My PAOTY Self Portrait

Self Portrait, Oil on Cradled Wood panel, 12 x 16 in

I finally fully completed a self portrait - and just in the nick of time too! Usually whenever I do a self portrait it’s more about experimenting or loosening up rather than creating something finished or “complete”. After all, it’s only for me and I won’t be offended if the end result doesn’t look right or if I give myself a big nose or lopsided eyes. This lack of pressure is so freeing but for me it also means I’m totally fine with abandoning it half way though or after I’ve pushed whatever boundaries I was looking at or if I’m just not feeling it.

So, finishing this portrait is a little win for me. The current situation being as it is (lockdown 3.0 complete with school closures), time to paint was limited but after missing last year’s deadline, I was determined to submit at least one image for this year’s PAOTY call out! Setting aside all the amazing submissions I’ve already seen, I decided to just do something I’m excited to paint.

Petals and Portraits, flowers and people have long been my thing and I’m starting to play around with ways of merging and intertwining the two. I had two compositions in mind and decided to get the ball rolling with a “quick” colour and composition study.

Oil on Oil Paper Block, 8 x 10 in

I loved the energy and flow of the above. It was a lot of fun paint, not least because of the surface. I’ve been dying to try out my new Jackson’s Oil Painting Block and this seemed the perfect time. I’ve tried a few other paper canvas alternatives, and this is definitely the best so far. Unlike others I’ve tried, the paper didn’t simply suck up oil the oil. The surface felt prepared and took the paint wayyy better than I expected. It felt very similar to painting on a solid wood surface. Since it’s the first time I ordered it I went for the smallest size with the fewest sheets but I’ll be ordering a size or two larger next time.

Painting My Submission

After setting up a rough composition design in Procreate, I primed my wood panel with an extra layer of gesso mixed with acrylic to create a muted dusty pink colour before sketching the layout in charcoal.

All in, I think the painting took around 4 hours on and off. I really wanted to keep it loose and avoid fussing so I could keep the energy I loved with the first study. I also wanted to see how far I could get in a short amount of time. There are a few tweaks I would probably make if I had more time but, hey I’m happy with what I managed to do and feel it’s a good representation of where I’m at right now.

Thanks for having a read. Find me on Instagram @artbynataliewilliamson if you’d like to see more or let me know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Natalie x