Yesterday I decided to paint a self portrait while the atelier is empty for the holidays. I took photos of each step of the process, to make it easier to retrospectively critique my technique. First, I made a drawing with charcoal, and red and white chalk. In the drawing I was paying attention to the three dimensional quality of form. The proportions are a bit off, but I don’t think that matters. I think mannerists like El Greco and Tintoretto do a good job of demonstrating how proportion doesn’t need to be accurate in a traditional sense, yet they show great care to proportion as it relates to flow, and rhythm. After I made the drawing, I made an underpainting, using the drawing as reference. I used a stain of umber for my underpainting, and then accented the lights with a scumble of lead white. I let that dry overnight, then I resumed painting today when the surface was dry. I spread a couch of calcium carbonate and linseed oil paste over the entire surface, to paint and glaze on top of.
I think if the forms of the underpainting I made were more resolved the subsequent painting would have been much easier. I would like to try making a more heavy bodied underpainting, inspired by Rembrandt, for my next self portrait. The only benefit I can think of for making thin underpaintings is that they dry fast, are quick to make, and are inexpensive. I think thick underpaintings categorically look better, and are easier to paint elegantly and with bravura on top of. It is better to spend time on a good underpainting and then speed through the coloring layer, than to save time on the underpainting and then labor over the coloring layer.
I attached a self portrait by Tintoretto (age 26) to serve as interesting comparison to my own (age 26). By this stage in Tintoretto’s career the boldness of line characteristic of his signature style is already present. His drawing is superior to mine because, while it is not necessarily more detailed, it has a simple elegance. The forms of his eyes and even the curls of his hair are idealized, and rendered with confidence. The gesture he chose of his neck rotated and his scapula translated forward is subtly difficult to execute. I doubt he could hold this position for very long, and certainly not for the entire duration of the painting, whereas the gesture I chose was the position I was in while I was painting. Perhaps it is better to not be locked in to copying exactly what you look like as you appear in a mirror, and instead intentionally change something about your pose to set forth the act of invention.
Charlie Antolin Artist 