Self Portrait in Progress

I have been working on my self portrait for about a week now. I've tallied my hours of work so far to be eight. That means I need at least another seven for this project to be complete. Well, obviously it needs more work. I haven't even painted myself yet, and I'm the focus of the picture!

This is the painting a few days ago, after a weekend's worth of work:

...and this is it after today:

It's pretty much just a still life, but I am happy at the way it is turning out. In my opinion, this is better than any still life I ever painted in watercolor class. But I guess if it weren't for those horrible still lifes, this one wouldn't be where it is today. And I am actually tremendously relieved that the teapot came out as well as it did (the picture doesn't really do it justice). I was terrified to paint that thing, despite it being my favorite object in the picture.

Also, I did a little color study for this self portrait a week ago, and I might as well show it. Though this is not an Illustration project, I didn't think it would hurt to figure out the colors that I would use. I tend to use bright colors in all of my work. Even if I have to paint a dark (in color or in theme) piece, I like to make it colorful somehow. I find myself going back to the technique my watercolor instructor taught me last year where you don't fully mix two colors in the palette, but mix them lightly right on the paper. It makes for more vibrant hues.