Friday was another day-long self-portrait, for colours. This one went rather better than the first, because I put in the effort to complete a proper under-painting. I used yellow acrylic, and then a bit of blue, meaning that I had green shadows which would show through. Green is a complementary colour to the flesh tones, and so having it underneath them makes a painting richer. I failed to take early photographs, but this is after about an hour, with a break for lunch during which I dabbed a bit:

The septum is drifting up a bit, but I knew that, so I could deal with it. The general formation is not bad, but the green under the chin is too strong. Although the gloomiest shadows on my face were there, they were not so greenish. It stands out because that is the only area of acrylic I blocked out, thanks to the gloom.

And then we have the finished product:

The shadow under the mouth is still too heavy on the underpainting. The eye on the left has been squeezed down by overdevelopment of the lid. Other than that, I am very pleased with it. From this, I have the confidence to go to the bigger painting and know that I can get skin tones. Once the painting had matted down as it dried, it looked very much like me.

And here are a few details, because pictures are good:

Click on the smaller pictures for links to full-sized detailing.