vigee Le Brun your expression reminded me of most...

http://www.batguano.com/VLBSP1782.jpg

I saw the original recently and was struck with the same sense of her warmth... funnily as I was looking for this reproduction I noticed she found some interesting ways to deal with the problem of joining head to neck! :-)

http://www.batguano.com/mcritt.jpg

Thanks Alex!
I was interrested to see your nice exemples...

Mary Jane,
finally, a bit more 18th century?
I always loved how Mme Vig

Marina, your changes are subtle but they make a significant difference. It's a lovely self-portrait. My feeling is that you should move on to the next painting now, to avoid overworking this. Making quicker oil studies would be an excellent exercise. In fact, any painting from life, including 2-hour landscape sketches, would be helpful. Start thin, cover the canvas, and then try to get the essence of what you see. If you push yourself in this direction, I think you will find that you naturally have to use more paint and not fuss over details.

Alex

Marina, I absolutely second Alex's advice.
In this work you have solved the problems we have pointed out, but I have a strong sensation that you are ready to take the leap and start buttering your canvas in paint, now that you have showed to yourself and to all of us how solid is your drawing background.

If you have a chance to add to your gift list I would recommend the new book on Sorolla, a luscious paint handler.
Indicating form with only a stroke of the brush is the ultimate experience for a painter!
Well done for this work anyway, I think I'll chuck mine and start again, I became really depressed about its potential and I want to try a very limited earth palette!
Ilaria

Hi Marina, I have been quite busy lately and on rare occasions just glanced at what is up on the forum.

Your self portrait is looking real good. As I was scanning the different comments and suggestions, all good, a thought came to mind and I thought to share this with you. This is what I thought and what I would do my self.
Set this painting aside. Pick another canvas, preferably with finer weave, smoother, and start another self portrait. Draw it out and lay in the dead coloring and do not move to detail until the shapes of the dead color are perfect. Make sure that your individual shapes and dead color area is smooth, unified, even and no lumps ripples. When you have this stage perfect then and only then start to create form by adding half tones first to big shapes. Remember the edges of each shape in dead color stage are to touch and should not be sharp rather blurred but not blended, at least in this initial stage. Remember each stage should be perfectly executed before moving on from one to the other. If you decide to try this method you will reach your goal faster and the results will be amassing.

Wish you the best,
mischa

Great to see this version. The gaze has lost that slighty glassy look and you seem to softened the mouth and the neck so it's all gelling more harmoniously.

I'll third Alex's comments - if I may do such a thing! I think it's time to say very well done on this and onwards and upwards to the next.

I'm really impressed that this is only your second self portrait attempt by the way... I have many, many unfinished self portraits (thankfully for others they will stay turned to the wall;-) so I do sympathise with IIaria here but for all their pains I dare say there is litle that compares as a marker of your improvements.

You have inspired me! I must start another soon!!!

Alex
Great! That's exactly what I was thinking!
I still have lot of things to learn, but I especially need some practice. So, if everybody agrees, I'm planning a few more self-portraits ( Mme Vig

Hi Marina, dead color is the color that you see when you squint while looking at your face, in shadow or in light.

Wish you the best,
mischa

Hi,
after working from life all spring and summer, I thought that I could push this painting a little further. I didn't really like some of the skin tone and some other details. So I reworked it, and then it was selected as a finalist of the Portrait Society of Canada !
http://www.portraitsociety.ca/index.html

So for the first time of my life, I had a real contact with portrait artists, and it was very nice to see that they are not virtual !!! I saw my first life demonstrations, and it was completely fascinating. I'm very impatient to go back to work...

So, here is the update photo of my self-portrait, and this is it, framed, at the gala.

Marina that's such wonderful news!!

So pleased for you - and how fabulous to have seen the portraits development on this thread. A most deserved honorable mention too - congratulations! I hope it leads on to many new and exciting opportunities for you.

All the best
MJ