Self image: basic materials and techniques (2)

... previous
Pastels ... tell me more	dainty or daring? http://...pastel
Materials: Pastels Paper Drawing board Masking tape Rag for smudging Fixative spray
In the eighteenth century, pastel painting, as it was known, was a popular form of portraiture, John Raphael Smith (1752-1812) was a specialist in the medium, whilst George Percy Jacomb-Hood (1857-1929) was primarily known as a painter, illustrator and etcher.
John Raphael Smith by John Raphael Smith circa 1807 NPG 981	George Percy Jacomb-Hood by George Percy Jacomb-Hood NPG 6083
Watercolour ... tell me more	fluid movement
Materials: Watercolour blocks or tubes Range of soft brushes Paper or card Drawing board Masking tape Water pot Palette for mixing
The most significant characteristic of watercolour is its transparent quality. A design or underdrawing can be made using a brush loaded with a thin neutral colour such as an umber, or in light pencil with subsequent washes of colour laid over the top. Colours are thinned with water, the more water added the more transparent the wash will be. Sir George Scharf (1820-1895), the first director of the National Portrait Gallery, is pictured here using this medium.	Sir George Scharf by Sir George Scharf 1872 NPG 3863
Here a other examples of the range of effects that can be achieved through the use of watercolour:
Isaac Oliver by Isaac Oliver circa 1590 NPG 4852	William Orpen by Sir William Orpen 1910 NPG 2638
Richard Cosway by Richard Cosway circa 1790 NPG 304	Richard Parkes Bonington by Richard Parkes Bonington circa 1820-1825 NPG 1729
Graham Vivian Sutherland by Graham Vivian Sutherland circa 1945-1946 NPG 5337
Acrylic ... tell me more	quick drying & versatile
Materials: Acrylic paints in tubes or pots Range of brushes Paper, card, board Drawing board or easel Masking tape Palette Water pot Palette knife for mixing Pencil for underdrawing Rags for cleaning brushes	The Meeting, Royal Academy of Arts by Leonard Rosoman 1979-1984 NPG 5740
Acrylic paints are made of pigment bound in a synthetic resin and come in tubes or jars. Like watercolours, acrylics are soluble in water and can be thinned to almost transparent consistency and applied as washes or layered as glazes. They also can be used with a small amount of water to achieve a flat opaque surface and even squeezed direct from the tube to build up an impasto effect.
	...continue

Self image
Self image: Making a self-portrait
Glossary