FAA Thesis Defense | Self Portrait - Process and Early Progress

  Today at FAA, I had my thesis defense, which was essentially a final critique of my work from this semester.  I received excellent feedback from the teachers and it was a nice experience to hear them respond to my work.  I learned a lot over this last semester and feel a stronger sense of my own abilities.
  I've also started a self portrait as a final project.  I'm sharing two photos here that show the early grisaille and a first stage of paint application.  I think that I've got a good likeness and it has an Italian Baroque quality to it (maybe it's the mustache haha).
  For anyone interested in more process/technique: my approach with this self portrait is heavily based one values and using a limited palette.  The FAA approach is a value-based system, which I also emphasize with my own students.  I'd say my personal working and teaching philosophy incorporates more of a prismatic palette which is from my early training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).  I'm still essentially using the palette that we used back at PAFA which incorporated chromatic colors and earth colors.  Each school has different processes, but the principles are all the same.
   One of the key lessons at FAA is also to view the work as a whole image.  This is practiced through the use of working sight-size.  My self portrait is being painted in sight-size which required me to bring the mirror closer and push my easel back a bit.  I'd say sight-size is also a good way of getting the initial proportions, which can sometimes be tricky to place on the canvas.
  As I approach graduation, I feel very grateful that I could spend time in this beautiful city with a great group of people.