Self Portrait Process Update September '23

The lighting the photo below is not great but it gets the idea across. This is the base painting. I wanted to do a gradient but then got into a groove and added some dripping lines for movement and some fun. It took a bit to get the gradient right, especially with acrylic paint, which dries fast and doesn't bled well if it is not wet.

Last night I added the base for the self portrait, blocking out the face, shoulders, and hair before I go in with the details. I still am not sure if my body and face is too small compared to the rest of canvas. However, I do like the rim of black I left at the bottom where it looks as if the person is wearing a black dress which fades into the background.

One of my fears going forward is making it too chaotic with the hair details as well as the background. I also have never really done something too realistic in acrylic in a while so that will be a hurdle for me to jump as I continue with this painting.

I am also struggling a bit with making the hair look natural, especially on the top of the head and over the shoulder. Putting in the details will probably help but I also need to determine where the callous and part is in the hair and paint that more clearly. And lastly, there is a bit of a line that I can't get rid of across the body probably due to some imperfection in creating the canvas so I don't know if I can do anything about it.