I have never painted a self portrait. There is something vulnerable and scary about painting your image. I don’t know why… maybe it’s the intense scrutiny of your features when you are painting it? Maybe it’s the acceptance of your image? There’s probably a lot more to this which I don’t understand.
Today I decided to break that boundary. I printed a photo of me on computer paper, then transferred the image onto my altered journal book. Also added scrap paper, Dollie, other images on the page. I get very excited at this stage as it is the beginning of mixed media fun!!
I added gesso over the transferred image and then painted over it. It was the hardest face I’ve ever painted. I have to stop myself from “beautifying” my face and stay true to my face. Owning it. Accepting it.
On the other page, I painted over the transferred image of roses and transformed it into something else.
Added molding paste with stencils and doodles. And finally I added a long quote from e.h. A great reminder on how we are not defined by all the things we are not. Some excerpts that I love. “You are not your age, nor the size of the clothes you wear…” “you are all the books you read and all the words you speak”…. yes, I am all that and more. I am glad I painted my first self portrait.
Here are some close ups
justpaintandplay 
I actually think every person (not as a portrait) an artist paints is an image of themself. This turned out as lovely as all of yours do!
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That’s a good point… I do see a little bit of my inner self in my paintings…. just hard to not “beautify” everything I paint and stay real..
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Love this…..stunning self portrait!
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Thank you☺️💕💕💕
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It is stunning and beautiful as always. This may be one of my favorites because of the vulnerability you shared in doing your self portrait. I love the quotes and thought shared behind painting yourself. It is beautiful because it is you and your art is a magical extension of who you are. Whether you had beautified yourself or not, it would have still been an expression of your feelings, however remaining true to yourself spoke so much more…even without the quotes to express that you are more than the face that is seen. Amazing piece!
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Thank you KIMSTARRICH. Your words mean a lot to me. Yes, painting my self portrait made me feel very vulnerable. I could not hide people the pretty girls I draw. it is about accepting myself, loving who I am… it’s a lifelong journey, I am not quite there yet, but making progress. Thank you for the beautiful being you are:)
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