Self portrait (warm)

[Carlos Ygoa]

Hello again,

Just a small study of my head I just finished. I wanted to get back into doing portraits in oil and, as usual, the closest willing model was available....
This was done in one session, about 3 hours.
Oil on canvas, 41 x 27cm (approx 16 x 10.5 ins).

Thanks for looking.

[Debra Norton]

Carlos, I like this very much! And only three hours, I'm impressed. Someday I will try to convince myself to sit for me, too.

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Good job again.

[Richard Monro]

Who is that handsome man?

Nicely done and in only three hours. Do you put in some measurment points to guide you or do you just apply the appropriate colors, shapes and values?

It is a very good likeness when I compare it to your avatar, but what I especially like is that you captured that very intense stare that artists get when they are deeply looking at a subject they are painting.

[Carlos Ygoa]

Thanks Debra, Claudermir, and Richard for your kind comments.

Debra, you should sit for yourself: the model is always available, free of charge, easy to argue with should a discussion arise, and will surely agree to the choice of music during the session.

Richard, when I started this I wanted it to be an even quicker exercise, so there is no intial drawing (in dry medium) underneath the paint, I went directly with the brush and made some minimal marks as to proportion and placing. I am quite happy with the "stare" you mention and the fact that I did not have to put on and remove my glasses 80 thousand times in the process.

[Heidi Maiers]

Very nice Carlos!
The image looks quite dark on my monitor, but what I can see I like a lot. I'm sure it is brighter in person. Really like the cool gray color scheme and the intense expression portrayed.

[Michael Georges]

Your deft rendering of the glasses really give dimension to the face. Very skilled.

[Chris Saper]

Carlos, this is a beautiful painting - so nice to see the brushwork and subtle color shifts!

Give your model a raise.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Carlos,

I'm so impressed by what you can accomplish in a short time. You show yourself as a regular guy here (I like that), despite the look of intent concentration that most self portraits capture. I first noticed the lights, the impasto on the forehead, highlights from the lenses of your glasses. Then the beauty of the shadows struck me. I especially like the way your mouth turns down into the shadow. This is such a wonderful self-portrait!

[Carlos Ygoa]

Thanks Heidi and Michael for your nice comments (I enjoyed doing the eyeglasses very much, Michael).

Thanks Chris, your comments are always valuable to me.
Alex, thank you also. You did it again...love the way you focus on small details, I learn a lot by the way you analyze paintings, and somehow they stick to my mind and help me in other pieces.

Thank you all.