Angry portraits

**bluefooted** · March 11th, 2006, 12:18 PM

Here are a couple self portraits I was forced to do in art class

I'm not usually so mean looking, but I always end up looking totally pissed off because I'm concentrating on the painting. Both are oils on canvas.

16x20:

Self with birds (from Audobon's paintings) 3'x4' or something huge:

**Qitsune** · March 11th, 2006, 06:21 PM

I know the feeling, I always look like a witch on my self portraits, even when not purpusfully making faces.

I like the first one the best because it leads my eyes to the face and then the cup and makes me wonder why you wear gloves. The second one makes my eyes go nut, too many colors. Each part is beautiful but they compete with each other. There also is a bit of purplish in your face that I find distracting.

**hypocalvin** · March 11th, 2006, 07:08 PM

nice pictures. this is a really general suggestion, but if you don't want to make yourself more serious looking, study/paint/copy portraits that other artists did of happy people. By studying the features they focused on and accentuated that made the face happy, one can focus on those same features to achieve the desire effect - in this face, making the face more happy.

**bluefooted** · March 12th, 2006, 11:08 AM

Thanks for the comments! Yeah, I just haven't practiced painting myself (or anyone else) smiling. I've done lots of drawings of myself trying to look happy and I think they work, for the most part. It's just such a pain in the butt to keep making a happy face... especially when the art isn't working out.

Cheers!

**Elwell** · March 12th, 2006, 11:27 AM

These are so different from your usual work. I can see you struggling with the medium (and it's not just the expressions). If you are just working this way for class and you don't intend to continue with the oils, no worries. But if you want to try to make them do something more similar to your ink and color work I might be able to give you a few pointers.

**Kman.** · March 12th, 2006, 09:57 PM

Wow, too cool. I really like the one with the birds. You're good with oils, I like it =)

**bluefooted** · March 13th, 2006, 10:58 AM

Thanks again for the comments!

Elwell - I would really, really appreciate any tips you could give me. I'd like to carry over oil painting into more fantasy-type things, but I haven't been successful at all. I'm just not able to paint from my imagination or use seperate refs to make a nice fantasy piece

Ksama - thanks