Self- portrait
 

10"X14"
I made some changes and I think I still can make a lot more little changes, but I will stop here.
I think I spent enough time on this one...

Very good job Marina.

That's a beautiful self-portrait.
Did you do it in your studio? I liked the lighting.

Marina, this is much better. Now spend a few days away from it then critique it. Yes, good choice stop here. If you can do another same lighting it would be good but try not to rush it.

Wish you the best,
mischa

Marina, I really like this one, maybe even more then the other one. Structurally sound and also emotionally strong. It is difficult to judge from a photo, but I have the feeling that you might experiment working on a less absorbant surface. Are these on cotton canvas or linen? They look commercially made canvas, but maybe I am wrong. I think that a finer weave or more layers of primer will help you to show off your brushwork.

Ilaria

Marina, this is very well done. I like the way you've softened the darks to bring out the features. You've managed to give just enough definition to all those wisps of hair without being picky. The transitions in the skin tones work very well. Most important, it lives and breathes. Compared to the first. it is less facade, more inner you. The viewer should be able to sense that in a good portrait.

Thanks Bonfim,
yes I did it in my "studio" ( a big word for the part of the living room where I put my easel)
with a beautiful south west light which would be perfect if the earth could stop turning around the sun when I'm working .

Mischa,
I think I will wait a bit before doing another one : in fact, I'm a bit tired of the very changing light. When I begin to paint at 1:00 PM , at 3:00 Pm I could do another painting: the shadows are very different. So it's difficult to have a unity in the final painting ( but it's a good exercise to develop my visual memory !)
Thanks again for your explanations: it helped a lot.

Ilaria,
I painted it on a very cheap canvas board ( they don't even say if it's cotton or linen, so I gess it's cotton) I thought it was OK for a little study. I didn't even thought that it could influence the way I paint.
But I understand what you're saying by less absorbant surface. Oh ! it gives me some ideas ! thank you.
By the way, what about your self portrait?

Alex,
Thanks. For the hair, I just remembered the lesson you gave me in my first WIP : keep the things abstract until the last moment. ( and Mischa's advice : soft and form). And it worked !