From the Artist: It is my first self portrait sketch done in pencil. I did not want enhance it with paint it as I thought it would lead to too much fussing around and then in the end not look like the sketch. The background might have been better done in charcoal but not having any fixative, I didn't want to lay the sketch on my scanner bed.
From the Painting Guide: Unfixed charcoal makes a mess (and smudges) in no time at all, no matter how careful I might try to be with it, and I hate to think how it'd get into the corners of a scanner bed!
I know you've heard me say it before, but I think it stands repeating: if you're happy with something you've done and are worried that working further on it will ruin it, start another version. So now you've got a self-portrait in charcoal at a stage you like it, set it aside and use it as inspiration for doing a painted version. Don't try to repeat what you've just done exactly, but make the second painting in a series. I think of it as painting the flower growing next to the one I've just painted -- similar, but not identical.
When painting it, I would keep the background a dark tone with a sense of texture as you've got it here and paint the shirt with just a few strokes to push the viewer's eye onto the face. Paint the hair loosely (perhaps with a knife rather than a brush), but with a little more detail and/or control than the background. Then paint the eyes and mouth with the most detail.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: I would be tempted to crop off a little of the right-hand side of the composition, so the shoulder goes off the edge. This will emphasize the sense of the figure looking into the left-hand side of the composition. You could consider adding this extra space to the left if you don't like square formats.
From the Painting Guide: Unfixed charcoal makes a mess (and smudges) in no time at all, no matter how careful I might try to be with it, and I hate to think how it'd get into the corners of a scanner bed!
I know you've heard me say it before, but I think it stands repeating: if you're happy with something you've done and are worried that working further on it will ruin it, start another version. So now you've got a self-portrait in charcoal at a stage you like it, set it aside and use it as inspiration for doing a painted version. Don't try to repeat what you've just done exactly, but make the second painting in a series. I think of it as painting the flower growing next to the one I've just painted -- similar, but not identical.
When painting it, I would keep the background a dark tone with a sense of texture as you've got it here and paint the shirt with just a few strokes to push the viewer's eye onto the face. Paint the hair loosely (perhaps with a knife rather than a brush), but with a little more detail and/or control than the background. Then paint the eyes and mouth with the most detail.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: I would be tempted to crop off a little of the right-hand side of the composition, so the shoulder goes off the edge. This will emphasize the sense of the figure looking into the left-hand side of the composition. You could consider adding this extra space to the left if you don't like square formats.