I finally packed and sent off my submission for the Self-Portrait Exhibition in NYC!
It had been awhile since I've even considered a doing a self-portrait so this was an interesting experience. As I was slightly out of my comfort-zone with the subject, I decided to stick with materials that I was confident with and used only pen and acrylic. The canvas itself is 4 x 4, so working with pen also allowed me to add smaller lines and finer details.
This is the photo I started with, I wanted to work from a mirror instead, but as the project spanned several days it was easier to just use a picture.
This was my initial sketch -- holy disney batman!
After the pen was applied (Micron pigment ink) I had some trouble with smearing. A coat of fixative addressed the problem, but made the canvas impervious to my attempts at watered-down acrylic. I coated the whole canvas with a thin thin layer of buff white, which allowed me to use the watery acrylic I love so much.
Pen has been mostly covered by the paint.
I reapplied the pen in a few areas and painted in the eyes. After another coat of fixative, I think it's pretty much finished.
The show is August 14th and I am going to see if I can journey to New York to go see it. Until then, I will eagerly await the next ArtHouse project :)
