For Kate Thompson’s Fractured Portraits online class http://www.fracturedangelics.com , we were to draw/paint a self-portrait using double-pencils, charcoal, mechanical pencil, gesso and oil bar paints. As someone who takes the photos and hates to be in them this was a daunting assignment. Being able to “idealize” some aspects of the painting and keeping others as true-to-life as I could draw, made this assignment a great learning tool. I had not used R & F Oil Bars before and oh my! Such creamy goodness in a tube! a new favorite! Kate has a great online teaching style; I have learned the most from the classes I have taken with her. Applying the oil bar paints with a tiny palette knife was something I hadn’t done before and I love learning new techniques. Yes, the eyes are uneven and there are other flaws, but for a learning piece done on a piece of Arches hot press watercolor paper, I am content with her!